POLITICOStoryboardThe First GOP Debate: What we're watchingCurated byPOLITICOThis Wednesday, something big is happening in Milwaukee: the first GOP presidential debate. For relatively unknown candidates, its importance can't be overstated. In 2016, Republican debates attracted up to 24 million viewers — a huge audience for candidates who can struggle to attract a few dozen voters in person in Iowa or New Hampshire. Here's the latest on who's in (possibly some last-minute qualifiers), who's out (Trump says he's not going) and how candidates are prepping for the big night.
POLITICOStoryboardTrump pleads not guilty for a third time: What to knowCurated byPOLITICODonald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges accusing him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. It was his 3rd arraignment since April — an extraordinary sequence for a nation in which no other president or former president had ever been indicted until Trump was indicted in three cases this year. Trump may soon face another criminal case in Georgia, where the DA expects to announce charges this month in her probe into election interference in the state. Here's what to know.
POLITICOStoryboardPolitico Magazine: The Masculinity IssueCurated byPOLITICOWelcome to The Masculinity Issue. Manliness, at least for the GOP, seems to be a winning political issue. Sen. Josh Hawley gave speeches (+ book) on how traditional manly values are under threat. Ron DeSantis ran a campaign video splicing his images with those of manly icons. Dems, though less eager to stake claim on traditional gender ideas, have also leaned in. (ie. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doing pushups on the campaign trail). And ideas about masculinity and gender *can* affect how people vote.
POLITICOStoryboardA year in post-Roe America: The biggest surprises on abortion and politicsCurated byPOLITICOOne year ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade along with 50 years of legal precedent. We asked experts across the political spectrum about how the end of Roe would change U.S. politics, and whether liberal or conservative, they agreed the country was in for big changes. Turns out, even the experts could be surprised by the dramatic changes that would ensue. This year proved our politics is never predictable, and the impact of the Dobbs decision will likely reverberate for years to come.
POLITICOStoryboardTrump pleads not guilty in classified docs case: updates from his arraignmentCurated byPOLITICODonald Trump pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges that he hoarded classified military secrets at Mar-a-Lago and hindered the government’s attempts to get them back. Trump faces 37 felony charges — and hundreds of his supporters gathered outside a federal courthouse in Miami for his arraignment. This is the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been charged by the government he once led — but it's not Trump's first indictment.
POLITICOStoryboardTrump's 2nd indictment: What to knowCurated byPOLITICOAn indictment unsealed Friday charges former President Donald Trump with 37 felony counts stemming from his handling of classified docs after he left office. Prosecutors allege Trump arranged to remove a massive collection of highly sensitive classified material — including intel about the “defense and weapons capabilities” of the U.S. and foreign countries — to his home after he left the White House. If Trump is tried and convicted on the 37 counts, he faces a potentially lengthy prison term.
POLITICOStoryboardDebt limit deal: what's in it and how Congress is reactingCurated byPOLITICOBiden and McCarthy finally struck a debt limit deal this weekend, and Congress is racing to get it passed in time to avoid economic disaster. The deal would raise the debt ceiling through January 2025, expand work requirements for aid programs like SNAP (aka food stamps), take back billions in unspent Covid relief funds, nix the student loan payment pause and more. A number of House Republicans have come out against the deal. Now, the question is whether they’ll have enough power to derail it.
POLITICOStoryboard2022 Midterm Elections: How to watch like a proCurated byPOLITICOEvery ad has been cut. Every speech delivered. Every poll taken. Now, we wait. It's finally Election Day, and the stakes are high. Inflation is at a 40-year peak, abortion rights are on the ballot and election deniers are on the cusp of taking office. But when the polls close tonight, it won’t mark the finish line. Instead, it will be the start of a days-long process of counting votes in many of the most important states. Here's your guide to watching election night — and week — like a pro.
POLITICOStoryboardThe 20 counties that will decide the 2022 midterm electionsCurated byPOLITICOThe United States has more than 3,000 counties. But with its population increasingly sorting into solidly blue or comfortably red territory, the number of truly contested regions is just a tiny fraction of that total. This is a look at 20 of the most important counties that will determine whether Republicans or Democrats rule the House and Senate in 2023.
