Peter Baker

Democrats and Republicans took it seriously, motivated to be more precise and accurate to avoid being called out. Now as Glenn steps down, he reflects on how that has changed in the Trump era with a president undaunted when caught lying or misleading. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Back in 2007, @sbg1.bsky.social launched The Fact Checker at the @washingtonpost.com complete with Pinocchios and over the past 14 years at the helm, the amazing @glennkessler.bsky.social built it into a powerful and important tool for accountability in a free society.

Trump’s Efforts to Control Information Echo an Authoritarian Playbook

Trump's war on facts has reached a new level and the message is clear: Government officials who deal in data now fear they have to toe the line and adopt his version of reality no matter how false or risk losing their jobs. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/u...

Stock Market Posts Worst Week in Months on Renewed Economic Fears

After months of rallying and periods of relative calm, stocks tumble as fresh economic data reflect unexpected signs of weakness in the labor market and Trump announces steep new tariffs against some of America’s largest trading partners. @danielledkaye.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/b...

Live Updates: After a Weak Jobs Report, Trump Says He’s Firing That Agency’s Commissioner

Unhappy with today's weak jobs report, Trump shoots the messenger, ordering the firing of the labor official in charge of tabulating employment numbers. @bencasselman.bsky.social @tonyromm.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

On Trump, Gaza, and the Perils of a Blank Check for Israel Is the President flip-flopping on Israel's war, or just muddling through?

"For those in Washington, on the left and on the right, who still support Israel, a new fear has emerged as a result—that a Trumpian blank check for Netanyahu may be the worst thing possible for Israel," @sbg1.bsky.social writes. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Employers Pulled Back on Hiring, Adding 73,000 Jobs

The US economy added only 73,000 jobs last month, less than half the average of last year as the labor market weakens. Estimates of job growth in past two months were also revised downward. Manufacturing jobs fell for the third straight month. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/u...

Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American history museum A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version following a review of legacy content.

Rewriting history: Smithsonian removes Trump, the only president impeached twice, from its exhibit about impeachment. "Only three presidents have seriously faced removal," the exhibit now says referring to Johnson, Nixon and Clinton @janaykingsberry.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Harris Will Not Run for California Governor

Kamala Harris announces she will not run for California governor next year. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,” she says in a statement. But she did not rule out another presidential bid in 2028. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/u...

One telling statistic: Consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy, grew at a 1.4% annual rate in the 2nd quarter, just half the 2.8% growth rate in spending in 2024.

U.S. Economy Slowed in First Half of 2025 as Tariffs Scrambled Data

The economy grew at a 3% annual rate in the 2nd quarter, bouncing back from a slow 1st quarter and giving a boost to Trump. But overall growth softened in the first half of the year amid uncertainty over his tariffs and experts remain wary. @bencasselman.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/b...

Senate, Rejecting Whistle-Blower Alarms, Confirms Bove to Appeals Court

Senate confirms Emil Bove, Trump's onetime defense attorney who was accused of politicizing the Justice Department and suggesting that government lawyers defy courts, to a lifelong appellate judgeship. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/u...

Faculty Support of George Mason’s President Draws Federal Investigation

Just speaking out in favor of diversity is now enough for the Trump Justice Department to open an investigation, as the faculty senate at George Mason University has found out. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...

Trump’s imaginary numbers, from $1.99 gas to 1,500 percent price cuts The president likes to cite specific numbers to bolster his claims. They are often wildly improbable — or just impossible.

Trump last week promised to drive down drug prices by as much as 1,500%, which would be quite a trick since prices obviously can't be cut by more than 100%, but he regularly throws out made up numbers to try to impress or fool audiences. Naftali Bendavid www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

RIP Tom Lehrer, the Harvard-trained-mathematician-turned-satirist whose silly songs used to poke fun at our sensibilities and brighten our days when we were younger. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...

Trump Administration Live Updates: United States and European Union Reach Trade Deal After Month of Tense Talks

The US and EU announce a broad-brush trade deal that sets a 15% tariff on most goods, including cars, at least temporarily bringing an end to months of tense negotiations. @anaswanson.bsky.social @jeannasmialek.bsky.social Melissa Eddy www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

What he denied at Helsinki was that Russia interfered in the election. But Republicans and Democrats who looked at the intelligence concluded it did, including Trump's own appointees. No intelligence official I've ever interviewed believes otherwise.

