Mitch McConnell
The Political Scene Podcast
Can Joe Biden Squash Concerns About His Age?
This week, a special counsel’s report renews worries about the President’s mental acuity, and the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, seemingly loses his grip on his conference.
The Political Scene Podcast
Washington’s Age-Old Problem
Susan B. Glasser discusses the baby-boomer generation’s hold on American politics, and the role that age may play in the 2024 election.
Letter from Biden’s Washington
The Twilight of Mitch McConnell and the Spectre of 2024
On the dangerous reign of the octogenarians.
The Political Scene Podcast
As Trump Faces Charges, Who Is in Control of the Republican Party?
With Donald Trump facing thirty-four felony counts and the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, recovering from a concussion, our political roundtable looks at who is currently leading the G.O.P.
Comment
The New G.O.P. Takes the Country Hostage with the Debt Ceiling
Why the Republicans’ routine threat to wreck the economy, rather than raise the borrowing limit, could end differently this time.
The Political Scene Podcast
Do COVID Protests in China Pose a Threat to Xi Jinping?
Understanding public anger over lockdowns in China, and why a U.S. critique of the policy might strengthen President Xi.
The Political Scene Podcast
Can America’s Aging Leadership Deliver the Future?
The Political Scene’s Washington roundtable discusses whether the United States is a gerontocracy, and what that means for the country’s politics.
Blitt’s Kvetchbook
Once a Year, We Gather and Blame Those Most Deserving
Wait, what am I talking about? Not once a year—every day!
Our Columnists
Trump’s Threats of Violence Are Too Dangerous to Disregard
As the various investigations around the former President close in on him, his campaign to discredit and intimidate his accusers will only intensify.
Q. & A.
The Journalistic Pitfalls of the Trump Era
The authors of a new book discuss how political reporting functioned during a period of upheaval, how quickly journalists should share scoops with the public, and what Mitch McConnell managed to extract from Donald Trump.
Our Columnists
It’s Not News That McConnell and McCarthy Are Craven Patsies for Trump, but the Danger Has Grown
Republican leaders are more beholden than ever to a narcissistic demagogue who has no respect for democracy or the law.
Blitt’s Kvetchbook
An Obstacle on the Path to the Supreme Court
Ketanji Brown Jackson confirms her qualifications.
Comment
The G.O.P.’s Race to Out-Trump the Trumpists
The midterm elections are approaching, and the Republican Party is heading into them with the former President as its leader.
Our Columnists
Republicans Are Gambling Recklessly on the Debt Limit
While Democrats haggle over priorities, Republicans take an ominous tack: threatening a financial cataclysm amid a global pandemic.
Letter from Biden’s Washington
Donald Trump Would Have Made a Great House Republican
Will the performative confrontation of the former President and his congressional allies overwhelm Joe Biden’s Senate style?
News Desk
Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century
On a leaked conference call, leaders of dark-money groups and an aide to Mitch McConnell expressed frustration with the popularity of the legislation—even among Republican voters.
Satire from The Borowitz Report
Americans Adamantly Refuse to Cash Stimulus Checks Unless Republicans Are Onboard
“I wouldn’t feel good about buying food for my family if I knew that the money came via the budget-reconciliation process,” one poll respondent said.
The Political Scene Podcast
Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos on the Balance of Power at the Start of the Biden Administration
Two New Yorker political writers discuss the beginnings of a new agenda and the limits of the Democrats’ control.