Posts by Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

New Jersey Democrats Abandon Controversial Redistricting Plan

After a barrage of criticism, New Jersey Democrats are abandoning a controversial redistricting proposal.

Mystery Mueller Case In D.C. Federal Court Continues To Raise Questions

Mystery continues to surround a proceeding that has been making its way through the Federal Courts in Washington, D.C.

Heading Into Border Wall Showdown, Trump And The GOP Are Losing The Battle

As Washington heads into the final days of a budget shutdown, Republicans find themselves on the losing end of a public relations battle.

Biden, Sanders Lead Early 2020 Democratic Polls

Former Vice-President Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are, not surprisingly, leading the early polls for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

The Death Of The Weekly Standard

Thanks apparently to the fact that it remained unwilling to get in line behind the Trumpidians, the conservative owner of The Weekly Standard has shut the magazine down.

Ryan Zinke Out At Interior Department

The scandal-plagued Secretary of the Interior is leaving office at the end of the year.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Affordable Care Act As Unconstitutional

Eight years after it was signed into law, a Federal Judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional.

Trump Names Budget Director Mick Mulvaney “Acting” Chief Of Staff

Trump has selected current Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to replace John Kelly as Chief of Staff, but that’s unlikely to change how the West Wing operates.

Voyager 2 Enters Interstellar Space

Another piece of humanity has left the Solar System.

Senate Overwhelmingly Repudiates Trump On War On Yemen, Khashoggi Murder

In a small, but meaningful, step, the Senate has rebuked the Administration’s policies toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jon Kyl To Leave Senate By December 31st

Jon Kyl was named to replace John McCain back in September, but as expected he’s already announcing that he’ll be leaving at the end of the year.

Trump Placed ‘In The Room’ When Plans To Quash Stories About Affairs Were Discussed

More evidence that President Trump was an active participant in the scheme to silence Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels in advance of the 2016 election.

House GOP Doesn’t Have Votes To Fund Trump’s Border Wall

House Republicans reportedly don’t have the votes to fund the President’s border wall.

Federal Investigators Now Looking Into Donations To Trump Inaugural Committee

Federal prosecutors are investigating the Trump Inaugural Committee, adding to the long list of the President’s legal troubles.

Growing Our Way Out Of Debt? Not Very Likely

The Trump Administration appears to think that the Budget Deficit and National Debt aren’t a big deal because we can just grow our way out of the problem. This is highly unlikely to happen.

New Jersey Democrats Want To Enshrine Gerrymandering In State Constitution

Gerrymandering. It’s not just for Republicans.

Australia’s Top Cardinal Was Convicted Of Sex Abuse, The Australian Press Can’t Report It

A particularly appalling case of press censorship from Australia.

Prosecutors Reach Deal With Publisher Over Payoffs On Behalf Of Trump Campaign

The publisher of the National Enquirer admits that it made payments to a Playboy model for the purpose of protecting Donald Trump’s campaign for President.

Theresa May Survives Tory No Confidence Vote

British Prime Minister Theresa May survived an intra-party leadership challenge, but her political position is still far from secure.

Michael Cohen Sentenced To Three Years For His Role In Various Trump Schemes

The President’s former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen has been sentenced to three years in prison for his role in assisting the President in various scandals and cover-ups.

Pelosi Near Deal To Secure Leadership, But It Includes Term Limits

Nancy Pelosi is apparently close to a deal with dissident Democrats that will keep her in power until at least 2022.

Macron Makes Concessions To Yellow Vest Protesters, But Will It Be Enough?

French President Emmanuel Macron made several concessions to the Yellow Vest protesters but it remains to be seen if this will be enough to quell the protests.

Theresa May Faces No Confidence Vote From Fellow Tories

Theresa May is facing an unexpected challenge to her leadership even as she deals with trying to save a Brexit deal that nobody seems to like.

