Category: Politics

What the Democrats’ Musk Whisperer Thinks Now

Musk, Whisperer, Democrats, Thinks0 comment

Representative Ro Khanna has known Elon Musk for more than a decade, so he thought he should raise some concerns about the billionaire’s assault on the federal government where he would be sure to see them. Posting on the platform Musk owns, the California Democrat said yesterday that Musk should be hauled before Congress to explain himself. “Musk’s attacks on our institutions are unconstitutional,” Khanna wrote. It took Musk just 16 minutes to reply: “Don’t be a dick.” The two continued their conversation over text message, Khanna told me. In…

Read More...

Purging the Government Could Backfire Spectacularly

could, government, Backfire, Purging, Spectacularly0 comment

The U.S. federal government manages a larger portfolio of risks than any other institution in the history of the world. In just the past few weeks, wildfires raged across Southern California, a commercial flight crashed over the Potomac, a powerful Chinese-developed AI model launched to great fanfare, the nuclear-weapons Doomsday Clock reached its closest point ever to midnight, a new strain of avian flu continued its spread across the globe, and interest rates on long-term government bonds surged—a sign that investors are worried about America’s fiscal future. The responsibility of…

Read More...

The Day Trump Became Un-President

became, UnPresident, Trump0 comment

“We’re so back,” one reporter whispered to another. All of the chairs in the White House briefing room were filled, and reporters and photographers were crammed into every available nook and cranny. I was standing in the back, squeezed in between a window and a none-too-pleased Secret Service agent. The sight was reminiscent of the COVID briefings of 2020: President Donald Trump gripping the sides of the lectern in the White House briefing room, pursing his lips as he looked out at the journalists yelling and jockeying for his attention.…

Read More...

Greenland’s Prime Minister Wants the Nightmare to End

prime, minister, Wants, nightmare, Greenland’s0 comment

Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede, looked like he was being chased by an angry musk ox. “Mr. Prime Minister, have you spoken to President Trump yet?” I asked as he fled a lunchtime news conference on Tuesday in the capital city, Nuuk (population 20,000). Egede, who is 37, wore a green zip-up sweater, stared straight ahead, and was walking toward me. He said nothing. “Prime Minister Múte Egede,” I tried again, using his full name this time, for some reason. He remained … mute. I made one more attempt—“Have you…

Read More...

Trump’s Second Term Might Have Already Peaked

trumps, Peaked, second, already, term, might0 comment

Sign up for Trump’s Return, a newsletter featuring coverage of the second Trump presidency. Ever since Donald Trump emerged as a credible threat to return to the White House, the guardrails that seemed to restrain him in his first term—political, legal, psychic—have collapsed with astonishing speed. His nominees are sailing through their confirmation hearings, including some who are underqualified and ideologically extreme. Titans of business and media are throwing themselves at his feet as supplicants. He has obliterated long-standing norms, unashamedly soliciting payoffs from corporations with business before the government.…

Read More...

That’s Not How Constitutional Amendments Work

work, Constitutional, Amendments, That's0 comment

Presidents typically spend their final days in the White House taking care of odds and ends: issuing pardons, signing some last executive orders, thanking staff. Joe Biden is doing all of those things—and also trying to change the Constitution on his way out the door. This morning, Biden declared on X that “the Equal Rights Amendment is now the law of the land.” Well, there you have it: The Constitution has a 28th amendment, and women’s rights have been enshrined across the country. Or not. Biden can’t change the Constitution,…

Read More...