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Alex Shephard

Alex Shephard is senior editor of The New Republic, where he has covered politics and culture since 2015. His work has also appeared in New York, GQ, The Atlantic, The Nation, and other publications.  

All Articles
January 13, 2023
Alex Shephard
How Right-Wing Gasbags Cooked Up a Fantastically Dumb Culture War
The incredible story of how conservatives took a consumer product warning about stoves and fried their brains to a crisp.
January 11, 2023
Alex Shephard
The GOP Has Sunk So Low That Marjorie Taylor Greene Is the Establishment Now
The “QAnon Congresswoman” now enjoys a cozy relationship with Kevin McCarthy. But is it a sign of her evolution or the GOP’s devolution?
January 6, 2023
Alex Shephard
The Idiot Dream of the Unity Speaker
McCarthy’s epic struggle briefly gave the punditocracy a chance to indulge in one of its most persistent—and persistently stupid—fantasias.
January 5, 2023
Alex Shephard
The Anti-McCarthy Right Has No End Goal Other Than Humiliating Him
The fringiest members of the House Republican caucus aren’t mounting a coup d’état, they’re staging a coup de vibes.
January 3, 2023
Alex Shephard
The NFL Has a Damar Hamlin Problem
The league has historically quickly brushed aside tragedies and catastrophic injuries. The Bills’ safety’s shocking cardiac arrest is different.
January 3, 2023
Alex Shephard
How Does Soccer Work?
A conversation with Ryan O’Hanlon, author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution”
December 29, 2022
Alex Shephard
Was 2022 the High-Water Mark of Sportswashing?
The Qatar World Cup never should have happened. But there are signs that the world is finally waking up to the corrupt arrangements that brought it about.
December 15, 2022
Alex Shephard
The 2022 World Cup Has Been Glorious and Depressing
This tournament has been chaotic, breathtaking, tragic, and wonderful. How do we make sense of it?
December 14, 2022
Alex Shephard, Daniel Strauss
Morocco Is the World Cup’s Best Story
The African nation’s Cinderella run through the tournament was entirely unexpected outside of Marrakech. Now, fans of underdogs are united under its banner.
December 13, 2022
Alex Shephard
Why Does Kevin McCarthy Even Want to Be Speaker?
The chaotic race to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives is a preview of things to come now that Republicans have retaken the chamber.
December 9, 2022
Alex Shephard
Kyrsten Cynical
The Arizona senator’s decision boils down to daring Democrats to run a challenger against her in 2024 and risk handing the state to a Republican.
December 7, 2022
Alex Shephard
Donald Trump Is 2022’s Biggest Loser, but the GOP Doesn’t Have the Guts to Reject Him
Republicans have talked a good game about breaking up with Trump, but none seem to want to actually do it.
December 6, 2022
Alex Shephard
Why the Right Can’t Quit Hunter Biden
Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi’s flashy revival of Laptopgate hasn’t illuminated much beyond the right’s desperation to salvage something from their October Surprise.
December 2, 2022
Alex Shephard
It’s So Hard to Hate the Dutch. For the Sake of the World Cup, I’m Trying.
Tomorrow, the United States Men’s National Team plays the Netherlands in a must-win game. Is this the start of a beautiful rivalry?
December 1, 2022
Alex Shephard
Surprise, Surprise: Republicans Are Planning to Hold the Debt Ceiling Hostage—Again
They’re risking catastrophe so they can cut Medicare and Social Security.
November 29, 2022
Alex Shephard
In Praise of the Messy, Glorious U.S. Men’s National Team
No, it is not going to win the World Cup (this year), but it is fun as hell.
November 22, 2022
Alex Shephard
FIFA’s Cynicism Knows No Bounds
Soccer’s governing body is destroying the World Cup—but for once, the comically corrupt organization is getting called out for its sins.
November 18, 2022
Alex Shephard
Welcome to the Disheartening 2022 World Cup
The next few weeks will be a constant reminder that the biggest tournament in the sports world should never have been awarded to Qatar.
November 17, 2022
Alex Shephard
Mitch McConnell’s Ongoing Trump Bedevilment Is Self-Inflicted
The longtime Senate GOP leader had the chance to put an end to the former president’s poisonous hold on his party, but he chickened out.
November 16, 2022
Alex Shephard
Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Downfall Is a Cryptocurrency Warning for Democrats
Ditch the crypto bros and push forward with regulation.

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