On February 13, 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia died. Before his body was in the ground, Senate Majority Leader announced he would block anyone President Barack Obama nominated to fill Scalia’s seat. The next week, Jeb Bush dropped out of the Republican primary, quickly followed by Marco Rubio, and eventually Ted Cruz, leaving Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee. showed Hillary Clinton beating Trump by solid margins, with forecasters pegging her chances of victory from to percent, and Democrats to take back the Senate.I was working for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid at the time. Being...…On February 13, 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia died. Before his body was in the ground, Senate Majority Leader announced he would block anyone President Barack Obama nominated to fill Scalia’s seat. The next week, Jeb Bush dropped out of the Republican primary, quickly followed by Marco Rubio, and eventually Ted Cruz, leaving Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee. showed Hillary Clinton beating Trump by solid margins, with forecasters pegging her chances of victory from to percent, and Democrats to take back the Senate.I was working for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid at the time. Being...WW…

Earlier this month, Andrew Yang officially qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, making him the only candidate so far on stage without a background in politics. Yang is a former tech executive and founder of Venture for America, a sort of Teach for America that sends recent graduates to work for start-ups in "struggling cities," as puts it, such as Detroit, Cleveland, and New Orleans. That probably best sums up Yang's very Silicon Valley approach to governing: Structural problems can be innovated away with entrepreneurial gumption. The central plank of his campaign is...…Earlier this month, Andrew Yang officially qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, making him the only candidate so far on stage without a background in politics. Yang is a former tech executive and founder of Venture for America, a sort of Teach for America that sends recent graduates to work for start-ups in "struggling cities," as puts it, such as Detroit, Cleveland, and New Orleans. That probably best sums up Yang's very Silicon Valley approach to governing: Structural problems can be innovated away with entrepreneurial gumption. The central plank of his campaign is...WW…

Since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin brutally pressed his knee onto George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, and three other officers stood by and did nothing as he suffocated to death, the with shock and outrage and demanded an overhaul of American policing.One of Chauvin’s colleagues, meanwhile, was surprised that it took people this long to notice how bad things were in her own department and with the police in general. “I am a Minneapolis police officer, something I probably should not be broadcasting right now, but I’m tired and want change,” Megan Jones, 27, wrote to me...…Since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin brutally pressed his knee onto George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, and three other officers stood by and did nothing as he suffocated to death, the with shock and outrage and demanded an overhaul of American policing.One of Chauvin’s colleagues, meanwhile, was surprised that it took people this long to notice how bad things were in her own department and with the police in general. “I am a Minneapolis police officer, something I probably should not be broadcasting right now, but I’m tired and want change,” Megan Jones, 27, wrote to me...WW…

This week, a flight of eight military jets—handsome and sleek, with bright-red tails—flew over the shuttered Las Vegas strip, so close to the city the roar could be heard from the ground, their dark bellies close to the glassy spires of empty hotels. Flying in tight formation from Nellis Air Force Base, they issued plumes of cloud into the desert air, uniform trails that dissipated into the big, bright, cumulus-dappled sky over the empty streets. It was a thank you from the United States military, the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, “to show appreciation and support for the...…This week, a flight of eight military jets—handsome and sleek, with bright-red tails—flew over the shuttered Las Vegas strip, so close to the city the roar could be heard from the ground, their dark bellies close to the glassy spires of empty hotels. Flying in tight formation from Nellis Air Force Base, they issued plumes of cloud into the desert air, uniform trails that dissipated into the big, bright, cumulus-dappled sky over the empty streets. It was a thank you from the United States military, the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, “to show appreciation and support for the...WW…

Even as our television screens light up with armed, Confederate-flag-waving protestors raging against the tyranny of paper face masks and standing at moderate distances from their fellow countrymen, Americans, by substantial majorities, oppose lifting social-distancing measures.In a new , well over 70 percent of us oppose reopening gyms, dine-in restaurants, and movie theaters, while more than 60 percent are against flinging open the doors at barbershops, nail salons, and retail shops. This is no shock. It replicates that a wide majority of Americans—81 percent in the case of a —do not...…Even as our television screens light up with armed, Confederate-flag-waving protestors raging against the tyranny of paper face masks and standing at moderate distances from their fellow countrymen, Americans, by substantial majorities, oppose lifting social-distancing measures.In a new , well over 70 percent of us oppose reopening gyms, dine-in restaurants, and movie theaters, while more than 60 percent are against flinging open the doors at barbershops, nail salons, and retail shops. This is no shock. It replicates that a wide majority of Americans—81 percent in the case of a —do not...WW…

