Sacramento
My Inner Joe Biden
Sorry for my silence. I spent the last two days on planes and (for a tiny handful of hours in between) in Sacramento, Calif., to sit on a panel about income inequality. A trusted friend in attendance advises me that I got so hypnotized by my Power Point presentation that I failed to notice the increasingly urgent messages passed to me by the moderator, and ended up exceeding my time limit by at least 25 minutes. Must try to do better next time. READ MORE >>
Capital Tracks
Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern AmericaBy Richard White (W.W. Norton, 660 pp., $35) READ MORE >>
California Dreaming
Some of the most interesting developments in health care policy these days aren’t taking place in Washington. They’re taking place in Sacramento and the rest of California, where public officials, private sector leaders, and activists are working to implement the Affordable Care Act. READ MORE >>
The Olympics: Did Tourists Help China's Economy?
Not one, not two, but three different Olympic Games are in the news today. In California, a Sacramento group has announced a bid to bring the 2022 Winter Games to Lake Tahoe. Meanwhile, south of the equator, the government of Rio de Janeiro has launched an international contest to choose who will build its Olympic Park for the 2016 Summer Games. READ MORE >>
Michelle Rhee's New Group, New Sacramento Office, and New Union Strategy
After months of speculation, former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee today is unveiling her next move. On this afternoon’s episode of “Oprah” and in this week’s Newsweek, Rhee is announcing the launch of an education advocacy organization called StudentsFirst. (The group’s website also went live this morning). READ MORE >>
McCarthyism
Brown Knows
Gaming Housing Prices: Boise Bulls vs. Boston Bears
Which way are housing markets going? The recent national-level indicators have looked pretty bleak for housing bulls. Sales of new homes hit a record low in July. House prices in June topped their levels of a year ago but only, it seems, because of the now-expired federal homebuyer tax credits. READ MORE >>
Understanding a Mad, Mad Primary Season
Christine O’Donnell is not someone you’d expect to be a Republican nominee for a competitive U.S. Senate contest, particularly in the staid state of Delaware, and particularly as the choice of primary voters over Congressman Mike Castle, who up until yesterday had won twelve consecutive statewide races. READ MORE >>
