GQ

In this media age of push alerts and maniac tweets, Maddow's suddenly novel approach—wise, intricate monologues—feels somehow exhilarating. And essential.

President Donald Trump calls her “a third-rate reporter.” [It takes third-rate to know third-rate.] Her colleagues call her the best journalist on the White House beat—something that even President Trump seems to realize, since he grants her more interviews than just about anyone (Sean Hannity not included).

Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade. See How "Fox & Friends" Rewrites Trump's Reality

Running the resurgent Post, Baron today commands more journalistic firepower than any editor in town. And he uses it: upending Alabama's 2017 Senate race (uncovering Judge Roy Moore's troubling history with young women) and gobbling more than his share of Trump-era scoops.

A 29-year-old, just three years removed from a gig with Ivanka Trump's fashion line (doing PR mostly but also a little modeling, too), can become the president's most trusted aide. With a boss who blew into Washington distrustful of the natives, Hicks is among the last of the original campaign staffers to remain by Trump's side. And in a West Wing where power is measured by proximity to the president, her presence there is a constant.