When Max Punishment is a ‘Slap on the Wrist’

Sexual misconduct in the military continues to frustrate observers.

Avengers: Endgame Passes $1 Billion In Gross Receipts

Avengers: Endgame earned $1 billion worldwide in its first weekend, but it will take a lot more to become the biggest grossing movie of all time.

Why is the NYT Paywall Up the Other 362 Days?

Its explanation for why its paywall is coming down 3 days leads us to an obvious question.

Peter Mayhew, Actor Behind Chewbacca’s Mask, Dies At 74

I sense a great disturbance in the Force. As if a billion voices are crying out “No, not Chewie!!!!”

Venezuela Rebellion Appears To Fizzle Out

While street protests continue, the efforts to get the Venezuelan military to oust President Nicolas Maduro appear to have failed.

American Intervention In Venezuela Would Be Counterproductive, Unwise, And Illegal

The ongoing apparent attempted coup in Venezuela is already leading to talk of American intervention in the event of a crackdown. That would be unwise and unjustified.

Stacy Abrams Not Running for Senate

The narrow loser of the Georgia governor’s race has left open the possibility of running for President.

F.B.I. Warns Of Russian Plans To Interfere In 2020 Elections

Counter-Intelligence officials are warning that Russia is preparing another election interference campaign for the 2020 election.

Over 200 Dead in Sri Lanka Church Attacks

Blasts at Christian churches and tourist hotels appear to be a coordinated terrorist attack.

Donald Trump Is The President Of Trumpland, Not The United States

Donald Trump speaks largely just to his base, ignoring the nation as a whole. Whether this will be enough to win re-election in 2020 is an open question.

Notre Dame Cathedral Hit By Major Fire

A major, destructive fire hits one of the most historic churches in the world.

On A Personal Note

Checking in after an extended absence.

Politics on Twitter vs IRL

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

Social Media Pinterest Twitter Facebook Instagram Social Media Pinterest Twitter Facebook Instagram

Politicians Blocking Citizens on Social Media

The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez edition.

Misogyny and Nano-Bubbles

It’s increasingly challenging to discuss media coverage because we’re all consuming a hand-selected bit of it.

Post-Mueller Recriminations

The mea culpas and I-told-you-so’s are rather premature.

Mueller Report: No Conspiracy or Coordination Between Trump Campaign and Russian Government

The principal findings of the Mueller report are now public. They’re good news for the President on Russia and a mixed bag on obstruction.

Mueller’s Report: We Don’t Know Much

Predictably, news that the investigation has ended has people on both sides cheering. It’s unwarranted.

On Cows, Devin Nunes, and Twitter

On one level, it is rather amusing; on another is it quite insidious.

Americans Want to Ban Hate Speech But Can’t Define It

Two-thirds want social media platforms to ban harassment and racist, sexist, and other offensive speech.

Media, Free Speech, and Violent Extremists

Free expression sometimes enables horrible crimes. How does a free society deal with that tension?

Terrorist Attack Kills 49 in Christchurch Mosques

Another white supremacist attack raises disturbing questions about our information environment.

Low-Information Individuals, Motivated Reasoning, and Epistemic Overconfidence

Why rational discourse seldom changes the minds of some people.

On Personal Liberty And Vaccination

Mandatory vaccination laws raise personal liberty issues that ought to be taken seriously, but in the end, public health concerns weigh heavily in favor of laws mandating vaccination.

Paul Manafort’s Sentence, Justice, And The Question Of Race

The relatively light sentence that Paul Manafort received is raising eyebrows. Hopefully it will lead to a long-overdue debate on sentencing reform.

Another Study Rebuts The Claim That Vaccinations Cause Autism

A decade-long study once again establishes that there is no link between childhood vaccination and autism.

Is Joe Biden Out Of Step In An Increasingly Hyperpartisan America?

In what was basically a throwaway line, Joe Biden said something nice about Mike Pence. The reaction from his fellow Democrats says a lot about our current political culture, and none of it is good.

Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: A Study in Contrasts

The President of the United States and the most-talked-about freshman Representative in ages could not be more different.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee Is Running For President

Washington Governor Jay Inslee is running for the Democratic nomination for President on a platform primarily focused on climate change. Whether that helps distinguish him from a growing field of candidates remains to be seen.

I Don’t Care Where Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Lives

Breathless coverage of this freshman Congressman is getting tiresome.

Where Have All the Editors Gone?

Grammar and spelling errors abound at all but a handful of news sites.

Roger Stone Gets Off Easy As Federal Judge Imposes Gag Order

After posting an image that clearly threatened a Federal Judge, Roger Stone walked out of court with a full gag order imposed on him. It could’ve gone a lot worse.

Jussie Smollett Charged With Faking “Hate Crime”

Actor Jussie Smollett is charged with staging an attack initially called a “hate crime.”

Martina Navratilova Faces Blowback For Comments On Transgender Athletes

Tennis great Martina Navratilova is facing criticism for raising questions about how sports handles the issue of transgender athletes competing within the gender they identify with. She shouldn’t be.

Family of Covington Teen Sues WaPo

While I’m sympathetic to his plight, he has no case.

Roger Stone Ordered To Court Over Instagram Post Threatening Federal Judge

Roger Stone is being ordered to Court after an Instagram post that appears to be a direct threat against the Judge presiding over his criminal case.

Can Coverage of Women Candidates Be Non-Sexist?

Gender bias is real. Most examples cited, though, aren’t.

Trump’s Attacks On The Media Come Home To Roost

It was only a matter of time before Trump’s rhetoric against the press would lead to something violent. Last night in El Paso, it happened.

Republicans Shift Focus To Freshman Democrats

The right has spent a seemingly inordinate amount of time focusing on relatively powerless Members of Congress.

Poll Finds Virginians Split Amid Scandals Enveloping Richmond

A new poll shows that Virginians don’t necessarily believe their state leaders need to step aside in the wake of recent scandals.

One Week Later, Ralph Northam Is Still Governor. He May Stay There.

After a week of scandal and chaos in Virginia politics, there’s no sign that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is going anywhere, and there’s very little that can be done to force him out of office.

The Closing Of The Conservative Media Mind

Two more defections from the stable of writers at RedState provide further proof of the extent to which conservative media has become a pro-Trump echo chamber.

New York Democrats Looking At Potential Challengers To Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has managed to become a media star, but she has a lot to learn about politics.

Ocasio-Cortez, Like Trump, is Immune to Fact Checks

In both cases, appeals to emotion are not diminished by disregard for accuracy.

Is There Room For Forgiveness And Redemption In The #MeToo Era?

Can society forgive the men caught up in the #MeToo movement? Is it even our place to decide?

MAGA Student Confronting Native American Veteran Story Fake News?

The longer video and deeper investigation of the incident reveals a very different story.

Nancy Pelosi To Trump: Cancel The State Of The Union Until The Government Reopens

Nancy Pelosi is “suggesting” to the President that the State of the Union be rescheduled for a time after the government shutdown ends, but it clearly seems like more than just a suggestion.

Paul Manafort Shared Trump Campaign Data With Russians, Manafort Pleading Reveals

Paul Manafort’s attorneys reveal in a pleading that their client provided insider campaign data to Russian intelligence sources, something that seems an awful lot like collusion.

2020 Will Be A Tougher Fight For Bernie Sanders Than 2016 Was

Bernie Sanders is facing questions about sexual harassment from women who worked on his 2016 campaign as he prepares a likely run for President in 2020.

Before Taking Office, Mitt Romney Takes On Trump

Before even taking office, Mitt Romney is taking on the President. It’s a good sign, but we’ll see what it leads to.