In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

A full year into President Donald Trump’s second term, Democrats have bet that the so-called “vibe shift” that carried the president back into the White House and his policies back into the mainstream of public opinion is now over. The prevailing debate between the progressives within Congress and the Bolsheviks trying to unseat them is whether to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement or to abolish it entirely, with the formerly self-described “centrist” Seth Moulton (D-MA) threatening another government shutdown over ICE’s funding. As one of her first acts as Virginia’s new governor, Abigail Spanberger, who won by campaigning as a moderate Democrat, reversed her Republican predecessor’s executive order that required state and local law enforcement to collaborate with federal immigration enforcement.