Russell Berman
A Nation of Pundits
Electability is king in the 2020 Democratic primary as voters are choosing candidates they think their fellow citizens would support—not the ones they actually like best.
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Cheryl Senter / Charlie Neibergall / mpi04 / ... The Long-Shot Candidacy Conundrum
For little-known Representatives Tim Ryan, Eric Swalwell, and Seth Moulton, running for president may be only a stepping stone.
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Lizzie Gill The Real Turning Point for Women’s Political Power
Female lawmakers needed a critical mass in Congress before they could begin chipping away at the inequalities baked into the nation’s laws.
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Richard Vogel / AP / Paul Spella / ... Kamala Harris Seizes the Moment. Again.
The senator from California consistently cut through the noise during the second night of the first Democratic debates, in Miami.
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J. Scott Applewhite / AP The Supreme Court's Message: Win or Go Home
In a pair of rulings on partisan gerrymandering and the census, Chief Justice John Roberts enshrined the nation’s modern form of winner-take-all politics into law.
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Jim Watson / Getty Bill de Blasio Tries to Rock the Democratic Boat
For good or ill, the New York City mayor stood taller than his fellow contenders on the stage and spoke louder than most of them too.
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David Williams What Do You Do When No One Takes You Seriously?
The political rookies Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson will get their shot at Thursday’s Democratic debate, sharing the stage with eight politicians with a combined 150 years of elected experience.
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Richard Drew / AP ‘Uh-Oh, We Shouldn’t Have This’
Tom Downey was advising the Gore team in 2000 when he received documents stolen from George W. Bush. His first reaction was to turn them over to the FBI.
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Seth Wenig / AP The DNC Isn’t Apologizing for Its Debate Rules
To corral a field of more than 20 candidates, Chairman Tom Perez wanted a bar for entry that “was not a layup, but also not a half-court shot.”
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Andrew Harnik / AP Democrats Nod at Impeachment in Passing
If today’s hearing was any indication, the House Judiciary Committee has a long way to go before anything resembling President Donald Trump’s impeachment transpires.
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Gary Landers / AP A Republican Explains Why Clinton Was Guilty and Trump Is Not
Representative Steve Chabot is one of the last two GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee who voted for impeachment in 1998.
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Carolyn Kaster / AP The Big Names Missing From the Mueller Hearings
The star witness of the House Judiciary Committee’s hearings on the Mueller report won’t be Robert Mueller.
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Erin Scott / Reuters Mitch McConnell’s Grand Plan Was Obvious All Along
The Senate majority leader’s assertion that his election-year blockade of Merrick Garland doesn’t apply to 2020 shouldn’t come as a surprise.
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Kevin Lamarque / Reuters / Alex Brandon / ... Mueller Breaks His Silence—Without Breaking Protocol
The career G-man is bound by the rules. He made it clear that the president is bound only by Congress.
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Yuri Gripas / Reuters The Most Unrealistic Proposal in the Democratic Presidential Primary
Michael Bennet and Elizabeth Warren want members of Congress to ban themselves from ever lobbying after they leave office. Here’s why it’ll never happen.
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J. Scott Applewhite / AP For Nancy Pelosi, This Is All Just Déjà Vu
The doctored videos shared by President Trump and Rudy Giuliani are merely a new twist on a very old line of attack from Republicans.
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J. Scott Applewhite / AP James Comey’s ‘Duty of Candor’ Was His Undoing
The former FBI director’s commitment to transparency is a hallmark of his career—for better or worse.
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J. Scott Applewhite / AP The Rarely Used Congressional Power That Could Force William Barr’s Hand
It hasn’t been done in nearly a century, but House Democrats could arrest the attorney general after they find him in contempt.
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Aaron Bernstein / Reuters Kamala Harris Sticks the Landing
Being a former prosecutor can come in handy when questioning the attorney general.
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Susan Walsh / AP William Barr Didn’t Really Need This Job
The attorney general’s reputation is once again at risk, following the revelation that Special Counsel Robert Mueller objected to Barr’s handling of the Russia report.
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Gene J. Puskar / AP Biden Is Betting on Unions. They Might Bet on Someone Else.
The former vice president is leaning on his long-standing alliance with labor as he launches his presidential bid. But most major groups are holding off on endorsements.
