Isaac Chotiner
@IChotiner
New Yorker staff writer and Houston Rockets fan; formerly a staff writer at Slate and senior editor at The New Republic.
For the latest issue of The New Yorker, I wrote an essay on Stuart Reid’s very good book on Congo, decolonization, American Cold War policy in Africa, and Patrice Lumumba’s assassination. newyorker.com/magazine/2023/…
Most people only know Marc Caputo as a mediocre reporter who spins for the Trump White House and tweets weird stuff. But here’s a little-known fact: He’s also one of the world’s leading experts on Iran’s nuclear program.
“In 2018, President Trump tore up the agreement and replaced it with … nothing.” No mention of Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” campaign that, by many accounts, financially crippled Iran & may have inhibited the regime’s ability to finance Hamas, Hezbollah & a nuke program 1/2
“More likely to support when the purpose is explained.” Great stuff. This does beg the question of whether Caputo is cynical and realizes he is being used by the Trump people (in this case Elon’s pollster), or is instead simply oblivious (more likely when one reads his feed)
US voters nuanced views on Iran strikes ✅46-43% oppose it ✅55-24% more likely to support when the purpose is explained ✅75-17% worry re escalation ✅46-31% worry Iran will strike in US ✅50-33% back future strikes ✅54-27%: Israel has 2 much influence axios.com/2025/06/27/pol…
This is embarrassing. The hawk is Trump, who ordered the bombing.
Off ramp. If the hawks can be checked. But they won’t stop asking
“This year, the party of fiscal conservatism is poised to discard that philosophy.” How can you be this bad at your job?
New: Record debt limit increase would break GOP precedent. A $5 trillion hike with a partisan vote could make it hard for Republicans to claim the mantle of fiscal conservatism. nytimes.com/2025/06/19/bus…
Pretty amazing to watch the last four months of American politics and proclaim—or even just believe—that the GOP agenda is less tilted toward the wealthy now
Just a remarkable shift in the Republican Party. May not happen this year, but the direction of travel is now set
Wow what amazing photojournalism. Where would we be as a nation without Doug Mills taking endless pics of Trump rallies (and tagging Trump when he posts them)?
Supporters are reflected in the bullet-proof glass as @realDonaldTrump makes remarks during a campaign rally in Lititz, PA.
This is very poor
"It all inures to our benefit" — fascinating @ShelbyTalcott conversation with Trump poltiical director @JamesBlairUSA that touches on WaPo mess semafor.com/article/10/29/…
J. D. Vance’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” made him famous, and his denunciations of Donald Trump even more so. Now, both improbably and inevitably, he’s Trump’s running mate. How did it happen? nyer.cm/RP3YZf4
New Interview: I talked to the Israeli writer Yossi Klein Halevi about why no real antiwar movement has developed in Israel, and how and why even Netanyahu’s critics have convinced themselves that Israel is conducting the war in an acceptable manner. newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/w…
A bigger problem: Reporters quoting Tom Bonier
Key detail in our piece on whether GOP polls are gaming the averages: Dem data analyst @tbonier tells us reporters call him when the averages shift a half point, looking to write stories about a momentum shift. That's a real problem! From me/@mtomasky newrepublic.com/article/187425…
6) 1971: A People's History from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India - @AnamZakaria1 Fascinating and deeply empathetic work, examining the Bangladesh Liberation War from the perspectives of ordinary people. Insights into nation building and state sanctioned narratives.
Society Girl's Kindle edition is out now! a.co/d/1tsNqnE (The book is out in India now, and in Pakistan later this year!)
New Interview: I talked to the NYT’s Nate Cohn about worrying voter registration numbers for Democrats, different theories on the Black and Hispanic vote, how pollsters are trying to predict turnout, his latest polls, and much more. newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/w…
New Interview: I talked to the novelist and commentator Howard Jacobson about his argument that sustained media coverage of children being killed in Gaza is functioning as a new “blood libel” against Jews. newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/r…
