Latest news with #KarenTumulty
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Karen Tumulty joins the Politics & Government desk as Chief Political Correspondent
We are thrilled to announce that Karen Tumulty will be returning to the Politics & Government desk in News to serve as chief political correspondent, taking the baton from the departing Dan Balz to produce the Sunday Take along with reported columns, features and news analysis about Washington and national politics. This is a homecoming for Karen, who spent eight years on the politics team before moving to Opinions in 2018 to write a reported column. During her time on the news side, Karen earned a reputation as a generous fount of both ideas and sources as well as a powerhouse political reporter. She served as moderator of two presidential primary debates — a Republican one The Post sponsored with Bloomberg in 2012 and a Democratic one with Univision in 2016. In 2014, she won the Toner Prize for what the judges described as 'engaging reporting on politicians' such as then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ted Cruz, prescient stories about the shifting political landscape in West Virginia and a poignant profile of a Vietnam veteran who gave his 101st Airborne screaming eagle patch to then-Sen. Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. Before joining The Post in 2010, Karen spent 15 years at Time magazine, where she wrote or co-wrote more than 40 cover stories about Congress, the White House and national politics. Before that, she worked 14 years at the L.A. Times in Los Angeles, Washington and New York and briefly at the San Antonio Light, her hometown paper. She is also the author of the 2021 book 'The Triumph of Nancy Reagan,' a biography of the politically astute first lady who shaped one of the nation's most consequential presidencies. A proud Texan, Karen earned a journalism degree at the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business & Government Editor Lori Montgomery, Deputy Politics & Government Editor Nick Baumann Please join us in welcoming Karen back to the 7th floor. Her first day will be Aug. 1.
Washington Post
16-07-2025
- Washington Post
Are you ready to start ‘Japanese walking' and interval training to get healthier? Ask our fitness columnist about it.
Ask The Post's journalists Our reporters and editors answer your questions. Join our live chats or ask a question in advance. Get advice: Carolyn Hax takes your questions about the strange train we call life. Find a dining suggestion: Chat with restaurant critic Tom Sietsema. Ask for cooking help: Aaron Hutcherson and Becky Krystal are your guides to the kitchen. Chat with a columnist: Karen Tumulty discusses her columns, politics and more. Ask about the media: Erik Wemple discusses his columns and more. Explore all of our chats on our community page.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
After Trump's bill, what's in store for the midterms?
You're reading the Prompt 2025 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill has just become law, so Republicans have concluded their major legislative business for this Congress. From here, the attention of elected officials — and the country — will turn more and more to the midterm elections. Democrats claim that the Republicans' controversial new budget is aiding their already healthy chances of winning the House next year. But candidates from both sides of the aisle will also be campaigning on other issues, from immigration to tariffs. I'm joined by my colleagues Perry Bacon Jr. and Karen Tumulty to discuss what we know (and what we don't yet know) about next year's elections. — Ramesh Ponnuru, contributing columnist 💬 💬 💬 Ramesh Ponnuru Far from worrying about the impact of the Republicans' budget bill on the midterm elections, Speaker Mike Johnson said he thinks it will help his party. Do you agree? Perry Bacon Jr. No. By some measures, the OBBB is the most unpopular bill in recent times. I assume Johnson's actual view is closer to 'We were probably going to lose the House anyway, so might as well pass the stuff we want.' But he can't say that out loud. Karen Tumulty Game on! This is going to be a hard one for Republicans to frame for the elections. The tax 'cuts' are really just extensions of current tax provisions. The Medicaid cuts are hard for people to rally around. I think the GOP would be better off changing the subject — which is what I expect them to do. