Where is Rex Tillerson? Top envoy keeps head down and travels light. Out of the loop: Rex Tillerson finds state department sidelined by White House. Michael Flynn resigned — here's why he still needs to be investigated. What does Flynn know about Trump? If craven congressional leaders have their way, the nation will never know. Bannon wins, as Navy officer rejects national security advisor job. Scott Pruitt deserves as much outrage as Betsy DeVos: The incoming EPA chief is as unqualified as Trump's new education secretary, and as morally outrageous as Jeff Sessions. Senate Democrats are battling every Trump nomination — here's how that can hurt Trump's policies: When the Senate is consumed with every nomination fight, it is not debating Republican legislative priorities.
Congressional critics do check presidential power — by leading public opinion. Without more facts about Trump's Russia dealings, he isn't going anywhere: Presidents don't just quit — investigations must happen first. Duck and cover: More than 200 Republicans in Congress are skipping February town halls with constituents. G.O.P.'s grand visions for Congress now look like a mirage. Remember how Trump was going to erase Obama's legacy overnight? Yeah, not so much. Does Donald Trump hate his new job? In his first extended press conference at the White House, the president railed against his critics and unspooled a series of bitter complaints. When governing beckons, Trump keeps campaigning. Philip Elliott goes inside Donald Trump's White House chaos.
We are on numerous fronts in an unprecedented and perilous situation: When leaks are this damaging and this tied to the fundamental operations of government, it's not about the leaks or the motives — it's about what we're learning and what we need to know. No, it really is that bad: The United States is facing a major institutional crisis. "We're facing the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861": Sean Illing interviews CIA vet Glenn Carle on Trump's feud with US spies. Actual intelligence officials are laughing at the idea of the "deep state". Susan Hennessey and Helen Klein Murillo on the laws surrounding government leaks, how the White House might seek to investigate and remedy its major information control failings, and what the nature of leak investigations and enforcement mean for executive information control.
