Whether or not Kamala Harris will run again for president is one of the big questions of this moment, as VF’s Aidan McLaughlin has reported. Today, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on other aspects of that question for Vanity Fair: Did her inaction on Gaza in 2024 contribute to her loss? And, if the American presidency is an inherently violent office, what does it mean for any Black woman to hold it? His column is extraordinary in its depth of thought, and its care, and is a must-read as the country looks for future leadership from all quarters.
Meanwhile, Aidan has a new report from Washington this week on the bread-and-circuses spectacle of Trump’s UFC weekend. Read on for more scenes from the debasement of our capital city... |
CLAIRE HOWORTH,
DEPUTY EDITOR |
Kamala Harris’s quest for the White House was rooted in a political tradition of nonviolence pioneered by Black women. In the wake of Gaza, the broad promise of that tradition proved too much for her to bear. As the question of another run looms, Ta-Nehisi Coates reckons with the implicit violence of the American presidency—and the conditions under which a Black woman might ever hold that office. |
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The wild weekend in Washington began with MMA fighters menacing one another on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ended with the Trump clan stalking the octagon. It was an imperial scene in the shadow of the executive mansion, a showcase of American excess to celebrate the president’s birthday. |
The Academy Award winner spoke exclusively to VF before taking the stage at her celebration of the First Amendment—an event featuring A-listers like Bette Midler, Robert De Niro, and Julia Roberts. |
The city’s official ticker tape parade is on Thursday, but the team’s most die-hard celebrity fan made good on his promise to oversee dancing in the streets of Fort Greene. |
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There’s trouble behind the scenes of Alex Cooper’s Unwell media empire.
Over 40 sources, including current and former Unwell employees, have spoken to Vanity Fair about Cooper’s company, and the man calling the shots at the Gen Z media empire, her husband, Matt Kaplan. |
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