Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. .AdvertisementOn Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump welcomed us to his presidency, and to his worldview. In delivered to a nation still surprised by his election, Trump gave a speech about the “American carnage” that was hollowing out the country. In some respects, the carnage he described that day was real: “Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but...…Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. .AdvertisementOn Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump welcomed us to his presidency, and to his worldview. In delivered to a nation still surprised by his election, Trump gave a speech about the “American carnage” that was hollowing out the country. In some respects, the carnage he described that day was real: “Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementThere is never a good time to talk about Tucker Carlson. As , offering up attention to those who seek attention in a media world driven solely by monetizing our scarce attention feels uniquely horrible. But Carlson has been pushing harder and harder on that limits the ability of as “new people, more obedient voters from the Third World” to vote. His has band, which means it may be time to talk about him. As he invoked “white replacement theory” last week, Carlson was at pains to say that he wasn’t endorsing the “,” a noxious idea prevalent in white supremacist...…AdvertisementAdvertisementThere is never a good time to talk about Tucker Carlson. As , offering up attention to those who seek attention in a media world driven solely by monetizing our scarce attention feels uniquely horrible. But Carlson has been pushing harder and harder on that limits the ability of as “new people, more obedient voters from the Third World” to vote. His has band, which means it may be time to talk about him. As he invoked “white replacement theory” last week, Carlson was at pains to say that he wasn’t endorsing the “,” a noxious idea prevalent in white supremacist...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Tuesday morning, the Biden White House rolled out a that offered a little something for everyone who has been critical of the ways in which Democrats have historically approached the federal judiciary. The 11 nominees’ racial, gender, and religious diversity is a sharp break from years of Trump nominees who were . More urgently, the list mollified critics of prior administrations by . It includes nine women and nine people of color. Nominees include pathbreaking candidates such as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of...…AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Tuesday morning, the Biden White House rolled out a that offered a little something for everyone who has been critical of the ways in which Democrats have historically approached the federal judiciary. The 11 nominees’ racial, gender, and religious diversity is a sharp break from years of Trump nominees who were . More urgently, the list mollified critics of prior administrations by . It includes nine women and nine people of color. Nominees include pathbreaking candidates such as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementRepairing the United States’ elections system has now become an existential challenge for Democrats. The Republican Party is increasingly devoted to choking off ballot access for those who don’t support them: As the , red-state legislatures are passing vote suppression measures dressed up as “ballot security” rules at a clip that has . Yes, some states are passing measures to increase access to the ballot, but measures that would make it harder to register, vote early, vote by mail, or produce voter ID are now being pressed in “the most significant wave of such...…AdvertisementAdvertisementRepairing the United States’ elections system has now become an existential challenge for Democrats. The Republican Party is increasingly devoted to choking off ballot access for those who don’t support them: As the , red-state legislatures are passing vote suppression measures dressed up as “ballot security” rules at a clip that has . Yes, some states are passing measures to increase access to the ballot, but measures that would make it harder to register, vote early, vote by mail, or produce voter ID are now being pressed in “the most significant wave of such...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementWhy can’t Republicans quit the provably false claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election? It’s a bold-faced fabrication, easy to leave behind, and yet they refuse to let it go. I understand why the ex-president clings to it—everything about him demands that he be seen as a powerful awesome winner for all time. But what about people like Rep. , who refused to concede the election results were valid just last weekend on ABC’s This Week, or , who devoted a lone unhinged dissent to that possibility in a Pennsylvania elections case on Monday? , the Conservative...…AdvertisementAdvertisementWhy can’t Republicans quit the provably false claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election? It’s a bold-faced fabrication, easy to leave behind, and yet they refuse to let it go. I understand why the ex-president clings to it—everything about him demands that he be seen as a powerful awesome winner for all time. But what about people like Rep. , who refused to concede the election results were valid just last weekend on ABC’s This Week, or , who devoted a lone unhinged dissent to that possibility in a Pennsylvania elections case on Monday? , the Conservative...