Does Comedy Have to be Based on Truth?

Hasan Minhaj is a serial liar. Does it matter?

The Filibuster Isn’t The Problem

It’s undemocratic and we should get rid of it. But doing so isn’t a panacea.

My Case Against Brett Kavanaugh

While I was originally content to let Brett Kavanaugh sail through to confirmation, I now feel compelled to oppose his nomination to be a Supreme Court Justice.

Republicans Proceeding Forward With Kavanaugh Nomination In Doubt

Republicans intend to “plow through” on the Kavanaugh nomination even after yesterday’s hearing, but it’s not clear that they have the votes to confirm him.

Parsing a Key Phrase from the Trump-EU Press Conference

Trade deals take more than an afternoon chat.

Trump Administration Argues It Didn’t Need Congressional Authorization To Attack Syria

Echoing the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration is arguing that it did not need Congressional authorization to attack Syria earlier this year.

Donald Trump’s Dereliction Of Presidential Duty Is Self-Evident

Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty in response to clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a staggering and flagrant dereliction of the duties he agreed to take on when he took the Oath Of Office more than a year ago.

Rand Paul Likely To Miss Main Stage In Next Week’s Debate, And He’s Not Happy About That

Rand Paul is likely to miss the main stage for next Tuesday’s debate, so his campaign is already calling on CNN to change the rules.

Federal Judge Rules N.S.A. Mass Data Collection Unconstitutional

A Federal Judge has ruled that the N.S.A. metadata collection program is unconstitutional, but it’s unclear if the ruling will have much of an impact.

Senate Passes Two-Year Budget Deal

As expected, the Senate easily passed the two-year budget deal early this morning.

First Republican ‘Debate’ of 2016 Was Truly Awful

Last night reinforced what I thought about some candidates and changed what I think about others.

Why a Record Number of Republicans Are Running in 2016

Matthew Dickinson takes a stab at explaining “Why So Many Republicans Are Running in 2016.”

Americans Say Civil Liberties Trump Terror Threats, Politicians Don’t Care

The American people don’t believe that liberty should be sacrificed in the name of security, but their leaders largely don’t care.

Senate Renews, Modifies, Patriot Act

The Senate passed a bill that renews, and modifies, the Patriot Act

Rand Paul’s Money Problem

Rand Paul Is at a distinct disadvantage compared to his fellow Republican candidates for President.

Domestic Spying ‘Suspended’ But Almost Certainly Continues Unabated

Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.

Patriot Act Lapses, Civilization Still Stands

Many provisions of the Patriot Act lapsed at midnight, but apparently the world hasn’t ended.

With Hours Left, The Fate Of The PATRIOT Act Remains Uncertain

The Senate returns tomorrow to try to pass an extension of the PATRIOT Act before it expires, but it may not be able to do so.

Rand Paul: GOP Hawks Have Advocated Policies That Have Helped ISIS Flourish

Rand Paul is out with one of his more forceful attacks on Republican hawks to date.

Senate Fails To Pass PATRIOT Act Renewal

The Senate went home last night without passing a bill to renew the PATRIOT Act, which expires at the end of the month.

Rand Paul Holds The Senate Floor To Talk About PATRIOT Act Renewal, Civil Liberties

Rand Paul held the Senate floor for nearly twelve hours yesterday to talk about the PATRIOT Act, but it’s unclear if he accomplished anything.

David Cameron To Propose Broad Expansion Of Powers To Crackdown On ‘Extremism’

Fresh off an election victory, British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to propose a series of new measures to crackdown on extremism that raise serious civil liberties concerns.

House Passes Bill To Restrict N.S.A. Data Mining

The House has passed a bill that would place real restrictions on the National Security Agency’s data mining program. Now, it moves to the Senate.

James Clapper Tells Congress He Testified Falsely Because, ‘I Forgot’

Director of National Intelligence now tells Congress that he testified falsely about NSA spying because he forgot the program existed.

Appeals Court Rules N.S.A. Data Mining Illegal

A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the N.S.A.’s data mining program is illegal, but its ruling may not have a very big impact.

Obama To Seek Authorization For A War That He Already Started

President Obama will ask Congress to authorize a war he started six months ago.

Why Congress is AWOL on National Security Policy

Has the legislative branch abdicated its responsibility in US foreign policy?

Most PATRIOT Act ‘Sneak And Peek’ Warrants Used In War On Drugs, Not War On Terror

Not surprisingly, a law passed in the wake of the September 11th attacks has been used mostly for things that have nothing to do with terrorism.

Pat Roberts Engages In Gitmo Fearmongering To Win Re-Election

Facing a tough re-election battle, Kansas Senator Pat Roberts is engaging in abject fearrmongering.

Could The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Make It Through Congress Today?

The sad truth is that the bipartisanship that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 no longer exists today.

Rand Paul’s N.S.A. Lawsuit: Campaign Stunt Or Real Legal Threat? Does It Matter?

If something is going to be done about an out of control National Security State, it’ll be because the American people demand it.

Does Judge Leon’s Ruling On NSA Surveillance Vindicate Edward Snowden?

Does a determination that NSA data collection practices are likely unconstitutional mean that Edward Snowden’s actions were, in some sense, justified?

9/11 And The Never-Ending War

The world changed significantly twelve years ago today. Will it ever change back even a little bit?

Drug War Using American Phone Records More Than Terror War

Prism ain’t got nothin’ on the Hemisphere Project.

Senator Obama Warned About PATRIOT Act Abuses That Happened Under President Obama

President Obama is doing precisely what Senator Obama warned us about.

Chris Christie’s Misguided Attack On Rand Paul And The GOP’s ‘Libertarian’ Wing

Chris Christie waded into the debate going on in the GOP over foreign policy. His comments were less than helpful to say the least.

Peter King ‘Not Ruling Out’ Presidential Run; He Should

An overweight Republican from the northeast is thinking about running for president. No, not that one.

Privacy Group Petitions Supreme Court Over FISA Court

A privacy rights group has filed a Petition with the Supreme Court regarding recent actions by the FISA Court.

The Right Turns On Marco Rubio Over Immigration Reform

Marco Rubio has suffered a reversal of fortune among Republicans thanks to his role in the immigration reform debate.

What Happens When A President You Don’t Trust Has These Powers?

Even if you trust the current occupant of the White House to exercise the powers granted to the agencies operating in secret under him, do you trust all future Presidents?

ACLU Files Suit Over NSA Phone Records Data Mining

The ACLU is suing over the NSA’s data mining. Does it really have a chance?

NSA Data Mining: It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Legal

Just because NSA data mining is legal, that doesn’t mean it’s proper or that the American people should tolerate it.

NSA Mining Data From Top Internet Content Providers

Big Brother is doing more than just checking your phone records.

It’s About More Than Cell Phone Records, It’s About Liberty

The NSA’s data mining project is about more than just subpoenas for cell phone records.

Obama Expands Bush Data Mining Program

Apparently, it’s not just reporters whose phone logs the Obama administration is tracking.

Judge Orders Google To Comply With Secret FBI Demands For User Information

Once again, national security wins and privacy loses.

Public Concerned With Government Overreach In Response To Terrorism

The American people aren’t panicking.