POLITICOStoryboardPrimary day in Illinois, Colorado, New York and more: What to watchCurated byPOLITICODems have a lot riding on today’s Republican primaries. Democratic candidates or groups are seeking to influence GOP primary voters in four races today, including a more-than-$30M effort in the Illinois governor’s race and multi-million-dollar campaigns to boost far-right GOP candidates in Colorado. Other big races: Member-vs-member congressional races in IL, Republican incumbents taking heat for voting to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks and a tabloid fodder GOP race for NY governor.
POLITICOStoryboardAlabama and Virginia primaries: What to watchCurated byPOLITICORepublican voters will effectively pick the next member of Congress for several open, deep-red seats in today’s primaries — including Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff, one of the strangest and most dramatic races of 2022. Katie Britt is expected to win that race. She’s a former top aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby and won Trump’s backing after he memorably un-endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks. In Virginia, the GOP will put forward nominees who aim to oust Dem incumbents in two House swing seats.
POLITICOStoryboardSouth Carolina and Nevada primaries: What to watchCurated byPOLITICOToday, Trump’s revenge tour lands in South Carolina. The former president endorsed GOP challengers taking on Reps. Tom Rice — who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection — and Nancy Mace in the primaries. In Nevada, the GOP will pick nominees for several battleground races. In one, a leader of a Trump-aligned election conspiracy group is running to be the state’s chief election officer. Other states with primaries today include: Maine, North Dakota and a special election in Texas.
POLITICOStoryboardCalifornia primaries and more: What to watchCurated byPOLITICOConcern over rising crime is overtaking key California primaries today. It sparked a recall election targeting San Francisco’s DA, drove the campaign of a billionaire mayoral hopeful in L.A. and shaped the state AG contest. Today’s elections also see three GOP House members fighting primary challenges and a slate of battleground-district voters preparing to pick nominees for November that could decide control of the House. Here’s what we’re watching across 7 states with big primaries tonight.
POLITICOStoryboardGeorgia, Alabama and Arkansas primaries (and Texas runoffs): What to knowCurated byPOLITICOAnother Tuesday, another massive set of primaries — this time in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and runoffs in Texas. On the GOP side, all eyes will be on Georgia, especially the much-anticipated showdown between Gov. Brian Kemp and Trump-backed challenger David Perdue. The race was one of Trump’s biggest bets of 2022 — but Perdue is still well behind in the polls. For Dems, the big story will be a progressive vs. moderate showdown of the Henry Cuellar and Jessica Cisneros runoff in South Texas.
POLITICOStoryboardThe most important primaries of the year: Here's what to watchCurated byPOLITICOOf the 20 midterm primary dates in 2022, none is more important — and potentially dramatic — than this Tuesday. Trump’s clout is on the line in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. In Oregon, a crypto-backed group is spending millions in an obscure congressional primary. Idaho and Kentucky also have primaries today. Here's your guide to the Senate races in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, key GOP primaries for governor in Pennsylvania, and Idaho and critical House primaries in all five states.
POLITICOStoryboardNebraska and West Virginia primaries: What you need to knowCurated byPOLITICOWest Virginia and Nebraska hold primaries today. The action is mostly on the Republican side, and the main drama is about former President Donald Trump. In West Virginia, two GOP incumbents, Reps. Alex Mooney and David McKinley, face off in a congressional primary because the state lost a seat after redistricting. In Nebraska, Charles Herbster, Jim Pillen and state Sen. Brett Lindstrom are the three top GOP primary candidates running to replace term-limited Gov. Pete Ricketts.
POLITICOStoryboardOhio and Indiana primaries: What to watchCurated byPOLITICOTuesday’s primaries in Ohio and Indiana will serve as one of the first salvos in this year’s midterms — and the nominees in key races will shape the trajectory of the general election. In Ohio, the ugly race to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman has raged for over a year. The state's Republican governor is also trying to beat back challengers on his right flank. Meanwhile, in Indiana, Republicans are picking congressional nominees in two big races that reveal the party’s post-Trump cleavages.
POLITICOStoryboardThe Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion showsCurated byPOLITICOThe Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by POLITICO. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Alito writes. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. The court’s holding won't be final until it is published.
