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MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Ross Barkan

Columnist, Intelligencer

Ross Barkan is a novelist and essayist. He frequently covers local and national politics for Intelligencer and The New York Times Magazine. His work has appeared in The Nation, The Atlantic, and The Guardian, among others. His books include Glass Century and The Prince, and he writes a Substack newsletter, Political Currents.

  1. the city politic
    The Heiress Who Could Make or Break the Socialist MayorPolice commissioner Jessica Tisch and Zohran Mamdani don’t seem to have much in common, but they could be a powerful duo.
  2. american affairs
    US Military Exercises Increase In Puerto Rico
    Trump Is Courting Catastrophe in VenezuelaThe “peace” president follows the path of his warmongering predecessors.
  3. the city politic
    Andrew Cuomo Has 18 Days LeftHe lost the debate to Zohran Mamdani, and there isn’t much time left to recover.
  4. american affairs
    EGYPT-US-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-TRUMP
    How Did Trump Get a Peace Deal Done Where Biden Could Not?Only one of them proved willing to force Netanyahu’s hand. Democrats need to consider why.
  5. early and often
    The Emptiness of Kamala HarrisThe lack of vision in her book tour shows why she lost.
  6. american affairs
    What Game Is Trump Playing With His Military Deployments?The White House is blatantly manufacturing a crisis — but why?
  7. american affairs
    Trump’s Bizarre War on New York City InfrastructureThe president has less a theory of power than a theory of revenge.
  8. american affairs
    Shutting Down the Government Is Thinking SmallAs cathartic as it may feel for Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and the Democratic base, it’s not a long-term strategy.
  9. the city politic
    New York Marks 24th Anniversary Of September 11 Terror Attacks
    Without Adams, Should Mamdani Be Worried?How the mayor’s exit will change the final weeks of the race.
  10. american affairs
    Will TikTok’s New Owners Censor Pro-Palestine Content?For the Israel hawks in the MAGA orbit, it will be a big day when TikTok is sold.
  11. early and often
    Trump Is Going to Lose the War on Free SpeechYou can’t threaten your way to making bad ideas popular.
  12. american affairs
    Residents Cast Ballots As Early Voting Begins In Detroit
    The Very Good News Hiding in Plain Sight for DemocratsAre they a party lost or a party about to be found?
  13. american affairs
    Political Activist Charlie Kirk Shot Dead At Utah Valley University
    A New Era of Political ViolenceAssassinations are nothing new. But there is something different about this moment.
  14. american affairs
    Why Eric Adams Hates Andrew CuomoThe mayor seems to be considering a spite run just to derail Cuomo in the general election.
  15. early and often
    Imagining an Imperial Democratic PresidentTrump’s incredible expansion of powers will be available to the next president, who can use them in opposite ways.
  16. early and often
    The Federal Reserve Is Too IndependentTrump may have a point that Democrats should at least consider.
  17. american affairs
    Kathy Hochul on Trump, the National Guard, and Zohran Mamdani“I just know that these times call for drastic measures,” says the New York governor.
  18. american affairs
    Democrats Will Have to Shift on Israel. But When?The party’s feeble response to Gaza isn’t politically sustainable.
  19. american affairs
    Gavin Newsom Has Stepped to the Front of the 2028 FieldBut how far can meme and redistricting wars really take him in his quest for the presidency?
  20. the city politic
    The Anti-Mamdani Movement Is FizzlingIt now looks like Mamdani’s race to lose. Haters will understand this soon enough.
  21. american affairs
    Why Trump Will Probably Dispatch the National Guard to New York CityNew York — especially if Mamdani becomes mayor — will be a ripe target. But it might backfire on the president.
  22. american affairs
    Trump’s Giddy Intimidation of Washington, D.C.Big-city liberalism has become a very effective GOP bogeyman.
  23. the city politic
    For Cuomo, Trump Is a Friend Without BenefitsCuomo and the anti-Mamdani bloc need as many allies as they can get, but Donald Trump would mostly just bring more baggage.
  24. higher education
    Trump Threatens To Send Harvard Grant Money To Trade Schools
    Is Harvard About to Make the Same Mistake as Columbia?Cutting a deal with the Trump administration will cost the university more than money.
  25. politics
