Two weeks ago, I noted that the early signs for JD Vance as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential nominee were not encouraging. He was a historically unpopular running mate. The polls seemed to confirm what was already evident: He wasn’t a particularly voter-friendly pick, dating back to an underperforming 2022 Ohio Senate campaign in which every other […]Read More

The hosts of the Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends” welcomed Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday morning, offering the former president the opportunity to opine on his candidacy and his opponent’s newly named vice-presidential pick without pushback. They wasted no time, prompting Trump at the outset to offer his opinion of Minnesota Gov. […]Read More

In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association — an organization of flag enthusiasts — conducted a poll asking its members to rank the official flag of each American state and Canadian province. The most-liked flags were those from New Mexico and Texas, simple flags with broad expanses of color and singular graphical elements. The least-liked […]Read More

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz resigned from his post as chair of the Democratic Governors Association on Tuesday after Vice President Kamala Harris selected him to be her running mate. Once Walz became a candidate for federal office, he was no longer allowed to chair the organization, according to its bylaws. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, the […]Read More

Moments after taking the stage for their first rally together Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for putting her trust in him as her new running mate. But, he added, “maybe more so, thank you for bringing back the joy.” Just a month ago, Democrats were feeling less than joyful as […]Read More

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Vice President Kamala Harris’s newly announced running mate, has had an unusually long and involved relationship with China, one that Republicans have seized upon as a line of attack in the face of rising antipathy among voters toward China. Both Republican and Democratic leaders have promised to further toughen the […]Read More

The day after JD Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, he received a congratulatory text from Charles Johnson, a blogger and entrepreneur who has zealously promoted right-wing conspiracy theories. Johnson assumed the posture of a wise mentor, cautioning the first-time officeholder to choose his staff carefully and repeatedly pressing him on his […]Read More

When Joe Biden’s presidency began in 2021, Afghan official Nader Nadery knew that the new commander in chief was determined to pull U.S. troops from his country. But Nadery, like other Afghanswho feared the return of a repressive Taliban regime that had been overthrown in 2001, hoped he had an allywho could convince Biden to […]Read More