Trump Threatens Government Shutdown Over Border Wall Funding

Once again, President Trump is threatening a shutdown over the border wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for.

With Vote On Hold, Theresa May Struggles To Save Brexit

Theresa May is trying to save a Brexit deal that appears to be becoming more doomed by the day.

Supreme Court Hands Planned Parenthood A Win In Medicaid Funding Case

The Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving state laws banning Medicaid reimbursement for non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood.

McConnell, Other Republicans, Blocking Criminal Justice Reform [Updated: Vote To Go Forward]

Senator Mitch McConnell and others are blocking a criminal justice reform bill currently pending in the Senate.

Republicans Still Don’t Get The Point Of The 2018 Election

The verdict of last month’s elections was clear, but Republicans still don’t seem to get it.

Europe’s Highest Court Opens A Brexit Escape Hatch For Great Britain

Europe’s highest Court appeared to hand the United Kingdom a way of escaping Brexit altogether if it chose to go that route. This will greatly complicate the domestic political situation for Theresa May.

Trump’s Border Wall Faces Its Last Stand

This month’s budget fight is likely the last chance the President will have to get any funding for his border wall.

Top Contender To Replace John Kelly Takes His Name Out Of Contention

President Trump’s first choice to replace John Kelly as Chief of Staff turned the job down, leading one to wonder why anyone would want the job.

France To Investigate Reports Of Russian Instigation In “Yellow Vest” Protests

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

#MeToo And ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside”

A fifty-year-old song is getting new scrutiny in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

White Supremacist Found Guilty In Murder Of Charlottesville Counter-Protester

The white supremacist charged with killing a counter-protester during last year’s events in Charlottesville has been convicted of first-degree murder.

Don’t Be Shocked, But Cory Booker Is Thinking Of Running For President

Cory Booker’s interest in running for President has been an open secret for some time, now he’s being far less coy about it.

John Kelly To Leave White House By The End Of The Year

This time, the rumors about John Kelly leaving appear to be true.

Supreme Court Appears Willing To Uphold Exception To ‘Double Jeopardy’ Clause

The Supreme Court appears reluctant to overturn a century of case law that established a significant exception to the Double Jeopardy Clause.

The Winds Of Mars

(Almost) live from Mars!

Mueller Catalogs The Lies That Led Him To Rip Up Manafort’s Plea Deal

Lies and possible evidence of obstruction of justice make up the bulk of Robert Mueller’s new case against former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.

Government Implicates Trump In Election Scheme In Cohen Sentencing Memos

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S, Attorney for the Southern District of New York have filed sentencing memos that directly implicate the President in a series of felonies.

Trump Selects Former Attorney General William Barr To Be New Attorney General

William Barr, who served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, has been selected to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

November Jobs Growth Falls Short Of Expectations

Jobs Growth in November was healthy but fell short of expectations.

John Kelly Expected To Resign “Soon”

There’s yet another rumor that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could be on the way out.

Trump To Name Heather Nauert Ambassador To The United Nations

President Trump is expected to name a former Fox News host as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Economic Storm Clouds On The Horizon

The economy is in good shape for the moment but there are storm clouds on the horizon.

Trump Shrugs Off Reports Of An Approaching Debt Crisis

Trump has reportedly told aides that he doesn’t really care about reports of an approaching crisis of the budget deficit and national debt because he’ll be out of office before it becomes a problem.

Citing Health Issues, Urban Meyer Retires As Ohio State Head Coach

Nine years after retiring as Head Coach at Florida, Urban Meyer announced earlier this week that he would retire from his current position at Ohio State after the Rose Bowl.

Washington Pays Tribute To George H.W. Bush

Washington said farewell to George H.W. Bush today in a service that both remembered his spirit and his heroism, and stands as a sharp rebuke to what politics has been reduced to in America today.

Trump Administration Preparing To Ban Bump Stocks

The Trump Administration is preparing to ban bump stocks in the coming weeks.