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.

U.S. Opens Embassy In Jerusalem Amid Massive Deadly Protests In Gaza

Celebrations and a deadly day in the Middle East.

Melania Trump Undergoes Kidney Surgery, Will Be Hospitalized Until End Of Week

A surprise announcement about the First Lady.

Harry Reid Undergoes Surgery For Pancreatic Cancer

The former Senate Majority Leader had surgery in Maryland after an apparently early diagnosis.

Supreme Court Tosses Federal Law Barring Sports Betting

A big win for Federalism and common sense at the Supreme Court.

Donald Trump Wants To Help Make A Controversial Chinese Company Great Again

For some reason, the President wants to help a Chinese company that has been accused of being a security risk by American intelligence services.

Trump’s 2018 Agenda Is Non-Existent

Don’t look for a Trump agenda for the rest of the year. It doesn’t exist.

White House Leakers Leak Why They’re Leaking

The Trump White House has leaked more than any in recent memory. Some of the leakers have explained what motivates them.

Percentage Of Americans Professing “No Religion” On The Rise

The number of Americans professing no religious affiliation is on the rise. This will have some interesting cultural and political implications.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

It’s Not ‘Misleading,’ It’s A Lie

When a President lies with the ease and regularity of Donald Trump, it’s the responsibility of all of us to call it what it is and not hide behind weasel words like “misleading.”

Oliver North: N.R.A. Being Treated Worse Than African-Americans During Jim Crow

Oliver North is fitting right in at the N.R.A.

First West Virginia Poll Shows Morrisey Leading Manchin

Joe Manchin looks to be facing a strong challenge from Patrick Morrisey.

USPS Loses Billions Per Year, But Not Because Of Amazon

The Postal Service is losing billions of dollars, but not for the reasons the President claims.

White House Refusing To Apologize For “Joke” About John McCain

The White House isn’t apologizing for an aide who made a joke about John McCain’s most likely terminal illness. That shouldn’t be surprising.

A Compromise On Transgender Rights?

A writer at National Review is proposing a compromise on the issue of transgender rights. Needless to say, many conservatives aren’t very happy about it.

Battle For Control Of Congress Remains Relatively Stable, And Good For Democrats

The Generic Congressional Ballot has tightened in some recent polls, but on average the battle for control of Congress continues to favor Democrats.

Merkel: Europe Can No Longer Count On The United States

President Trump’s decision to violate the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran could be a turning point in relations between the United States and its most important allies, and not in a good way.

Republicans Fighting Against Efforts To Limit Gerrymandering

Republicans are trying to fight back against efforts to limit their ability to gerrymander Congressional and State Legislative Districts. It’s a fight they deserve to lose.

Ebola Making A Reappearance In Africa

Ebola is making a reappearance in Central Africa.. Will the world be better prepared this time?

White House Aide Jokes About McCain Dying

When it comes to the Trump White House, the fish rots from the head down.

Mike Pence Thinks A Year Is Long Enough For The Russia Investigation

Mike Pence’s obsequiousness to his master knows no limits.

Trump Summit With Kim Jung Un Set For June 12th In Singapore

The date and location of the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un has been set, but there’s as much chance of failure as their is hope for success.

Ohio Voters Approve Redistricting Reform

Ohio voters have approved a referendum designed to reform the manner in which district lines are drawn.

Haspel Faces Questions About Torture, But Her Confirmation Seems Assured

Gina Haspel faced some tough questions from Democrats regarding her role in the C.I.A.’s post-9/11 torture programs, but she’s likely to be confirmed anyway.

In Donald Trump’s World, “Fake News” Means Anything Negative About Him

For Donald Trump and his supporters, “Fake News” means any news that doesn’t shower enough praise on him.

Republican Rebels Trying To Force House Vote On DACA Bill

A small group of Republican rebels in the House are attempting to push legislation protecting DACA beneficiaries to a floor vote. Unfortunately, they’re not likely to succeed.

Company Tied To Russian Oligarch Gave Money To LLC That Paid Off Stormy Daniels

New documents reveal that the Limited Liability Company that paid off Stormy Daniels also received payments from a company linked to a Russian oligarch.

