Oh, those poor members of Congress, increasingly frustrated with a job that now offers longer hours, lower pay, more danger and less sway than it once did. We’ve chronicled their woes. The real problem is not their discomfort but ours: a toxic Capitol Hill deters moderates from running. In their place, partisans who relish politics as blood sport fill the ranks. Congress may be miserable, but it needn’t be this crummy.

Elsewhere, negotiators for Russia and Ukraine made scant progress in peace talks today. Might money move matters along? Russia has reportedly dangled $12trn in deals for America in exchange for sanctions relief—a figure that looks more like bait for Donald Trump than a serious estimate. Our article estimates what peace might really be worth.

5.6trn roubles, Russia’s budget deficit in 2025, the largest since the pandemic. Read the full story.