WASHINGTON
Julia Ioffe
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December 9, 2021
Putin’s D.C. Masterplan
Now that Biden is president, Putin seems to want to make sure that his point of view and priorities are considered, too; that he is seen as an equal and as someone to be reckoned with. To do that, he has imposed himself on the news cycle—and into the White House’s priorities, with plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Tina Nguyen
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December 7, 2021
The Democrats’ 2024 Kryptonite
Ever since Jeff Roe led Glenn Youngkin to victory in Virginia, he has become the G.O.P.’s master strategist for creating a new Trump-adjacent, post-Trump playbook for Never Trump Republicans. Herewith, he envisions 2022 and beyond.
Julia Ioffe
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December 6, 2021
Putin’s “Nightmare” Threat to Europe
Ironically, the greatest risk to Russia stems from Putin’s own paranoid fantasies. But the danger of military escalation over Ukraine is all too real.
Theodore Schleifer
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November 30, 2021
Inside the Dems’ Dark Money Machine
Neither party's functionaries admit it, but the line between philanthropy and politics has been obliterated. The upshot is that even more money is moving into the shadows.
Julia Ioffe
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November 30, 2021
Does Washington Have Senioritis?
Washington has become a gerontocracy—a town run by an aging class of lawmakers unwilling to relinquish their power to a younger generation. But, actually, is that as bad as it sounds?
Peter Hamby
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November 24, 2021
The Kamala ’24 Question
Kamala Harris came into office with soaring expectations, at a time of grinding partisanship and huge challenges, but in an office that has only limited power and in a city where she lacks deep relationships. It’s a wild paradox: Harris is the second-most powerful office holder in American history, but suddenly facing nothing but downside.
Julia Ioffe
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November 23, 2021
Murdoch’s Big Lie & Putin at the Gates
Pre-Thanksgiving reflections on the Tucker Carlson-ification of Fox News, Russia’s designs on Ukraine, and more.
Tina Nguyen
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November 22, 2021
Has the G.O.P. Become the Party of Rittenhouse?
The broader political context that produced Rittenhouse is, in many ways, more disturbing than the Rittenhouse case itself.
Tina Nguyen
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November 15, 2021
Is Bari Weiss U. For Real?
The evolution of the digital economy has already remade the media industry, allowing columnists like Weiss to circumvent the progressive gatekeepers who signed her paychecks and build her own subscription businesses on Substack. Actually, higher education seems like the natural next step.
Julia Ioffe
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November 12, 2021
Biden’s Sinking Popularity & Putin’s New Proxy War
Reflections on the most pressing questions in Washington, and in my inbox. This week: Could the rescue of Biden’s infrastructure bill be a turning point for his administration? And what is the White House thinking about the Belarus-Poland border crisis?
Baratunde Thurston
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November 11, 2021
After the Tide: Critical Race Theory in 2021
White backlashes against racial progress are as American as genetically-modified apple pie. But critical race theory has unleashed a new torrent of grievances. I can’t solve everyone’s problems, but I think I can suggest a more useful way to frame the debate.
Peter Hamby
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November 9, 2021
China, Greta Electric: Is the Fifth Risk Over?
The Department of Energy, now in the capable hands of Jennifer Granholm, has recovered from the Trump-era crises memorably documented by Michael Lewis. But as global supply chain disruptions become an energy crunch, Granholm faces a new emergency: convincing inflation-weary Americans that the president’s green agenda isn’t a high-priced pipe dream.
Peter Hamby
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November 7, 2021
“A Perfect Storm”: A No-B.S. Read of What Really Happened in Virginia
Yes, the political cudgel of Critical Race Theory helped Glenn Youngkin defeat The Macker. But despite the media’s desire to have a TV-friendly narrative explain it all, the behind-the-ballot-curtain reality is more complex—and relevant for ’22… and ’24.
Julia Ioffe
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November 4, 2021
Tales from the CNN Trump-Era Green Room
Kirsten Powers, who went from liberal on Fox News to anti-Trump voice on CNN, explains what happens when the shouting matches end, the cameras turn off, and you’re stuck in the green room with Santorum. And how to handle it all, and more, with a little grace.
Julia Ioffe
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November 3, 2021
The G.O.P.’s Critical Race Theory Bazooka
It's not taught in K-12 schools, but Glenn Youngkin rode the issue straight to the Virginia governor’s mansion. So much so that by Wednesday morning, the Republican Study Committee put out a memo that the G.O.P. must become the “party of parents” and to fight “racist C.R.T. curricula.”
Theodore Schleifer
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November 3, 2021
Eric Schmidt Ponders the End of the C.E.O. as We Know It
A candid conversation with Eric Schmidt about the A.I. apocalypse, his relationship with Joe Biden, and how “woke-ism” has changed the C-suite.
Tina Nguyen
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November 2, 2021
Will Trump’s Meme-SPAC Cash Grab Hurt His 2024 Odds?
The DWAC merger appears reckless, even to those in Trumpworld. As one former senior advisor put it: “It's got as much gas as the Hindenburg.”