Something astonishing is happening in blue California: actual forward-looking policy innovation.A recent NYT article reports on a new bill before the State Senate that would require public universities to give credit for online courses. The goal is to make it easier for students who can’t get into oversubscribed introductory classes to still get credit for […]

Iran is doing a lot more to control events in Syria than Washington, it appears. In a statement that reinforces observations by other officials in other countries, the head of military intelligence in the Israel Defense Forces claims Iran and Hezbollah have raised a formidable army to assist Butcher Assad, and to protect Iranian interests […]

Michigan made it official this week: Detroit can no longer survive without adult supervision. Michigan’s governor named Kevyn Orr, a DC bankruptcy lawyer, to handle the city’s affairs on an emergency basis as the deep blue city makes a last ditch effort to avoid the biggest municipal bankruptcy in American history.During the long grim slide, […]

Could Obamacare self-destruct? We’ve previously written about the possibility that companies would respond to the Affordable Care Act by self-insuring, using a form of coverage called stop-loss insurance to take direct responsibility for their employees’ health care costs. This scheme lets companies escape the new taxes that Obamacare imposes, as well as giving them more flexibility […]

This could get ugly. The New York Times is reporting that the Senate is close to deciding on whether to include a provision in an upcoming resolution to keep the United States Postal Service delivering mail six days a week—against the wishes of the postmaster general. This provision, echoing one passed last week by the House, would ratchet […]

Shinzo Abe has signalled that Japan will join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade group that includes the US and 10 other nations. The BBC reports: Japan’s decision to enter the talks comes at a time when its economy has been struggling to gain momentum.Its growth has been hurt by a decline in […]

A hidden Obamacare provision could bury US businesses under a large new health care fee. According to the WSJ, the Affordable Care Act will charge employers an extra $63 for each person they insure. This tax will raise $25 billion dollars from companies and other providers over the next three years. As we’ve come to […]

How times have changed in China. In Mao’s era, a traveler visiting Beijing might have heard people singing the famous song “Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China” with such patriotic, socialist lyrics as “The Communist Party toiled for the nation / The Communist Party of one mind saved China!”Not today. As Evan […]

On the eve of President Obama’s trip to the Middle East, this Gallup favorability poll highlights some of the challenges he will face. Most startling is the fact that Americans’ dislike of Egypt has increased to a twenty year high, with 53 percent holding an unfavorable view. That’s the highest percentage since Gallup starting asking […]

As the shock of the recession fades and the US energy miracle gets underway, Americans are migrating south and west in search of opportunity. The US Census Bureau reports that the Great Plains and Texas are experiencing the country’s most rapid population growth. Thanks to the energy boom, strong hiring growth, rising home prices, and […]