Florida State Employees Ordered Not To Refer To “Climate Change” Or “Global Warming”

Don’t say “climate change” or “global warming” if you work for Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.

Controlling Congress

A theme that just won’t go away.

ISIS is What it Says it Is

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

ISIS Has Arrived In Libya, Just How Big A War Are We Looking At?

ISIS apparently now has a foothold in Libya, and is making inroads in Yemen.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Americans Are Ready For Nationwide Same-Sex Marriage

Justice Ginsburg acknowledges the fact that, over the past nineteen years, same-sex marriage has gone from something that most Americans oppose to something that most Americans are willing to accept.

Jon Stewart Leaving Daily Show

Jon Stewart is stepping down as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” after sixteen years.

On Existential Threats

I don’t Think that Means What you Think it Means (Huckabee Edition)

Scott Walker Surges In Iowa, But How Much Does Iowa Really Matter?

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

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John McCain Calls Hearing Protesters ‘Low-Life Scum’

John McCain is not a fan of Code Pink.

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Congress Is Making The U.S.-Israeli Relationship Even More Partisan

By inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress, Republicans are damaging the U.S. relationship with Israel.

Conservative Pundits Finally Seeing Sarah Palin For What She Is

Conservatives finally seem to be waking up to the truth about Sarah Palin.

Are 80 People Richer Than Half the World? Not Really.

While the issue of income inequality is quite real, Oxfam’s numbers are not.

Obama’s Missed Opportunity

My latest for The National Interest, “Obama’s Paris Blunder: Part of a Much Bigger Problem,” has posted.

Once Again, Elizabeth Warren Says She’s Not Running For President And, Once Again, Nobody Will Listen

Elizabeth Warren said once again that she’s not running for President, now or in the future. That’s not going to stop the efforts to draft her, though.

Obama’s Absence From Paris Rally: Egregious Diplomatic Error, Or Much Ado About Nothing?

Some are criticizing the President for not going to Paris for yesterday’s rally.

Cleveland Police Let 12 Year Old Tamir Rice Lay Dying After Unprovoked Shooting

New details in the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice raise more questions.

Catholic League President Blames Charlie Hebdo Publisher for Own Death

Bill Donohue rightly condemns insulting Muslims—but goes way too far.

Bring Back the BCS!

Some preliminary thoughts on the inaugural college playoff system.

2014’s Fickle News Cycle

The news cycle in 2014 seemed to be dominated by a series of real and phony “crises” that grabbed our attention for short periods of time.

Airlines Want You Miserable and It Serves You Right

JetBlu is joining the competition in charging bag fees and cramming in more seats.

Did 24 Help Make Torture Acceptable?

In the wake of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on C.I.A. torture, some have suggested that eight years of Jack Bauer helped make torture more acceptable to the American public.

Some Questions for Those who Oppose an Opening with Cuba

A little round of Qs and As on US-Cuban policy.

Hate Speech and Academic Freedom

Should a professor who says she “hates Republicans” keep her job?

Bill Cosby vs. Ben Roethlisberger

Chris Rock wants us to remember that Bill Cosby isn’t the only celebrity accused of rape.

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Senate Intelligence Committee Report Reveals A Dark and Regrettable Time In American History

A dark and regrettable time in American history is finally seeing the light of day.

Violence, Law, and the State

Thinking about that the state, law, violence, and the Garner incident (and contributing to the tl;dr phenomenon).

On “Black-on-Black” Crime

Yet another example of the need for context when discussing stats.

Blue Trumps Black and White

A former RNC chair says a black man’s life isn’t worth a ham sandwich.

President Obama Was Against Unilateral Executive Action On Immigration Before He Was For it

If the President now believes he can act unilaterally on immigration reform, why did he spend the last five years saying that he couldn’t?

The Ivy League Supreme Court

Every member of the Supreme Court graduated from an Ivy League Law School. That kind of homogeneity is not healthy.

Most PATRIOT Act ‘Sneak And Peek’ Warrants Used In War On Drugs, Not War On Terror

Not surprisingly, a law passed in the wake of the September 11th attacks has been used mostly for things that have nothing to do with terrorism.

America Still Not a Center-Right Nation

Tuesday’s Republican wave didn’t change the fundamentals.

What to Make of the 2014 Wave Election

What happened Tuesday? And what does it tell us about 2016?

2014 Midterm Election Predictions

Time to look into the crystal ball.

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Political Pressure Grows For An Ebola Travel Ban, But The Argument For One Remains Weak

A travel ban sounds like a simple solution to a complex problem. Like most simple solutions, though, it becomes far less appealing when you think about the details.

Obama Names ‘Ebola Czar,’ Doesn’t Explain Why We Need One

President Obama has appointed an “Ebola Czar,” but it’s unclear why we need one when there are already people who are supposed to be in charge of the Ebola response.

Problems With The Response To Ebola, And A Little Perspective

We’ve become aware of failures in how we’ve handled the Ebola situation. The response is to figure out what went wrong and do our best to fix it, not to panic.

Another War, Another Pentagon Cover-Up

A new report from the New York Times confirms the adage that, in war, the first casualty is the truth.

Noncompetitive House Elections

My ongoing crusade to spark thought and discussion on the quality of representation in the US Congress.

Is Amazon a Monopoly?

Frank Foer proclaims, “Amazon Must Be Stopped. It’s too big. It’s cannibalizing the economy.”

Federal Judge Strikes Down Subsidies For Federal Obamacare Exchanges

A legal setback for the Affordable Care Act, but the important arguments on this issue lie in higher courts.

Republicans Still Have A Problem With Female Voters

Two prominent Republican groups point out the blindingly obvious.

UK Poorer Than All US States Except Mississippi

Alabamians like to exclaim, “Thank God for Mississippi.” Perhaps it’s time for that slogan to cross the Pond.

Burger King Should Not Be Condemned If It Moves To Canada For Tax Purposes

The announcement of a potential merger between Burger King and Tim Horton’s has led to much moral preening from the usual suspects.

What If “Justice” In The Mike Brown Case Doesn’t End In A Conviction?

There is a good possibility that Darren Wilson could be acquitted in the shooting of Michael Brown.. Are the protesters ready to accept that reality?

Professor-Cop Blames Victims of Police Violence

17-year veteran of the LAPD says, “If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t challenge me.”

The Timing of Elections Matters (Ferguson Edition)

Yet another example of how institutional choices matter.

Police Are Not Soldiers; Our Communities Are Not War Zones

We should not tolerate them acting otherwise.

Will the GOP Ever Win Another Presidential Election?

It’s hard for a party to win four straight presidential elections. The Democrats may pull it off.