Research and commentary on government, elections, political influence, public institutions, civic life, lobbying, accountability, and how policy decisions are made.
A surprising number of facts behind the viral 99-0404 theory are real: a Special Air Mission flight in Arizona, a senior Pentagon intelligence visit to
The short answer: there is no public evidence proving that the underground facility beneath the White House ballroom is primarily a secret data center or
Headlines say the Port of Long Beach is going nuclear. The reality is more complicated: a non-fueled reactor prototype is already being developed at the
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suspended all seven members of the Dublin City Board of Education after years of deficits, millions in unpaid health-benefit obligations, emergency
Laura Loomer’s anti-Muslim rhetoric is protected speech. But Florida law separately criminalizes certain threats used to compel someone to act against their will. After Loomer
Congress is excluded from FOIA because the statute’s definition of a federal agency expressly leaves it out. This explainer shows how that legal choice affects
Members of Congress are subject to insider-trading law, but stock trading itself is not automatically illegal. This explainer covers the STOCK Act, duties of trust,
In February 2013, a Washington reporter invented “Friends of Hamas” as an intentionally ridiculous example while investigating rumors about Chuck Hagel. Within roughly 24 hours,
Trump secretly switched planes after a reported Iran threat while journalists flew on the apparent presidential jet. Has another president ever done this?
A direct comparison of what U.S. lawmakers and congressional candidates have actually said about Muslims and Jews—and whether the same standard is being applied.