By now, White House résumé is quite extensive. His father-in-law, Donald Trump, tasked him with brokering peace between Israel and Palestine, completing an environmentally destructive wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, reforming the criminal justice system, and building an "Office of American Innovation," dedicated to making the government run like a business.Despite his failing to follow through on any of these tasks, Trump also put Kushner in charge of the U.S. coronavirus response, complete with his own "shadow" task force made up of friends, which caused confusion about competing power...…By now, White House résumé is quite extensive. His father-in-law, Donald Trump, tasked him with brokering peace between Israel and Palestine, completing an environmentally destructive wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, reforming the criminal justice system, and building an "Office of American Innovation," dedicated to making the government run like a business.Despite his failing to follow through on any of these tasks, Trump also put Kushner in charge of the U.S. coronavirus response, complete with his own "shadow" task force made up of friends, which caused confusion about competing power...WW…

I first started feeling sick on Sunday night, August 16. I had spent the previous week dealing with excruciating neck pain whose origins I couldn’t quite explain. My mother, a doctor who takes great pride in her formidable diagnostic skills, was sure that this was the opening salvo of a COVID infection. I waved it off, insisting that I had probably just gone a little too hard on the ab workout. But by Sunday night, it was clear something was wrong. I barely made it through grocery shopping and had to lie down several times while making dinner. By morning, I had chills, a runny nose, and a...…I first started feeling sick on Sunday night, August 16. I had spent the previous week dealing with excruciating neck pain whose origins I couldn’t quite explain. My mother, a doctor who takes great pride in her formidable diagnostic skills, was sure that this was the opening salvo of a COVID infection. I waved it off, insisting that I had probably just gone a little too hard on the ab workout. But by Sunday night, it was clear something was wrong. I barely made it through grocery shopping and had to lie down several times while making dinner. By morning, I had chills, a runny nose, and a...WW…

There’s never been a great reason for the Golden Globe Awards to exist. At best, they’re a kind of diet soda version of other awards shows, a slimmed-down combination of the Oscars and the Emmys, At worst, they’re a pale imitation of those institutions that devalues the loftier honors by throwing out nominations and awards willy nilly, hitting worthy honorees almost by chance. Arts awards might be inherently silly and driven more by hype and glad-handing than a serious assessment of artistic merit, but the Globes have a way of stripping off the veneer of respectability. It’s an awards show...…There’s never been a great reason for the Golden Globe Awards to exist. At best, they’re a kind of diet soda version of other awards shows, a slimmed-down combination of the Oscars and the Emmys, At worst, they’re a pale imitation of those institutions that devalues the loftier honors by throwing out nominations and awards willy nilly, hitting worthy honorees almost by chance. Arts awards might be inherently silly and driven more by hype and glad-handing than a serious assessment of artistic merit, but the Globes have a way of stripping off the veneer of respectability. It’s an awards show...WW…

It has been a big month for throwback style. GQ has spent documenting of The Last Dance, ESPN's ode to Michael Jordan and the late-1990s Chicago Bulls. However, there is another recently released documentary that is just as packed with excellent fits and next-level style: the Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys Story. That group was best known for its experimental blending of hip-hop, hardcore punk, and everything in between. But the film shows that their sense of style was much like their music—a hodgepodge of motifs from various cultures and scenes. It's the type of thing that doesn't make...…It has been a big month for throwback style. GQ has spent documenting of The Last Dance, ESPN's ode to Michael Jordan and the late-1990s Chicago Bulls. However, there is another recently released documentary that is just as packed with excellent fits and next-level style: the Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys Story. That group was best known for its experimental blending of hip-hop, hardcore punk, and everything in between. But the film shows that their sense of style was much like their music—a hodgepodge of motifs from various cultures and scenes. It's the type of thing that doesn't make...WW…

In the last month, , about Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls, has and dominated the cultural conversation (it surely helps to have no other sports to talk about right now). But it’s not the only show starring an ornery, megalomaniacal and larger-than-life figure and his colorful turn-of-the-millennium supporting cast that you probably can’t seem to get away from if you’re spending any (all) of your time on social media during social distancing.The Sopranos, the James Gandolfini-starring crime family drama that took HBO to new heights of relevance and jump-started the Prestige TV era...…In the last month, , about Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls, has and dominated the cultural conversation (it surely helps to have no other sports to talk about right now). But it’s not the only show starring an ornery, megalomaniacal and larger-than-life figure and his colorful turn-of-the-millennium supporting cast that you probably can’t seem to get away from if you’re spending any (all) of your time on social media during social distancing.The Sopranos, the James Gandolfini-starring crime family drama that took HBO to new heights of relevance and jump-started the Prestige TV era...WW…