Magazine – Washington Briefing

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on April 7, 2026.

Key law enforcement search tool faces Supreme Court scrutiny

Jack Birle · April 27, 2026 7:00 am

Backdropped by ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damage caused by airstrikes is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm island, Iran on April 13. (Asghar Besharati/AP)

Lessons from the 40-day Iran war

President Joe Biden listens as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks at an event at the White House on Oct. 8, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Biden Cabinet members seeking high office tout records while working for unpopular president

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pose for a photo in 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

The fall of Viktor Orban is the latest omen portending a reversal of fortune for Ukraine

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) are both running for the Republican spot in California’s June 2 all-party primary for the newly-fashioned 40th Congressional District. Whether it’s Young or Calvert, they’re favored to win in the November ballot against a democratic candidate. (Ken Cedeno/Pool via AP; Jose Luis Magana/AP)

GOP House incumbents fight for same inland Southern California seat

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 20. (Markus Schreiber/AP)

RIP the ‘rules-based international order’

Jamie McIntyre January 30, 2026 5:25 am

Left: MAGA Beer, one of many products promoting President Donald Trump, at Seed to Table, in Naples, Florida. The store offers fresh produce from local farms, several restaurants and bars, and live music. Right: Starfish are plentiful along the Gulf coast of Fort Myers Beach, in Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Particularly during the winter months when they reproduce. (Photos by David Mark)

Florida MAGA bastion draws comeback from ex-lawmakers who once represented other states

David Mark January 30, 2026 5:03 am

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH). (Joe Maiorana/AP)

Doubts abound about proposed dual citizenship ban

Michele Chabin January 23, 2026 5:25 am

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) talks to supporters in Portland, Maine on June 10, 2008. To her right is her daughter, Hannah Pingree. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Maine’s bipartisan brand of political nepotism

Taylor Millard January 23, 2026 5:21 am

California National Guard troops and U.S. Marines guard a federal building.

What’s stopping Trump from using the Insurrection Act in Minnesota?

Jeremy Lott January 23, 2026 5:15 am

President Donald Trump walks on the stage during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Trump’s Greenland quest ends with a whimper, not a bang

Jamie McIntyre January 23, 2026 4:54 am

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 9. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Make regime change great again?

John Scott Lewinski January 16, 2026 5:36 am

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) arrives for a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Legislative tool to circumvent House leadership gets biggest win yet on Obamacare subsidies vote

Kevin R. Kosar January 16, 2026 5:35 am

Marine One helicopter is seen on the South Lawn of the White House to transport President Donald Trump to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Jan., 13, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Trump’s ‘no limits’ view of presidential powers remakes the executive branch into international juggernaut

Jamie McIntyre January 16, 2026 5:29 am

From top left to bottom right: Micah Bergdale, Alex Bores, George Conway, Laura Dunn, Jami Floyd, Cameron Kasky, Micah Lasher, Alan Pardee, Jack Schlossberg, Mathew Shurka (Associated Press; Newscom; campaign photos)

Will this Upper West Side-based House district elect a full-throated Israel supporter?

Ron Kampeas January 9, 2026 4:34 am

María Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela on Jan. 9, 2025, a day ahead of Maduro’s inauguration. (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

María Corina Machado beat out Trump for the Nobel, but may have lost the bigger prize

Jamie McIntyre January 9, 2026 4:27 am

From top left to bottom right: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, Former Sen. John E. Sununu, Former Sen. Scott Brown, Former Rep. Steve Stockman (AP Photos; Sununu campaign photo)

Most ex-members of Congress trying for comebacks left under unhappy circumstances

David Mark January 9, 2026 4:25 am