Elana Schor

Senior Washington Editor, Semafor

Elana Schor is a senior Washington editor. Previously, she was Politico’s deputy managing editor for Congress and a national political reporter for the Associated Press.

Americans turning to AI for financial advice but confidence low, poll shows

About 20% of Americans have recently used AI for financial advice, but their confidence in its expertise remains low.

Rick Wilking/Reuters

Trump purges his enemies — while his party gets new problems

Successful retribution in red-state primaries masks the midterm troubles ahead.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

MAGA commentator Steve Bannon predicts Republicans will hold the US House

Speaking at Semafor World Economy, the Trump ally and outspoken AI critic also said Anthropic “had it right” in its fight with the Pentagon over the tech’s use in the military.

Steve Bannon at Semafor World Economy 2026.

Lexi Critchett/Semafor

Progressive group backs Mamdani ally in key NY race

If she prevails in the primary, Claire Valdez would likely operate as the New York City mayor’s closest ally in Congress.

Courtesy of Scott Heins

How Democrats can keep gaining on Trump as his economic approval sinks

Democrats are closing the gap with voters who don’t like how the president is handling the economy, but they have work left to do.

Chuck Schumer with Donald Trump in the background

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Senior White House aide: Americans will feel better about the economy in early 2026

Deputy chief of staff James Blair told Semafor that “the fundamentals of the economy are good” as he predicted positive effects from tax season.

Screenshot/Semafor

Trump silent on Carlson’s Fuentes interview amid blowback

Top Republicans in the House and Senate have moved to disavow Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist influencer.

Vaccine debate returns to Hill as former CDC chief testifies

Susan Monarez plans to tell senators that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered her to get political aides’ approval for CDC decisions.

More Ukrainians want negotiated deal with Russia, poll finds

Support among Ukrainians for continuing the war until a potential victory has plummeted, according to Gallup.

US perceptions of China are improving, poll finds

Since 2023, the share of Americans who view China as an ‘enemy’ dropped by seven percentage points, while the share who see it as an ‘ally or trade partner’ grew by eight percentage points.

Trump suspends tariffs, markets surge

The US president left a 10% levy in place on most countries, even as he hiked China’s duties.

Schumer was ‘wrong,’ Illinois governor says, but stop the Democratic ‘warfare’

JB Pritzker spoke to Semafor about the party’s Senate leader, and its No. 2.

Debatable: How should lawmakers approach the cryptocurrency industry?

Donald Trump’s moves on crypto will renew a debate over how to craft policy for an industry that derided the Biden administration’s regulatory efforts and spent big to elect its preferred candidates in 2024.

2024 in interviews: Semafor’s quotes of the year

Words from Donald Trump, John Fetterman, and Joe Manchin.

‘We addressed it’: Why this election will be harder to stop on Jan. 6, 2025

An under-the-radar bipartisan law has dramatically raised the objection threshold for lawmakers who might want to disrupt certification of the results.

Pelosi: ‘I feel sorry for Mitch McConnell’

The Democratic Speaker Emerita offered a withering assessment of the Senate GOP leader during an interview with Semafor’s Kadia Goba.

Senators in both parties open to treaty vote on US-Saudi defense pact

If the next administration can clinch a deal with Riyadh, it will likely take a lot: an end to the Israel-Hamas war, momentum toward a Palestinian state — and 67 Senate votes.