Latest Stories By Louis Jacobson

UPDATE: On April 9, former President Donald Trump endorsed Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s Senate race.  Quick take In Pennsylvania, one of the most important swing states on today’s political map, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is retiring, leaving open a seat that both parties are fiercely contesting in the effort to tilt […]

So far, the military conflict following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has remained within the borders of Ukraine. But it may not stay there — and if not, there’s a chance of a military faceoff between Russia and the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. Ukraine is bordered by four NATO members: Hungary, Poland, Romania […]

Americans these days are intently focused on the price of gasoline. Understandably. Gas prices were already rising after travel and commutes resumed following widespread restraints imposed early in the coronavirus pandemic. During the early months of the pandemic, gasoline prices cratered. When demand for gasoline began to increase again, it pushed the price at the […]

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has upended energy markets. The U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil. Europe, highly dependent on Russian energy, is aiming to wean itself away from its dangerous neighbor to the east. The basic rule of supply and demand says that if the supply of energy from Russia is cut, demand will […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, facing an intense Russian invasion and the possibility of untold casualties and suffering, has called for the West to establish a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine to hold Russian forces at bay. “I say every day, if you cannot shut the sky now, then give us the timeline when you will do […]

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks has made public its most detailed reasoning about how those events might have broken criminal laws. Filings in federal court show the committee believes that then-President Donald Trump violated the law in an attempt to get himself declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election after he […]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has flouted international law more dramatically than almost any other military incursion since the end of World War II. Prior to the invasion, Ukraine had been a sovereign nation, recognized around the world for some three decades, and it had made no militaristic moves against Russia. Yet Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, […]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions unleashed against Russia, are expected to destabilize the world economy. But how important is Russia within the global economy? While casting a large geopolitical shadow as a nuclear-armed power, economically, Russia is a mid-level player. Still, it’s big in oil and natural gas exports, so any disruptions […]

Russia recognized the independence of two eastern provinces in Ukraine and followed up by sending Russian troops across the Ukrainian border. What Western leaders called a major violation of international law, Russian President Vladimir Putin cast as the end of an erroneous division of land that took place more than a century ago. “Since time […]

The coronavirus pandemic is now stretching into its third year, a grim milestone that calls for another look at the human toll of COVID-19, and the unsteady progress in containing it. The charts below tell various aspects of the story, from the deadly force of the disease and its disparate impact, to the signs of […]

Citing newly acquired intelligence, the U.S. in early February accused Russia of plotting a fake attack by Ukrainian forces as a pretext for invading the neighboring country. U.S. officials provided few details about the alleged “false flag” attack, saying it could jeopardize sources and methods used to obtain the intelligence. But they said the disinformation […]

An obscure portion of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says that public officials cannot serve in any future federal, state, or military office if they engaged in “insurrection or rebellion.” Would that apply to people who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on Congress?  Some legal experts say the clause could be used […]