
Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a major in religious studies, and a minor in integrated liberal studies.
Rafi lives in the Twin Cities, where he does not bike, run or take part in any team sports. He does, however, have a variety of interests, hobbies and passions.
Latest articles by Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
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There is more at stake with the 'Emilia Pérez' Oscar nominations than just a gold statue
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As cinephiles debate artistic merits and award season odds, transgender activists and Mexican nationals grapple with the social implications of one of the most divisive films of the year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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What the CIA will look like if Trump gets his way
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The country's premier intelligence agency finds itself at a crossroads — and in the crosshairs of a president who has long railed against his 'deep state' adversaries
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Trump orders ban on trans female athletes
speed read The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from schools that do not comply
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Is El Salvador's offer to jail US deportees of any nationality feasible or fantasy?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Trump administration is considering a surprise proposal from the Central American nation to incarcerate American deportees — including US citizens
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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At least 11 killed in Sweden adult ed school shooting
Speed Read The worst mass shooting in Swedish history took place in Orebro
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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How is Canada readying its arsenal for a trade war with the US?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The United States' northern neighbor is wasting no time when it comes to Donald Trump's tariffs and the looming threat of a North American trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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What is 'impoundment' and how does it work?
The Explainer The Trump administration grabbed at the 'power of the purse' in Congress, using a little-known executive action that could have massive implications for the future
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Extremists embrace Musk's salute as Tesla investors fret
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The tech titan insists his Nazi-reminiscent gesture had nothing to do with fascism, even as white nationalists rally around the fascistic salute.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Trump sparks chaos with spending, aid freezes
Speed Read A sudden freeze on federal grants and loans by President Donald Trump's administration has created widespread confusion
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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What could happen to the US food supply under Trump's isolationist agenda?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president's plan to deport undocumented workers and levy massive taxes on international imports might have repercussions on your dinner plate
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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What have we learned from week one of Trump 2.0?
Today's Big Question After five days in power, Donald Trump has wasted little time pushing boundaries
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Top Israeli general to resign over Oct. 7 failures
Speed Read Herzi Halevi took responsibility for his failure to prevent the attacks that sparked Israel's war in Gaza
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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As DNC chair race heats up, what's at stake for Democrats?
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Desperate to bounce back after their 2024 drubbing, Democrats look for new leadership at the dawn of a second Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Israel and Hamas reach long awaited Gaza ceasefire
The Explainer After more than a year of violence that has left tens of thousands dead and pushed the Middle East toward broader regional war, negotiators say an end is in sight
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Biden removes Cuba from terrorism blacklist
Speed read The move is likely to be reversed by the incoming Trump administration, as it was Trump who first put Cuba on the terrorism blacklist in his first term
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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What's Elon Musk's agenda with Europe's far-right politics?
Today's Big Question From broadsides against the UK government to boosting Germany's ultra-nationalist AFD party, the world's richest man is making waves across the Atlantic
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Syria's Kurdish community at the center of a post-Assad game of geopolitical tug-of-war
THE EXPLAINER The fall of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad has created a power vacuum that threatens some of the United States' staunchest allies in the region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Jimmy Carter lies in state as 3-day DC farewell begins
Speed Read The 39th president died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Canada's Trudeau announces resignation
Speed Read Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down after nearly a decade in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Palestinians and pro-Palestine allies brace for Trump
TALKING POINTS After a year of protests, crackdowns, and 'Uncommitted' electoral activism, Palestinian activists are rethinking their tactics ahead of another Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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2024: the year of the X-odus
IN THE SPOTLIGHT How a year of controversy turned social media juggernaut X into 2024's hottest platform to leave
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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Ukraine hints at end to 'hot war' with Russia in 2025
Talking Points Could the new year see an end to the worst European violence of the 21st Century?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
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2024: The year of conspiracy theories
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Global strife and domestic electoral tensions made this year a bonanza for outlandish worldviews and self-justifying explanations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
IN THE SPOTLIGHT