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This Tuesday, November 4, political reporters will be paying close attention to gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virigina as well as New York City's mayoral race — which progressive New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, is expected to win.Meanwhile, in the Keystone State, voters will be voting to either retain or reject three Democratic justices on the

In the western U.S., seven different states share the Colorado River, whose "main reservoirs," according to Politico's Annie Snider, are seeing their "water levels" reach "historic lows" thanks to climate change. Snider, in an article published on November 2, reports that the states are "locked in battle over who must make sharp cuts in their water use to avoid a catastrophe that could hit as soon as next summer."In that scenario, Snider notes, "federal dam managers would have to decide between cutting water deliveries to Arizona,

Like attorney George Conway, retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig is a prominent figure in the conservative legal movement who became a blistering critic of President Donald Trump and considers him a dangerous threat to U.S. democracy.Luttig rooted for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, as did Conway. Now, nine and one-half months into Trump's second presidency, Luttig is still sounding the alarm. During a Sunday morning, November 2 appearance on MSNBC, Luttig argued that because the U.S. Supreme Court is failing to discourage Trump's attacks on democracy and the rule of law, it's up to the lower federal courts to fight back.Noting recent anti-Tru

Five years after losing to Democrat Joe Biden, Donald Trump continues to claim that the United States' 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. That claim has been repeatedly debunked, yet Trump is calling for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch new 2020 investigations.In an article published on November 11, Washington Post reporters Isaac Arnsdorf, Patrick Marley and Perry Stein describe the conflict between MAGA Republicans who remain obsessed with that election and Republicans who wish Trump would move on and abandon his "renewed fo

In 2024, Donald Trump became the first president in U.S. history to win an election despite four criminal indictments — one of which resulted in a conviction on 34 counts — and two impeachments. And the thing that did the most to get Trump past the finish line was the economy. Trump campaigned on affordability, promising to lower prices "on Day 1" and narrowly winning the popular voting by roughly 1.5 percent. But Trump's steep new tariffs, according to Paul Krugman, Robert Reich and many other economists, are making the United States less, not more, affordable.In an article published by The Guardian on November 2, journalist c

When conservative/libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) voted "no" on President Donald Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, their motivations were much different from all the Democratic lawmakers who voted against it. Paul and Massie argued that the bill would cost taxpayers too much money, and they are worried about how much it will add to the federal deficit.Those GOP lawmakers aren't the only ones who are voicing their concerns about the deficit. MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, a Never Trump conservative, ofte

As recently as the 1980s, California was still a red state — from Bakersfield to San Diego to Simi Valley to Glendale. Orange County south of Los Angeles was a bastion of conservatism, and the state's famously conservative GOP governors included Ronald Reagan, George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson. These days, California is a Democratic stronghold. Yet it still has pockets of conservatism, including Silicon Valley tech bros who have allied themselves with President Donald Trump. And according to Mercury News reporter Ethan Baron, that bond is showing no signs of weakening. Baron, in an

This Wednesday, November 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump — which grapples with whether or not President Donald Trump, under the Emergency Powers Act of 1977, has the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs. Trump's detractors, from liberals to right-wing Never Trumpers, are arguing that he doesn't — that members of Congress need to play a proactive role in determining U.S. policy on tariffs and other economic matters. But Trump's MAGA defenders are claiming that tariffs are solely a matter for the federal governmen

A strange thing happened over the past few days. No sooner did Donald Trump again float the idea of running for a third term, saying,” I’d love it” and “I’m allowed to do it,” than he backtracked completely, saying, “I guess I’m not allowed to it” and it’s “too bad.”In between, House Speaker Mike Johnson rushed to tell the press, “I don’t see the path” for a Trump third term, and said he’d spoken with Trump about it on the same day—basically talking Trump down from his first statement in less than 24 hours, or so it appeared.Now, don’t get me wrong. None of us should trust anything Trump says. He is a dictator and clearly wants to stay president, and he has already engaged

This Tuesday, November 4, a variety of elections will become largely a referendum on Donald Trump's second presidency — from gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia to three Pennsylvania Supreme Court races. Democratic and GOP strategists will be paying close attention to them in an effort to gauge what might lie ahead in the 2026 midterms.Democrats, along with many Never Trump conservatives, are debating what it will take to counter Trumpism. The New York Times Ezra Klein, in an in-depth column published on November 2, lays out some of the challenges Democrats are