Let's Not Pretend That the Way We Withdrew From Afghanistan Was the Problem  —  In 2005, my colleagues at The American Prospect, Sam Rosenfeld and Matt Yglesias, wrote an essay I think about often.  It was called “The Incompetence Dodge,” and it argued that American policymakers …

In Florida, the pandemic is worse now than it has ever been before.  —  More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state.

Why the Media is Worse for Biden Than Trump  —  Over the last week, the media has hammered Joe Biden with relentlessly critical coverage of his pullout from Afghanistan, resulting in noticeable drops in his approval ratings.  Put aside for a moment whether this reflects failures by Biden or biases by the media.

$3.5T or bust?  Sanders goes all-out to protect Dems' social spending plans  —  Bernie Sanders is shifting into a new phase of his legacy-defining work on Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan: Protecting it from members of his own party and selling it to the public.

The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard?  An Atheist.  —  The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.  —  The Puritan colonists who settled in New England in the 1630s …

Exclusive: Police Lieutenant Who Killed January 6 Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt Finally Identified  —  For more than seven months, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed protester climbing through a broken window in a hallway of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, has remained anonymous.

Maggie Haberman and the never-ending Trump story  —  NEW YORK — When the first Donald Trump story of the 2016 election cycle came her way, Maggie Haberman decided not to break it.  —  It was May 2015, and Trump adviser Sam Nunberg was helping orchestrate the imminent announcement of the reality star's candidacy.

The Mountain Lions: these nine cities boomed in the COVID era  —  These nine western cities have the fastest surging housing markets.  —  Coastal cities like Washington D.C. and San Francisco were already expensive places to live at the start of the 2010s.

Republicans Balk on the Battle for Voting Rights  —  The Party of Lincoln has made itself the party of the new Jim Crow.  —  “Old battles have become new again,” said US Representative Terri Sewell, of Alabama, as she introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act for Tuesday's essential vote in the House.

Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump and Allies Over Election Lies and Jan. 6  —  The suit, which took a broad view of the riot's origins, was the latest effort to hold former President Donald J. Trump accountable for the Capitol attack.  —  A group of seven Capitol Police officers filed …

The unvaccinated deserve medical care too  —  On Saturday, conservative radio talk show host Phil Valentine died from COVID-19.  He had been a vocal skeptic of vaccines for months.  While he was suffering from the virus, his stance on vaccines changed , and he vowed to advocate for them in the future.

A naked baby helped Nirvana sell millions of records.  Now 30, he's suing the band for ‘child pornography.’  —  Spencer Elden may very well be the most famous naked baby the world has ever seen.  —  A photo of him as an infant — submerged in water and seemingly chasing a dollar bill dangling …

Paffrath in the spotlight  —  PAFFRATH IN THE SPOTLIGHT: For months, Democratic recall candidate and YouTube star Kevin Paffrath has assailed California's political establishment for not treating him as a serious contender.  But tonight, he steps onto a major debate stage for the first time — the lone Democrat in the lineup.

The Real Story Behind the $25,000 Trump Donation to Pam Bondi  —  When Trump used his charity to make a donation in 2013, executives claimed they didn't know the money was going to a political group.  Newly unearthed records prove otherwise.  —  It was the personally signed $25,000 check …