Three Americans Held In North Korea Released

Some good news from North Korea.

Republicans Dodge A Bullet In West Virginia

Republican chances to hold the Senate were boosted in West Virginia last night thanks to the fact that a fringe candidate was soundly defeated.

Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal From The Iran Nuclear Deal

As expected, President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran. There was no rational basis for doing so.

The Rise Of The Trumpidian GOP Candidates

Whether Don Blankenship wins or loses in West Virginia, his success is yet another example of how Donald Trump has changed the GOP for the worse.

Majority Of Americans Say U.S. Should Stay In The Iran Nuclear Deal

A majority of Americans want the President to stay in the nuclear deal with Iran. That’s unlikely to matter to him.

Rudy Giuliani Suggests Trump Could Ignore A Mueller Subpoena

Rudy Giuliani is basically now suggesting that his client would be willing to set off a Constitutional crisis that would make Watergate seem like a picnic.

Oliver North Named New President Of National Rifle Association

A blast from the past as Oliver North, who was once at the center of a major Washington scandal, is named President of the National Rifle Association.

On Eve Of Confirmation Hearing, Haspel Suggested Withdrawing CIA Nomination

With the start of her confirmation hearings just days away, Gina Haspel’s nomination to be C.I.A. Director is by no means secure.

National Republicans Pushing Back Against Upstart, Racist Candidate In West Virginia

National Republicans are increasingly concerned that an upstart, racist candidate who has unleashed personal attacks on Mitch McConnell’s family will sneak through and win tomorrow’s primary to decide who will face Joe Manchin in November.

U.S. Navy Reviving Atlantic Fleet

Seven years after deactivation, the U.S. Second Fleet will be patrolling the North Atlantic again.

McCain Doesn’t Want Trump At His Funeral

John McCain continues to bravely battle an aggressive form of brain cancer, but he’s already made clear that he doesn’t want the 45th President of the United States at his funeral.

Why Do We Have Congressional Chaplains To Begin With?

The incident involving Paul Ryan and the House Chaplain has raised some questions.

Trump Knew About Payment To Stormy Daniels Before He Denied Knowing About It

The facts in the Stormy Daniels affair continue to move in a direction that doesn’t look good for the President.

States Working To Chip Away At Abortion Rights While Trump Remakes The Judiciary

While the Trump Administration slowly tries to remake the Federal Judiciary, states are moving to pass radical new challenges to Roe v. Wade.

George H.W. Bush Released From Hospital

After less than two weeks, former President George H.W. Bush is out of the hospital.

Giuliani Tries To ‘Clarify’ His Statements After Trump Throws Him Under The Bus

Rudy Giuliani tried to clean up the mess he created for his client earlier this week. He failed miserably.

Support For Gun Control Waning In Wake Of Parkland Shooting

Support for gun control spiked in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting but it appears to be returning to more normal levels, and that’s bad news for gun control advocates.

After Controversial Removal, Ryan Reinstates House Chaplain

After hastily removing the House Chaplain under unclear circumstances, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has reversed himself.

Jobs Growth Falls Below Expectations In April While Wages Remain Stagnant

The unemployment rate hit a point unseen since Bill Clinton was President in April, but jobs and wage growth remain tepid at best.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump Continues To Lie, The Truth Continues To Die

President Trump has told an astonishingly large number of lies since taking office.

Giuliani Confirms That Trump Fired Comey Because Of The Russia Investigation

In addition to his admissions about the Stormy Daniels matter, Rudy Giuliani also confirmed what we’ve known for awhile, that James Comey was fired because of the Russia investigation.

Texas And Six Other States Sue To End DACA Program

A new lawsuit seeks to have the 2012 DACA program declared unconstitutional.

Rudy Giuliani: Sure, Trump Reimbursed Cohen For That Stormy Daniels Payment

Rudy Giuliani threw a live grenade into the middle of the Stormy Daniels affair last night, and he’s made things much, much worse for his client.