The vibe at the Republican convention is worse than you can imagine
MILWAUKEE — Hello and happy Thursday. There are 109 days until the election and Lord help me, I’m in Milwaukee. Nothing against cheese curds and it’s…
Are calls for unity real, or politics?
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 111 days until the election and man, what do you even say at this point?Like most of us, I…
Biden backers risk deluding their party into defeat
WASHINGTON — I’ve covered presidents for 35 years. One lesson above all sticks with me: Reality is always worse than what you see.There’s good reason for…
Column: George Clooney drops a truth bomb about Biden. Now what?
Hello. I can’t say it’s a happy Thursday, but it is Thursday. There are 116 days until the election, and today we’re talking unexpected truth…
Biden takes a page from Trump
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 118 days until the election but honestly, can we please just hold it tomorrow and Get it Over With?I’ve…
As the empire falls, Democrats fiddle
Hello and happy Independence Day, may it not be our last. There are 123 days until the election and I don’t have to tell you…
It’s King Don vs. Doddering Joe. Now what?
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 125 days until the election, and we are mired in terror. I’ll call this the “Humpty Dumpty” edition, because…
Supreme Court plays kick the can with two big cases
Hello and happy Thursday. There are 130 days until the election. Today we’re talking about flies, lies and kicking the can. First, flies. The presidential…
Biden lost a good opportunity to change the election debate
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s decision last month to call for a June debate against former President Trump was a gamble – a calculation that the campaign…
A few phrases for your Biden-Trump debate drinking games
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 132 days until the election and today we’re talking about scary stuff, starting with the Orwellian-sounding Department of Life.…
Why both sides in America’s partisan war feel like they’re losing
WASHINGTON — Both sides in America’s ideological war agree on one striking point: They think their side is losing. Republicans hopped on the doom train first.…
Journalism doesn’t have to be this bad: A lesson from O.C.
Today’s newsletter is written by Deputy Managing Editor Shelby Grad. Anita Chabria will return next week. If you think election denial is reserved for rural…
The Trump-Biden debate rematch no one really wants is almost here
There are probably few things anyone wants to do less right now than think back to 2020. The year of the COVID-19 lockdowns, mass death,…
Biden vs. Trump: Black and Latino voters could make the difference
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after Donald Trump’s conviction on multiple felonies related to the payment of hush money to a porn actress, we have a pretty…
California’s knock-down, drag-out fight over addiction and theft
Hello and happy Thursday. There are 145 days until the election, and today we’re talking guns and drugs. And no, it’s not (entirely) Hunter Biden.…
Biden goes on offense on immigration. Is it ‘too little too late’?
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 146 days until the election and today we’re talking neighbors — good, bad and weirdly obsessed with flags. Yeah,…
Liberals don’t like Biden’s border plan, but it may help him where he needs it most
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s move this week to close the border to most migrants seeking asylum sent an important signal about what he and his top…
Trump is not a felon. He’s ‘justice involved’
Hello and happy Thursday. There are 151 days until the election and today we are talking dead chickens and deadbeats. We’ve all heard by now…
Addiction is messy, as the Hunter Biden trial proves
Hello, and happy Tuesday. There are 153 days until the election, and today we’re talking guns, drugs and optics — in the courtroom and at…
How’s Trump’s conviction will — and won’t — impact his 2024 chances
WASHINGTON — For months, political analysts, oddsmakers and partisan strategists have speculated about how a criminal conviction of former President Trump might affect the presidential race.…