What with the pace of the modern news cycle, it can be difficult to remember things that happened 36 hours ago, let alone two weeks back. So, just as a reminder, on February 13, 2021—i.e. 13 days ago—Mitch McConnell gave a speech on the Senate floor in which he for all the world to hear that in his opinion, there was “no question—none—that President Trump [was] practically and morally responsible for provoking” the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. (In response, Trump McConnell “dour, sullen, and unsmiling,” adding that he lacks “political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality,” after...…What with the pace of the modern news cycle, it can be difficult to remember things that happened 36 hours ago, let alone two weeks back. So, just as a reminder, on February 13, 2021—i.e. 13 days ago—Mitch McConnell gave a speech on the Senate floor in which he for all the world to hear that in his opinion, there was “no question—none—that President Trump [was] practically and morally responsible for provoking” the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. (In response, Trump McConnell “dour, sullen, and unsmiling,” adding that he lacks “political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality,” after...WW…

If you heard the name Marjorie Taylor Greene at any point over the last few months, it was probably : her embrace of QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Democrats are running a Satan-worshipping pedophile cult that eats babies; 9/11, and Greene’s claim that there’s no proof a plane hit the Pentagon that day; school shootings like Sandy Hook and Parkland, which Greene has alternately deemed hoaxes or “false flags” that Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton wanted to happen so they could pass gun control legislation; her support for the executions of Democratic leaders; and Jewish laser beams. All...…If you heard the name Marjorie Taylor Greene at any point over the last few months, it was probably : her embrace of QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Democrats are running a Satan-worshipping pedophile cult that eats babies; 9/11, and Greene’s claim that there’s no proof a plane hit the Pentagon that day; school shootings like Sandy Hook and Parkland, which Greene has alternately deemed hoaxes or “false flags” that Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton wanted to happen so they could pass gun control legislation; her support for the executions of Democratic leaders; and Jewish laser beams. All...WW…

As millions of Texans went days without heat or electricity last week, the few that somehow didn’t lose power no doubt counted themselves extremely lucky. That is, until they looked at their energy bills and saw eye-popping, five-figure numbers nearly a hundred times bigger than what they typically owed. “My savings is gone,” Scott Willoughby, a 63-year-old Army veteran who found himself on the receiving end of a $16,752 bill, The New York Times. “It’s been 43 degrees in the house since Monday, and I still have a $5,000 bill,” Karen Cosby the Dallas News. “How in the world can anyone pay...…As millions of Texans went days without heat or electricity last week, the few that somehow didn’t lose power no doubt counted themselves extremely lucky. That is, until they looked at their energy bills and saw eye-popping, five-figure numbers nearly a hundred times bigger than what they typically owed. “My savings is gone,” Scott Willoughby, a 63-year-old Army veteran who found himself on the receiving end of a $16,752 bill, The New York Times. “It’s been 43 degrees in the house since Monday, and I still have a $5,000 bill,” Karen Cosby the Dallas News. “How in the world can anyone pay...WW…

Ted Cruz is currently in hot water for his decision to abandon Texas for Cancún in the middle of a state of emergency, for , for getting caught in a over the origins of said trip, and for blaming the whole thing on both and the “” who leaked his wife’s text messages which ultimately blew up Cruz’s spot. That’s kept him pretty busy for the time being, but it appears he may soon have to juggle multiple scandals, according to a new investigation concerning a shadow entity that the FEC may have cause to look into.Salon’s Roger Sollenberger that in 2020, a leadership PAC attached to Cruz called...…Ted Cruz is currently in hot water for his decision to abandon Texas for Cancún in the middle of a state of emergency, for , for getting caught in a over the origins of said trip, and for blaming the whole thing on both and the “” who leaked his wife’s text messages which ultimately blew up Cruz’s spot. That’s kept him pretty busy for the time being, but it appears he may soon have to juggle multiple scandals, according to a new investigation concerning a shadow entity that the FEC may have cause to look into.Salon’s Roger Sollenberger that in 2020, a leadership PAC attached to Cruz called...WW…

