Tina Nguyen • May 25, 2022

Is the G.O.P. the Party of DeSantis?

DeSantis is exhibiting all the unteachable culture war-stoking, MAGA flame-throwing gifts that Trump seeded in 2015-6. And the party seems to be tilting, in now perceptible ways, toward his approach.

Julia Ioffe • May 24, 2022

“Ukraine Must Win”: A Kremlin Defector Tells All

Under Swiss guard and fearing for his safety, a former Russian diplomat opens up about his shocking resignation, Putin’s nuclear threat, and how it all ends.

Tara Palmeri • May 19, 2022

Roe-Trump ‘24?

While most of the media focuses on the race in Pennsylvania between McCormick and Oz, political insiders are obsessing about the overtures and political canoodling between Donald Trump and Jeff Roe, the McCormick advisor and G.O.P. political operative du jour, whose own 2024 plans could define the party’s course.

Tina Nguyen • May 19, 2022

Trump Forgot How to Spell MAGA

Has the movement Trump created now moved beyond him?

Julia Ioffe • May 17, 2022

Putin’s Wood Chipper

As we approach the three-month mark in Russia’s attack on Ukraine, there is plenty of cause for optimism—a “dynamic stalemate” in which Russia’s military is collapsing while Ukraine is fighting with discipline, valor, and Western aid. But as one Russian military expert told me, Russia is focused on “grinding down” the Ukrainian military. The word he used, though, was “peremolot',” which can be translated to describe something that a wood chipper does.

Peter Hamby • May 15, 2022

Joe’s Roe Problems

The conventional media narrative portrays the end of Roe as electoral rocket fuel for Democrats. The polling is more complicated.

Baratunde Thurston • May 15, 2022

The Real Tragedy of Samuel Alito’s Logic

The Justice’s search for Constitutional validation to support his anti-abortion ruling is another sign that the arc of the American experiment doesn’t always bend toward justice—and that not every institution is focused on closing the gap between our country’s promise and what we actually deliver for our citizens.

Tara Palmeri • May 12, 2022

Succession Drama Sweeps D.C.

Investigating the early steps to replace Pelosi, Gillibrand’s possible 13-year itch, Bernie’s sulking, and the dish inside the West Wing.

Tina Nguyen • May 11, 2022

Dave & Oz’s Thelma & Louise Moment

After spending tens of millions, dragging in Hope Hicks, and kissing babies up and down the Keystone state, the two megarich MAGA poseurs may have beat each other into submission—and handed the race to someone else.

Julia Ioffe • May 10, 2022

About a Boy: The Roots of Putin’s Evil

Putin’s childhood taught him many lessons that shape his thinking and actions to this day: that might makes right, that existing hierarchies can only be changed through violence, that force is the only language that matters, that power is always a zero-sum game.

Peter Hamby • May 10, 2022

The Dark Truth Behind the SCOTUS Ruling

The conservative justices angling to overturn Roe are also the embodiment of a ruthless fifty-year political campaign. To re-enshrine abortion rights, Democrats will need to fight even harder.

Eriq Gardner • May 9, 2022

Was Politico’s Supreme Court Leaker an Inside Man?

Four reasons why the media speculation may be overlooking a more mysterious culprit. Plus, what the legal fallout could mean for Julian Assange and James O’Keefe.

Tara Palmeri • May 5, 2022

Welcome to The Washington Mall

Notes on White House succession planning, knives out for Ron Klain, and Trump’s VP shortlist. Plus what’s next for Jeff Roe, Elon, and the Ron-Don drama at Mar-a-Lago.

Tina Nguyen • May 4, 2022

McCormick’s Last Stand

A G.O.P. candy bowl: Finger-pointing in Dave-vs.-Oz, the House’s Lindsay Lohan, and Geoff Morrell’s own Disney crisis comms.

Julia Ioffe • May 3, 2022

Putin vs. His Oligarchs

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third month, Putin’s chummy ruling class is feeling the burn. It’s a reminder that they were never so chummy in the first place.