So Much For the Institutions  —  Kennedy's retirement proves we can't count on elites to constrain Trump's worst excesses  —  When he heard that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was retiring on Wednesday, a friend in his twenties told me: “Today is the darkest political moment my generation has experienced.”

Mitch McConnell Has Already Won  —  Mitch McConnell has just one goal: to preserve and extend Republicans' advantage in Washington and beyond.  He'll do anything to achieve that goal, indifferent to everything but the will to power.  We see this most clearly in McConnell's approach to the Supreme Court.

With Kennedy Gone, Justice Must Be Won at the Ballot Box  —  The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher.  It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.  —  If the last few days hadn't been dispiriting enough for those who believed …

The Republican Court and the Era of Minority Rule  —  Democrats have won the national vote in six of the last seven presidential elections, which, with the retirement of Anthony Kennedy, will have resulted in the appointment of eight of its nine justices.  And yet four of those justices …

Trump takes over America  —  President Trump, with his refusal to take advice or yield to experts, is the West Wing.  Republicans who control both halves of Congress won't lift a finger against him and fully support his every move.  —  The big picture: With his chance to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy …

Trump to meet Putin in Finland next month  —  The White House announced has announced details of the Trump-Putin summit: … The backdrop: The meeting will take place shortly after the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11 and 12th.  Senior officials from four NATO member nations told Axios' Jonathan Swan …