Dec 20 Gwen’s Take: Taking yes for an answer By Gwen Ifill It is apparently safe to use the word "compromise" again. Vladimir Putin is granting pardons to his enemies (it took a decade, but still). Nine U.S. senators this week dared to stray from the Republican fold to endorse a modest… Continue reading
Dec 13 Gwen’s Take: Of handshakes, selfies and budget deals By Gwen Ifill You've got to hand it to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. He's consistent. No wishy-washy budget deals for him. Only all or nothing will do. So he and another half-dozen conservatives denounced the budget compromise reached by fellow Republican Rep. Paul… Continue reading
Dec 06 Gwen’s Take: Meeting Nelson Mandela By Gwen Ifill Nelson Mandela, seen here in 1990 embracing a young girl from Soweto, inspired South Africans and the world with his message of peace. He was also a shrewd politician who knew how to fight the necessary battles. Photo by Alexander… Continue reading
Nov 22 Gwen’s Take: navel gazing and other news dilemmas By Gwen Ifill Working in the news business means making critical decisions every day. Everything we choose to cover -- and more importantly, the stories we do not cover -- is affected by judgment (much of it subjective) and resources. So with… Continue reading
Nov 15 Gwen’s Take: The art of the kicked can By Gwen Ifill The coin of the realm in Washington, D.C., is delay. Can't agree on whether to raise the debt ceiling? Put it off. Unable to pass a budget to keep the government open? Put a patch on it. Impossible to stop… Continue reading
Nov 08 Gwen’s take: A tale of two missed connections By Gwen Ifill When Vice President Joe Biden called the wrong Marty Walsh on Tuesday to congratulate him on winning the Boston mayor's race, he was not the only politician struggling with mixed signals that night. Biden could be forgiven for the… Continue reading
Nov 01 Mitch McConnell: Reading between the lines .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 2.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Gwen Ifill interviews Senate… Continue reading
Oct 25 Gwen’s Take: ‘Glitches’ then and now By Gwen Ifill OK, boys and girls. It's time for another fun trip in the way-way-back-machine. You will remember that just a few weeks ago, I took you back to a 1995 Washington Week discussion about government shutdowns that sounded awfully, awfully… Continue reading
Oct 18 Gwen’s take: the breaking point Is Washington broken? I was traveling last week, and everywhere I went, that question was greeted, understandably, with laughter. I tried to defend democracy and the role of government in our lives. I really did. But Washington wasn't helping. Continue reading
Oct 04 Gwen’s Take: Déjà vu all over again By Gwen Ifill If it seems like we've been here before, you are not hallucinating. The president, on the stump once again this week, is accusing Republicans of gross irresponsibility. "You don't get to demand ransom for doing your most basic job!" President… Continue reading