On January 6, 2021, social media executives at Facebook and Twitter made a decision that changed millions of people’s lives for the better. We speak, of course, of their moves to kick Donald Trump off of their platforms after he in the hopes of overturning the 2020 election. That’s obviously made it more difficult for Trump to whip his base into a frenzy and cause another attack, but the bans also mean never again having to log into one’s social media accounts terrified to see whatever insane lies and baseless conspiracy theories the 45th president of the United States recently spewed...…On January 6, 2021, social media executives at Facebook and Twitter made a decision that changed millions of people’s lives for the better. We speak, of course, of their moves to kick Donald Trump off of their platforms after he in the hopes of overturning the 2020 election. That’s obviously made it more difficult for Trump to whip his base into a frenzy and cause another attack, but the bans also mean never again having to log into one’s social media accounts terrified to see whatever insane lies and baseless conspiracy theories the 45th president of the United States recently spewed...WW…

Zack Snyder, the director of Justice League, has never seen Justice League. His name is in the credits as the filmmaker, but he’s never sat through the version released to the world three years ago. His wife, Deborah, who produced the movie, advised him not to.In late 2017—months after the couple cut ties with the superhero epic amid an increasingly demoralizing battle with Warner Bros.—Deborah Snyder sat in a screening room on the studio lot alongside Christopher Nolan, one of the movie’s executive producers, as well as the director of the Dark Knight trilogy. She braced herself as the...…Zack Snyder, the director of Justice League, has never seen Justice League. His name is in the credits as the filmmaker, but he’s never sat through the version released to the world three years ago. His wife, Deborah, who produced the movie, advised him not to.In late 2017—months after the couple cut ties with the superhero epic amid an increasingly demoralizing battle with Warner Bros.—Deborah Snyder sat in a screening room on the studio lot alongside Christopher Nolan, one of the movie’s executive producers, as well as the director of the Dark Knight trilogy. She braced herself as the...WW…

Throughout much of his presidential campaign, Joe Biden was viewed with skepticism, and even outright hostility, by progressives. But a leftward shift during the general election and a promising first month in office has been generally heartening for the more liberal wing of the party, without alienating the moderates who helped him earn the Democratic nomination. But this week, for the first time in his presidency, a fissure has opened between Biden and progressive Democrats.At issue: Student debt. Progressives like Elizabeth Warren and even party leaders like Chuck Schumer have called for...…Throughout much of his presidential campaign, Joe Biden was viewed with skepticism, and even outright hostility, by progressives. But a leftward shift during the general election and a promising first month in office has been generally heartening for the more liberal wing of the party, without alienating the moderates who helped him earn the Democratic nomination. But this week, for the first time in his presidency, a fissure has opened between Biden and progressive Democrats.At issue: Student debt. Progressives like Elizabeth Warren and even party leaders like Chuck Schumer have called for...WW…

L’affaire Ted Cruz has ruled the news this week and for good reason: Cruz, a man as unctuous in personality as he is successful in trolling the libs, donned his skinny jeans and while his home state of Texas was reeling from a freak snowstorm that stranded millions without power, heat, and access to food and water. The groveling interviews Cruz gave upon his swift return, blaming his daughters’ need to escape their cold home for warmer climes (later refuted by now infamous ), hasn’t helped his cause. He also left quite an opening for Beto O’Rourke, Cruz’s one-time rival for Senate, who...…L’affaire Ted Cruz has ruled the news this week and for good reason: Cruz, a man as unctuous in personality as he is successful in trolling the libs, donned his skinny jeans and while his home state of Texas was reeling from a freak snowstorm that stranded millions without power, heat, and access to food and water. The groveling interviews Cruz gave upon his swift return, blaming his daughters’ need to escape their cold home for warmer climes (later refuted by now infamous ), hasn’t helped his cause. He also left quite an opening for Beto O’Rourke, Cruz’s one-time rival for Senate, who...WW…

