State of Play: No Death Penalty for Child Rapists

State of Play: No Death Penalty for Child Rapists

The U.S. Supreme Court this morning barred the death penalty for someone convicted of raping a child.  In a 5-4 decision striking down a Louisiana law, the high court ruled that the death penalty is not a "proportional More…

State of Play: Saudis Boost Oil Production

A hastily arranged oil summit held this weekend in Saudi Arabia yielded few results. Oil ministers from 35 nations failed to reach an agreement about how to ease soaring global oil prices. Even Saudi Arabia’s decision to pump 200,000 more barrels per day was greeted with a yawn in financial More…

State of Play: Obama Opts Out

State of Play: Obama Opts Out

Sen. Barack Obama announced this morning on YouTube that he would opt out of the public financing system, forgoing $80 million in government funds…and the spending restrictions that come with it. Obama made a primary-season pledge to opt in if his More…

State of Play: Floods Ravage Iowa

With 100 city blocks flooded in Cedar Rapids and dramatic photos to prove it, major media is all over the story.  Officials were evacuating a Cedar Rapids hospital Friday morning and asking residents to leave 200 homes near downtown Des Moines, where engineers worry water may spill over a nearby More…

State of Play: Air Strike in Pakistan

Pakistan is accusing U.S.-led coalition forces of killing 11 Pakistani soldiers in an air strike on the country’s Afghanistan border.  The U.S. military has not commented.  The strike occurred late Tuesday after a clash between Afghan forces and Taliban militants.  News of Pakistan’s accusation hit major U.S. media Web sites More…

State of Play: $4

Bad news for drivers is at every turn on major media Web sites. If the headlines aren’t enough to make you wince, most of the stories include disturbing photos of stations with painfully high prices.  The Washington Post and MSNBC used an AP photo of a California gas station where More…

Are Conservatives Happier than Liberals?

Thanks to the "pernicious influence of liberal ideas," progressives are less happy, less generous, less honest and less hard working than conservatives, argues the author of a new book released this week.

Intrigued, The Washington Independent stopped by the conservative think tank More…

State of Play: African Americans React

After an election-night speech on Tuesday showing her dogged determination to fight on, Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday night that she would drop out and endorse Barack Obama on Saturday. Clinton’s decision is the big news leading front pages and major media Web sites this morning.  Most outlets are running headlines More…

State of Play: The End?

State of Play: The End?

Exactly five months after the Iowa caucuses, Democrats will hold their final nominating contests today in South Dakota and Montana.  Sen. Barack Obama is favored to win both states, but their pledged delegates alone won’t get him to the 2,118 delegates needed More…