Outside the Beltway

Is her professorial skill a liability or an asset?

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.

For the first time in more than thirty years, NASA is preparing to unveil a program to allow civilians to travel to the International Space Station.

A new poll shows that a majority of Americans support equal rights for transgender Americans, with only Republicans disagreeing with that position.

It’s been just about fifteen months since President Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Not surprisingly, those tariffs have not had the effect the President claimed they would.

Just over a month after he entered the race, Joe Biden has a commanding lead over his fellow Democrats while Bernie Sanders has several candidates hot on his heels.

One of the most well-known architects of the modern era has passed away.

One of the last of the Navajo Code Talkers, who provided the U.S. military with an unbreakable code in the fight against Japan in World War Two, has died at the age of 97.

The university has bowed to student pressure.

Two weeks into his campaign, Joe Biden continues to build an impressive lead in polling at the state and national levels.

Donald Trump’s tariffs are hurting the American economy, American consumers, and American businesses.

California is the latest state to try to force all Presidential candidates, including the President, to release their tax returns as a condition for getting on the ballot. It’s not at all clear that this is permitted under the Constitution.

Jack Goldsmith pushed back on “over the top” reaction to the AG’s handling of the Mueller report.

Another post-announcement poll brings good news for the former Vice-President, but there’s a long way to go.

Despite seemingly ideal conditions, Green Mountain Care was an absolute debacle.

Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts is the latest Democrat to enter an already crowded field.

A deep dive into typography and naming choices.

Expert analysis from expert analysts

US higher education is made up of far more than just the Ivies and other elite schools.

The 2020 debate on Twitter does not represent ordinary Americans. Does that matter?

The US is reproducing below the replacement rate.

Howdy, folks. I’m Butch Bracknell.

The early frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is drawing fire from multiple fronts. It may destroy his candidacy before it begins.

It’s possible to conclude that Pete Buttigieg is smarter than Elizabeth Warren for reasons having nothing to do with sex.

A racist scholar took some fascinating photos of an enslaved man in 1860. Now, his descendants want the rights to them.

David Gergen lives in a fantasy world.

How finite is prestige?

It’s been a rough two years under Trump, but America’s institutions are surviving.

The Saudis tortured an American citizen, but the Trump Administration doesn’t care.

US policy is creating nonconstructive confrontation.

Gender bias is real. Most examples cited, though, aren’t.

Patrick Caddell, who helped Jimmy Carter win the Democratic nomination and White House in 1976, has died at the age of 68.

Elizabeth Warren still hasn’t figured out how to put the ‘Native American’ issue behind her.

A reading recommendation.

Gender bias in student evaluations of college professors diminishes considerably by changing the scale.

As the shutdown continues, the President’s political position is becoming weaker. He doesn’t seem to care, though.

Tulsi Gabbard was born in American Samoa, an American territory whose residents are generally not American citizens from birth. However, she is nonetheless a “natural born citizen.”

New polling indicates that President Trump is getting the blame for the ongoing government shutdown.

An effort by the Federal Government to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises serious First Amendment issues.

The Governor’s race in Florida is over, and the Senate race isn’t far behind.

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

Rather than cauterizing an open wound, she’s fanned the fuels of a fire.

Elizabeth Warren has released a DNA report showing that she does indeed have some Native American heritage in her family’s past. That won’t stop conservatives from continuing to attack her, though.

A Supreme Court first by the newest Justice.

At least for the moment, the fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court appears to be helping Republicans rally their base for November. The question is whether it will last after the fight is over.

After passing on the opportunity in 2016, Elizabeth Warren is leaving the door open to a run for President in 2020.

By popular demand . . .

The target is not just on illegal immigrants.

As the midterms get closer, the public’s perception of the President’s job performance is getting worse.

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