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Ross Barkan

Contributor

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 The Night Burns Bright and The Prince, and he writes a Substack newsletter, Political Currents.

  1. baseball
    MLB Spring Training Game New York Yankees Against Toronto Blue Jays
    An Optimist’s Case for the 2024 Yankees and MetsLast year was a disaster for New York baseball. This year could — could — be better.
  2. baseball
    DodgerFest a celebration of the upcoming season at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
    The Shohei Ohtani Gambling Story Doesn’t Make SenseMajor League Baseball desperately wants this all to go away, but it must answer a series of uncomfortable questions.
  3. the city politic
    Scott Stringer Is Coming for Eric AdamsProgressive, experienced, but dogged by sexual-misconduct allegations, he is the mayor’s first challenger.
  4. israel-hamas war
    The Pro-Palestinian Left Is BoomingFar from being doomed, groups like DSA are being energized in a way unseen since the racial-justice protests of 2020.
  5. baseball
    Stop Whining About Baseball’s Playoff FormatThe best regular-season teams all flamed out early this year. That’s no one’s fault but their own.
  6. baseball
    The Yankees Might Be Staring Down a Lost DecadeUnless risk-averse ownership makes some big moves, this miserable team isn’t going anywhere soon.
  7. comebacks
    Baseball Finally Feels Vital AgainThe venerable sport is making a comeback this year, thanks in part to MLB’s unpopular commissioner.
  8. sports
    The Yankees Aren’t Just Mediocre — They’re BoringGeorge Steinbrenner would have blown up this team a long time ago.
  9. the city politic
    London Breed and Eric Adams Built Their Own Doom LoopBoth mayors may end up paying a price for telling voters that crime was worse in their cities than it actually was.
  10. early and often
    The Progressive Takeover of Big Cities Is Nearly CompletePhiladelphia may soon join Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles in electing a left-wing mayor. This would put Eric Adams on notice.
  11. early and often
    Bring Back the Public Option!Biden’s “battle for the soul of America” rerun won’t be enough against Trump in 2024. He needs to give voters something real.
  12. early and often
    The Many Enemies of Affordable HousingNew York has lost the opportunity to build more and protect tenants. Blaming Kathy Hochul is only a start.
  13. windy city heat
    The Fiercest Fight in Democratic Politics Is in ChicagoA left-wing former teacher and a centrist former schools boss may only agree that the other would ruin the city as mayor.
  14. windy city heat
    How Lori Lightfoot Lost ChicagoThe city threw out a Democratic mayor for the first time in decades. Yet it may not be a loss for the left.
  15. early and often
    How Did Donald Trump Beat Pete Buttigieg to East Palestine, Ohio?Democratic flailing gives Republicans — no friends of the environment or rail safety — an easy victory.
  16. early and often
    Who Wants to Be Mayor?Chicago’s boss is in danger of being thrown from office, in a warning sign for other Democrats.
  17. the city politic
    The Left’s Self-Defeating Fight Over Policing in the CityThe City Council’s Progressive Caucus is splintered about funding the police when it should be united about the rent being too damn high.
  18. state of the city
    Working for New York City When Everyone Else Is LeavingEmpty cubicles, giant caseloads that leave low-income tenants without rent aid, and “no end in sight.”
  19. early and often
    Kathy Hochul Just Picked the Toughest Fight in PoliticsAffordable housing means shattering the suburban consensus.
  20. foreign interests
    Israel’s Illiberal Rightward Turn Is a WarningNetanyahu is back, leading an extreme-right government that leaves both Israel and America’s left in an impossible bind.
  21. the city politic
    What Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer Could Do for New YorkBail out the subway, for starters.
  22. early and often
    The Data That Shows Progressives Can Win on CrimeNew polling explains why some Democrats beat back Republican attacks, and it comes down to one word: prevention.
  23. the city politic
    Meet New York’s New Republican VotersCrime and schools are causing a political realignment in the city, led by communities of recent immigrants.
  24. early and often
    The Last Time the Republican Establishment Tried to Stop TrumpIf you think Trump is finished, remember the 2016 primaries.
  25. early and often
    Democrats Have Some Solid Options If Biden Doesn’t Run in 2024The Democratic Party’s bench of potentially successful presidential candidates is suddenly looking pretty deep.
