Could a free trade agreement between the U.S. and EU be in the cards? With Obama’s reelection and economies on both sides of the Atlantic still in the doldrums, we’re seeing an increasing willingness on both sides to undertake bold steps to stimulate growth. The Washington Post has more: Obama is considering making a trans-Atlantic […]

A new study commissioned by the Obama Administration predicts “net economic benefits” from exporting liquified natural gas: In all of these cases, benefits that come from export expansion more than outweigh the losses from reduced capital and wage income to U.S. consumers, and hence LNG exports have net economic benefits in spite of higher domestic natural […]

We’re already used to using cell phones for a wide range of things—GPS navigation, videos, games—but this is a new one: The mechanics already present in most cell phones could be utilized to help seismologists map earthquakes and warn those in danger. BBC News has the details: “Nowadays, smartphones carry all sorts of sensors, and we […]

A major corruption investigation is underway in New Orleans. One by one, businessmen and city officials are being brought to trial under corruption allegations, many of them dating back to former Mayor Ray Nagin’s administration. The Wall Street Journal‘s sources suggest that a broader corruption investigation aimed at Nagin himself may be underway: Rodney Williams, […]

Cuba and the United States are in yet another spat, this time over the mistreatment of Alan Gross, an American citizen who has been held in Cuban prison since 2009. The State Department alleges that Gross has been receiving poor medical care and has lost more than 100 pounds in prison—charges denied by the Cuban government. The […]

Eleven states, including California, have more residents who draw money from the government—as employees, pensioners, or welfare recipients—than people employed in the private sector. This means that roughly one-third of Americans live in states where more people receive tax dollars than pay taxes on non-government income.Over at Forbes, William Baldwin counsels potential home buyers to […]

The crimes Bradley Manning is accused of are extremely serious and destructive, and if he is guilty as charged they should throw the book at him.Manning now seeks to have his case dismissed because of unduly harsh conditions during his confinement, including, as the LA Times reports, being “stripped of his clothing, forced to sleep […]

In August, Via Meadia called attention to a prominent conservative donor and high-level backer of the Romney campaign who is also a proponent of same-sex marriage. Now there’s another one, and you may have heard his name mentioned during the campaign. The WSJ is out with an interview with the biggest, and perhaps most well-known, […]

There’s an old piece in the NY Times that tells of a dinner in February 2011 in which California’s finest gathered for the opportunity to ask President Obama one question each. When it came to Steve Jobs’s turn, Obama was instead the one to ask him a question. He asked about Apple’s choice to manufacture […]

One of the reasons blue programs jump the shark is that over time more and more special interests lobby politicians to get special features added. The small add-ons and tweaks make programs more expensive and complicated to administer—and much, much harder to reform. This process begins when the laws are written; the lobbyists are there […]