When Tricia Cotham, a former Democratic lawmaker, was considering another run for the North Carolina House of Representatives, she turned to a powerful party leader for advice. Then, when she jumped into the Democratic primary, she was encouraged by still other formidable allies. She won the primary in a redrawn district near Charlotte, and then…
Month: July 2023
Who Paid for a Mysterious Spy Tool? The FBI, an FBI Inquiry Found.
When The New York Times reported in April that a contractor had purchased and deployed a spying tool made by NSO, the contentious Israeli hacking firm, for use by the U.S. government, White House officials said they were unaware of the contract and put the F.B.I. in charge of figuring out who might have been…
Why Trump Is So Hard to Beat
In the half century of modern presidential primaries, no candidate who led his or her nearest rival by at least 20 points at this stage has ever lost a party nomination. Today, Donald J. Trump’s lead over Ron DeSantis is nearly twice as large: 37 points, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll of…
Trump Team Creates Legal-Defense Fund to Cover His Allies’ Bills
Former President Donald J. Trump’s team is creating a legal-defense fund to handle some of the crush of legal bills stemming from the investigations and criminal indictments involving him and a number of employees and associates, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The fund, which is expected to be called the Patriot…
Climate Activists and Steve King Unlikely Allies in Iowa Pipeline Fight
Emma Schmidt, a lifelong environmental activist in Rockwell City, Iowa, had long searched for potent allies in her fight against a massive carbon dioxide pipeline planned for her state. But she never expected to find herself at former Representative Steve King’s house, making her case as she stared up at a pistol in the paw…
The Legacy Dilemma: What to Do About Privileges for the Privileged?
When Kathleen James-Chakraborty received her acceptance letter to Yale on April 17, 1978, there was little doubt in her mind that a crucial factor helped secure her spot: Her father and two great-grandfathers had all attended the school before her. As a teenager, she was ambivalent. The legacy advantage in admissions gave her pause. But…
The Secret History of Gun Rights: How Lawmakers Armed the N.R.A.
Long before the National Rifle Association tightened its grip on Congress, won over the Supreme Court and prescribed more guns as a solution to gun violence — before all that, Representative John D. Dingell Jr. had a plan. First jotted on a yellow legal pad in 1975, it would transform the N.R.A. from a fusty…
Biden Presses Ahead With Effort to Broker Israeli-Saudi Deal
President Biden’s envoys are pushing ahead with their effort to realign Middle East politics by brokering the establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel despite significant concessions demanded by the Saudi monarchy. Mr. Biden sent Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser, back to Saudi Arabia in recent days, his second trip there in…
Trump and DeSantis Collide for First Time in Iowa, as Fortunes Diverge
When former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida shared the same stage at an Iowa Republican Party dinner on Friday, their appearances seemed to capture the basic dynamics of the 2024 presidential primary. Mr. Trump played headliner. Mr. DeSantis was reduced to an opening act. Even as Mr. Trump has been…
Videos of Dianne Feinstein and Mitch McConnell Resurface Questions About Age
After a series of troubling moments this week, an uncomfortable question has become unavoidable, leaving voters, strategists and even politicians themselves wondering: Just how old is too old to serve in public office? For years, like so many children of aging parents across America, politicians and their advisers in Washington tried to skirt that difficult…