Outside the Beltway

President Trump put an offer on the table to end the shutdown, the question is whether it will actually lead anywhere.

Thoughts on politics and constitutional powers.

With Democrats making a new proposal and the President set to speak later today, there could be movement on ending the government shutdown. I wouldn’t be too optimistic, though.

Despite their rhetoric, Republicans in Congress have shown through their own inaction that they don’t really support the President’s border wall.

Using new radio telescopes, scientists have discovered mysterious new radio bursts that originated from deep in the universe long before life began on Earth.

China has landed a probe on the far side of the Moon, the latest step forward in an aggressive Chinese push into space.

Three and a half years after its flyby of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft has reached the furthest distant object ever visited by a man-made craft.

In his annual message, Kim Jong Un sent a message to President Trump on denuclearization and the future of the Korean Peninsula.

A new law set to take effect in Utah before the New Year will lower the BAC limit for drunk driving by 40% to .05. Will the rest of the nation follow?

The numbers should guide policy, not silly symbols.

Fifty years ago tonight, one of the most iconic photos in history was taken.

With just hours to go, a partial government shutdown is becoming more and more likely.

Another piece of humanity has left the Solar System.

While most Hollywood blockbusters have male leads, films starring women actually do better on the aggregate.

(Almost) live from Mars!

Even as its leader continues to deny the reality of Global Climate Change, the Trump Administration has released an utterly devastating report on the impact of such change over the course of the coming decades.

The NYT is trying to start a conversation.

Tip O’Neill was famous for once having advised his fellow Democrats that “all politics is local.” That’s not true anymore, and that’s unfortunate.

When do we stop pretending that Fox News Channel is anything other than State Run Media for the Trump Administration?

Jobs Growth in October exceeded expectations, as did wage growth. It’s unclear, though, how long these numbers can be sustained.

Science can’t precisely locate gender but it’s neither fully biological nor fully genetic.

Measles cases are on the rise in Europe due to the fact that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, people still believe the lies of the anti-vaccination movement.

Another example of just how imperfect our system of justice can be.

One of the people most responsible for the personal computer revolution has passed away at the far-too-young age of 65.

A Soyuz mission sending two men to the International Space Station was forced to abort shortly after launch. Fortunately, the American and Russian on board returned safely to Earth.

Thanks in large part to an aggressive public health education program and vaccination, Australia is on course to effectively eradicate cervical cancer.

Thanks to a last-minute agreement, the United States and Canada reached an agreement for a revised version of NAFTA. It’s a got a new name, but it’s basically NAFTA 2.0.

The legal troubles for Tesla’s Elon Musk just got a lot more serious.

Donald Trump’s trade war is helping China expand its diplomatic influence.

As expected, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Chinese goods yesterday, and China quickly retaliated.

Your phone won’t be beeping on Thursday after all.

Be prepared to get a test message from the Federal Government at 2:18 pm Eastern Time on Thursday. This is only a test.

Three months after the Singapore summit, evidence grows that North Korea is still making nuclear weapons.

Amazon has joined Apple to become the second American corporation to reach $1,000,000,000,000 in market valuation.

The target is not just on illegal immigrants.

Social media has altered the way writers and readers interact in odd ways.

A new study concludes that the total death toll from Hurricane Maria was vastly higher than previously reported.

As much as we hate paying $200 a month for television, the future is likely going to be worse.

Forty-two years after being founded in a California garage, and twenty years after nearly going broke, Apple Computer has become the first publicly traded company to top $1 trillion in value.

Jobs growth fell short of expectations in July but was still relatively decent. Wage growth, however, remains stubbornly stagnant.

A Federal Judge in Washington State has, at least temporarily, blocked the release of files that would allow anyone to make a 3-D printed gun. The First Amendment seems to clearly indicate that this ruling is wrong.

The natural intuition of the aluminum tariff is that it would help Alcoa, the largest manufacturer of aluminum in the U.S. But apparently these things are a bit more complicated that one’s intuition would indicate.

The recent report of 4.1% GDP growth over the previous quarter is indeed welcome news. However, taking a look at the data both recent and in the past and there are some reasons to be concerned about GDP growth in general.

The President was up late last night sending an incredibly over-the-top tweet directed at Iran.

The 34-year-old Facebook tycoon is now worth more than 87-year-old Warren Buffet.

Federal law protects internet companies from liability for statements written by others.

The ill-advised move is sure to raise costs for businesses and consumers and roil global stock markets.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 213,000 in June and the unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent.

It’s more complicated than one might think.

Donald Trump’s trade war continues to have negative consequences for American consumers and businesses.