National Journal

Washington’s premier source of nonpartisan insight on politics and policy. More at NationalJournal.com

[nationaljournal]

The two anti-abortion activists responsible for the undercover videos of Planned Parenthood released last summer face felony charges.

A Houston grand jury indicted two employees from the Center for Medical Progress on charges of felony tampering with a government record and a misdemeanor charge related to purchasing human organs.

http://njour.nl/md/616668

[nationaljournal]

The State of the Union Hasn’t Always Been “Strong”

Ronald Reagan was the first president to brand the state of the union as "strong," in 1983. Since then, most State of the Union speeches have included some form of the word to describe the nation's condition.

Earlier presidents were comfortable being a little more forthcoming in their assessments.

On the eve of the Civil War, James Buchanan stated that the Union was "threatened with destruction." 

See how less positive presidents described the state of the nation during their address to Congress.

[nationaljournal]

Today marks the last edition of National Journal magazine, a publication that has worked to deliver smart, non-partisan insight on all things Washington for the last 46 years. In its place will survive a website and a newsletter that will deliver timely political analysis. 

Read a note from the editor on how the magazine upheld its high journalistic standards and investigative stamina in the age of the Internet:

It was a tradition that had, for decades, insisted that the details of policy and politics mattered enormously. That the decision-makers behind the scenes could not be ignored. That there was no shortage of investigative digging to be done in Washington. That reporting and argument could strengthen each other. That a magazine could earn the respect of both conservatives and liberals. 

[nationaljournal]

Insides Paul Ryan’s Inner Circle

House Speaker John Boehner and his inner circle were known to bond over fine wine, linguine, and cigarettes. For Speaker Paul Ryan and his closest friends, it’s financial policy, Greek yogurt, and sit-ups.

[nationaljournal]

As Clinton Moves Left on the Environment, Sanders Moves Further 

“If we are serious about climate change, we can’t just talk the talk, we have got to walk the walk; we have to be prepared to take on some very powerful special interests—you know, the Koch Brothers and Exxon Mobil and the entire fossil-fuel industry.” -- Bernie Sanders

[nationaljournal]

The Stiffest Competition in Washington? The National Press Club’s spelling bee. 

Read about the annual tradition that pits politicians against the press as the biggest eggheads inside the Beltway go head-to-head. 

[nationaljournal]

The Secretary of Labor lays out the promise (and problems) with apprenticeships here. 

[nationaljournal]

The War on Partisanship

In the age of Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and extreme partisan gridlock in Congress, are bipartisan interest groups like No Labels paving the way for political success or just out of touch with the zeitgeist of U.S. politics? 

[nationaljournal]

Photos: Politicians Celebrating Halloween Throughout the Years 

Old and new photos of presidents, first ladies, members of Congress, and a governor celebrating Halloween. 

[nationaljournal]

Think you can throw a good Halloween party? The Obama’s might give you a run for your money. 

See more photos of the White House celebrating Halloween.

[nationaljournal]

An Unexpected Challenge in the Quest for Racial Justice

Researchers at the U.C. San Diego Medical Center began an experiment to study slow-wave sleep, the phase of sleep when it’s hard to wake you up. Slow-wave sleep is thought to be the most restorative period of sleep, and it’s important to good health: Experiments where people are denied slow-wave sleep on purpose have shown that bodies quickly change for the worse. 

What they found was disturbing. Generally, people are thought to spend 20 percent of their night in slow-wave sleep, and the study’s white participants hit this mark. Black participants, however, spent only about 15 percent of the night in slow-wave sleep.

The study was just one data point in a mounting pile of evidence that black Americans aren’t sleeping as well as whites.

[nationaljournal]

Which 2016 Candidates Are Raising the Most From Their Rivals’ Donors?

Amid a sprawling Republican field in the race for president, a sizable chunk of donors have spread their money among multiple candidates. Some pick ideo­lo­gic­ally sim­il­ar can­did­ates—Ted Cruz and Ben Car­son, Hil­lary Clin­ton and Bernie Sanders, Marco Ru­bio and Jeb Bush.

But others are hedging their bets and putting their money on both sides of the political aisle—including donations to Clinton and Bush.

See results for all the presidential candidates here. 

[nationaljournal]

Forget Boulder—Republicans’ Real Shot at the White House Is All About Pueblo

When Republicans describe how they will rescue their standing with Latino voters in the 2016 presidential race, this is the place they point to.

This gritty old steel town nev­er really re­covered from the in­dustry’s crash in the early 1980s. It is older, less-edu­cated, and sig­ni­fic­antly less well-off than the rest of Col­or­ado. In a state where unemployment is near 4 percent, Pueblo is closer to 6 percent.

The town and its surrounding county is also a longtime Democratic stronghold.

[nationaljournal]

Watch Martin O’Malley Play “Bad Blood” on The View

The former Maryland governor invoked the alleged feud between Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

“Katy Perry, I’m told, is do­ing like a be­ne­fit con­cert for one of my op­pon­ents in Iowa. So in response, I thought I would offer this up for Taylor Swift,” O’Malley said, before serenading the ladies of The View.

[nationaljournal]

Make Sense of the 2016 Republican Primary System

After a pres­id­en­tial nom­in­at­ing fight that many Re­pub­lic­ans felt was too drawn out in 2012, party lead­ers worked to con­dense the pro­cess in 2016. Those changes came to fruition this month as the Republican National Committee rolled out its primary calendar and delegate allocation rules for the 2016 election.

[nationaljournal]

Clinton and Sanders Head Into Tonight’s Debate With Less Than a Full Stack of Voters

Over recent years, women, racial minorities, college-educated whites and young people have all grown as a share of the Democratic primary voting base. The first two groups have largely favored Hillary Clinton in early polling, while the latter two have frequently bolstered Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, her principal rival.

Read more about the changing Democratic electorate—a wildcard for the 2016 Democratic presidential contenders.  

[nationaljournal]

From @floorcharts, our favorite illustrative charts from the floor of Congress. 

Ft. the Debt and Deficit Dragon, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, and other major players. 

See our other picks here.