Outside the Beltway

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

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

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

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

Stephen Hawking possessed one of the greatest minds in history, but he will likely be most remembered for not letting a debilitating disease stop him from contributing to our understanding of the universe.

Netflix no longer offers President Frank Underwood. They’re lining up a replacement.

In 2017, there were ten Saudis on Forbes’ billionaires list. This year, there are none.

After skipping such events in his first thirteen months in office, the President tried his hand at stand-up last night to mixed reviews.

He did what many had thought humanly impossible in running a sub-4 minute mile in 1954 and followed that with a brilliant career in medicine.

The actor best known for his run on M*A*S*H died Saturday after a battle with colon cancer.

Mike Jeffcoat rejected a prospect, in writing, on account of marijuana being legal in his state, adding, “You can thank your liberal politicians.”

“All In The Family” predicted a policy proposal that President Trump and many other conservatives have made in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

The funk legend advocates a melting pot approach in a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone.

Mark Levin says we’re “morons” and “illiterate in English” because we’ve quoted the NYT.

Here’s one vote for ending this annoying practice.

Some thoughts on the biggest Marvel blockbuster yet. [Modest spoilers]

On the one hand, this is cool. On the other, it’s just another sign of how damned old I am. I graduated high school in 1984. 

The new Black Panther movie raises a variant of the central question of the superhero genre. [No significant spoilers]

Bret Stephens thinks so.

Dodge is facing controversy this morning for using the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in a Super Bowl commercial, but they’re not the only party who may have some questions to answer.

The lead story on Yahoo News at the moment, courtesy People magazine (“Robert Wagner Now Considered a ‘Person of Interest’ in Wife Natalie Wood’s Mysterious Death”):

Todd Rogers has been stripped of his world record for the Atari 2600 racing game Dragster.

A government panel has mandated a 50% increase in the revenue share streaming services pay songwriters and music publishers.

Last October, legendary rocker Tom Petty died of a heart attack, at the relatively young age of 66. The medical examiner has now attributed this to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Some progress on easing tensions between North and South Korea.

New York Knicks Center Enes Katner is at the center of an international legal dispute for speaking out against the President of Turkey.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is floating the idea that the U.S. might not take part in the Olympics due to safety concerns. This would be a foolish decision.

Russia has been barred from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics after an investigation uncovered extensive evidence of cheating.

The Supreme Court heard argument today in a case challenging a 1992 law barring sports gambling in all but a handful of states, and the Justices appeared skeptical of the law.

Jim Nabors, who became famous as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC, has died at the age of  87.

The latest domino to fall in the ongoing wave of sexual harassment and abuse revelations is Matt Lauer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Donald Trump is without question the pettiest, most vindictive person to ever occupy the Oval Office.

A huge loss for the world of Rock & Roll.

Ezekiel Elliott got a legal reprieve late last week, but it may not last for long and it could have a big impact on the fortunes of the Dallas Cowboys.

Donald Trump has apparently made the American public more supportive of players who kneel for the National Anthem.

He had more than three dozen Top 40 pop hits through the 1950s and early ’60s, among them ”Blueberry Hill,” ”Ain’t It a Shame,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Blue Monday” and “Walkin’ to New Orleans.”

Robert Guillaume, who starred in situation comedies in the 70s, 80s, and 90s such as “Soap,” “Benson,” and “Sports Night,” has died at the age of 89.

Downplaying earlier reports, the National Football League is shooting down reports that it would move to force players to stand for the National Anthem.

A legal setback for Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys.

Vice-President Pence left an Indianapolis Colts game early in what was obviously a cynical pre-planned publicity stunt.

The band leader of the Heartbreakers and the Traveling Wilburys is gone.

Hugh Hefner, who became both a cultural icon and a catalyst and reflector of vast social changes, has died at the age of 91.

Most Americans don’t support President Trump’s statements about the protests by N.F.L. players, but it’s just another example of him using hateful rhetoric to pander to his base.

In President Trump’s mind, American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights are “sons of bitches” who should be fired for exercising their rights.

Former N.F.L. player, and convicted murderer, Aaron Hernandez suffered from a severe case of C.T.E. at the time of his death according to a post-mortem brain study.