As Trump puts Republicans on notice against daring to criticize him, a reporter who covers D.C. influence peddling explains how he is already building a new Trump kleptocracy right before our eyes.

As Pam Bondi evades questions at her confirmation hearing about Trump’s threats to target enemies, a former prosecutor explains what Bondi inadvertently demonstrated about what’s really coming in 2025.

As Trump’s anger at Jack Smith only grows and his pick for defense secretary signals ugly times ahead, a historian explains why Trump-MAGA may not be as invincible as they now appear.

The Nobel laureate explains why the good economy Trump is inheriting is already forcing him to fabricate fake rationales for his coming tariffs and deportations—and how his voters will be the losers.

As the war between Steve Bannon and Elon Musk intensifies, a leading Never Trump writer explains what all this says about the horrors that Trump-MAGA have in store for us—and how Dems can fight back.

Trump’s chat with Justice Alito draws scrutiny, even as Trump asks the courts for help on multiple fronts. A leading reporter explains why the tangled nexus of all these stories is raising legitimacy issues.

As Trump unleashes vile attacks on Democrats over the Los Angeles horrors, a leading historian of conservatism explains how this fits into the right’s broader project of degrading public life.

After Trump unleashes some wildly crazed ideas to reporters, an expert in authoritarian rhetoric says Trump revealed deeper intentions that are dangerously alarming and designed to normalize the abnormal.

As Trump’s first moves show how he’ll make life miserable for the GOP Congress and betray his voters, congressional scholar Norman Ornstein decodes all the noise and explains what’s coming.

As Trump erupts over his coming sentencing for his hush-money conviction, a leading political theorist explains how his fury is sending unsettling signals about his coming authoritarian rule.

As Donald Trump and Elon Musk fuel chaos in the ongoing government-shutdown fight, the author of a book on rural America explains how this fiasco is already revealing how Trump hoodwinked his voters.

The Democratic senator argues in an interview that Trump’s attacks on democracy are an emergency and that Dems cannot let his profoundly unfit nominees and cowing of the media become seen as normal.

With Donald and Lara Trump both telegraphing new details about Trump’s plans for retribution, Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall suggests a way for the targets of vengeance to band together and fight back.

As Donald Trump tries to soften RFK Jr.’s anti-vax extremism, a strategist involved in trying to block RFK’s nomination explains why Trump could prove vulnerable on this front—if Dems make the case.

As ABC News agrees to a $15 million settlement with Trump, journalist Anne Applebaum explains why this carries unnerving echoes of what’s unfolding in places like Hungary—and what could happen next.

As Trump’s threats to target enemies intensify and Republicans reveal they won’t stand in his way, a sharp observer of MAGA explains why we can’t let Trump’s revenge tour erase the truth and replace it with lies.

As Donald Trump’s son sends surprisingly clear signals about what’s coming, an expert on kleptocracy explains why conditions are ripe for the new Trump oligarchy to launch an extraordinary corruption spree.

As Trump lawyer Alina Habba reveals too much about MAGA’s spin on mass deportations, a leading immigration advocate looks at what’s coming—and how opponents of MAGA should respond.

As Republicans privately turn on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s involvement with Elon Musk’s DOGE, a tech writer explains why “techbro” leadership is dangerous—and how she’ll make it worse.

As new reporting shows that Trump’s plot to sabotage the rule of law is getting worse, a sharp observer explains how Democrats should engage this moment more forcefully—and why it’s dangerous not to.