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 ...

Reporters Clara-Sophia Daly (back to us) and Abigail Vân Neely discuss stories with Senior Editor Meg Shutzer and new board member Nate Olivarez-Giles. Photo by Robert Nickelsberg, Feb. 9, 2026.

“All politics is local,” Tip O’Neill, the patron saint of American politics, famously repeated throughout his very long political career. By that, the former House speaker meant that positions taken ...