Outside the Beltway

It turns out that mandatory spending is, well, mandatory.

A tale from my neck of the woods.

Brought to you by the “America First” crowd.

They are also considering another US Farmer Bailout while simultaneously cutting funds to help US Farmers and other residents

A day of AI, tariffs, and world historic stupidity.

A rebuke of pretextual firings but likely not a permanent solution.

The new EPA.

Is the DOGE now on a leash?

A judge says OPM has no authority to fire workers in other agencies.

The retired 3-star National Guard officer is an unorthodox pick.

The people who safeguard our nuclear weapons and put out forest fires have been fired.

“…but I didn’t vote for that.”

A different take on our political realignment.

Plus some thoughts on mass deportation.

Our immigration policy is out of sync with our economy.

The court amplified its power at the expense of the administrative state.

The world’s largest democracy just became more democratic.

It depends.

Grouping House Members by their voting patterns.

If only we knew why Mississippi chose to join the Confederacy…

Rural Americans are misunderstood!

Five months too late, we’re back to the Biden-McCarthy deal.

A kerfuffle is brewing over the way the United States fights hunger in the global south.

A second Republican Speaker has reached across the aisle to avert a government shutdown.

West Virginia University may be the canary in the coal mine.

A new book looks at the confluence of geography and disadvantage.

The state Senate has amended the bill considerably.

The elite consensus that free trade would bring them around is gone.

We can’t find enough people to treat cows, pigs, and horses.

Washington has imposed a contract that workers rejected.

Local issues barely matter in Congressional races anymore.

An impasse over schedule flexibility could have widespread impact.

The last Soviet leader is gone at 91.

How long can the unsustainable be sustained?

Supply chain disruptions are contributing to crisis for 300 million people.

Another journalist has been fired for a cardinal sin.

A illustration from the Senate race in Georgia.

Political theater on the southern border.

An irresponsible Trump-era practice continues.

Children are starving and it’s partly our fault.

Working conditions rather than labor supply seems to be the issue.

Another example of structural racism.

The President announced a whopping 72 initiatives to rein in corporate power and lower prices.

The talk radio megastar has died, aged 70.

The 46th President has been busy signing proclamations signaling a new direction.

Some square pegs are being forced into some round holes for the sake of inclusion.

Racial and xenophobic rhetoric and Covid-19.

The bad news keeps on coming.

A real world illustration.