Outside the Beltway

Framing matters.

The ‘outside agitators’ trope strikes again.

The similarities are obvious. The differences are more important.

A thought experiment on what we have seen in Portland.

Cops aren’t soldiers or spies but fellow citizens.

Federal agents deployed nonlethal force against peaceful demonstrators.

At what point does a demonstration become something else?

The weirdness of Internet outrage culture.

A marked rise in shooting deaths is going largely unnoticed.

A controversial monument in Little Italy has been destroyed.

Leadership matters (as does culture).

As the President becomes less popular, there are signs he’s losing support from his co-partisans in Congress.

Decades of reform efforts have failed. Is it time for a radical solution?

Not that one. The other one.

The system makes it next to impossible to punish bad cops.

The evidence is clear. Injustice feeds rage and rage sometimes boils over.

The contrast could not be more clear.

If the goal is to change politics, not just vent frustration, messaging is important.

Outside agitators, including white supremacist groups, are shaping public perception of the George Floyd protests.

The President has reportedly invoked the Insurrection Act.

The President is sending a terrible message.

Are those who die in our wars more deserving than those who die in our stores?

A seemingly innocent black man has been killed, sparking a wave of outrage.

The policy was undeniably harmful and unconstitutional. Is it forgivable?

George Zimmerman has filed a bizarre conspiracy theory-laden lawsuit against Trayvon Martin’s family, prosecutors, and others.

The Butterball Turkey Hotline still thrives even in the era of the Internet.

Trump takes credit for stopping his “friend” Xi from attacking Hong Kong protesters.

After months of anti-government protests, Hong Kong headed to the polls in record number.

After a year of controversy and investigation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicated on charges of fraud and bribery.

Another police shooting of an innocent African-American. This time in Fort Worth, Texas.

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of ,murder in the death of Botham Jean, an innocent man who was murdered for the “crime” of being in his own apartment.

At last week’s debate, Beto O’Rourke handed Republicans and gun rights advocates a nicely wrapped gift with his claim that he would seize guns from otherwise law-abiding Americans.

A Federal Judge in Virginia has found the terrorist watch list unconstitutional.

More than five years after the fact, the NYPD officer who applied an illegal chokehold that resulted in the death of Eric Garner has finally been fired.

An incident this week in Arkansas is just the latest example of a depressing and dangerous trend.

Protests in Hong Kong have been going on for nine weeks now, but they are reaching a point where the patience of the leaders in Beijing is being tested.

Beijing is warning protesters in Hong Kong that it’s restraint in the face of protests is not without limit. However, it has few realistic options when it comes to how far it can go.

Less than twelve hours after the mass shooting in Texas, another one occurred overnight in Dayton, Ohio.

Another day, another mass shooting and, as is becoming all too common in this country, this one appears to have been racially motivated.

Once again, President Trump can’t help but make something meant to recognize real American heroes all about himself.

A strangely under-publicized story.

Last night New York City experienced what turned out to be a short-lived blackout mostly limited to Manhattan’s West Side, but it brought back memories of much bigger events.

The government in Hong Kong keeps conceding ground to the protests that have taken hold in the city, but the protesters have more fundamental objections.

Detroit shows how modern technology can lead to a virtual police state.

The next Prime Minster of the United Kingdom will be chosen by a very small segment of both the population and the Conservative Party. Does that make sense?

One of America’s fist celebrity CEO’s has passed away at the age of 94.

The ongoing protests in Hong Kong over controversial extradition legislation have taken a violent turn.

WIth the top two candidates in the race on the same stage, the second night of the first Democratic debate was much feistier than the first night.

Pete Butttigieg has spent the past week dealing with a crisis back in South Bend. How he handles it could have a significant impact on his campaign.