If the meteoric rise of the Lincoln Project—a collection of longtime Republican operatives who branded themselves Never-Trumpers—seemed to happen overnight, the organization’s downfall has been just as dramatic. In the course of a week, damning report after damning report has come out about the group: that cofounder John Weaver allegedly more than 20 young men (allegations he acknowledged in an ); that it more than $50 million of the roughly $90 million it raised into firms with ties to its members; that senior members of the independent legal team hired by the Lincoln Project to perform a...…If the meteoric rise of the Lincoln Project—a collection of longtime Republican operatives who branded themselves Never-Trumpers—seemed to happen overnight, the organization’s downfall has been just as dramatic. In the course of a week, damning report after damning report has come out about the group: that cofounder John Weaver allegedly more than 20 young men (allegations he acknowledged in an ); that it more than $50 million of the roughly $90 million it raised into firms with ties to its members; that senior members of the independent legal team hired by the Lincoln Project to perform a...WW…

When Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner decided to leave their lives in New York to go work for her father in Washington, they made an that after amassing political power via nepotism, they wouldn’t fight over who would be the next one in the family to run for president—she’d be the one to do it. Many things have changed since the couple struck that pact between themselves, though having any sort of experience that might actually qualify them for higher office wasn’t one of them. Instead, as you might have heard, Ivanka’s dad incited a fascist coup in an attempt to overthrow the U.S....…When Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner decided to leave their lives in New York to go work for her father in Washington, they made an that after amassing political power via nepotism, they wouldn’t fight over who would be the next one in the family to run for president—she’d be the one to do it. Many things have changed since the couple struck that pact between themselves, though having any sort of experience that might actually qualify them for higher office wasn’t one of them. Instead, as you might have heard, Ivanka’s dad incited a fascist coup in an attempt to overthrow the U.S....WW…

As she tries to drag the Democratic Party to the left, Briahna Joy Gray is taking some cues from the right.Gray, the former Bernie Sanders spokeswoman, even admits to some admiration for Republicans. Not their policies, of course, but their willingness to battle. Even if they lose, she says, “they gain points for fighting.” Democrats, meanwhile “feel like, if they fight for something and lose, it will confirm their status as losers, and so they’re not willing to try.” “I don’t have a better way to put this,” Gray says, “but Democrats have what feels like ‘big loser energy.’” Such critiques...…As she tries to drag the Democratic Party to the left, Briahna Joy Gray is taking some cues from the right.Gray, the former Bernie Sanders spokeswoman, even admits to some admiration for Republicans. Not their policies, of course, but their willingness to battle. Even if they lose, she says, “they gain points for fighting.” Democrats, meanwhile “feel like, if they fight for something and lose, it will confirm their status as losers, and so they’re not willing to try.” “I don’t have a better way to put this,” Gray says, “but Democrats have what feels like ‘big loser energy.’” Such critiques...WW…

In times of crisis, people typically look for strong, pragmatic leaders who will allay their fears while being straight with them and work around the clock to solve the problem at hand. Usually—not in all cases but in most of them—people aren’t interested in seeing elected officials go on TV or the internet and blame others for the situation they‘re in, but rather use what precious time they have to figure out how to fix things. Like, say your state was in the midst of a massive power outage, and millions of people didn‘t have heat while frigid weather refused to let up. You’d probably want...…In times of crisis, people typically look for strong, pragmatic leaders who will allay their fears while being straight with them and work around the clock to solve the problem at hand. Usually—not in all cases but in most of them—people aren’t interested in seeing elected officials go on TV or the internet and blame others for the situation they‘re in, but rather use what precious time they have to figure out how to fix things. Like, say your state was in the midst of a massive power outage, and millions of people didn‘t have heat while frigid weather refused to let up. You’d probably want...WW…

