Abby Livingston • January 19, 2026

Klobuchar’s Minnesota Succession Mess

Two days before the killing of Renee Good, news leaked that Senator Klobuchar was weighing a bid to succeed Tim Walz as governor of Minnesota. But while the chatter about Klobuchar has receded from the headlines, Democrats are quietly discussing the political impact of a second open Senate seat in 2026.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • January 18, 2026

Will Democrats Impeach Kristi Noem?

While House Democrats are divided over how to challenge Trump, leadership is quietly building a case against the Homeland Security secretary—beginning with potential shadow hearings, outside the official committee structure, that would gather the evidence against her.

Julia Ioffe • January 15, 2026

The Havana Hangover

After years of denials, Washington is finally reckoning with new reporting that would seem to confirm the existence of the alleged Russian directed-energy weapon that causes Havana syndrome—or what the U.S. government now calls “anomalous health incidents.” But will Tulsi Gabbard be allowed to release the O.D.N.I.’s own findings?

Leigh Ann Caldwell • January 14, 2026

John Thune Has the Hardest Job in Washington

Can the Senate leader preserve his majority, manage his members’ competing agendas, and protect his institution—all while placating the president?

Peter Hamby • January 13, 2026

Support for ICE Is Collapsing

Outside the right-wing echo chamber, polls tell the true story of an unprecedented drop in support for Trump’s immigration agency, which has swung 30 points in 12 months.

Abby Livingston • January 12, 2026

Pelosi Succession Chatter & Gavin-mander Aftershocks

Nancy Pelosi’s retirement in San Francisco, an Obama alum’s generational challenge in L.A., and a redrawn Orange County could end careers and launch new California stars.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • January 11, 2026

The Ballad of Rand & Lindsey

The changing definition of “America First” has exploded tensions between two senators at opposite ends of the conservative foreign policy spectrum: the libertarian Rand Paul and the interventionist Lindsey Graham. If Paul won the ideological battle in the first term, Graham seems to have Trump’s ear in the second.

Abby Livingston • January 8, 2026

The Wolves of First Street

The once quixotic, bipartisan crusade to ban congressional stock trading is gaining real momentum—but in the least productive Congress in history, getting Washington’s best-informed traders to give up their Robinhood accounts may be a long shot.

Julia Ioffe • January 8, 2026

The Big Olowski Has Left the Building

Lew Olowski, the State Department’s wacky, polarizing head of H.R., is said to have imploded at his farewell party when he learned that he wasn’t getting a coveted assignment.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • January 7, 2026

Trump’s Mile-High Revenge Tour

The president’s bizarre decision to wage a retaliatory political war on Colorado—including the MAGA stronghold that elected Lauren Boebert—could wind up costing him the House.

Peter Hamby • January 6, 2026

Manospheres of Influence

The disaffected young men who helped elect Trump are fed up with high prices, worried about A.I., and frustrated by the president’s neocon turn. And, according to exclusive new polling data, they’re souring on Trump just as they turned on Joe Biden.

Julia Ioffe • January 5, 2026

Neocon Don

Trump’s largely consequence-free projection of military power in Iran and elsewhere laid the groundwork for last weekend’s shocking action in Venezuela—and validated a new framework for MAGA-style interventionism. But what happens when Xi starts playing by the same rules?

Leigh Ann Caldwell • January 4, 2026

The Four Horsemen of Capitol Hill’s Apocalypse

A close look at the challenges, opportunities, and curveballs awaiting the Big Four congressional leaders in the new year: the M.T.G. mutiny, G.O.P. majority shrinkage, another shutdown, A.C.A. headaches, and Trump.

John Heilemann • December 30, 2025

The World According to Ezra

The Times columnist, podcast impresario, and would-be Democratic Party uber-reformer recaps the past year in politics—and explains why, despite his ongoing sense of alarm, he’s closing out 2025 feeling moderately hopeful.

Abby Livingston • December 29, 2025

The Real House Members of Potomac

Ready or not, the midterm primary season is just days away. And, as analyst Jacob Rubashkin explains, just about anything can happen… including a congressional surprise in Texas and a Senate upset in Michigan.