  26. early and often
    New York Does Not Have a Democratic PartyThe midterms show the statewide organization is worse than ineffective; it is practically nonexistent when it comes to electing candidates.
  27. 2022 midterms
    Ron Johnson Survives, AgainThe most-frustrating Republican senator to Democrats defeats Mandela Barnes, thanks in no small part to highlighting his liberal past.
  28. 2022 midterms
    Republicans Actually Had an Excellent Night in New YorkLee Zeldin lost, but he helped his party win major victories around the state.
  29. early and often
    Tim Ryan Thinks Polls Are Wrong, Republicans Are Wrong, and Democrats Are WrongA Democrat pursues the elusive white working-class Trump voter.
  30. early and often
    The Extreme Makeover That Could Swing the SenateDon Bolduc was gaffe-prone before a few million dollars’ worth of discipline.
  31. early and often
    Kari Lake Is the Ultimate Test for DemocratsArizona will try the idea that Trumpified politics are poison without their namesake.
  32. early and often
    If Democrats Can’t Save Catherine Cortez Masto, What Hope Do They Have?The Nevada senator and Harry Reid protégé trails her GOP rival Adam Laxalt. Her defeat could be devastating for Biden’s agenda and her party’s future.
  33. early and often
    Who Thought Putting a Casino in Everyone’s Pocket Was a Good Idea?Lately, Democrats are rushing to promote more legalized gambling in their campaigns with no apparent regard for manufacturing a generation of addicts.
  34. early and often
    Left-Wing Challengers Have a Hard Road AheadAfter shock victories in 2018 and 2020, progressive challengers are having a harder time pulling off AOC-like upsets.
  35. sports
    Aaron Judge Could be the Crossover Star Baseball Desperately NeedsThere’s nothing like a home-run chase to get normal people interested in the sport again.
  36. early and often
    The MAGA House Will Make the Tea Party Look TameFor all the attention on the Senate, Democrats are almost certainly going to lose the House. When they do, it will be insane.
  37. early and often
    Biden Is Right to Declare the ‘Pandemic Is Over’COVID is not killing like it once was, and that is worth celebrating — we can’t remain on a war footing forever.
  38. the city politic
    The YIMBY War Breaking Out on the LeftHousing fights are getting hot on the left as DSA lawmakers begin to embrace the cause of building and density.
  39. the city politic
    Who Cares About Hasidic Children?Pandering politicians react with a shrug to a damning exposé of yeshivas that miseducate and abuse students.
  40. early and often
    Democrats Need a Miracle to Keep the House. It Might Be on Long Island.After trying and failing to gerrymander themselves to safety, they need to win these key races.
  41. early and often
    Democrats Learn to Love the Culture WarWedge issues used to be the weapon solely of Republicans, but that’s changed with a push to force senators to vote to codify same-sex marriage.
  42. early and often
    Can Mandela Barnes Pivot His Way to Beating Ron Johnson?The race that may decide who controls the Senate.
  43. early and often
    Joe Biden Should Quit While He’s AheadA hot streak does not make a successful reelection, and he should allow a new generation of Democrats to emerge for 2024.
  44. covid
    America’s COVID Testing Regime Is Somehow Still a TravestyTests remain way too expensive, and nobody in power really seems to care.
  45. early and often
    It’s Not Good to Mock the Payroll Protection ProgramDemocrats have been delighting in Republican hypocrisy, mocking the GOP for taking PPP loans while opposing student-debt reform — a risky argument.
  46. early and often
    It Took Joe Biden, Career Centrist, to Cancel Student DebtProgressives forced him to make a previously radical campaign promise, and delivering on even some of it is a huge win for the left.
  47. early and often
    New York Progressives Actually Had an Excellent NightDespite high-profile defeats at the national level, the left continued to gain clout in Albany.
  48. early and often
    Dan Goldman Defeats a Splintered Field of ProgressivesIt was a nail-biter against Yuh-Line Niou, but the veteran prosecutor who put $4 million into his own campaign emerged victorious.
  49. early and often
    Jerry Nadler Wins, But How Long Will He Stay?Jerry Nadler won a huge victory over Carolyn Maloney. But one day, maybe soon, he will retire. A huge Manhattan battle will be waged to replace him.
  50. early and often
    The 4 Big Races to Watch in New YorkThe Democratic primaries will test the strength of the left, and a special election may determine how abortion rights will play in November.
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