I often complain about foreigners who write about American politics without knowing the first thing about our history. I know something, but not a lot, about British politics, so don’t take as gospel my observations about the Labour Party and its convention this last week in Brighton, which I attended as research for a book on the left in the U.S. and Europe. I may have gotten things wrong, but as an outsider, I may have seen a few things not so obvious to a native partisan. Read More
Especially in these times, it’s easy to get lost in the daily flood of news. I know as an editor here, it’s hard to think bigger when I’m sifting through presidential tweets and whistleblower complaints.
But a few months ago, we relaunched our Cafe section, and I now find myself thinking harder about the news and learning more. As the special projects editor, I’ve been helping solicit these contributions, so I now spend a lot of my time digging around for experts on topics like the history of busing and natural disasters. It’s been really refreshing, and I’ve enjoyed the smart analysis we’ve published.
And it’s support from our readers that makes this possible. So if you’re not already a member, please consider joining.
It’s not exactly a secret. You can see who works at TPM right there on the masthead.
But many times over the years, new hires have come aboard only to wonder where everyone else is.
“Is this it?”
“This is everybody?”
We talk a lot around here about doing a lot with a little, about punching above our weight. Our ambition regularly exceeds our resources. But we sometimes forget that for many readers, we manage to project that we’re a much bigger, more robust outfit than we in fact are. Until a new member of the staff looks around and realizes there’s no wizard behind the curtain. It’s just us and a lot of hustle.
As we crank up our membership drive and ask you to join TPM Prime, I mention our small size this week for a couple of reasons.
We’re off to a great start with our annual drive. But we need to build on this momentum. You’ve seen in the last few days what our team can do, just how good they are. Take a moment right now and join us. Quick. Easy. Simple. You just have to decide to make today the day. We need you. Just click right here.
I’ve been waiting for this to come up. According to Murray Waas writing in the New York Review of Books, Rudy’s excellent Ukraine adventure began not as an effort to damage Joe Biden but to discredit the case against Paul Manafort and lay the groundwork for a pardon. It will take a while to suss out the precise order of events and priorities. But this gets us back to the broader issue of Manafort’s role in all this.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is set to testify in front of the House Intelligence Committee at 9 a.m. ET.
TPM reporter Tierney Sneed is in the hearing room for his testimony.
Thank you to everyone who’s joined over the last two days of our drive. We really need you to join Prime and become a member. It’s critical. It’s easy. Take a moment. Take a quick break from your routine, take out the credit card and join us. Just click right here.
Around 2:30 p.m. last Thursday, TPM investigative reporter Josh Kovensky and I were having a conversation through instant message as I edited one of his articles. In the middle of this, he suddenly wrote “HUH.”
Then: “I just had a breakthrough.”
I continued editing, and he started working on something new. I soon learned what that breakthrough was.
The story of Kovensky’s realization illustrates just how knowledgeable our reporting team is and how our members make their tireless work to report on and analyze the news possible. (So if you’re not a member, please take a moment to join.)
And read on about his big hunch.
We often hear from readers (sometimes, painfully, former readers) that they wish we covered climate change more, among other issues. And we do, too. It’s one of the most important political stories of our lifetimes.
Historically, TPM has favored news and investigations on which we can break ground where other outlets haven’t. We’ve been less likely to cover larger, slower moving, but ultimately existentially critical stories.
But last week, we devoted a significant amount of our resources to focusing on the climate story. And it was our membership model that allowed us to do it.
So please take a moment to join if you’re not already a member.