Outside the Beltway

Thinking about unsupported narratives and a little bit about data usage.

When an apolitical process gets politicized.

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

The lousy hybrid option has been scrapped in favor of a worthless virtual one.

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” will reportedly precede the “Star-Spangled Banner” in the opening week.

Contra the CDC, the AAP says getting kids to class outweighs the modest risk of their catching COVID-19.

The Commonwealth is the first state in the nation to issue regulations.

The system makes it next to impossible to punish bad cops.

How to translate understandable frustration at injustice into tangible reform?

Until our kids go back to school, we can’t go back to work.

The bad news keeps on coming.

A disgraced governor is signing a wave of progressive legislation

It’s a reasonable question but not the right one.

Money has increasingly dominated American politics but the court case had little to do with it.

Paul Volcker, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board who put an end to the rampant inflation that threatened to choke the American economy, has died at 92.

In what many are seeing as a rebuke of the President, Louisiana voters re-elected Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards over his Republican opponent.

A familiar name has entered the race for the Democratic Senate nomination in Massachusetts.

More than five years after the fact, the NYPD officer who applied an illegal chokehold that resulted in the death of Eric Garner has finally been fired.

Workers at a petrochemical plant were told they could choose between showing up for a Presidential speech and not getting paid.

President Trump has named his pick for Labor Secretary.

The Congressional Budget Office assesses several reform proposals.

The victory of the U.S. Women’s team in the World Cup has renewed a long-standing argument over pay equity, but the issue is far more complicated than it seems.

One of America’s fist celebrity CEO’s has passed away at the age of 94.

The Supreme Court has ruled to keep the long-standing “dual sovereigns” exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause in place.

If Hong Kong’s leaders thought protesters would be satisfied with relatively minor concessions, they have significantly miscalculated the situation.

Do you want to get money out of politics? You need to get politics out of money.

The President unveiled some incoherent ideas yesterday that have no chance of becoming law.

Taiwan has become the first nation in Asia to legally recognize same-sex marriage.

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

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

The Speaker was dealt a winning hand and played it with the skill of a seasoned pro. But the outcome was all but inevitable.

The Trump Administration either doesn’t realize the impact the shutdown is having on Federal workers who haven’t been paid in a month, or it doesn’t care.

President Trump stormed out of a meeting with Congressional leaders as the shutdown drags on with no end in sight.

French authorities are investigating reports that Russian interference may be helping to exploit and expand the five-week-old “yellow vest” protests.

Moscow continues using information warfare to sow division in Western society.

Protests that have killed four and injured hundreds have been rewarded and show no sign of ending.

With their House majority secure, Democrats must now select their leadership team for the next two years. It’s not going smoothly.

Democratic pickups in several state legislatures could impact redistricting after the 2020 Census.

For the second time in two years, the Supreme Court starts a new term down one Justice. That isn’t as big a problem as it might seem.

Thanks to a last-minute agreement, the United States and Canada reached an agreement for a revised version of NAFTA. It’s a got a new name, but it’s basically NAFTA 2.0.

As expected, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo easily fended off a challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon. Let the Presidential speculation begin.

A significant advance for LGBT rights in the world’s most populous democracy.

Entertainers work for a living, too.

President Trump’s much-hyped replacement for NAFTA doesn’t really amount to much and won’t amount to anything unless he can get Canada, and the U.S. Congress, on board.

Former Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty failed in his comeback effort last night, confirming yet again that the GOP is now the Trump Party.

Tuesday’s election results were a defeat for the progressive effort to remake the Democratic Party in their image.

In an obvious effort to pander to the city’s taxi industry, New York City is placing new limits on ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.

In a rare red-state victory for labor unions, Missouri voters rejected a right to work initiative by an overwhelming margin.

Facebook, Google, and several other companies have closed down accounts associated with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

There are good arguments as to why progressive Senators should vote against his confirmation. Let’s stick to those.