Jacob Heilbrunn is editor of The National Interest. He lives in Washington DC
DoGE has been DoGE’d. The once fearsome government efficiency office has been shut down eight months before its contract officially ends in July 2026. What was supposed to be an organization that exploded traditional ways of running the federal government has turned into a damp squib. It was established by President Trump on the first day of his second term in office. Headed by Tesla chief Elon
The contrast could hardly have been starker. As Donald Trump palled around with Mohammed bin Salman in the newly gilded Oval Office, Congress was voting on a transparency act that would further expose Jeffrey Epstein’s grave misdeeds. Trump, who had worked overtime to try and quash the vote, was in his element with the Saudi crown prince. Transparency? Not a bit
The main thing that has made the Epstein files seem politically (as opposed to morally) significant is that Donald Trump remains obsessed with preventing them from seeing the light of day. He thus devoted much of Wednesday to importuning Republicans such as Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert not to back their release. “Only a very bad,
Redistricting efforts to shore up Republican prospects in 2026 could inadvertently undermine them
No sooner did Democrats in the Senate reach a deal to end the federal government shutdown than a frenzy of liberal pearl clutching ensued. The Democrats should have held out longer, they argued. Healthcare subsidies could have been rescued. Donald Trump’s approval ratings were plunging. Golly, maybe the Democrats could even have driven the dreaded
In promising an economic boom, Trump has highlighted his responsibility for inflation and unemployment
Nancy Pelosi’s career is ending as it began. She entered Congress in 1986 during the Reagan administration and is ending it under the most influential Republican president since the Gipper. On Thursday she released a six-minute video announcing her retirement in 2027 from Congress, the latest octogenarian to depart it. No sooner did this contagonist
Instead of vilifying Cheney, MAGA-world should offer him a bouquet of appreciation
Trump’s plan would mean statehood for Washington, DC and Puerto Rico and sweeping firearms restrictions
Though he received no presents from Xi, Trump clearly enjoyed cavorting abroad and collecting tribute
Trump is sanctioning Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil
For his part, Zelensky played his cards very well
From our UK edition
Sorry, Volodymyr. There won’t be any Tomahawk missiles headed to Ukraine now that president Vladimir Putin of Russia has talked on the phone with president Donald Trump, who called their session ‘very productive.’ What it will produce remains an open question. But it does seem to have resulted in a decision to hold an upcoming summit
His ambitions clearly exceed simply overseeing a deal between Israel and Hamas
Trump will seek to ensure that the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas becomes permanent, rather than devolving into a fresh round of violence
For Netanyahu and his chums, Trump’s pressure could not be more unwelcome
The pressure is now on for Israel and Hamas to reach a lasting agreement
Democrats are wagering that Republican moderates will crack, but the gamble could play out in Trump’s favor
His administration is embarking upon a major legal campaign against leading liberal organizations
He denounced the UN itself as a colossal failure
