Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin are star political reporters for The New York Times, and their scoops in This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future have already made headlines. But the book is more interesting than just for perishable news that will attract ogling Washington insiders. It’s a document of decline and fall—a chronicle that should cause future readers to ponder how American leaders in the early 21st century lost the ability and will to govern.

The book covers the frenetic events of 2020 and 2021, from the battles over the pandemic through the summer of protest, followed by the election, attempted insurrection, and inauguration, ending with the long, publicly opaque anti-climax of Joe Biden’s first year in office.

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“This Will Not Pass” by Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns captures the insularity of Washington and the closed-off nature of the conversations that consume it. It is deeply reported, with sourcing from both parties and criticisms of both, which is refreshing. It also captures both parties’ refusal to be honest with their own voters.

Both parties would benefit in the long term from facing the issues they’re dodging. They must stop fearing their supporters and saying nothing. They should start trying to persuade.

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NANCY PELOSI IS “truly a terrible person,” Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., told colleagues at the height of his confrontation with the House speaker last fall, according to a new book by reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, “This Will Not Pass.”

Schrader was a leader of an effort by centrist Democrats to disrupt Pelosi and President Joe Biden’s plan to pair a bipartisan infrastructure package with a reconciliation bill that included Biden’s social policy agenda as well as an ambitious attempt to tackle the climate crisis. In June, Schrader had joined with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and seven other Democrats demanding that the bipartisan bill be split apart from the broader agenda.

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The authors of a new book discuss how political reporting functioned during a period of upheaval, how quickly journalists should share scoops with the public, and what Mitch McConnell managed to extract from Donald Trump.

I recently spoke by phone with Martin and Burns, with the intent of talking less about the book’s scoops and more about how journalism has functioned in the Trump era, during which they have both covered national politics for the Times. In our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed the ethics of saving important reporting for a book’s publication, how Republicans have tried to launder their reputations through the media, and what really drives Mitch McConnell.

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Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, whose new book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” was released this week.

Before the 2020 presidential primary season got underway, Republican Donald Trump was dismissive of Democrat Joe Biden’s chances, saying he was a “weak, old man.” Trump was more concerned about Massachusetts US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who he thought had a better populist message.

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The call took place on January 8, 2021, and the audio was obtained for the new book "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," by Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy discussed the 25th Amendment on a call with GOP leadership days after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and said the process "takes too long," according to an audio recording obtained by two New York Times reporters and shared with CNN.

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The correspondence was obtained in reporting for a forthcoming book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future.”

Despite the early warnings from his pollster, Mr. Biden and his top advisers have struggled to prevent either issue from becoming a major political liability. His economic team said inflation was temporary. Turmoil among his immigration aides delayed any serious action to address the border.

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This Will Not Pass is a blockbuster. Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns deliver 473 pages of essential reading. The two New York Times reporters depict an enraged Republican party, besotted by and beholden to Donald Trump. They portray a Democratic party led by Joe Biden as, in equal measure, inept and out of touch.

Martin and Burns make their case with breezy prose, interviews and plenty of receipts. After Kevin McCarthy denied having talked smack about Trump and the January 6 insurrection, Martin appeared on MSNBC with tapes to show the House Republican leader lied.

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Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, feared in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack that several far-right members of Congress would incite violence against other lawmakers, identifying several by name as security risks in private conversations with party leaders.

Audio recordings of the comments were obtained in reporting for a forthcoming book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future.”

Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican, suggested that Mr. Gaetz might be crossing a legal boundary.

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In their book to be published next month “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” authors Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns report that Trump essentially made governors including Lamont and Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland grovel for the emergency aid.

After Tropical Storm Isaias knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents in August 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont was surprised when his call to the White House for disaster relief was returned a few hours later by President Donald Trump himself, according to a new book by a pair of New York Times reporters that describes the then-president’s unusual demand for thanks.

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Richmond had been targeted by the progressive activist group the Sunrise Movement over his fossil fuel industry ties and was not too happy with Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and the other "Squad" members, going as far as to call them "f---ing idiots."

An excerpt of the new book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future" by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, obtained by Fox News Digital writes that Richmond, a former House member, made the comments about Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to a friend.

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“I feel exhilarated by the fact that this fellow finally, totally discredited himself,” McConnell told Jonathan Martin, one of the authors of a new book called “This Will Not Pass,” when asked about his feelings on the violence and the rioters.

“He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger,” he said, standing in a doorway of the Capitol after midnight. “Couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

McConnell has dialed back his criticisms of Trump since and has said he would even support Trump if he was the Republican nominee in 2024 — and he did not vote to convict the former president, arguing it was a waste of time because he had already left office.

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A new book, making headlines for catching House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a lie, also details Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s strong pushback to the Biden team rejecting her for vice president on the grounds her Thailand birth to an American father would give rise to distracting birther lies and possibly litigation.

Meanwhile, the book reveals, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was Obama’s first chief of staff, was lobbying Biden to tap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — who is white — for his running mate.

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Days after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told fellow House Republicans that then-President Donald Trump had acknowledged bearing some blame for the deadly attack, according to newly released audio.

"He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened. And he needs to acknowledge that," McCarthy said in the private conference call between Republican lawmakers.

But earlier this year, McCarthy told reporters that he didn't remember having that phone call.

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Two New York Times reporters obtained an audio recording of the conference call for their upcoming book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America's Future," and shared it with CNN.

In the days following the January 6 insurrection, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Republican lawmakers on a private conference call that then-President Donald Trump had admitted bearing some responsibility for the deadly attack, according to new audio -- a significant admission that sheds light on Trump's mindset in the immediate aftermath of the US Capitol riots.

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The reporting is based on a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, titled “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future.”

In the audio aired, which is also now included in the Times’s report on the matter, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) asks the House GOP leader if he was hearing that Trump might resign or had any reason to believe it could happen.

Referring to the likelihood that Congress would impeach Trump, McCarthy says, “The only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign. I mean, that would be my take but I don’t think he would take it. But I don’t know.”

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If Trump could successfully pressure Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to de-certify Biden's narrow win in Georgia, that would lead to a domino effect: Officials in Pennsylvania and Michigan would follow suit and overturn Biden's electoral victory, Trump believed, a stunning reversal that could keep him in the White House for a second term.

And Trump was certain he could subvert the election outcome, telling McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, and other top Republicans that he had personally been on the phone with officials in Pennsylvania and Michigan -- and they told him they would move to keep him in power, despite the results showing Biden had won their states.

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