Molly Ball

Molly Ball is a staff writer covering national politics at The Atlantic.

Mitt Romney's Birth Certificate 'Joke'

Mitt Romney's Birth Certificate 'Joke'

Campaigning in Michigan, the GOP nominee makes an ugly and politically ill-advised gesture toward the conspiracy theory surrounding the president's origins. More »

Why Todd Akin Could Still Win Missouri (Seriously)

Why Todd Akin Could Still Win Missouri (Seriously)

Remember Sharron Angle? Some of the things she said were just as out-there as "legitimate rape" -- and she almost beat Harry Reid in 2010. More »

Why Todd Akin Isn't Dropping Out—and What It Means

Why Todd Akin Isn't Dropping Out—and What It Means

The Missouri Republican's decision to stay in the race hurts the GOP at all levels, from Missouri to the national ticket. More »

Why the Campaign Is So Nasty

Why the Campaign Is So Nasty

Why should politicians respect one another when nobody respects politicians? More »

Wacky Florida Political Ad Warns of Robot-Car Menace

Wacky Florida Political Ad Warns of Robot-Car Menace

A Florida state senate candidate gets attacked over his support for driverless cars. More »

Paul Ryan's Unpopular (but Unknown) Ideas

Paul Ryan's Unpopular (but Unknown) Ideas

The specifics of the vice presidential nominee's budget proposals poll poorly, but most Americans still aren't familiar with them. More »

Team Romney's Cloak-and-Dagger Veepstakes Ruse

Team Romney's Cloak-and-Dagger Veepstakes Ruse

The candidate and his campaign employed an elaborate routine of subterfuge to ensure they would control the running-mate announcement. More »

Why Romney Can't Run Away From Ryan's Budget

Why Romney Can't Run Away From Ryan's Budget

The same conservative base that's thrilled to see Paul Ryan on the GOP ticket is in love with Ryan's budget proposals -- which Romney is already backing away from. More »

Paul Ryan's Message: 'Courage'

Paul Ryan's Message: 'Courage'

Under overcast skies in Virginia, the Wisconsin representative electrified the GOP ticket. More »

Romney VP Announcement Slated for Saturday

Romney VP Announcement Slated for Saturday

The Republican nominee plans to announce his running mate at a campaign stop in southeastern Virginia. More »

Mitt Romney's Tax-Return Time Bomb

Mitt Romney's Tax-Return Time Bomb

He's already promised to release another tax return before the election -- a guarantee that the issue will be reopened at an inopportune time. More »

Obama Is Ahead, but Is He Winning?

Obama Is Ahead, but Is He Winning?

The polls put the incumbent in the lead, but there are plenty of reasons for Republicans to be optimistic -- and Democrats to be jittery. More »

What Obama Really Did to Welfare Reform

What Obama Really Did to Welfare Reform

Republicans charge the president with 'gutting' the landmark 1990s legislation. That's hardly the case -- but the proposed change could give more people access to benefits. More »

The Most Plausible Vice Presidential Speculation You'll See Today

The Most Plausible Vice Presidential Speculation You'll See Today

Romney could choose a running mate any day now, but don't believe the din of ill-informed speculation and analysis. More »

A Coming Wave of Gay Marriage Electoral Victories?

A Coming Wave of Gay Marriage Electoral Victories?

Same-sex marriage has been consistently defeated at the ballot box. With four blue states voting on the issue in November, will 2012 be the year the tide turns? More »

Why Is Mitt Romney Going to Poland?

Why Is Mitt Romney Going to Poland?

The erstwhile Eastern Bloc nation has a dim view of Obama and a connection to a lot of voters in the American heartland. More »

How Democrats Lost Their Chance to Take Back the House

How Democrats Lost Their Chance to Take Back the House

Nancy Pelosi is not likely to come close to regaining the speaker's gavel, thanks in part to a cavalcade of Democratic missteps. More »

Obama and Romney Debate Gun Control, Gingerly

Obama and Romney Debate Gun Control, Gingerly

Last week's mass shooting in Aurora has put the gun issue in the spotlight, and now both presidential candidates are addressing it. More »

Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy Challenge

Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy Challenge

The Republican's attacks on Obama are more rhetorical than substantive. Is he trapped by his party's longstanding foreign-policy divisions? More »

Will Florida's Voter Purge Cost Obama the Election?

Will Florida's Voter Purge Cost Obama the Election?

Republican Rick Scott's attempt to cleanse the voter rolls of noncitizens has Democrats in a panic. Could the pivotal swing state be headed for another 2000-style voting debacle? More »

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Early Monsoon Rains Flood Northern India

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