You know you’re a screwup when you can’t even check into prison properly. Leave it to former Congressman and current convicted felon Jesse Jackson Jr., who arrived at prison on Monday only to be turned away—he had mistakenly shown up too early. He is now in custody at a federal prison in North Carolina, and […]

Europe’s austerity drive has been focused on the wrong kind of debt. According to new research from the IMF, private debt (debt held by households or corporations) is a greater menace to growth than is government debt. While the Eurozone has been trying to reduce high levels of public debt, most notably in the South, […]

Don’t look now, but the Republican governor of an electorally important state is making a name for himself with a vocal defense of the poor and the safety net they depend on. The NYT reports on Governor John R. Kasich of Ohio: “I’m concerned about the fact there seems to be a war on the […]

MOOCs have a number of advantages: they’re cheaper, they’re open to everyone, and they allow students to arrange their studies around busy schedules. But almost none offer credit, and without that MOOCs are worth far less than equivalent college courses, even if students learn exactly the same things. Until colleges are convinced the programs are […]

In the eyes of many members of the Muslim Brotherhood, as Reuters reports in an special investigation, the usra, the foundation of the Brotherhood’s organization, is failing. Usras are small groups of Muslim Brothers, usually about seven, with a leader. The group meets frequently and the leader can become very important and influential among the other […]

It’s no secret that Ukraine isn’t happy with its current relationship with Russia. Kiev has grown adept at playing Moscow against Brussels, but at the heart of the matter is dissatisfaction over natural gas contracts: Ukraine pays more than the average European customer for Russian gas, and it is locked in to long-term, take-or-pay contracts […]

The big questions in Affordable Care Act news this week are “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” Did the administration know back in 2010 that millions of Americans would probably lose their pre-existing insurance as the ACA went into effect.NBC kickstarted the debate with a story about ACA regulations from […]

Which colleges give students the best value for their money? Lots of magazines publish lists that advise students about good deals, but there’s not a lot of agreement about how to measure academic value. Every publication has its own yardstick, often with very little in common between them. The NYT: Some of these analyses approach value […]

Boko Haram, once merely a local terror concern, appears to be on the cusp of becoming yet another international jihadist cause celebre, drawing foreign fighters in its quest to convert Nigeria into an Islamist state. The Washington Post: Extremists from three neighboring countries are fighting in Nigeria’s northeastern Islamic uprising, according to an alleged captured […]

Have you ever dreamed of biking from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico but been frustrated by the lack of dedicated bike lanes for the cross-country trip? Neither have we, but an architectural design firm has a $400 million plan to meet this desire you never knew you had, while boosting the appeal of a […]