5:02 p.m.

early and often

early and often

Texas Special-Election Shocker Signals Big Trouble for GOP

By Ed Kilgore

A Democrat trounced a Republican in a deep-red state legislative district, raising hopes for a blue midterm wave.

4:53 p.m.

tired of winning

tired of winning

Dan Bongino Is Psyched to Be Back Podcasting

By Matt Stieb

The former deputy FBI director admitted he was miserable at the bureau. Back on the mic, he talked trash with glee.

4:29 p.m.

early and often

early and often

2026 Government Shutdown: Latest News and Impact on ICE

By Ed Kilgore

The partial shutdown is on, and members of Congress have a lot to do before they can even start hashing out reforms on immigration enforcement.

3:52 p.m.

tremendous content

tremendous content

The Melania Movie, Explained: Box Office, Reviews, & What She Made

By Margaret Hartmann

Why did the notoriously private First Lady film a Brett Ratner–directed documentary? It might have something to do with the $28 million paycheck.

3:37 p.m.

politics

politics

DoJ Makes Appalling Mistakes in Release of New Epstein Files

By Nia Prater

The government included nude photos and failed to redact the names of some victims in its latest document drop.

3:08 p.m.

early and often

early and often

The Bad Bunny Super Bowl 2026 Controversy, Explained

By Margaret Hartmann

What did Bad Bunny say about ICE at the Grammys? Why did the NFL choose him? Here’s what we know about the halftime headliner and the MAGA backlash.

3:06 p.m.

tremendous content

tremendous content

Trump May Want to Rethink Threat to Sue Trevor Noah

By Margaret Hartmann

Trump has just shown that Noah’s Grammys joke hit a nerve, and he may not want a suit that digs into his Epstein connections.

2:17 p.m.

review roundup

review roundup

What Critics Are Saying About the Melania Documentary

By Chas Danner

The brutal reviews are in. Here’s an updating roundup highlighting the sharpest (and meanest) commentary about Melania Trump’s new film.

9:42 a.m.

early and often

early and often

Maybe Republican Candidates Don’t Really Want Trump Around

By Ed Kilgore

Trump’s midterm strategy doesn’t take into account swing-voter backlash.

6:00 a.m.

screen time

screen time

The New Politics of the AI Apocalypse

By John Herrman

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, says more democracy is the best response to AI. He doesn’t sound too confident.

5:00 a.m.

early and often

early and often

Nancy Mace Is Not Okay

By Jake Lahut

“Something’s broken. The motherboard’s fried. We’re short-circuiting somewhere.”

2/1/2026

games

games

Chuck Klosterman Thinks He Might Live to See the NFL Crumble

By Will Leitch

The author and commentator discusses Football, his characteristically unique take on an American institution.

1/31/2026

legends

legends

Novak Djokovic May Be About to Do the Unthinkable

By Jake Nevins

If the 38-year-old can wrest his 25th major from Sinner and Alcaraz, he’ll achieve another level of tennis immortality.

1/31/2026

just asking questions

just asking questions

If Anyone Can Come Back From This, It’s Lindsey Vonn

By Adam Elder

The skiing great discussed her triumphant return to the sport at 41 — just before an injury imperiled her Olympic chances.

1/31/2026

tremendous content

tremendous content

Movie Review: Does Melania Dream of AI-Generated Sheep?

By Margaret Hartmann

The First Lady’s weirdly soulless MAGA lullaby is going to put a lot of Amazon Prime viewers to sleep.

1/30/2026

early and often

early and often

Is Don Lemon a Threat to Religious Liberty?

By Ed Kilgore

The journalist’s arrest was really about showing conservative Evangelicals Team Trump is on their side.

1/30/2026

politics

politics

Don Lemon Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges

By Nia Prater

Prosecutors allege Lemon and others interfered with worshippers’ religious freedom in relation to an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church.

1/30/2026

ice protests

ice protests

The Year That Led to the Anti-ICE General Strike

By The Editors

Trump’s brutal immigration crackdown has proved incredibly unpopular.

1/30/2026

the fed

the fed

Trump Might Have a New Guy to Lower Interest Rates

By Matt Stieb

The president announced Kevin Warsh as his next Fed chair, but it’s unclear if the inflation hawk will give him the rate cuts he wanted from Powell.

1/30/2026

early and often

early and often

Why Is Tulsi Gabbard Investigating the 2020 Elections?

By Ed Kilgore

The director of National Intelligence has apparently been working on election conspiracy theories for months instead of, you know, doing her job.

1/30/2026

early and often

early and often

Will There Be a Government Shutdown? Odds and Latest Updates.

By Ed Kilgore

The clash over ICE tactics and DHS funding has Trump and Senate leaders scrambling to avoid a partial shutdown that would start at midnight Friday.

1/30/2026

american affairs

american affairs

Trump vs. America’s Allies

By Ross Barkan

Until now, European and Canadian politicians were content to flatter and mollify Trump. But something has changed.

1/30/2026

state of the market

state of the market

Will Mamdani’s Rent Freeze Make Everyone Else’s Go Up?

By Clio Chang

Surprisingly, housing experts for and against the mayor’s proposal agree on one thing.

1/30/2026

timeline

timeline

How the Trump Team’s Botched Shooting Response and Blame Game Played Out

By Chas Danner and Nia Prater

From the false initial claims about Alex Pretti to the leaked infighting and attempts to shift blame, here’s a complete timeline.

1/30/2026

minneapolis

minneapolis

An Idea Worth Dying for

By Sarah Jones

Alex Pretti was fighting to preserve a kind of national creed. He was killed in the name of another.