Outside the Beltway

Tea Party backed candidates may have lost most of the GOP primary battles, but they’ve won the war for control of the Republican agenda.

Todd Akin continues to give Republicans headaches.

Just in time for the midterms, Todd Akin is back to remind voters of the GOP’s problems with female voters.

A New York Federal Judge has ruled that unvaccinated children can be forced to stay home during outbreaks.

Those who tattoo celebrities want to be be paid when their tattoos appear in the media.

Using a chemical to commit a purely domestic crime doesn’t make you an international criminal, the Supreme Court correctly decided today.

Shutting down rational debate one meme at a time.

It might not be pretty.

The Mason-Dixon Line says it starts in Maryland, but that no longer seems to be the case.

Market Watch presents this infographic of “the most and least expensive states to live in the U.S.

It’s a bit too early for Republicans to be celebrating that Senate majority that so many people are predicting.

Calling anyone a front-runner in a race where we’re still two years away from anyone casting votes is silly. Nonetheless, Rand Paul is an interesting guy to watch for those wondering if the GOP has actually changed.

Ellen Page is gay. So is Michael Sam. Shouldn’t we be aiming for the day when the response to news like this is “So what?”

Once again, Rush Limbaugh panders to the most pernicious of the right side of American politics.

Michael Sam is gay.It didn’t matter to his University of Missouri teammates. Will it matter to the NFL?

Time to watch a bit of true American exceptionalism in action.

Much like the guy who’s afraid to talk to girls in High School, Republicans don’t seem to know how to talk to women. But their problems are actually bigger than that.

Nearly two-thirds of House Republicans voted for default. They lost.

Much like the Tea Party, David Frum wants to make the GOP tent smaller.

Is U.S. planning against Syria moving beyond just chemical weapons?

Rather than asking whether it was “worth it,” the important historical question regarding the Civil War is whether it could have been avoided.

Tax analyst Martin A. Sullivan finds that 1/3rd of “potentially political applications” approved by the IRS were from non-conservative groups.

The wacko fringe of the GOP is increasingly finding room in the mainstream of the party.

Southerners lie about their weight–but not as much as those lyin’ Yankees.

A case from Missouri provides an excellent example of why it matters that states forbid people who love each other from being married.

Bill McClellan calls for ending military funeral honors for most veterans.

Passengers may soon be able to use approved electronic devices during all phases of airplane flights.

The Cowboys’ first equipment manager and designer of the iconic blue star logo has died.

We’re having trouble counting Hispanics. Should we be trying?

Chuck Hagel will be confirmed, but the campaign against him tells us much about the current state of Republican foreign policy

40 years after Roe v. Wade, support for the decision is still strong, but the effort to restrict it continues apace.

More people have been to space than have flown in a B-2 stealth bomber.

Last January 1, some of us made a series of predictions. Here’s how we did.

The Blues began a century ago yesterday, with the release of WC Handy’s “Memphis Blues.”

Guess who’s back?

Fareed Zakaria declares “America’s election process an international embarrassment.” He’s right.

There’s been a bit of buzz of late about the fact that people in several states have filed petitions to secede from the Union. There shouldn’t be.

Some people on the right apparently want to return to this map.

Any chance that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed died with the re-election of Barack Obama. But, there are other fights to come.