How do we know that Vladimir Putin wanted Trump to win the 2016 election? Because Vladimir Putin told us so. "Yes, I did," he said at Trump's side in Helsinki in 2018. "Yes, I did."

What Will It Cost to Renovate the ‘Free’ Air Force One? Don’t Ask.

How much will it cost US taxpayers to retrofit the "free" Air Force One donated by Qatar? The Trump administration won't say. But attention is focused on a mysterious $934 million transfer from a Pentagon account. @sangernyt.bsky.social Eric Schmitt www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/u...

Exclusive | Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds Republicans are seen as better at handling most issues that decide elections despite respondents’ unease with President Trump over the economy, tariffs and foreign policy.

The Democratic Party’s image has eroded to its lowest point in 35 years, per @wsj.com poll, with 63% expressing an unfavorable view. Even so, Democrats edge Republicans in generic House matchup 46% to 43%. @aaronzitner.bsky.social www.wsj.com/politics/ele...

Competing Conspiracy Theories Consume Trump’s Washington

Washington is awash in conspiracy theories these days, a cascade of suspicion and intrigue promoted or denied in the Oval Office, ricocheting around Capitol Hill and cable news and propelled at warp speed across social media. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/u...

Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis

How Musk and other Trump allies have used the courts to try to silence a liberal group that has criticized them and the president. So far it has worked: The group has pared back public statements and may have to shut down @kenvogel.bsky.social @kateconger.com Ryan Mac www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/u...

Gazans Are Dying of Starvation

"Food is unaffordable. There is nothing": In Gaza, a third of the population has not eaten for multiple days in a row, according to the World Food Program. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...

Trump Redefines the Washington Scandal In a Presidency where everything is an outrage, what does it say that MAGA’s revolt over the Jeffrey Epstein files is the one crisis that really might hurt him?

The scandal "is not the revelation that Trump was friends with a sexual monster" or that he lies to the public, because those were already known, writes @sbg1.bsky.social. The novelty is that many Trump supporters now may stick with the conspiracy theory over him. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Minnesota courts Canadian travelers as U.S. visits drop Gov. Tim Walz is reminding Canadian travelers the state is open for business.

Canadian tourism plummets amid hostility from Trump -- 28% fewer Canadians have crossed the US border by car this year than by this point in 2024. www.axios.com/local/twin-c...

F.C.C. Approves Skydance’s $8 Billion Merger With Paramount

July 1: Paramount agrees to pay $16 million to settle Trump's personal lawsuit against CBS.

July 22: Trump and Paramount dismiss the case, formalizing the settlement.

July 24: Trump-appointed FCC approves $8 billion Paramount merger.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...

Israel and the U.S. Withdraw From Talks With Hamas

Trump and Israel pull out of Gaza ceasefire talks, blaming Hamas intransigence and ending for now the hope for the return of some of the last surviving hostages from the terrorist attack nearly two years ago. @sangernyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/u...

Independents Drive Trump's Approval to 37% Second-Term Low President Donald Trump's job approval rating has fallen to 37%, the lowest of his second term as a result of a decrease among independents.

Trump’s approval has dipped to 37%, the lowest of this term and just slightly higher than his all-time worst rating of 34% at the end of his 1st term, per @gallup.com Trump’s rating has fallen 10 points since January and 17 points among independents, to 29%. news.gallup.com/poll/692879/...

Hegseth Signal messages came from email classified ‘SECRET,’ watchdog told The revelation contradicts the Trump administration’s long-standing claims that no classified information was shared by the defense secretary’s account during the “Signalgate” scandal.

Pentagon’s inspector general has received evidence that messages from Hegseth’s Signal account previewing a bombing campaign in Yemen were derived from a classified email labeled “SECRET/NOFORN." @danlamothe.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Restrict Birthright Citizenship

Appeals court rules that Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship violated the Constitution, bringing the issue one step closer to a full constitutional review by the Supreme Court. @schwartzesque.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/u...