From 538, Nate Silver on the real story of 2016: What reporters — and lots of data geeks, too — missed about the election, and what they're still getting wrong. Did God choose Trump? Lauren Markoe on what it means to believe in divine intervention. "Thank You Lord Jesus for President Trump": Jonathan Cole on apostolic theology and the evangelical vote. John Paul Rollert on the moral improbability of the Trump campaign. Masha Gessen on the threat of moral authority. Ronald Klain on 5 new rules from the Trump scandal playbook. John Mikhail on the original meaning of "emolument". It's not a post-fact world after all: Jane Chong on why Kompromat can't touch Trump yet. Amanda Taub on "kompromat" and the danger of doubt and confusion in a democracy.
Yes, Trump will face a backlash if he doesn't deliver on his promises — but which promises are his supporters counting on? What President Trump actually plans to do on Day One: He's made impossible promises for his first day, but he's expected to start by tackling health care, immigration, and terrorism. Donald Trump is ready to take an ax to government spending. Congress moves to give away national lands, discounting billions in revenue. "America will soon be thrust into cultural and societal deterioration, a new Dark Ages". Jonathan Chait on 6 books that explain how the GOP went crazy.
President Trump could mean economic policy via presidential decree. Why the Trump economic boom will never come: Yes, the markets are looking good (for now) — but subsidized deal-making and tax cuts for the rich are the surest sign of a bubble. Trump is putting the wolves of Wall Street in charge of America's economy. Luigi Zingales on Donald Trump's economic policies: Pro-business, not pro-market ("Trump is eliminating lobbyists by putting them in charge of all departments"). The Trump lobbying purge that wasn't: The transition made a big show of sidelining lobbyists, but they found ways to stay involved anyway.
Well before his inauguration, Trump's incoming administration and Cabinet picks were breaking down definitions of conflict of interest and stretching the bounds of normalcy — far from "draining the swamp," Trump has added to it. GOP unmoved by controversies surrounding Trump's cabinet picks. Yes, Trump's Cabinet is super rich — that's not why we should be worried. Donald Trump has assembled the worst Cabinet in American history. The GOP is sabotaging itself by confirming weak Cabinet nominees like Betsy DeVos. Trump is setting up the government in a way that promises chaos: Empowering the Cabinet sounds good in theory, but it hasn't worked out for past presidents.
Scott McLemee reviews Robert E. Denton Jr.'s scholarship on the American presidency, which highlights how immediately coping with the lack of any guidebook is one of the most urgent demands of the office. Matthew Yglesias on 7 big questions about the Trump administration: The known unknowns. Is the Trump team ready to run the government? Trump should probably get around to filling these 662 jobs (and more). The first great natural experiment of the Trump administration: The Trump administration will test many assumptions about public administration, policymaking, and politics — here's the first one.
Putin is using spy tactics to split NATO from the inside. Russians are trying to figure out Donald Trump too. Is North Korea about to welcome Donald Trump into office with its first-ever ICBM flight test? Trump's nuclear wake-up call: "It's a sobering moment", Bush's chief of staff says about the classified nuclear briefing before a president's swearing-in. Thread: "Tonight, every major geopolitical and non-state adversary the US has is reviewing their post-Jan. 20 notes and nodding approvingly".