They had an alliance forged, if not in admiration, then in a shared recognition that the success of their projects was intertwined. Mitch McConnell wasn’t the type to join Donald Trump on the golf course like Lindsey Graham, and Trump rarely spoke of McConnell in the kinds of personal terms—positive or negative—that he did with others in the GOP. Theirs was a business relationship, and a profitable one at that: McConnell remade the courts, and Trump remade the Republican party.But political marriages of convenience tend to dissolve after they no longer serve their purpose, and the end of...…They had an alliance forged, if not in admiration, then in a shared recognition that the success of their projects was intertwined. Mitch McConnell wasn’t the type to join Donald Trump on the golf course like Lindsey Graham, and Trump rarely spoke of McConnell in the kinds of personal terms—positive or negative—that he did with others in the GOP. Theirs was a business relationship, and a profitable one at that: McConnell remade the courts, and Trump remade the Republican party.But political marriages of convenience tend to dissolve after they no longer serve their purpose, and the end of...WW…

Among the harshest critics of Representative Adam Kinzinger’s public break with Donald Trump are his own family members, based on a handwritten that the Illinois Republican received from 11 relatives after calling for Trump’s removal over the Capitol riot last month. “Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God!” they wrote. “You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name!” Written by Kinzinger’s cousin Karen Otto and signed by several others, some of whom recently disowned Kinzinger, the New York Times , the two-page letter shows the extent to which disavowing Trump is perceived...…Among the harshest critics of Representative Adam Kinzinger’s public break with Donald Trump are his own family members, based on a handwritten that the Illinois Republican received from 11 relatives after calling for Trump’s removal over the Capitol riot last month. “Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God!” they wrote. “You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name!” Written by Kinzinger’s cousin Karen Otto and signed by several others, some of whom recently disowned Kinzinger, the New York Times , the two-page letter shows the extent to which disavowing Trump is perceived...WW…

Over the past three days, Democratic impeachment managers have used their time on the Senate floor to show graphic footage of the violence Donald Trump inspired on January 6, 2021. That footage has panicked police officers calling for backup after being surrounded by rioters, rioters smashing through the doors of the Capitol, law enforcement being beaten, officer Daniel Hodges screaming in agony while being crushed by violent protesters, and a woman being fatally shot. Obviously, the point of showing such images is to drive home the gravity of what occurred on that day and to make it clear...…Over the past three days, Democratic impeachment managers have used their time on the Senate floor to show graphic footage of the violence Donald Trump inspired on January 6, 2021. That footage has panicked police officers calling for backup after being surrounded by rioters, rioters smashing through the doors of the Capitol, law enforcement being beaten, officer Daniel Hodges screaming in agony while being crushed by violent protesters, and a woman being fatally shot. Obviously, the point of showing such images is to drive home the gravity of what occurred on that day and to make it clear...WW…

A White House official tried to quash a story about his relationship with a reporter by issuing threats and using derogatory language to another reporter pursuing it, according to two sources familiar with the incident. In a sympathetic Monday, People revealed that White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo is dating Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Joe Biden campaign. But behind the scenes, Ducklo had previously lashed out at Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was reporting the story, exhibiting behavior that led to tense meetings between the Washington news...…A White House official tried to quash a story about his relationship with a reporter by issuing threats and using derogatory language to another reporter pursuing it, according to two sources familiar with the incident. In a sympathetic Monday, People revealed that White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo is dating Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Joe Biden campaign. But behind the scenes, Ducklo had previously lashed out at Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was reporting the story, exhibiting behavior that led to tense meetings between the Washington news...WW…

Back in the before times of January 2015, when I was a reporter for CNN, I did a weekend live shot from the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines, one of those political cattle calls where Republican presidential hopefuls take turns onstage professing their Christian faith before a crowd of people harvested from a Grant Wood painting, hoping to impress the state’s conservative activists. Most of the supposedly serious 2016 contenders had flown to Iowa: Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee. But the CNN anchor that day, Michael Smerconish, asked me a reasonable question about two...…Back in the before times of January 2015, when I was a reporter for CNN, I did a weekend live shot from the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines, one of those political cattle calls where Republican presidential hopefuls take turns onstage professing their Christian faith before a crowd of people harvested from a Grant Wood painting, hoping to impress the state’s conservative activists. Most of the supposedly serious 2016 contenders had flown to Iowa: Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee. But the CNN anchor that day, Michael Smerconish, asked me a reasonable question about two...WW…

