Washington

A Lesson for Those Who Would Lead America's Cities: Michael Scott Did Not Die in Vain

Rebecca Sive | Posted 11.19.2009 | Chicago


Rebecca Sive

In this week of Harold Washington's death, 22 years ago, I can't help but think of Harold and Michael -- together. In this time of thanksgiving, what can we learn from two lives cut too short?

Build, Don't Destroy in Afghanistan: An Open Letter to President Obama

Jim Wallis | Posted 11.20.2009 | World


Jim Wallis

Already, thousands of our readers have signed a letter and contacted the White House urging a new way forward in Afghanistan. I encourage you to read it and to endorse this message if you have not done so already.

Amtrak prepares for high ridership on Thanksgiving

NJ.com | NJ.com | Posted 11.16.2009 | Home


John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerA December 2007 file photo of passengers boarding a Washington D.C.-bound Amtrak train at Penn Station in New York Cit...

New Tools for Peace in Afghanistan

Jim Wallis | Posted 11.16.2009 | World


Jim Wallis

Development and humanitarian assistance can no longer be an afterthought; they must be central to any strategy the U.S. government puts forward in Afghanistan.

GM To Begin Repaying Aid By Year-End

AP | KEN THOMAS | Posted 11.16.2009 | Business


WASHINGTON — General Motors Co. will begin paying back $6.7 billion in U.S. government loans by the end of 2009 and could pay off that full amou...

Why Sen. Dodd's Opposition to the Federal Reserve is Ill-Conceived

Georges Ugeux | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics


Georges Ugeux

Had Senate Banking Committee's Chairman Chris Dodd's proposal been effective before the crisis, where would we be today?

The U.S. and China: The Defining Issue of Our Day

Zachary Karabell | Posted 11.14.2009 | World


Zachary Karabell

Americans still don't quite get it. There is no vote, quick resolution, or unitary policy that will "solve" China. That allows it to linger as a concern, but not to shape action.

How to Live on $0 a Day: Assuaging Rage, One Prick at a Time

Lesley Stern | Posted 11.12.2009 | Comedy


Lesley Stern

If you're quivering with rage just thinking about Wall Street, it's time to take action. I've discovered a way to achieve a semblance of inner peace without therapists, tranquilizers or weapons.

My Electric Summer, When Washington Helped Resurrect the EV

Kirsten Dirksen | Posted 11.10.2009 | Green


Kirsten Dirksen

If this summer was the coming out party for the electric car, Washington was the host. They may seem unlikely bedfellows, but I'm convinced the EV companies have learned how to play politics.

Bomb Appalachia (and Face the Music)

Michael Gould-Wartofsky | Posted 11.09.2009 | Green


Michael Gould-Wartofsky

Theirs is a coast-to-coast campaign to save Appalachia's mountains and streams -- and Appalachians' homes, jobs, and culture -- from the devastating coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal.

Deer Jumps Into Lion Cage At DC Zoo (VIDEO): Animal Escapes, But Is Put Down

Posted 11.08.2009 | Green


A wild deer jumped into the lion enclosure at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. on Sunday and inspired onlookers as it fought to escape from the big...

The Elections You May Not Have Noticed

Jim Wallis | Posted 11.05.2009 | Politics


Jim Wallis

I think as people continue to see so much of politics as usual in this town -- partisan bickering and big money buying votes -- they are increasingly likely to vote against whatever represents the old politics for them.

One Year After Obama's Election: Still Smarter...Than The Alternative

Chris Weigant | Posted 11.05.2009 | Politics


Chris Weigant

What puts this first year in perspective for me is that: Obama may not be smarter than all of us, but he sure is smarter by a long shot than McCain would have been. And that, for now, is enough for me.

TABOR Initiatives Shot Down In Maine And Washington, With Colorado Used As Negative Example

ColoradoPols | Posted 11.04.2009 | Denver


Yesterday, two versions of Colorado's controversial Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) went before the voters in Washington state and Maine. Where, in...

Andy Hertzberg's Marriage Proposal Interrupts D.C.'s Same-Sex Marriage Hearing (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Posted 11.03.2009 | Politics


In round two of the D.C. Council hearings on marriage equality, a gay couple took their relationship to the next level. For his testimony to the panel...

Afghanistan: A Whole New Approach

Jim Wallis | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


Jim Wallis

When you massively intervene in a country as much as the U.S. has in Afghanistan, you can't responsibly just walk away. We must lead with what works -- development.

Cost of Beer Unlikely To Fall Despite Plummeting Hops Prices, Crop Surplus

oregonlive.com | John Foyston | Posted 10.28.2009 | Business


The hops shortage of 2007 is over, buried in a glut of unsold hops. Don't expect craft beer prices to follow -- the $5 pint and $9 six-pack are likely...

2010: The Year Main Street Sticks It to Wall Street and Washington

Don McNay | Posted 10.27.2009 | Business


Don McNay

If anyone has ever dreamed of being an office holder, 2010 is the year to do it. There are going to be several situations where voters elect a complete unknown, just to express their anger about the incumbent.

Meet the New Health Care Reform, Same as the Old Health Care Reform

Aaron E. Carroll | Posted 10.27.2009 | Politics


Aaron E. Carroll

We will get the incremental health care reforms we were promised. Things will likely get better in the short term. Then, since we didn't contain costs, we'll need to enact real reform. Or, things will go right back to the status quo.

Obama Golfs With Melody Barnes: Domestic Policy Adviser Is First Woman To Golf With President Obama

Washington Post | Michael D. Shear | Posted 10.25.2009 | Sports


President Obama headed for the links again Sunday, but this time a woman joined him on the green. Melody Barnes, the president's chief domestic polic...

Goodbye/Hello 14 "Burning The Ships "

Patt Cottingham | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics


Patt Cottingham

In 1519 the Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez anchored his 11 ships off the Yucatan Peninsula. Thousands of miles of ocean separated him from Spa...

Jon Stewart To Get Key To Bellingham, Washington

AP | Posted 10.15.2009 | Media


BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The mayor of Bellingham says "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart is getting a key to the city. But he won't be traveling to the no...

U.N. Ambassador Kohona: Sri Lanka Refugee Situation Improving

Jim Luce | Posted 10.20.2009 | World


Jim Luce

Fourteen years after the civil war in Rwanda, refugees are still living in mud huts.  In Bosnia, following Balkanization, people lacked heat and ...

The Explosion of the Afghan Insurgency: Utterly Predictable, Yet Hotly Debated

Derrick Crowe | Posted 10.13.2009 | World


Derrick Crowe

Recently leaked intelligence assessments reportedly show that Al-Qaida and the jihadist Taliban groups account for only 10 percent of the insurgents in Afghanistan.

Forensic Accountants Dig Through George Washington's Financial Records

Washington Post | Joel Achenbach | Posted 10.12.2009 | Business


One day in 1791, President George Washington received a bill for 60 pounds, 1 shilling and 7 pence from his physician friend James Craik, who regularl...