
Capitol Attack
Of Course Trump Is Already Talking About Pardoning Insurrectionists Come 2024
In a Texas speech, the former president also assailed the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack a day after the panel subpoenaed fake Trump electors.
By Charlotte Klein
Across the Pond
Decoding Boris Johnson’s Exceedingly British “Partygate” Scandal
Following rules. Observing proper alcohol etiquette. Bristling over perceived class privileges. The U.K.’s incorrigible prime minister has escaped plenty of jams before, but the scandal over his relentless socializing in defiance of his own COVID-19 lockdown orders touches all the raw nerves of the traditional British psyche—and could herald his oft-predicted downfall.
By Willem Marx
Supreme Court
You’ll Never Believe It, but Mitch McConnell Is Already Threatening to Block Biden’s SCOTUS Pick
Who could have seen this coming other than literally everyone?
By Bess Levin
Climate
Joe Biden Needs to Do More to Keep His Climate Promises
Stalled bills, legal challenges, and a lack of urgency are imperiling Biden’s much vaunted pledges to address the crisis.
By Eric Lutz
2024 Election
Some Light Shines in the Biden Tunnel
A new poll suggests there may be hope for the Democrats in 2024, whether or not Joe Biden runs again. (I don’t think he will.)
By Mark McKinnon
Levin Report
Womp, Womp: Melania Trump’s NFT Hat Auction Doesn’t Go as Planned
The former first lady’s auction came up well-short of the $250,000 she was hoping to take home.
By Bess Levin
MAGA
“It Was All About How the 2020 Election Was Stolen”: Billionaire Peter Thiel Hosts Fundraiser for Liz Cheney Challenger
The secretive tech titan welcomed donors to his lavish Miami compound for what was described as a MAGA rally in miniature.
By Gabriel Sherman
WTF
Tennessee School Board Bans Pulitzer Prize–Winning Holocaust Graphic Novel Because of Drawing of a Naked Mouse
They also objected to the word “damn.” Which, we hate to break it to them, wasn’t the worst thing that happened during the Holocaust.
By Bess Levin
SCOTUS
Justice Breyer’s Retirement Is a Break With Tradition That Reflects a New, Toxic Supreme Court
His retirement came all too soon, ensuring President Joe Biden can appoint a liberal justice, and yet too late to save a court mired in politics.
By Cristian Farias
Foreign Policy
“There Is No Military Solution Out of This Crisis”: Progressives Finally Speak Out on Russia
Following weeks of near-total silence on the spiraling crisis over Ukraine, progressives have warned Biden against any use of military force—and lodged concerns over sanctions.
By Abigail Tracy
SCOTUS
Democrats Finally Have a Supreme Court Fight They Can Win
Biden says he’ll pick a replacement by the end of February, and Democrats are hoping to buck all trends and see a smooth confirmation process ahead.
By Eric Lutz
Levin Report
Mitch McConnell Is One Week Away From Claiming Biden Can’t Put Someone on the Supreme Court the Same Year He Started Re-Watching the Original Gossip Girl
The Kentucky lawmaker doesn’t have the power to do whatever he wants this time around, but you’ll have to forgive Democrats for being worried he might try.
By Bess Levin
Swing And A Miss
Eric Trump Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Saying Award-Winningly Stupid Things on TV
According to the former first son, Joe Biden is a no-good layabout compared to his dad.
By Bess Levin
Coronavirus
You Are Not the Only One Taking Out More of Your Pandemic Frustration on Biden
Recent polling suggests Americans are losing confidence in the administration’s ability to handle the pandemic—even as his inaugural promise to “overcome this virus” stretches beyond him.
By Eric Lutz
SCOTUS
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to Retire
The 83-year-old justice’s retirement gives Biden a chance to fill the seat while Democrats still have the chance.
By Charlotte Klein
Levin Report
Surprise: Florida Republicans Want to Ban Talk of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Schools
The Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, passed its first legislative hurdle last week.
By Bess Levin
East Germany
Virginia Governor Urges Parents to Rat Out Schools for Teaching Kids About “Divisive” Topics Like Racism
Glenn Youngkin has gone full Stasi.
By Bess Levin
IN CONVERSATION
“There Was Life Before and There Will Be Life After This”: Simple as Water Lifts the Family Bonds of the Syrian Refugee Crisis
A new film by Academy Award–winner Megan Mylan trains an intimate eye on the small hopes, joys, and horrors of families uprooted by war and migration.
By Miriam Elder
Economy
Here’s Why Biden Will Keep Facing Exasperating Market and Inflation Questions
“We focus on the trends in the economy, not any one day or any single indicator,” the White House press secretary said.
By Eric Lutz
From the Magazine
Generation Gaza: The Young Have Pride Despite Privations
Veteran war correspondent Janine di Giovanni revisits Gaza and finds resilience and hope among its 2 million Palestinian residents—two thirds of whom are under the age of 25.
By Janine di Giovanni
Photography by Fatima Shbair
Trump Family Values
Trump Throws a Fit Over Investigators Going After His “Children,” Who Are in Their 40s
But we do know which one he’d rather see go to jail between Don Jr. and Ivanka, per his former attorney Michael Cohen.
By Bess Levin