Posts by James Joyner

James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is a Professor of Security Studies. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.
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Government Shutdown Likely Avoided Through September

This is no way to run a railroad.

McCabe Ordered Investigation of Sessions

Andrew McCabe, fired for a “lack of candor,” ordered an investigation of the Attorney General for a “lack of candor.”

When Will We Know What Mueller Knows? Maybe Never.

If there are charges of criminal wrongdoing, we’ll definitely know. Otherwise, it all depends on how he sees his role.

Ralph Peters Suddenly ‘Ashamed’ of Fox News After Decade of Appearances

The network’s longtime “strategic analyst” is “ashamed” of his association because they’ve become a “propaganda machine.”

Boko Haram Returns Kidnapped Girls, Warns Against Sending Back to School

The Nigerian terrorist group has released an unknown number of the 110 girls kidnapped from a boarding school last month.

Student Evaluations of Professors Should be Illegal

Repeated studies have demonstrated their bias against women and minorities. Why do we use them to make employment decisions?

Austin Bombing Suspect Blows Himself Up

A man suspected in a bombing spree killed himself with explosives as authorities were closing in.

Most Dominant Athletes of the Last 20 Years

ESPN the Magazine has broken out the slide rule to rank the top athletes during its first two decades.

Wave of Female Candidates Likely Wave of Female Losses Come November

A feel-good story is unlikely to have a happy ending.

Austin-Bound Package Explodes at FedEx Facility

A package exploded in San Antonio overnight. It was believed bound for Austin. It would be the fifth in a spree of bombings in the city this month.

Self-Driving Uber Kills Pedestrian

We don’t yet have enough information to assign blame here. Naturally, that’s not stopping anyone.

Tornado Hits Jacksonville, Alabama

As we wait for “an all-out snowstorm for the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC-to-Boston corridor,” a storm has already hit back home.

BBC Pays John McEnroe 10 Times What it Pays Martina Navratilova

It may be time for transparency on pay structures so employees know what others in comparable positions are making.

Mueller Investigation Moving Away From Russian Interference?

The special counsel may be moving beyond the 2016 campaign and into post-election obstruction of justice.

Austin Package Bomb Explosion Fourth This Month

Local and federal authorities are investigating a spree of explosions terrorizing Austin, Texas.

Letting Trump be Trump

If you’re tired of the restraint being shown by this President, you may be in luck.

No, Your Facebook Likes Didn’t Steal the Election

Will Bunch wildly exaggerates the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Jared Kushner’s Company Routinely Filed False Documents

The family real estate business made tens of millions through shady dealings.

Why the UK Government Hasn’t Done More to Punish Russia

Theresa May’s government has not hit Russian oligarchs nearly as hard as they deserve because the UK benefits from turning a blind eye.

Russians Voting to Give Putin Another 6 Years

A contest with no serious challenger will make him the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin.

Late Night OTB – Slaid Cleaves

He’s been in the music business in some form or the other since 1985. He has been, it’s fair to say, the opposite of an overnight success.

Kelly Tells Reporters Tillerson Was on the Toilet When Told of Firing

One of the supposed “adults” in the Trump administration has no class.

UMBC Whips UVA in First 16-Seed Over 1-Seed in NCAA Tourney History

The near-impossible happened last night, demonstrating why March Madness is the most exciting and most absurd way to pick a champion.

Andrew McCabe Fired Two Days Before Retirement

The FBI’s former deputy director was shamefully fired late Friday night, after which President Trump gloated on Twitter.

Late Night OTB – Fire on the Mountain

Three completely different songs featuring iconic artists.

Illegal Immigrant Appointed to CalSOAP

Lizbeth Mateo, an attorney and immigrant rights activist, will serve on a California board helping disadvantaged students.

The Strange World of Shepard Smith

Having journalistic integrity at the Fair and Balanced network has never been more challenging.

Gina Haspel Did Not Oversee Waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah (But She Pushed to Have Tapes Destroyed)

ProPublica has retracted an explosive but erroneous report about the nominee to be the next CIA Director.

US Imposes New Sanctions on Russia for 2016 Election Interference

The Treasury Department has designated five entities and 19 individuals tied to the Russian government for cyber espionage.

Trump White House ‘Most Toxic Working Environment on the Planet’

According to one insider, “There’s no leadership, no trust, no direction and this point there’s very little hope.”

Wisconsin Waging War on Higher Education?

Wisconsin-Stevens Point is shuttering 13 majors, including English, history, political science and sociology while expanding more job-oriented programs.

Larry Kudlow Trump’s Next Economic Advisor

Best known as a television host, he served in the Reagan administration and chief economist of Bear Stearns.

Teacher Accidentally Shoots Student While Demonstrating Gun Safety

Yet another example of the foolishness of having firearms in the schoolhouse.

National School Walkout Commemorates Florida School Shooting

Students across the country are staging 17-minute protests at 10 am in their time zones.

UK Retaliates for Russian Nerve Agent Attack

Theresa May has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and convened the North Atlantic Council.

Claire Foy Earned Less Than Her On-Screen Husband for ‘The Crown’

While examples of Hollywood sexism are seemingly endless, this is not one of them.

What Pennsylvania Special Election Tells Us About November

Individual races are idiosyncratic. But there are nonetheless some lessons here.

Russians Behind Nerve Agent Attack on British Soil. Now What?

The British prime minister and outgoing US Secretary of State declared a red line crossed. There’s no reason to think this White House will follow through.

Who is Mike Pompeo?

Rex Tillerson was an awful Secretary of State who simply had to go, It’s quite possible his successor will be an even greater disaster.

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James Clapper Not Charged with Lying to Congress

The statute of limitations has expired. But he should never have been asked the question to begin with.

Doctors Paid By Big Pharma for Prescribing Opioids

The industry is using speaker fees to reward physicians who prescribe the most.

Most of West Africa Now Qualifies for Combat Pay

Service members deployed to Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda qualify.

Elizabeth Warren Not Running for President, Unless She Does

The senior Senator from Massachusetts denies interest in 2020 but won’t promise to serve out a new Senate term.

Dentists Dying of Mysterious Lung Disease

An estimated 200,000 Americans have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Dental professionals are 23 times more likely to be afflicted.

Most People Don’t Care About Daylight Saving Time

A majority of Americans say their lives are not “disrupted” by the time change. They’re wrong.

Late Night OTB – 11 Steps to Go

This is from the band Jack Levitt off their 2007 release “Conversations With A Chupacabra.”

Is Fear of School Shootings Irrational?

Kids are more likely to be killed driving to school than shot while there. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and prevent them.

Trump in Honey Badger Mode Already?

The President tried bringing something akin to a traditional policy process to the White House. Now he’s rebelling against it.

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Farhad Manjoo Totally Unplugged from Twitter if You Don’t Count the Constant Tweeting

CJR’s Dan Mitchell has a tiny quibble with a recent viral NYT thumbsucker. 

Late Night OTB – Tyler Childers

Tonight’s installment is a rarity: a breakout artist who I’ve discovered more-or-less in real time.