The Washington Independent, signing off

Nearly three years ago, The Washington Independent was launched as a bold experiment in online journalism. The idea was to combine hard-nosed investigative reporting with all the web had to offer: the nimbleness of real-time coverage, the interactivity made possible by this new thing called blogging, and the ability to More…

Driving the immigration debate: licenses for the undocumented

Here in Washington, D.C., public transportation’s pretty good — you can get basically anywhere you need to go by Metro or bus. But the vast majority of the country doesn’t enjoy that luxury. People in places like, say, Utah and New Mexico need to drive in order to go about More…

Happy veterans day, belatedly

It’s never too late to give a thought to the good work and sacrifices of America’s veterans. In fact, our reporters will be thinking so much about them today that the site will be pretty quiet. Here’s looking forward to a future when our veterans are more appropriately honored, better More…

Why the DISCLOSE Act failed, and why it’s likely to fail again

A poll earlier this year showed that 80 percent of Americans disapproved of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Most people want corporate campaign spending to be limited; even more want it to be transparent. So why can’t Congress pass legislation to require independently funded campaign ads to reveal More…

Ky. Senate Down, Much More to Go

Just minutes after polls closed, the AP has called the Senate race in Kentucky for Republican Rand Paul, sending Jack Conway to defeat. It’s not an unexpected result, although it was one of the Democrats’ few (remote) hopes for picking up a Republican-held seat.

There’s much more to come. Stay More…

What You’re Seeing on Election Day

Hey readers! Hope you’re all exercising your constitutional rights and hitting the polls today. While you’re there, keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. If you see evidence of voter intimidation, malfunctioning voting machines, unusually high or low turnout, campaign workers at polling stations or anything else More…

When Is a Wilderness Bill More Than Just a Wilderness Bill?

For the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, designating land as wilderness is pretty much like breathing. And so when the committee unanimously passed a bill to convert a swath of southern New Mexico into wilderness in July, people didn’t think much of it.

Until they did. Suddenly, advocates of More…

You Know the Election’s a Week Away When…

Heads get stomped, decoys get rolled out, debate rules get broken and mailers induce vomit. That, and more, all in the span of two and a half days. Marc Ambinder has the full rundown of the midterms’ freakish home stretch.

GOP State Reps Flout Constitution, Challenge 14th Amendment on State Level

This summer, Americans who hadn’t studied civics since eighth grade got a refresher on the 14th Amendment when several Republican senators called for its repeal. Now, that push is gaining considerable steam, but on the state level, where Republican state representatives across the country are planning to introduce More…

Restuccia Talks Drilling Moratorium on KALW — Listen Live

TWI’s Andrew Restuccia is on KALW radio’s “Your Call” right now, discussing the Obama administration’s decision to lift the deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico. Have a listen live, here.