Donald Trump’s self-dealing and profiteering from high office, a longtime subtheme of his presidency, has just become its defining story. Consider the following list of news and revelations, all from roughly the past week: It is not hard to see the problem with this behavior. Most people intuitively know it’s bad for politicians to abuse […]

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is indicting former Cuban President Raúl Castro as it seeks to ramp up pressure on the island.  What happened? The indictment against […]

Iran gridlock and middling China trips aside, President Donald Trump is having a pretty good month. Three May elections tested his grip on the Republican Party — and his candidates cleaned up. In Indiana, five Trump-backed challengers defeated Republican state senators who opposed the president’s efforts to redraw state electoral maps.  In Louisiana, Sen. Bill […]

There are few animals humans fear more than sharks. This is understandable: Sharks are big, dramatic creatures that have been permanently lodged in our culture as underwater killers since Jaws. They also kill about six people in a given year. Snakes, on the other hand, kill roughly 100,000. After mosquitoes, which spread diseases like malaria, […]

On Monday, the Supreme Court decided not to thrust another dagger into the nearly lifeless corpse of the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is arguably the most successful civil rights law in American history. Before the Roberts Court began to dismantle it, the VRA included a web of provisions intended to […]