Think back, for a moment, to this time last year: Much of the United States was still in lockdown as coronavirus, still such a dangerous unknown, tore through the populace. Officials had only recently begun to encourage Americans to wear face masks, and orders mandating their use in public places had yet to take effect. Every day brought fresh horror, exacerbated by political leadership that was already proving itself nowhere near up to the task at hand and a prevailing sense of uncertainty not only as to when this would all be over, but if.There are a lot of ways—too many—in which April...…Think back, for a moment, to this time last year: Much of the United States was still in lockdown as coronavirus, still such a dangerous unknown, tore through the populace. Officials had only recently begun to encourage Americans to wear face masks, and orders mandating their use in public places had yet to take effect. Every day brought fresh horror, exacerbated by political leadership that was already proving itself nowhere near up to the task at hand and a prevailing sense of uncertainty not only as to when this would all be over, but if.There are a lot of ways—too many—in which April...WW…

Republicans have spent the last couple weeks railing against “woke” corporations, calling on supporters to boycott companies that have taken stands against their attacks on voting rights and in some cases threatening businesses that break with them ideologically. “Corporations will invite serious consequences,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this week, “if they become a vehicle for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order.”But rumors of the death of the cozy relationship between the corporate world and the GOP have been greatly exaggerated. The...…Republicans have spent the last couple weeks railing against “woke” corporations, calling on supporters to boycott companies that have taken stands against their attacks on voting rights and in some cases threatening businesses that break with them ideologically. “Corporations will invite serious consequences,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this week, “if they become a vehicle for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order.”But rumors of the death of the cozy relationship between the corporate world and the GOP have been greatly exaggerated. The...WW…

Barack Obama built his first campaign for president on a theme of national unity. “I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time,” he on the trail, “unless we solve them together.” But that bipartisan dream ran into a brick wall when he assumed office, thanks to a Republican party that would barely treat him as a legitimate president, let alone work with him. Obama didn’t “make Republican outreach a priority,” former House Speaker John Boehner, the president’s friendly foe on Capitol Hill in those years, recalls in his forthcoming memoir, an of which appeared in Politico...…Barack Obama built his first campaign for president on a theme of national unity. “I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time,” he on the trail, “unless we solve them together.” But that bipartisan dream ran into a brick wall when he assumed office, thanks to a Republican party that would barely treat him as a legitimate president, let alone work with him. Obama didn’t “make Republican outreach a priority,” former House Speaker John Boehner, the president’s friendly foe on Capitol Hill in those years, recalls in his forthcoming memoir, an of which appeared in Politico...WW…

In the spring of 2019, Donald Trump announced plans to bring about the infrastructure deal he’d been promising since he was a candidate. But, like other Infrastructure Weeks before it, the whole thing collapsed before it got off the ground. Trump during a meeting with Nancy Pelosi after just three minutes, and continued his tantrum in the Rose Garden afterward as his Capitol Hill nemesis promised to “pray” for him. “I want to do infrastructure,” he said. “I want to do it more than you want to do it. I’d be really good at it. But you know what?” he demanded. “You can’t do it under these...…In the spring of 2019, Donald Trump announced plans to bring about the infrastructure deal he’d been promising since he was a candidate. But, like other Infrastructure Weeks before it, the whole thing collapsed before it got off the ground. Trump during a meeting with Nancy Pelosi after just three minutes, and continued his tantrum in the Rose Garden afterward as his Capitol Hill nemesis promised to “pray” for him. “I want to do infrastructure,” he said. “I want to do it more than you want to do it. I’d be really good at it. But you know what?” he demanded. “You can’t do it under these...WW…

Forgoing the kind of soul-searching that might normally follow electoral losses like the ones they suffered in November, Republicans have instead gone all-in on a to keep Americans from voting, using Donald Trump’s bogus claims of election fraud to power a to make it more difficult to cast ballots. Much of the action has taken place at the state level, where the GOP wields significant power and has put forth more than 200 proposed laws to restrict voting access. Far from acting alone, state lawmakers have the weight of the Republican party behind them, from Capitol Hill to the GOP money...…Forgoing the kind of soul-searching that might normally follow electoral losses like the ones they suffered in November, Republicans have instead gone all-in on a to keep Americans from voting, using Donald Trump’s bogus claims of election fraud to power a to make it more difficult to cast ballots. Much of the action has taken place at the state level, where the GOP wields significant power and has put forth more than 200 proposed laws to restrict voting access. Far from acting alone, state lawmakers have the weight of the Republican party behind them, from Capitol Hill to the GOP money...WW…