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Ramesh Karen, what do you think they're going to make the focus of the campaign? Karen A secured border. Crime. Anti-wokeism. A strong economy, and other greatest hits. Ramesh Perry, you suggested that the Republicans were likely to lose the House even before this bill, and knew that. How confident are you in that assessment? Perry Pretty confident. 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2022— recent midterms have been bad for the incumbent party in the House. It is almost a law of politics that the presidential party loses ground in the House in the midterms. And in this case, the Republicans already have a very narrow majority. Usually, voters from the party not in the White House turn out in bigger numbers and swing voters want to restrain the president's power. Karen Agreed, but it is really harder for a big 🌊 to happen when there are so few swing districts these days. Ramesh Do either of you see the Senate in play? The geography looks tough for Democrats. Karen It's still early but: nope. Perry Short answer: no. Longer answer: One big political factor is Thom Tillis's (R-North Carolina) retirement. Without an incumbent, North Carolina is more in play. Maine is also in play; Susan Collins has fairly low approval ratings. That makes two seats, but Democrats need to win four to take the Senate. That means looking toward Texas, which is a real stretch. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Karen Can we talk about governors? There are three dozen races lined up for 2026, and a half-dozen or so of them could be really interesting. Very different from 2024. Ramesh Sure, let's talk about the governors' races. How much do we expect national trends to matter there? Perry I expect it to be something like 2018. Trump's unpopularity makes it easier for Democrats to win the governorship in states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but those races are still close. Karen Governors are going to have to manage a lot of the fallout from this bill, starting with the Medicaid cuts. And also the effects of other Trump policies, like tariffs. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Ramesh Many Democratic voters are frustrated with what they see as the ineffectuality and timidity of their party's leaders. Does that change the balance of enthusiasm to vote next year? Perry Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are not running in competitive races. Kathy Hochul, their fellow New Yorker, is — and appears much more feisty about Trump than them. Abigail Spanberger, a policy moderate running for governor of Virginia, is speaking bluntly about Trump. I think candidates in key races will not downplay Trump because they have to raise money and get volunteers and so on. I doubt many candidates outside very red areas will be running on how well they work with Trump. Ramesh What are the stakes of the election? Specifically, what changes about the government if Republicans keep the House or lose it? Karen If Republicans lose either chamber, that'll put the brakes on what's left of Trump's agenda. Ramesh His legislative agenda, anyway! Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Perry This is an interesting question. Usually, I would say the midterms really matter because the House plays such a big role in budgets, impeachments, hearings and oversight. But Trump just cuts funding whenever he wants. And I doubt he cares about hearings. Democrats are not going to attempt another impeachment that fails in the Senate. I can't remember a time when I felt a party winning the House meant less in a policy sense. Symbolically, Democrats winning the House would suggest that voters are frustrated with Trump. But would the president be constrained by a Democratic-controlled House? No. Trump put most of the things he wanted from Congress in the bill that passed last week. Karen But Trump won't be able to pass anything if the Democrats take either house. Or he would have to negotiate with Democrats if he wants to. Think about the negotiations that happened after the 1982 and 1994 midterms. Ronald Reagan raised taxes after having cut them. And in the 1990s, Bill Clinton made deals with Newt Gingrich on crime and welfare reform. Or even after 2010, when Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell ultimately negotiated a way to avoid the fiscal cliff. But it is still so early. We are going to know a lot more when we see what kind of candidates the two parties put up. Will the Republicans go full MAGA? Will the Democrats play to their base or to moderates? Ramesh We also don't know what condition the country will be in next November. Reality gets a vote, too, after all.
Washington Post
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Was Trump's military parade a success?
Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. for the best experience. You're reading the Prompt 2025 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. When I interviewed President Donald Trump a few days before his 2017 inauguration, I asked how he would convince America it is 'great again.' He told me: 'We're going to display our military. That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades.' On Saturday, he put on that parade, which celebrated the U.S. Army's 250th birthday and is expected to cost taxpayers as much as $45 million. Did it send the message that Trump intended? I'm joined by my colleagues Molly Roberts and Erik Wemple to discuss the spectacle. — Karen Tumulty, columnist 💬 💬 💬 Karen Tumulty Erik, you were at the parade. How was it? What were the crowds like? On TV, it actually seemed sort of subdued, not the spectacle we were given to expect. Erik Wemple I had a blast just interviewing people. They were incredibly open, though one guy gave me quite the brush off when he learned that I was with The Post. But your impression was correct, imo. Molly Roberts Should have said you were with One America News. Erik Well! It's hard to predict their media allegiances. One Trump supporter told me he'd just listened to 'The Daily' by the New York Times. Molly Yeah, it was hard to tell on TV whether people were there to celebrate Trump or the Army — obviously a big subject of debate re: the purpose of this whole thing, leading up to it. (I suppose I should be charitable and say the answer can be 'both'!) Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Karen The parade struck me as a pretty effective recruiting tool. And if you weren't listening to Fox News — as I was for a bit — not really all that much about the Birthday Boy. Molly LOL yeah, I was watching Fox too, and I believe one commentator insisted it was the best way $45 million could be spent when it comes to recruiting. Unsure how you'd test that claim, but … Erik Let's construct a data model! Karen My dad was career Air Force, and I spent much of my childhood on bases, so I gotta admit: I love a flyover. Molly Honestly, I didn't hate the history lesson either. I expected a lot more fanfare and a lot fewer facts. Erik From where I was stationed, I didn't get the history lesson. There was a huge throng waiting to filter through security checkpoints and many people were still waiting well after it had started. Molly Perhaps it was just Fox generously providing it, but I read some reporting that some of the info was being broadcast over loudspeakers as well. Loads of stuff about what conflicts a given regiment had been deployed to. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Karen Let's talk about the context: Trump is trying to keep the military out of overseas engagements, even as he is using our troops on U.S. soil to subdue protests. So, much of the parade was about weapons. Molly Yes, totally. It's hard not to view tanks rolling down the street a little differently when you're worried about violence breaking out in Los Angeles. Erik 100 percent. Karen Meanwhile, across the country on Saturday we saw 'No Kings' protests in practically every city and town. How much of an impression will those make? Molly I would hope that people realize the parade celebrated an Army that helped liberate this country from the tyranny of an overreaching executive! And then see that the protests are about a similar problem. Karen I was struck by the fact that so many of the 'No Kings' protesters were carrying American flags — clearly trying to wrest that patriotic imagery back from the MAGA movement. Erik Earlier this year, there was an idea in the media that the resistance was dead or faltering. It wasn't, as these recent protests have shown. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Karen So do we think this parade really sent the message that Trump had hoped? Molly I guess it depends on what message he hoped for! If you take what he said to you all those years ago at face value, in my view the parade did better than I'd expected — the display itself really did seem to be about the U.S. Army, not the special birthday boy. Erik Following on that point from Molly: You just cannot overestimate how many people in this country have connections of one sort or another to the military. Either they served or their parents did or they worked as a contractor. Molly Yeah, it's my lifetime in the liberal D.C. bubble that has blinded me to the extent of people's connection to, and affection for, the military! So maybe that's what Trump hoped for … to teach people like me a little something about the country. 🤣 Karen And yet, so few of us actually serve these days in our all-volunteer military. Molly But, to an extent, I worry Trump wanted to demonstrate, by tying the event to his birthday and with all that standing up and saluting from his post, that all this military might is at his disposal. Again, maybe I should be more charitable: He also could have been trying to demonstrate that military might to the rest of the world, as a deterrent or a negotiating card. Karen Back to that interview, Trump told me that he would 'display our military' to convince the country that it was 'great again.' If that was the measure, I think it does help remind us that we are a country of great people, some of whom are willing to put their own lives on the line for the rest of us. Molly Maybe it helped convince people that America is great … but, as usual with Trump, I'm stuck on the 'again' part. Erik Well we do pay a lot for it! Remember when Madeleine Albright asked Colin Powell why we have such a great and expensive military if we don't use it? Perhaps Powell should have said simply that we could have a parade! Molly Yes, as long as we're spending billions on defense, what's another $45 million to get those boys (and girls!) out of their barracks and in front of the American people? Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Karen At any rate, Trump has scratched that itch. He's had his parade. But his biggest tests as commander in chief are looming right ahead of him. Molly Did he get that nifty birthday flag from the parachuting Golden Knights, by the way? May have missed that part. But with a souvenir like that, I think he can go home. No need for a third term.
Washington Post
02-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Four months in, what has DOGE accomplished? Ask us your questions.
Ask The Post's journalists Our reporters and editors answer your questions. Join our live chats or ask a question in advance. Get advice: Carolyn Hax takes your questions about the strange train we call life. Find a dining suggestion: Chat with restaurant critic Tom Sietsema. Ask for cooking help: Aaron Hutcherson and Becky Krystal are your guides to the kitchen. Chat with a columnist: Karen Tumulty discusses her columns, politics and more. Ask about the media: Erik Wemple discusses his columns and more. Explore all of our chats on our community page.