The turbulent exit of reporter Donald McNeil Jr., a 45-year New York Times veteran owning the biggest story in the world, has unraveled the Times newsroom and set social media ablaze, with private discussions taking place among employees of color on Slack, alumni jumping into the fray on Facebook, and polarizing takes flowing freely on Twitter. Though the broad outlines of McNeil’s ignominious departure are known, along with about McNeil’s conduct on a trip with high schoolers, I’ve been able to piece together a clearer picture of the Times’ handling of the whole messy affair, based on...…The turbulent exit of reporter Donald McNeil Jr., a 45-year New York Times veteran owning the biggest story in the world, has unraveled the Times newsroom and set social media ablaze, with private discussions taking place among employees of color on Slack, alumni jumping into the fray on Facebook, and polarizing takes flowing freely on Twitter. Though the broad outlines of McNeil’s ignominious departure are known, along with about McNeil’s conduct on a trip with high schoolers, I’ve been able to piece together a clearer picture of the Times’ handling of the whole messy affair, based on...WW…

In the fallout over the Capitol attack earlier this month, some of the rioters have attempted to downplay their involvement, saying they were merely Although that does not and should not make them any less culpable, it’s certainly possible that they traveled to Washington to cosplay a revolt and ended up actually participating in one. But it has become disturbingly clear, in the weeks since Donald Trump’s coup attempt, that some of these extremists not only meant business, but came prepared.Militia members strategized their attack on the Capitol both before it happened and as it played out,...…In the fallout over the Capitol attack earlier this month, some of the rioters have attempted to downplay their involvement, saying they were merely Although that does not and should not make them any less culpable, it’s certainly possible that they traveled to Washington to cosplay a revolt and ended up actually participating in one. But it has become disturbingly clear, in the weeks since Donald Trump’s coup attempt, that some of these extremists not only meant business, but came prepared.Militia members strategized their attack on the Capitol both before it happened and as it played out,...WW…

When Democrats kicked off Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Tuesday with disturbing video of the MAGA mob storming the Capitol, the former president’s red-hatted followers likely weren’t tuning in. “We didn’t watch any of it,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson that night. “At this point, honestly, who cares?” he added. “Impeachment? The whole thing is ridiculous. They are literally impeaching a president who isn’t even the president anymore. They’re yelling at someone who’s already left the room.”Instead of fixating on Trump’s predicament, the MAGA movement appears to be focused elsewhere,...…When Democrats kicked off Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Tuesday with disturbing video of the MAGA mob storming the Capitol, the former president’s red-hatted followers likely weren’t tuning in. “We didn’t watch any of it,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson that night. “At this point, honestly, who cares?” he added. “Impeachment? The whole thing is ridiculous. They are literally impeaching a president who isn’t even the president anymore. They’re yelling at someone who’s already left the room.”Instead of fixating on Trump’s predicament, the MAGA movement appears to be focused elsewhere,...WW…

Donald Trump went into the first day of his second impeachment trial reportedly about as good as someone who’s set a record for presidential impeachments can feel. Not only was he not worried about the stain of inciting a violent insurrection, but he and his lawyers reportedly viewed the proceedings as a positive because they would “cement” his “influence over the Republican party.” Fast-forward a day and Trump is apparently feeling a lot less hot, thanks to the opening statement delivered by his defense team, which could best be described as, “?”Unlike his first impeachment trial, the...…Donald Trump went into the first day of his second impeachment trial reportedly about as good as someone who’s set a record for presidential impeachments can feel. Not only was he not worried about the stain of inciting a violent insurrection, but he and his lawyers reportedly viewed the proceedings as a positive because they would “cement” his “influence over the Republican party.” Fast-forward a day and Trump is apparently feeling a lot less hot, thanks to the opening statement delivered by his defense team, which could best be described as, “?”Unlike his first impeachment trial, the...WW…