Joe Biden has been facing mounting pressure within his party to support abolishing or amending the Senate filibuster, the tool Republicans are certain to use to major parts of his agenda and, in all likelihood, Democratic efforts to protect Americans’ voting rights. But as recently as last week, the president had seemed stubbornly opposed to the idea, suggesting that taking on the Senate rule would mean giving up on the ideals of bipartisanship and unity he’d campaigned on. “The president’s preference is not to get rid of the filibuster,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently. “His...…Joe Biden has been facing mounting pressure within his party to support abolishing or amending the Senate filibuster, the tool Republicans are certain to use to major parts of his agenda and, in all likelihood, Democratic efforts to protect Americans’ voting rights. But as recently as last week, the president had seemed stubbornly opposed to the idea, suggesting that taking on the Senate rule would mean giving up on the ideals of bipartisanship and unity he’d campaigned on. “The president’s preference is not to get rid of the filibuster,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently. “His...WW…

View moreJoe Biden has been facing mounting pressure within his party to support abolishing or amending the Senate filibuster, the tool Republicans are certain to use to major parts of his agenda and, in all likelihood, Democratic efforts to protect Americans’ voting rights. But as recently as last week, the president had seemed stubbornly opposed to the idea, suggesting that taking on the Senate rule would mean giving up on the ideals of bipartisanship and unity he’d campaigned on. “The president’s preference is not to get rid of the filibuster,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki...…View moreJoe Biden has been facing mounting pressure within his party to support abolishing or amending the Senate filibuster, the tool Republicans are certain to use to major parts of his agenda and, in all likelihood, Democratic efforts to protect Americans’ voting rights. But as recently as last week, the president had seemed stubbornly opposed to the idea, suggesting that taking on the Senate rule would mean giving up on the ideals of bipartisanship and unity he’d campaigned on. “The president’s preference is not to get rid of the filibuster,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki...WW…

Throughout much of his presidential campaign, Joe Biden was viewed with skepticism, and even outright hostility, by progressives. But a leftward shift during the general election and a promising first month in office has been generally heartening for the more liberal wing of the party, without alienating the moderates who helped him earn the Democratic nomination. But this week, for the first time in his presidency, a fissure has opened between Biden and progressive Democrats.At issue: Student debt. Progressives like Elizabeth Warren and even party leaders like Chuck Schumer have called for...…Throughout much of his presidential campaign, Joe Biden was viewed with skepticism, and even outright hostility, by progressives. But a leftward shift during the general election and a promising first month in office has been generally heartening for the more liberal wing of the party, without alienating the moderates who helped him earn the Democratic nomination. But this week, for the first time in his presidency, a fissure has opened between Biden and progressive Democrats.At issue: Student debt. Progressives like Elizabeth Warren and even party leaders like Chuck Schumer have called for...WW…

They had an alliance forged, if not in admiration, then in a shared recognition that the success of their projects was intertwined. Mitch McConnell wasn’t the type to join Donald Trump on the golf course like Lindsey Graham, and Trump rarely spoke of McConnell in the kinds of personal terms—positive or negative—that he did with others in the GOP. Theirs was a business relationship, and a profitable one at that: McConnell remade the courts, and Trump remade the Republican party.But political marriages of convenience tend to dissolve after they no longer serve their purpose, and the end of...…They had an alliance forged, if not in admiration, then in a shared recognition that the success of their projects was intertwined. Mitch McConnell wasn’t the type to join Donald Trump on the golf course like Lindsey Graham, and Trump rarely spoke of McConnell in the kinds of personal terms—positive or negative—that he did with others in the GOP. Theirs was a business relationship, and a profitable one at that: McConnell remade the courts, and Trump remade the Republican party.But political marriages of convenience tend to dissolve after they no longer serve their purpose, and the end of...WW…

A week after armed supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, Kevin McCarthy laid blame for the deadly insurrection at the feet of his party’s leader. “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters,” in a floor speech. “He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.” The scolding was ultimately meaningless, considering the House Minority Leader—who’d promoted the president’s election fraud claims—still voted against certifying the election and later against Trump’s impeachment. But it seemed to reflect a fear, on the...…A week after armed supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, Kevin McCarthy laid blame for the deadly insurrection at the feet of his party’s leader. “The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters,” in a floor speech. “He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.” The scolding was ultimately meaningless, considering the House Minority Leader—who’d promoted the president’s election fraud claims—still voted against certifying the election and later against Trump’s impeachment. But it seemed to reflect a fear, on the...WW…