Episode 4: False Spring

We’ve made it to 1994. In September, House Republicans gather on the steps of the Capitol and sign the Contract with America. It’s a carefully-worded list of bills they promise to bring to a vote as soon as they win the majority. Election night arrives, and th ...

Newt Gingrich’s glory lasts for about six weeks. Once he’s the center of attention, the majority of Americans don’t like what they see. He makes missteps as House Speaker, and by 1999, he has resigned and left Congress. But today, his legacy has far outlasted his time in the H ...

This week’s elections have been startlingly close. Control of both chambers of Congress remain up in the air.

Historically, the president’s party is blown away in midterms. And the Democrats were further hampered this time round by President Biden’s unpopularity.

C ...

This episode contains strong language. 

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming was the only Republican leader calling on President Donald Trump to move on from his efforts to overturn the results. Then, after the storming of th ...

Senate Republicans kill bipartisan January 6 commission; six republicans broke ranks and voted yes on January 6 commission, short of 10 needed to advance bill; Pelosi: GOP's "Denial of the truth" about insurrection "brings shame to the senate; Trump blast ex-house speaker Paul Ry ...  Show more

Over the past week, Donald J. Trump has burned down and rebuilt the Republican National Committee, gutting the leadership and much of the staff.

Shane Goldmacher, a national political correspondent for The Times, explains why the former president is trying to reinvent su ...