Most Americans say they would not back a democratic socialist for president, a Washington Post-Ipsos poll finds. New with @teoarmus.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Fenit Nirappil
@fenitn.bsky.social
Deputy national politics editor at The Washington Post. Contact: fenitn.33 on Signal; fenit.nirappil@washpost.com
How did a false allegation lead to Pete Buttigieg's separation from his kids? Our exclusive reporting shows how authorities did not take steps to vet the caller who left her contact. We found the caller who said she wanted to thwart his White House ambitions. Gift link: wapo.st/45ok5XP
Source of false Buttigieg allegation appeared ‘mentally unstable,’ records show
The Michigan attorney general’s office is investigating how the accusation that prompted the ex-Cabinet secretary's separation from his 4-year-old twins was handled.
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"High primary turnout among Black voters has given Democrats hope for upset wins in the South..." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Why resisting Trump has galvanized Black Democrats as the midterms approach
High primary turnout among Black voters in the South has given some in the party hope for upset wins in the region.
washingtonpost.com
In a previously unreported outburst, we found out that Nancy Mace upbraided her 26-year-old nephew in front of elected officials because he accepted an endorsement from her political rival www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Nancy Mace’s thrashing in South Carolina governor’s race caps a rough downfall
The congresswoman finished fifth in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, according to unofficial returns, solidly losing even her own home county and district.
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Behind the downfall of Nancy Mace and her trouncing in South Carolina: Years of brazen political opportunism, a hunger for media attention at any cost, rejecting advisers’ counsel and turning on many allies, more than a dozen former supporters told The Post www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Once a rising star, Nancy Mace suffers resounding defeat in governor’s race
The South Carolina congresswoman finished fifth in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, according to unofficial returns, solidly losing even her own home county and district.
washingtonpost.com
We got Platner’s planned victory speech. One of his lines about Susan Collins: “She has worked in politics for longer than Joe Biden.” www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Platner to frame overtly negative campaign against Collins
A speech he intends to deliver Tuesday night when he accepts the Democratic nomination, obtained by The Post, suggests the Maine Senate candidate wants to make the election a referendum on President T...
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SCOOP: White House resisted letting doctor with Ebola return to U.S. Our story. Me and @laurenweberhp.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
White House resisted letting doctor with Ebola return to U.S.
The administration’s reluctance to bring an infected American back to U.S. soil marked a sharp contrast with the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak.
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EXCLUSIVE: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) told Republican House candidates that he will suspend the May 16 House primaries to redraw the state's congressional map. This would help Republicans pick up another seat or two in the midterms www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Louisiana governor prepares to suspend House primaries after court ruling
Gov. Jeff Landry (R) told Republican House candidates he plans to suspend the May 16 primary elections so lawmakers can redraw the congressional map.
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In a key Pennsylvania House district, Bob Brooks, a Democratic candidate embraced for his appeal to white working class voters, once called Colin Kaepernick a "douchebag" and posted in defense of police after George Floyd's killing. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Democrat in key race defended guns after mass shooting and insulted Kaepernick
Bob Brooks, a firefighter who appeals to the White working class, engaged with right-wing content. His endorsers in the Pennsylvania House race stand by him.
washingtonpost.com
Trump is talking about a new White House ballroom on about as many days as he talks about health insurance or affordability. @ence.bsky.social again delivers clever data analysis www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Republicans keeping falsely claiming that Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed tax hikes that she never backed and that never even passed. She talked about what she learned from this in a interview with @schneidergs.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Spanberger counters false GOP claims of tax hikes: ‘A desperate tactic’
Republicans keep criticizing Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger over proposed tax increases by Democratic legislators that never passed and that she never endorsed.
washingtonpost.com
“Ultimately it was a group of liberal online influencers — not party bigwigs — who made it their mission to ensure that someone facing multiple allegations of misconduct should not be elevated to the highest office in California.” wapo.st/4cd1t1t
How Eric Swalwell rose to the top of Democratic politics as rumors followed him
Allies like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Ruben Gallego say they knew nothing about the misconduct allegations, with Gallego saying the congressman led a “double life.”
wapo.st
The National Action Network’s convention offered a glimpse into how possible Democratic presidential contenders would woo Black voters in the primary. Here’s what they had to say www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Early audition for 2028 hopefuls focuses on civil rights issues
Democratic speakers were pressed to address voting rights, affirmative action and other issues at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s four-day conference.
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Kamala Harris explicitly says she's thinking about running for president again, electrifying a crowd of thousands at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. @schneidergs.bsky.social was there www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Crowd chants ‘Run again!’ to Kamala Harris, who said she’s ‘thinking about it’
The former vice president’s statement at a Black political convention was one of her most explicit signals yet that she could campaign again for president in 2028.
washingtonpost.com
Outside Democratic groups haven’t helped Janet Mills get on the airwaves as she struggles against Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race. Chuck Schumer now faces a question of cutting his losses or trying to rescue the candidate he recruited www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Is Chuck Schumer leaving his top candidate recruit twisting in the wind?
Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, has gone negative against Graham Platner. The attacks have not worked, and Minority Leader Charles Schumer so far has declined to bail her out.
washingtonpost.com
The DNC expected a surge of big donations after the big Democratic wins in November. It didn’t happen, and the DNC shelved plans for investments in the South & a midterm convention, sources tell the Post www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
The DNC expected big money after big Democratic wins. It never came.
The Democratic National Committee has scaled back some of its plans as donors remain reluctant to give, despite candidates’ recent victories.
washingtonpost.com
SCOOP: The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has delayed publication of a CDC report showing covid-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of ED visits + hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half. My latest. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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As Trump claims Iranians welcome the bombing around them, here is what Iranians are telling The Post www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
Iranian civilians voice fear and fatigue as U.S. escalates conflict
People in Iran say they could be left to pick up the pieces if President Donald Trump destroys the country’s infrastructure and economy.
washingtonpost.com
The Republican sheriff in California who seized hundreds of thousands of ballots in the November redistricting election said he might seize ballots again for the gubernatorial primary he is competing in www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
This GOP candidate seized a half-million ballots and says he may do it again
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for California governor as a Republican, tried to review ballots despite election officials reaffirming the results.
washingtonpost.com
NEW Washington Post-Schar School poll: Virginians deeply divided on Gov. Abigail Spanberger months after her landslide win, story w/ @schneidergs.bsky.social & @praveenavsoma.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Virginians deeply divided on Spanberger months after her landslide win
A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds that Virginia voters are highly polarized over Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), who ran as a unifying centrist.
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New Washington Post GMU Schar school poll of Virginia Redistricting Referendum Likely Voters Yes 52% No 47% Registered Voters Yes 53% No 44% Trump Approval Disapprove 57% Approve 40% www.washingtonpost.com/documents/0e...
NEW: We polled the Virginia redistricting ballot measure that could give Democrats an extra 4 seats in the House. It's narrowly leading, but Republicans and opponents are more enthusiastic to cast ballots. Gift link: wapo.st/3Qj8LrC
Poll shows mixed signs for Democratic push to gain seats in Congress
A slight majority of Virginia voters supports giving Democrats a temporary edge in congressional maps, but opponents are more motivated in new Post-Schar School poll.
wapo.st
A court threw out a nine-year prison sentence for Tina Peters, the former Colorado clerk convicted on charges related to a scheme to bolster Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. Colorado's Democratic governor praised the ruling www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Court tosses sentence for former clerk in scheme tied to 2020 election
The Colorado appeals court ordered a new sentence for Tina Peters, a former county elections official convicted for her efforts to boost Trump’s false claims.
washingtonpost.com
Unfortunately, my return to editing meant I had to cut short my "Under the Sheets, Under the Sea" series on the sex lives of marine animals. My last story looks at the discovery when scientists unwittingly made an octopus gloryhole wapo.st/47D71zu
The secrets of the sex lives of octopuses, revealed
New research reveals how octopuses essentially have a tongue, an arm, a penis and a sperm cell all rolled into one appendage.
wapo.st
The legal campaign against DEI/affirmative action is now targeting the Congressional Black Caucus and its affiliated foundation's scholarships for Black students @julez.bsky.social reports www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Black Caucus scholarships discriminate based on race, lawsuit alleges
The lawsuit, filed by an anti-affirmative action group, is part of a broader movement to dismantle programs meant to remedy the effects of past discrimination.
washingtonpost.com
We’re still deploying investigative resources to reveal who is responsible for local crises. From former D.C. city hall reporter turned investigative reporter Aaron Davis: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Plan to reinforce sewer pipe was delayed for years before Potomac disaster
A Washington Post investigation found that D.C. Water put off reinforcing an aging sewer line before it collapsed as the National Park Service undertook a prolonged environmental review.
washingtonpost.com
Professional update: After 5 1/2 years on the health team, I'm thrilled to become @washingtonpost.com's deputy campaigns and democracy editor. I'm helping to run our coverage of the midterm elections and the future of political parties and voting. All ears for feedback and tips! Contact in bio
Terrific piece by @fenitn.bsky.social about the rewriting of #Covid history. I would add this: A brand new virus meant health officials were making policy based on the info they had, not what we know now. Policy changes were evidence of learnings, not failures. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Four truths about covid that have become clouded over time
In the early days, the virus posed a graver threat to people and the health care system, Trump embraced lockdowns he now blasts, and the benefits of vaccines were oversold.
washingtonpost.com
SCOOP: A key federal vaccine panel has abandoned an attack on covid-19 mRNA vaccines — a shift that comes as some GOP warn that any more changes to vaccine policy could damage midterm prospects. Me + @rachelroubein.bsky.com www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisers drop proposal to revisit covid-19 shot
Some members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel have publicly questioned the safety and manufacturing of the shots, including raising a debunked theory that DNA contaminants in the vaccines are harmf...
washingtonpost.com
NEW: A new poll shows who Americans trust over the CDC. Survey reveals substantial gap between the major professional health associations and CDC, FDA and NIH. My story. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
A new poll shows who Americans trust over the CDC
The new findings come after the Trump administration in January took the unprecedented step of overhauling the CDC’s routine childhood immunization schedule.
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