Katha Pollitt

Columnist

@kathapollitt

Katha Pollitt is a columnist for The Nation.

US Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner during a campaign event with the Maine AFL-CIO in Portland on May 1, 2026.

Graham Platner’s Downfall Was All Too Predictable Graham Platner’s Downfall Was All Too Predictable

Inexperienced and improperly vetted, the candidate was a disaster in the making.

Jul 9, 2026 / Katha Pollitt

Congressional District 12 candidate Nina Schwalbe participates with fellow Democrats Jack Schlossberg, Micah Lasher, and George Conway in a public forum moderated by Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City on May 6. 2026.

The District 12 Candidate Nobody Is Talking About The District 12 Candidate Nobody Is Talking About

“Our democracy is in deep trouble,” says Nina Schwalbe, “from vaccines to abortion to science, to SNAP, to rule of law.”

Jun 5, 2026 / Katha Pollitt

AI Is Incapable of Poetry

AI Is Incapable of Poetry AI Is Incapable of Poetry

It’s incapable of producing anything creative that isn’t dreck.

May 14, 2026 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Gisele Pelicot

Gisèle Pelicot Shows Us Why “Shame Must Change Sides” Gisèle Pelicot Shows Us Why “Shame Must Change Sides”

Fifty-one ordinary men raped an unconscious woman. Her case reveals the limits of anti-carceral feminism.

Mar 18, 2026 / Katha Pollitt

The AI chatbot Grok has come under fire for sexualizing people in photos without their permission.

The Deep Harms of Deepfakes The Deep Harms of Deepfakes

AI porn is what happens when technology liberates misogyny from social constraints.

Feb 12, 2026 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Melania Trump attends the premiere of “Melania” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2026.

The Melania in “Melania” Likes Her Gilded Cage Just Fine The Melania in “Melania” Likes Her Gilded Cage Just Fine

The $45 million advertorial abounds in unintended ironies.

Feb 2, 2026 / Katha Pollitt

Don’t Give Up Hope! Even 2025 Had Bright Spots.

Don’t Give Up Hope! Even 2025 Had Bright Spots. Don’t Give Up Hope! Even 2025 Had Bright Spots.

Let’s bid farewell to the year on a hopeful note and remember the things that went right.

Jan 1, 2026 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and musician Michael Bolton pose for a portrait during a party at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000.

Why Did So Many People in Epstein’s Circle Look the Other Way? Why Did So Many People in Epstein’s Circle Look the Other Way?

First of all, in order to ask questions about the young women he preyed on, they’d need to see them as people.

Nov 25, 2025 / Katha Pollitt

This Winter, Give the Gift of Hope

This Winter, Give the Gift of Hope This Winter, Give the Gift of Hope

The state of the world has been looking dark. Helping our fellow human beings is one way to add some light.

Nov 11, 2025 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Targeting Tylenol Is Just Another Excuse to Blame Women for Everything

Targeting Tylenol Is Just Another Excuse to Blame Women for Everything Targeting Tylenol Is Just Another Excuse to Blame Women for Everything

It’s a long-standing tradition to blame all manner of social ills on women, without any basis in fact.

Sep 30, 2025 / Katha Pollitt

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