    Will the Midterms Be Won by Cheating?Texas and California are going to war, redrawing House maps for each party.
  26. american affairs
    Something Has Shifted for Democrats on IsraelWe are witnessing an important turning point inside the party.
  27. american affairs
    Trump Came in With a Lot of Political Capital. In 6 Months, He’s Squandered It.For a brief moment after the 2024 election, so much seemed possible for him.
  28. early and often
    The DNC Chooses a Cover-up Instead of Investigating OneIt reportedly won’t look at the Biden and Harris campaigns for its 2024 autopsy.
  29. american affairs
    Why Does Andrew Cuomo Want a Rematch With Zohran Mamdani?He lost badly the first time. It’s hard to figure out the political logic of the second run.
  30. american affairs
    Epstein & Trump At Mar-A-Lago
    Will MAGA’s Epstein Meltdown Hurt Trump?Members of his coalition are devouring one another while the man at the top is playing a risky game.
  31. early and often
    The Democratic Revival Starts With a Non-DemocratDan Osborn, an independent in a red state, knows how to fight Republicans.
  32. american affairs
    SPORTS-ILL-SPORTSGAMBLING-PROBLEMS-1-TB
    Did the One Big Beautiful Act Accidentally Gut the Gambling Industry?Buried among it’s many damaging provisions is at least one happy surprise.
  33. early and often
    Trump Betrayed His Base With the Big Beautiful Bill, and the GOP Will Regret ItIt won’t just hurt the country; it will devastate Republicans next year.
  34. the city politic
    Can Zohran Mamdani Buy the NYPD’s Support?If police turn on him like they did Bill de Blasio, it could cripple his time in City Hall.
  35. the city politic
    Zohran Mamdani Just Remade American PoliticsThere is no real precedent in U.S. history for his victory in New York mayoral race.
  36. american affairs
    Democrats Have a Chance to Become the Antiwar Party AgainIt’s the right position — and also a big political winner across party lines.
  37. the city politic
    The 1975 Election That Explains Cuomo vs. MamdaniA telegenic progressive clashes with a defender of the old guard. The city was San Francisco 50 years ago.
  38. american affairs
    MAGA Has Reached a Crossroads in IranThe GOP has until now papered over a fundamental disagreement between hawks and isolationists. No more.
  39. the city politic
    Andrew Cuomo Faces a Hard RoadThere are a lot of political dynamics stacked against the aspiring mayor.
  40. american affairs
    Trump’s Political Brand Is ChaosA normal president would avoid escalation in Los Angeles. Not this one.
  41. american affairs
    Ro Khanna’s Very Early White House CampaignSure, it’s not official yet. But the Silicon Valley Democrat sure seems to be carving out a lane for 2028.
  42. american affairs
    This Clash With Trump Is Going to End Poorly for Elon MuskAs the world’s richest man limps away from Washington, he will be, if nothing else, a cautionary tale.
  43. american affairs
    Hill Coverage
    John Fetterman Has an Expiration Date in the SenateHe can probably hang on until 2028, but a formidable Democratic challenger is waiting in the wings.
  44. the city politic
    New York City Mayoral Candidate And Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo Delivers Address On Antisemitism
    Andrew Cuomo Isn’t Strong; His Opponents Are WeakTime is running out to fully exploit the mayoral front-runner’s huge vulnerabilities.
  45. american affairs
    USA - Harvard Business School Graduation Ceremony in Boston
    Trump’s Attack on Harvard Marks a New Phase in the Culture WarThe right has shown that free speech was, at best, an opportunistic value.
  46. american affairs
    CARTERSVILLE, GA - NOVEMBER 26- People are seen in line to vot
    This Report Shows the Path to Victory for Democrats in 2026Don’t assume Beyoncé — or any celebrity — can turn out voters. But there are strategies that actually work.
  47. the resistance
    President Donald Trump tours the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Monday, March 17, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
    The Case Against Leaving Trump’s AmericaThe star academics who are doing it are making a performative gesture more than a substantive statement.
  48. early and often
    Donald Trump Is a Crook, But He’s Their CrookWhat explains the president’s untouchable corruption.
  49. the city politic
    Andrew Cuomo Is Going to Hate His Next JobHe campaigns like he’s barely interested in being mayor.
  50. american affairs
    Trump’s White House Briefing Room Has Become a Playground for MAGA InfluencersKaroline Leavitt has found her preferred press corps.
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