Outside the Beltway

The latest news on the marijuana legalization front has led David Brooks and others to go into a completely pathetic panic.

A Federal Judge in New York upholds, for the most part, that state’s new gun control law.

Watch your language in Wilson County, North Carolina.

.Many have tried to justify N.S.A. data mining on the theory that it could have prevented 9/11. Is that true?

The year that will soon ended will go down in history as the year that the same-sex marriage debate changed forever.

The Sunbelt continues to dominate.

Same-sex marriage remains the law of the land in one of the most conservative states in the nation, at least unless the Supreme Court says otherwise.

Once again, Chris Christie seems to be directly challenging the right wing of his party.

A victory for same-sex marriage in an unlikely place.

A 17th state legalizes gay marriage. There’s no turning back.

Fourth time’s the charm? Probably not.

When it comes to thinks like Mike Bloomberg’s large-sized soda ban, most Americans prefer to just say no.

Thoughts on the precursors to the events of 72 years ago today.

After the GOP blocked a series of Obama judicial nominees, Democrats are again threatening to go nuclear on filibuster reform.

As expected, the enrollment numbers for Obamacare are far below where they were expected to be.

The FDA is declaring war on trans fats. That’s a bad idea on many levels.

The state where the same-sex marriage battle began is just days away from legalizing same-sex marriage.

The battle for marriage equality has scored a number of victories in a short period of time, but that’s about to change.

The earth-like planets are out there, but it’s unclear if the life is.

Daylight Savings Time ends early on Sunday. Perhaps it should never return.

Could Congress actually pass some form of immigration reform before the midterms? Don’t bet on it just yet.

Chris Christie’s decision to take a tactical retreat on the issue of same-sex marriage raises some interesting questions for 2016.

Portland, Maine seems to about to make some progress in the fight against dumb laws.

Should states have the right to ban affirmative action? The Supreme Court will decide that this term.

Well, so much for that plan.

Cory Booker has not been quite as dominant in the New Jersey Special Election as many expected, but he’s still a virtual lock to win on Wednesday.

The argument that the Roberts Court has been overly “activist” does not hold up to examination.

There’s no sign that the government shutdown will end any time soon.

The Miley Cyrus of college football will be back too soon.

Eleanor Clift reflects on her “final issue after 50 years at Newsweek.”

Once dominant atop the smartphone market, Blackberry seems to be counting out the days until its demise.

The House is going to make it more likely that we see a government shutdown at the end of the month.

Starbucks is kindly asking customers not to bring guns to their stores.

President Obama has decided not to enforce a law. This is most unusual and somewhat disturbing.

Some thoughts on reform.

Bradley Manning’s announcement that she wishes to begin living life as a woman poses some interesting legal questions.