On Sunday night, Abel Tesfaye, the 30-year-old musician better known as The Weeknd, completed his decade-long trip from anonymous producer to the heights of pop stardom when he headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LV. In a performance that surveyed his entire career, he illustrated why he is already preparing to release a greatest hits collection called The Highlights later this month. He was backed by an array of singers and dancers, though unusually for a halftime performance, he was not joined by any other artists.To the opening strains of his 2016 hit “Starboy,” Tesfaye took to the...…On Sunday night, Abel Tesfaye, the 30-year-old musician better known as The Weeknd, completed his decade-long trip from anonymous producer to the heights of pop stardom when he headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LV. In a performance that surveyed his entire career, he illustrated why he is already preparing to release a greatest hits collection called The Highlights later this month. He was backed by an array of singers and dancers, though unusually for a halftime performance, he was not joined by any other artists.To the opening strains of his 2016 hit “Starboy,” Tesfaye took to the...WW…

Hello and welcome to day one of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. As you may recall, the 45th president to find lawyers to represent him against charges that he incited an insurrection, and on Tuesday it showed. After Democrats used their opening statement to show a harrowing, graphic video Trump’s own words and footage of the violence that took place on January 6, attorney Bruce Castor Jr. took to the floor to argue his side and it did not go well—unless he actually meant to deliver a rambling, nonsensical monologue that culminated in suggesting the Department of Justice should...…Hello and welcome to day one of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. As you may recall, the 45th president to find lawyers to represent him against charges that he incited an insurrection, and on Tuesday it showed. After Democrats used their opening statement to show a harrowing, graphic video Trump’s own words and footage of the violence that took place on January 6, attorney Bruce Castor Jr. took to the floor to argue his side and it did not go well—unless he actually meant to deliver a rambling, nonsensical monologue that culminated in suggesting the Department of Justice should...WW…

The band room where much of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom unfolds was designed to look like a boxing ring, a place August Wilson’s dialogue could really cut and blow. It was in this space that Chadwick Boseman transformed into Levee, a hotheaded cornet player who was always ready to fight.In the film, based on Wilson’s 1982 play, the titular blues star’s band members—Levee, Cutler, Slow Drag, and Toledo—hang around the room during a daylong recording session, trading barbs that oscillate between playful and lethal. Many of the production’s hardest scenes are set there and, in a twist of...…The band room where much of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom unfolds was designed to look like a boxing ring, a place August Wilson’s dialogue could really cut and blow. It was in this space that Chadwick Boseman transformed into Levee, a hotheaded cornet player who was always ready to fight.In the film, based on Wilson’s 1982 play, the titular blues star’s band members—Levee, Cutler, Slow Drag, and Toledo—hang around the room during a daylong recording session, trading barbs that oscillate between playful and lethal. Many of the production’s hardest scenes are set there and, in a twist of...WW…

Earlier this month, we that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump made up to $120 million between January 1, 2020 and January 20, 2021. While that was less than what they’d made the year prior, it was still quite a lot, particularly given that Kushner’s father had angrily in 2019 that people should cut his son some slack because he’d allegedly made “a substantial financial sacrifice” to work at the White House. But as it turns out, this could have been merely a drop in the bucket, or a drop in the Scrooge McDuck–style pool of money that the couple raked in during their four years in Washington, a...…Earlier this month, we that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump made up to $120 million between January 1, 2020 and January 20, 2021. While that was less than what they’d made the year prior, it was still quite a lot, particularly given that Kushner’s father had angrily in 2019 that people should cut his son some slack because he’d allegedly made “a substantial financial sacrifice” to work at the White House. But as it turns out, this could have been merely a drop in the bucket, or a drop in the Scrooge McDuck–style pool of money that the couple raked in during their four years in Washington, a...WW…