Aug. 2016: "We must also screen out any [immigrants] who believe that Sharia law should supplant American law" Sept. 2025: "London, where you have a terrible mayor... it’s been so changed. Now they want to go to sharia law" Today: Let's heed what Saudi theocrats have to say on transgender rights

"Nobody knew health care could be so complicated" -- Donald Trump, February 2017

People are pissed about food prices. People are pissed about Trump. Affordability politics can be tricky and divisive, but there’s an obvious food affordability agenda that could unite the left and center behind good policy and good politics. A thread! 1

NEW this AM: A new Marist poll has Democrats up 14 points on the generic congressional ballot ahead of the 2026 midterms.

This opinion makes it very clear that Trump's Justice Department screwed up badly here. Texas could've just drawn a partisan gerrymander and gotten away with it. Instead, the Justice Department (unnecessarily) injected race into it, directing Texas to draw an unconstitutional *racial* gerrymander.

It will be hilarious if the 2025-2026 gerrymandering cycle ends with only California getting a new map

For me and clearly many others, the SOB test is now the primary lens for judging Democratic candidates. Every election at every level, from now through 2028, is a referendum on an unbearable presidency. My latest, at The Big Picture. thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/democrats-...

“Trump’s Poll Numbers Just Entered the Danger Zone” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/18/t...

We finally solved that pesky problem of too many college graduates getting jobs

Trump's job approve/disapprove is 5 points underwater (44/49) in ARIZONA, per Emerson College Polling emersoncollegepolling.com/arizona-2026...

I believe these clips are from Todd Snider's final performance: Handsome John: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc17...

Near Truths and Hotel Rooms is a perfect album open.spotify.com/album/0Fwf3V...

Does everyone know this Jacob Bernstein lore? archive.seattletimes.com/archive/1999...

“Trump Could Deal With the Epstein Scandal by Addressing Health Care” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/14/t...

Everyone is correcting the substance here so I'll skip ahead to note that the last year has been a good test of the theory that most people just want bigotry rather than housing (& etc.) and that theory turns out to be totally wrong for a large majority, including virtually all the swing voters.

Also just generally, gerrymandering does involve risk, it is ultimately giving Ds to R districts to split the Ds up. But R gerrymanders over the year are getting close to some diminishing returns, I think. Might be OK in a normal midterm. In a wave, those Rs the computer gave you vote D.

My thoughts on the Invertebrate Eight washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/10/d...

In Georgia’s statewide races on Tuesday, the two Democratic candidates won 8 counties where, in 2024, Kamala Harris had received UNDER 40%. via: almanacofamericanpolitics.substack.com/p/democrats-...

Democratic lead in the generic congressional ballot average, per Real Clear Politics, is the largest yet for this cycle at +4.1 www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-...

Sign up for the Washington Monthly daily newsletter to get two new stories in your inbox every weekday, plus a best-of-the-week roundup on Sundays. Join on the right side of our home page, opt out any time: washingtonmonthly.com

Elwood Watson of East Tennessee State takes the measure of various college rankings and finds @washingtonmonthly.com to be the best for most students. www.myjournalcourier.com/opinion/arti...

“Considering that Trump has done nothing for Latinos, but done plenty to Latinos, don’t be surprised if Latino embrace of Trump proves short-lived, and the gerrymandered Texas map becomes a humiliating own goal.” washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/07/l...

Corruption is on the ballot in NYC. This election will answer the question of whether city voters are fed up with ethically compromised politicians like Adams, Cuomo, and the reigning giant of the field, Trump. My new piece for @contrariannews.org contrarian.substack.com/p/the-new-yo...

Very long wind up before revealing Trump terminated a law enforcement grant related to rural violence so the prosecutor who came close to solving this cold case lost his job The Candy Cane Park Murder Was Almost Solved. But Then … www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...

What Happened to America First? –– @billscher.bsky.social washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/24/w...

"Graham Platner Should Run for Maine State Legislature" -- my counsel in @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/21/g...

​Welcome to No Kings Eve. Trump is sounding and behaving kingly, and Republicans are at DEFCON 1 on the desperation meter. You can tell by their hallucinatory talking points, which are untethered from both reality and the Constitution. New from me at @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

“Democrats Are Winning the Survey Question That Matters” My @washingtonmonthly.com latest on the generic congressional ballot test washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/17/g...

"'Does Trump Deserve Credit for the Ceasefire?' Is the Wrong Question" -- my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/15/d...

Watching this film at this moment in history was a gut punch. New from me at @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-nixo...

Defining narcissism down

One clunker of a joke doesn’t mean Democrats are mishandling the shutdown showdown. So far, they’ve performed better than any opposition party in the history of shutdown showdowns –– @billscher.bsky.social: washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/10/c...

“WTF Is Chuck Schumer Doing? (Psst. It Looks Like Winning.)” My response to Jon Stewart for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/10/c...

new polls website just dropped fiftyplusone.news

“Louis C.K.’s Saudi Arabia Defense Is Terrible” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/07/l...

Marjorie Taylor Greene apparently is reading me in the @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/01/s...

This fact is not breaking through. Republicans have the power to open the government by themselves. They just need to use the “nuclear option” to suspend or change the filibuster. Rs nuked three weeks ago for judges, so we know they’re able. But they’d rather keep it closed and blame Dems.

When Trump tried to remove FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, SCOTUS set the case for arguments—but kept Slaughter fired in the meantime. When Trump tried to remove the Fed's Lisa Cook, SCOTUS set the case for argument—but *let Cook keep serving* in the meantime. That difference says a lot.

Don't sleep on Michelle Wu, one of this country's most quietly effective climate leaders, cruising to a second term in Boston. It's telling that business interests tried and failed to stop her and are pouting about it now Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Republicans Can End the Government Shutdown Today If Republicans don’t want a bipartisan deal, they can kill the filibuster. So why aren’t they? –– @billscher.bsky.social washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/01/s...

“Republicans Can End the Government Shutdown Today” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/01/s...

I think I agree with this, from @billscher.bsky.social.

The federal government has been continually operating for 2̶4̶4̶0̶ zero consecutive days

Exactly. De are not obligated to give their votes to partisan-drafted spending bills or nominal deals negotiated in bad faith. If Rs don’t want true bipartisanship, then Rs alone have the power & responsibility to keep the government open washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

The president’s decision to threaten mass layoffs of federal workers in the case of a shutdown should prompt Democrats to shift course. You can’t win a game with someone playing an entirely different game. So, stop playing. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

“The Democrats’ Shutdown Strategy Is Bad. Trump’s Is Worse.” My latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

Why is NYT using the informal “Obamacare” in headline and first mention when reporting on a policy decision made by Republicans who opposed Obama’s creation of the program?

Perhaps I should have said "throuple" but that would have implied Trump has the capacity for commitment

Happening this week, starting tomorrow: Utah’s legislature is meeting to adopt a new congressional map after a court order. All five draft maps would transform a safely GOP seat into a swing district that’d be very winnable for Dems.