Ideas

A Strategic Disaster Looms at the 2nd Trump-Kim Summit

The Trump administration has declined to rule out withdrawing its troops from South Korea.

Policy

The Cost of Trump’s Insistence on Border Wall: $3B in Economic Damage

The immediate hit to the economy is $11 billion in lost productivity, much of which will be recouped later this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Ideas

Trump Is Destroying His Own Case for a National Emergency

By waiting for Congress to act, the president is undermining the legal basis for any declaration.

Ideas

The White House’s Move on Venezuela Is the Least Trumpian Thing It’s Done

The Trump administration’s concerted diplomatic effort did not originate on Twitter.

Policy

Trump Announces Deal to End Longest-Ever Shutdown — For Now

Congress is expected to quickly pass a new stopgap spending measure to reopen the government through Feb. 15.

Policy

The Government is Spending $90 Million a Day to Pay People Not to Work

The government’s debt to furloughed workers has already surpassed the payroll costs related to the 2013 shutdown.

Policy

Is Trump Setting the Stage for a Military Intervention in Venezuela?

“Everything is on the table, all options,” an administration official said.

Policy

FBI Agents Detail Shutdown's Toll

The FBI Agents Association is documenting the harms that the funding freeze have inflicted on investigations, travel, training, payments to confidential sources and employee benefits.

Ideas

Let’s Make This the Last Shutdown. Please.

Congress can pass a law saying that if no budget is passed as the fiscal year expires, the government proceeds at current funding levels.

Ideas

Trump Tried Partisan Applause Lines Inside the Pentagon. Nobody Applauded.

The president uses a missile-defense policy rollout to bash Democrats before the military’s senior leaders.

Policy

It's Official: Furloughed Feds Will Receive Back Pay Once the Shutdown Ends

Bill signed into law on Wednesday also will ensure retroactive compensation for furloughed feds in future shutdowns.

Ideas

The Shutdown Is Doing Lasting Damage to National Security

With every passing day, America’s defenses are weakening.

Policy

Poll: Nearly Three-Quarters of Federal Workers Oppose Shutdown, Majority Oppose Wall

One-in-three feds think the shutdown will drag on for more than three additional months.

Ideas

Trump’s Wall Fixation Is Impeding Border Security

The president’s push to “build the wall” fails to grasp the role of modern technology in policing U.S. borders.

Ideas

Donald Trump's Pattern of Deference to the Kremlin Is Clear

Any specific incident might be explained away fairly easily. As a pattern, they’re too weird to dismiss with a shrug.

Ideas

The Shutdown and the Damage Done

America's institutions are withering, says one longtime Foreign Service Officer who's calling it quits.

Ideas

Bolton’s Big Iran Con

There’s no evidence behind the national security adviser’s dire warnings about Tehran’s nuclear intentions.

Ideas

What Someone Needs to Explain to Trump About ‘National Emergencies’

It’s not just the likelihood that he will lose in court—it’s how he will lose that matters.

Ideas

FBI Agents Say the Shutdown Is a Threat to National Security

Nearly 5,000 FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, attorneys, and professional staff have been furloughed.

Ideas

Paul Whelan Isn’t a Spy, and Putin Knows It

The American’s detention reminds us that Russia continues to perfect dirty tricks pioneered by the KGB.