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementIn many ways, Merrick Garland’s Monday confirmation hearing for attorney general was almost exactly what his 2016 hearing for the Supreme Court would have been. The issues raised by Republican senators—illegal immigration, guns, executive power, big tech—are pretty much standard GOP fare. You could be excused if, based on the proceedings, it felt as if Donald Trump had never happened.Ranking minority member Chuck Grassley set the Republican tone for the proceedings by opening with a long list of stock grievances and gripes, none of which had anything to do with...…AdvertisementAdvertisementIn many ways, Merrick Garland’s Monday confirmation hearing for attorney general was almost exactly what his 2016 hearing for the Supreme Court would have been. The issues raised by Republican senators—illegal immigration, guns, executive power, big tech—are pretty much standard GOP fare. You could be excused if, based on the proceedings, it felt as if Donald Trump had never happened.Ranking minority member Chuck Grassley set the Republican tone for the proceedings by opening with a long list of stock grievances and gripes, none of which had anything to do with...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementOn the , Dahlia Lithwick spoke with renowned communications researcher and campaign adviser  about the messaging of impeachment, how Republicans justify acquittal, and why it’s so dangerous to give Marjorie Taylor Greene a microphone. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.Dahlia Lithwick: Set the table for us about how you have come to think about language, and messaging, and politics, and all the ways in which progressives just really are generally suck-ish at some of this.AdvertisementAnat Shenker-Osorio: It’s hard to know where to...…AdvertisementAdvertisementOn the , Dahlia Lithwick spoke with renowned communications researcher and campaign adviser  about the messaging of impeachment, how Republicans justify acquittal, and why it’s so dangerous to give Marjorie Taylor Greene a microphone. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.Dahlia Lithwick: Set the table for us about how you have come to think about language, and messaging, and politics, and all the ways in which progressives just really are generally suck-ish at some of this.AdvertisementAnat Shenker-Osorio: It’s hard to know where to...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the incessant drumbeats of former President Donald Trump’s defense team has been about “due process.” His attorneys keep talking about all the ways in which a rushed House investigation and speedy impeachment trial meant that their client was denied the right to defend himself against the House managers. This claim was invoked several times during their three-plus-hour defense presentation on Friday, which is a strange claim to make in the middle of a literal trial as one’s defense attorneys actually partake in the act of defending him. Apparently, Donald...…AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the incessant drumbeats of former President Donald Trump’s defense team has been about “due process.” His attorneys keep talking about all the ways in which a rushed House investigation and speedy impeachment trial meant that their client was denied the right to defend himself against the House managers. This claim was invoked several times during their three-plus-hour defense presentation on Friday, which is a strange claim to make in the middle of a literal trial as one’s defense attorneys actually partake in the act of defending him. Apparently, Donald...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the night before the second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump falls, the mood is decidedly gloomy. While impeachment managers want to call witnesses and put on a proper trial, that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have ordered up a quick and dirty affair. This makes a certain amount of sense given that there are other urgent priorities at hand and any hope of picking off the 17 GOP votes needed to convict has . No matter what case Democrats present, Republicans are almost certainly going to stick together and protect the former president. The weeks between the...…AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the night before the second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump falls, the mood is decidedly gloomy. While impeachment managers want to call witnesses and put on a proper trial, that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have ordered up a quick and dirty affair. This makes a certain amount of sense given that there are other urgent priorities at hand and any hope of picking off the 17 GOP votes needed to convict has . No matter what case Democrats present, Republicans are almost certainly going to stick together and protect the former president. The weeks between the...WW…

AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Tuesday morning, Donald Trump, whose unsurprising character defects still never fail to surprise, tweeted a conspiracy theory claiming that the 75-year-old peace activist who remains hospitalized after his head was smashed open by Buffalo, New York, law enforcement officers ” who “fell harder than was pushed.” The president also linked to a report from a conservative cable news outlet, One America News Network, for support. That report claimed, with no supporting evidence, that the man “was attempting to capture the radio communications signature of Buffalo...…AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Tuesday morning, Donald Trump, whose unsurprising character defects still never fail to surprise, tweeted a conspiracy theory claiming that the 75-year-old peace activist who remains hospitalized after his head was smashed open by Buffalo, New York, law enforcement officers ” who “fell harder than was pushed.” The president also linked to a report from a conservative cable news outlet, One America News Network, for support. That report claimed, with no supporting evidence, that the man “was attempting to capture the radio communications signature of Buffalo...WW…