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Ben Jacobs

Contributor, Intelligencer

Ben Jacobs is a reporter in Washington, D.C. He has covered four presidential campaigns and countless federal and state elections as well as Capitol Hill, the White House, and the Supreme Court.

  1. vision 2020
    How Kanye West Is Trying to Get on the Ballot in South CarolinaThe West team is collecting signatures both physically and digitally in order to make him an official 2020 presidential candidate in the state.
  2. vision 2020
    Kanye Has Been Working to Get on the 2020 BallotWest briefly hired a campaign professional last week to gather signatures in Florida and elsewhere. Now he’s registered in Oklahoma.
  3. vision 2020
    Kanye West Is Officially on the Ballot in OklahomaThe state confirmed that West’s representative filed just before the deadline for independent presidential candidates to get on the ballot.
  4. vision 2020
    China Is Going to Be a Big Issue in the 2020 Campaign. But What Does That Mean?The pandemic and Trump’s bellicose rhetoric will keep Beijing front and center in American politics. Democrats see risks and rewards in that.
  5. gop
    3 GOP Insiders on the Protests and Trump’s Perilous Moment“I think the president has handled it as well as any president ever could.”
  6. politics
    Is the Future of Congress on Zoom?In the midst of the pandemic, a staid institution debates how much technological change is too much.
  7. the media
    Where the Risk of Coronavirus Comes With Unparalleled AccessThese days, the White House is almost certainly the weirdest beat in American journalism.
  8. just asking questions
    A Conversation With Pete Buttigieg, Who’s Stuck at Home Like Everyone ElseThe erstwhile Democratic contender, now bearded, is trying to figure out his new role in the middle of a pandemic.
  9. capitol report
    What GOP Insiders Are Saying About Trump and the Coronavirus Crisis“Honestly, you need a story to tell at the Republican convention, and you need to be able to say credibly that we have moved past this.”
  10. coronavirus
    When the Coronavirus Came to a Right-wing Pep RallyCOVID-19 made its first appearance on the American political landscape at CPAC. There has been a lot of fallout.
  11. coronavirus
    The White House May Not Be Taking Coronavirus Seriously, But Congress IsA looming pandemic led to a rare sight on Capitol Hill — decisive bipartisan action, resulting in an $8.3 billion coronavirus aid bill.
  12. cpac
    Politics Trumped the Coronavirus at CPACSpeakers and attendees at the annual conservative event seemed unconcerned about the looming pandemic, just like their leader.
  13. the second term
    What Would Four More Years of Trump Look Like?The death of global climate efforts. Escalating trade wars. Nuclear brinkmanship. Here, 19 visions of a future that seems more possible than ever.
  14. politics
    Trump’s Impeachment Trial and the Verdict of HistoryIt may take a few decades, but the Senate’s handling of Trump’s impeachment trial will stand out.
  15. impeachment season
    Mitt Stands AloneThe view from the Hill as the senator from Utah and former presidential candidate casts the lone GOP vote in a failed bid to convict Donald Trump.
  16. state of the union
    President Trump Turned the State of the Union Into a Reality ShowLike many aspects of his presidency, Trump turned the SOTU into a TV event — awarding medals, reuniting families, and parading around service members.
  17. politics
    The Senate Impeachment Trial Returns to Its Foregone ConclusionWith Trump’s acquittal all but inevitable, the Senate started getting back to normal. That includes taking the weekend off.
  18. impeachment
    President Trump’s Impeachment Trial Could All Be OverUnless an act of God — or Chief Justice John Roberts — allows Senate Democrats to call for witnesses.
  19. the capitol
    Senators Kamala Harris, Josh Hawley, Jeff Merkley on the Grind of Trying TrumpDemocrats Kamala Harris and Jeff Merkley and Republican Josh Hawley reflect on the nuts and bolts of tracking an impeachment trial.
  20. impeachment
    Where’s Hunter Biden? Probably Not Coming to the Senate TrialThe parties have different reasons for not wanting to call Hunter Biden — a rare bit of bipartisan agreement in an increasingly contentious trial.
  21. senate trial
    John Bolton’s Revelations Still Won’t Be EnoughInside the Senate chamber on Monday, Republicans did not appear to be swayed by Bolton’s account enough to let him testify.
  22. senate impeachment trial
    The Impeachment Trial Became Saturday Detention for SenatorsThe mood was subdued as members sat through “Death Valley” and earned a 49-hour break.
  23. impeachment
    Impeachment Trial’s Distracted Senate Audience: Milk, Crosswords, Banned PhonesTo pass the time, senators brought crosswords, banned phones, light reading like The Federalist Papers, and decorum-approved glasses of milk.
  24. impeachment
    Inside the Impeachment Trial: Snoozing, Stealth Snacking, and a McConnell SmirkAs Democratic amendments repeatedly failed during a marathon session, senators struggled with impeachment trial decorum — except for McConnell.
  25. vision 2020
    How the Impeachment Trial Affects Sanders, Warren, and Klobuchar in IowaThe four senators still running for president will lose valuable face time and local media coverage during a crucial stretch of the campaign.
  26. alternative media
    Steve Bannon Wants to Save Trump — So He’s Launched a PodcastInstead of pulling the strings from Trump Tower or the West Wing, Bannon is now trying to steer GOP strategy from a D.C. basement.
  27. capitol report
    The Senate Impeachment Trial Began Like a Grade-School Fire DrillThere were alphabetical lines and a lot of nerves. Senator Feinstein got yelled at for using a cell phone.
  28. capitol report
    What It’s Like to Manage an Impeachment Trial in the U.S. Senate“This is on live TV with a billion people watching. If I say anything stupid my grandkids are going to be seeing it on the History Channel.”
  29. capitol beat
    McConnell’s Senate Trial Rules: ‘No One Is Going to See Until We’re Underway’The GOP leader has said that the blueprint will be the rules used for the Senate trial of Clinton. But he also might be modifying them.
  30. agents of change
    Why New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew Ditched the Democrats and Sided With Trump“I’m sure it made him feel good temporarily, but I don’t think Trump makes friends well, and doesn’t keep them well.”
  31. the capitol
    The Impeachment Debate Took Place in Two Parallel UniversesThere was a surreal lack of drama – or even human interaction – in the House on Wednesday, despite the historical context.
  32. impeachment
    How a Tweet from Trump Scrambled the GOP’s Impeachment StrategyEven the best laid plans are no match for a president who can’t stop weighing in.
  33. impeachment
    The Impeachment Hearings Get Off to a Subdued StartThings may devolve into a circus later on, but the first day of the impeachment inquiry was business as usual.