Iran Protests Intensity Highest Since 1979

The ayatollahs face the biggest challenge to their authority in the history of the regime.

Mikhail Gorbachev, 1931-2022

The last Soviet leader is gone at 91.

David McCullough, 1933-2022

A great American author is gone at 89.

January 6 Committee Closing in On Trump

New evidence gets us a wee bit closer to a smoking gun.

Judicial Supremacy vs Popular Constitutionalism

Who should have the final say on the law of the land?

Taking Notes on a Criminal Conspiracy

The Proud Boys, Trump family, and Alex Jones all filmed documentaries of their actions leading up to January 6.

Prince Charles as Co-Monarch

His 95-year-old mom is still Queen but has handed off many of her duties.

Capitol Rioter Convicted of Six Felonies

A former Virginia police officer has been found guilty, partly on the testimony of a former colleague.

Meanwhile, In The Rest Of The Russian Empire…

Putin must be worrying about losing what little empire he has built.

Nostalgic for Nostalgia

Is the past still the past?

Non-Peer Review of Medical Studies

The downside to online archives of pre-print articles.

Race and the Myth of Meritocracy: Supreme Court Edition

When “obviously qualified” apparently isn’t enough

Sidney Poitier, 1927-2022

A pioneering Black actor is gone at 94.

Airpods Airpods

Podcast Recommendation

SLT guests on Peaceful Political Revolution in America to talk American democracy.

Airpods Airpods

Podcast Recommendation

Arend Lijphart on the “Peaceful Political Revolution in America” podcast.

Putin, Ukraine, and History

Russia’s leader sees the situation in the former Soviet Republic quite differently than the West.

Minority Power in the Senate

Senator Romney and the latest edition of the senatorial pro-filibuster op/ed.

Kyrsten Sinema: Expert Troll

The enigmatic Senator is a world-class attention seeker.

Massive Worker Backlash?

The equivalent of Pennsylvania’s entire labor force is sitting on the sidelines.

Yale Can’t Take a Joke

A party invitation going terribly wrong.

OTB 2003 Revisited

A blast from the past.

Book Corner: The Three-Body Problem

A review and an invitation to discuss.

China’s Olympic Machine

A massive investment falls just short. This time.

Hippie VW microbus Hippie VW microbus

Culture Wars are a Long Game

Conservatives have lost it one generation at a time.

Party-Switching and the Senate

Are Sinema and Machin going to jump ship?

The Ivies=NK?

Or, you know, not.

Working From Home and Polarization

Yet another thing driving Americans apart.

Did the Boomers Ruin America?

An interesting but uneven debate.

Philip Mountbatten, 1921-2021

Queen Elizabeth’s husband has died two months shy of his 100th birthday.

Rush Limbaugh is Still Dead

The reflections on the departed right-wing talk host continue.

Partisan Control in the Congress

Some political history,

Shelby Likely to Retire

Implications for Alabama and the GOP as well as considerations on the evolution of American politics.

‘Stop the Steal’ Founder ‘in Hiding’

A one-time denizen of Blogger’s Row at CPAC has come a long way.

The Terrorist In The Mirror

There’s a word for people who use outrageous violence to terrorize.

The Arab Spring at 10

Tunisia is freer but poorer than it was before Mohamed Bouazizi’s desperate act.

Terry McAuliffe Running for Virginia Governor

The popular former governor wants another crack at it.

Biden Considering Lloyd Austin for SECDEF?

Yet another retired general in the post would be a bad idea.

The Great Disappointment

The Most Important Election in American History

The stakes of losing will be catastrophic. Either way.

What’s a Republic?

What meanings might the Founders have had? How should we understand the term?

The Dark Side of “It’s a Republic, not a Democracy”

I couldn’t help myself.

Electoral Integrity Concerns, Real and Imagined

What is more concerning, speculation and war games, or the words of POTUS?

Culture and Institutions, Part 1

A partial response in the context of a complex topic.

US Party System Evolution

A quick overview and some examples to start a longer conversation.

I Have Seen the Future of Work and it Sucks

A world in which we’re all contractors is a dystopian utopia.

Trump’s Mount Rushmore Diatribe

The President is desperate and unwell and the press is making no bones about it.

Do Violent Protests Get Results?

If the goal is to change politics, not just vent frustration, messaging is important.

Working Longer During the Pandemic

Contrary to some expectations, Americans are logging three extra hours of work a day.

No, We’re Not Living in the 19th Century

The pandemic is massively more livable given modern technology.

A Democratic Turnout Problem?

Evidence from the four early states is not looking promising.