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.

Trump-era Democrats will be remembered as a wretched and gloomy bunch, morbidly fixated on the man they claimed to hate. Their leaders — Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris — were a parade of killjoys and duds. Their electoral victories, such as they were, came wrapped in solemn warnings about the fate of democracy. Their entertainment turned leaden — the cast of Saturday Night Live sang Robert Mueller-themed holiday carols; Stephen Colbert danced to “Tequila” with Pfizer syringes.