Politics

The Iran deal falls apart on one question: Who's in charge in Tehran?

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

Don’t Overestimate the Pink Tide

Candidates endorsed by New York City’s democratic-socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, swept the city’s primary elections yesterday, provoking alarm in both conservative and centrist circles over the future of the Democratic Party. The right-wing New York Post dubbed the winners, Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, the “hateful slate.” The Free Press quoted a supporter of one of the defeated candidates warning that it “doesn’t feel safe to be Jewish anymore,” notwithstanding the fact that one of those winners, Lander, is Jewish and a self-described liberal Zionist. New York Attorney General Letitia James told CNN, “All of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don’t blow it up. That’s what MAGA has done.”

White House requests $87.6 billion supplemental spending for Iran war, farm aid

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought asked House Speaker Mike Johnson for billions in extra spending for the Iran war.

Identity theft victims face 'unconscionable' IRS delays, report says

Victims currently face wait times of almost two years to resolve their cases, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate.

Hezbollah Using Respite from Ceasefire to Rearm and Reconstitute: Experts

The quieting down of the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah following pressure from Iran and the United States has given the Lebanon-based proxy critical time to regroup and reconstitute itself before the next inevitable round of fighting, experts say.

Judge orders Trump administration to explain tarp obscuring Kennedy Center

White House must report by 31 July on purpose of tarp installed while Trump’s name was stripped from building

Democrats fret Mamdani's socialists will cost them in November

Democratic handwringing over New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s sweeping endorsement wins has begun, as House Democrats grapple with what those wins will mean for the party in November.

Top House Democrat calls for moratorium on data centers

House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) has called for a national moratorium on data centers, a significant addition to the growing opposition to the construction of the facilities nationwide.

‘We should be worried’: report sheds light on ICE’s booming arsenal of hi-tech surveillance tools

Spending on government contracts with tech firms that use AI-powered tools to track immigrants has soared to record levels under Trump 2.0, report says

Ted Lieu questions whether Trump was given special drug

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) suggested that Donald Trump may have been given a special new drug, citing it as a possible reason the president canceled a scheduled signing for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act bill on Wednesday.

Appeals court rejects Trump administration's effort to get Michigan's sensitive voter information

Washington — A divided federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the Justice Department is not entitled to Michigan's voter registration list containing sensitive information from voters in the state.

New York’s Warning for Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer

In the weeks after he was elected mayor of New York City last fall, Zohran Mamdani worked behind the scenes to torpedo a bid by one of his allies, a charismatic young democratic socialist, to challenge the reelection of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in Brooklyn. Such a high-profile primary fight, Mamdani reportedly argued at the time, could slow his agenda for the city.