Outside the Beltway

California is taking a major step in Criminal Justice reform by eliminating cash bail.

A top Vatican official is alleging that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were both aware of previously unknown allegations of sexual abuse and chose to allow them to be covered up rather than bringing them to light.

The head football coach at the University of Maryland has been suspended after reports of a “toxic environment” that led to the death of a student athlete in June.

In what amounts to a significant, albeit not surprising, change in Catholic doctrine, Pope Francis has declared that the death penalty is unacceptable in all circumstances.

A reference point for the future.

The Supreme Court declined, for now, to hear the appeal of a Washington state florist who declined to provide services for a same-sex wedding. The issues it raises, though, are likely to return to the Court in the future.

A controversial name is disappearing from one small stretch of road.

A seemingly innocuous change to a newspaper style guide has some significant implications.

Donald Trump’s approach to international trade has nothing to with economics and everything to do with politics and the culture war he loves to provoke.

Some good news from North Korea.

It takes a whole lot of work to net small gains for underrepresented groups.

The idea that individuals have different “learning styles” is apparently not borne out by the evidence, according to recent research.

The answer is, of course, no. Really, this is a post about the wall as policy.

Dan Drezner notes some challenges on this topic, and I add some of my own thoughts.

The Vatican has stopped short of calling the reports “Fake news.”

Mitt Romney staked out a position on DACA that is to the right of the President, and to the right of a majority of Utah voters.

Repeated studies have demonstrated their bias against women and minorities. Why do we use them to make employment decisions?

Wisconsin-Stevens Point is shuttering 13 majors, including English, history, political science and sociology while expanding more job-oriented programs.

We may about to see a wave of teacher strikes.

Two classic pieces of American Literature have been banned from the curriculum in Duluth, Minnesota. This is a mistake.

Friday’s eight-hour shutdown was not the non-event it seemed from the outside.

The Supreme Court heard argument today in a case challenging a 1992 law barring sports gambling in all but a handful of states, and the Justices appeared skeptical of the law.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in what could end up being a landmark case on the issue of the scope of Fourth Amendment rights in the 21st Century.

Americans as a whole are becoming less religious and some people are panicking about it.

President Obama spoke out yesterday against his successor and the America he has created.

Day One of the questioning of Judge Neil Gorsuch went very well, and it suggests that his path to confirmation is basically clear of serious obstacles.

DeVos plays to the CPAC crowd, but insults higher education.

I’ve been something of a political news junkie for 40 years now. This year has burned me out.

A new study debunks an old idea.

The creator of some of the most popular television programming of the 1970s has passed away at the age of 81.

Once again, the GOP platform is turning into a surrender to social conservatives on issues such as same-sex marriage and transgender rights.

Justice Ginsburg made some recent comments about the election that have, to say the least, raised some eyebrows.

A man who survived great horrors to become a tireless witness for truth and advocate for human rights has passed away.

In case anyone noticed: I got the Trump nomination wrong.

On his trip to Hanoi, President announced the latest sign that the Vietnam War is finally something both nations have manged to put behind them.

My latest for War on The Rocks, “Professional Military Education and the Rigor Problem, has posted.

More accurately, some thoughts on commentary about higher ed.

The godfather of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine has passed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When may I shoot a student?

Kimba Wood has finally found a teacher exam she likes.

Lindsey Graham recently retired as a colonel in the Air Force Reserves after 33 years of service. He missed most of the last twenty.

Pope Francis’s new encyclical isn’t exactly being received positively by American conservatives, because they seem to be missing the point.