Outside the Beltway

Another historic launch and return by SpaceX.

Changes that the Republican National Committee made to delegate allocation rules in response to what happened in 2012 are helping Donald Trump in 2016.

Observations, questions, and some toastosity.

Last night, SpaceX successfully launched a rocket to the edge of space, deployed cargo, and returned to Earth. A huge and potentially revolutionary accomplishment.

There have been many arguments that polling has over-stated Donald Trump’s actual level of support among likely Republican voters, but there’s also a good argument that they are understating it and that Trump may do better when people start voting than many think.

People don’t much care whether information supporting their prejudices is true.

A New York Judge has upheld an injunction against Draft Kings and Fan Duel. It’s probably correct under New York law, but that just means the law needs to be changed.

Notwithstanding the hopes of many Republicans, Donald Trump continues to be the person to beat in the race for the party’s 2016 Presidential nomination.

Polls are quite useful in the right circumstances, but knowledge, complexity, and timing all have to be taken into account in determining what they are telling us.

Protests by students at Princeton are causing some people to finally pay attention to some inconvenient truths about America’s 28th President.

Paradoxically, the children of affluent parents are less happy than those of the poor.

The initial responses of the Republican candidates for President to the attacks in Paris are about what you’d expect, but it’s far too early to tell what impact the events of the weekend will have on the race for President here in the United States.

A political earthquake north of the border.

If pre-election polling is to be believed, Stephan Harper and Canada’s Conservative Party seem likely to lose power after Monday’s elections, but there are several reasons why this may not end up being the case.

Congress is set to debate the Iran nuclear deal next month, but as far as Europe is concerned the debate is already over.

Gravity announced a minimum annual salary of $70,000. Almost everyone is unhappy.

Despite his remarks about John McCain, Donald Trump is likely to be around for some time to come.

A 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush shows a different GOP.

The NYT paints the longshot senator as a happy warrior trying to win the White House by doing it his way.

A well-founded fear of ISIS seems to be drawing many of the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia closer to Moscow.

It could cost you $250 to say “F- Arlington” if you happen to be in Arlington when you say it.

Turkey’s governing party suffered big setbacks at the ballot box yesterday.

FIFA’s President surprised everyone today by resigning, but he’s likely to stay in power for as long as another ten months.

Pollsters on both sides of the Atlantic have been trying to figure out why the polls released right up until the eve of the British General Election were so wrong. Here’s one theory, and it’s very compelling.

A new survey shows that Americans are becoming less Christian, and less religious overall.

With the election behind him, David Cameron’s biggest problems may be yet to come.

The Baltimore Police Department will finally be under the Federal microscope. But it took the death of Freddie Gray for it happen.

After weeks of polls predicting a political stalemate or worse, British voters delivered a strong win for David Cameron and the Tories.

Great Britain heads to the polls in less than a week, and it remains unclear just what’s going to happen.

I’m not sure this is a concern that rises to the level of an article at The Atlantic.

The Atlantic’s Alan Taylor has 50 photos from 50 years ago.

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

The debate over whether kids need to be vaccinated against communicable diseases baffles me.

There’s not a whole lot the United States can do to respond effectively and proportionally to North Korea’s hacking attack against Sony.

A wholly successfully first test for NASA’s next generation manned space vehicle.

A new poll finds that a majority of Germans support sanctions against Russia, even if those sanctions end up hurting the German economy.

Black Friday chaos has crossed the pond.

The abrupt departure of Chuck Hagel says much more about Administration policy than it does about Chuck Hagel.

On substance, the President’s immigration actions aren’t very objectionable. How he is implementing them, though, is problematic and seems needlessly confrontational.

An unsurprising ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that only seems to bring closer the day when same-sex marriage will be legal nationwide.

Quietly, oil prices have been falling for months now. That’s potentially a very big deal.

All of the major sports leagues are trying to stop New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports gambling. They should not be allowed to succeed.

If the GOP wins the Senate in November, their majority could prove to be fleeting.

People possess a strong reciprocity instinct and are much more likely to purchase a product if they’ve taken a free sample.

Everyone knows that Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades. Don’t tell anyone—it’s a secret.