Slow Burn: Bernie Sanders Ignites a Populist Movement by Rick Perlstein Conservatives drawn to a socialist senator -- in Texas!

How We Became the “Jailhouse Nation”: Historians Discuss Mass Incarceration in the US by Dane Kennedy The statistics on the subject are staggering: the United States currently incarcerates 2.3 million people, a larger proportion of our population than any other nation on earth.

How the GOP circus act compromises American Democracy by Christopher Parker Boehner and McCarthy knew this reactionary faction of the GOP was gunning for them. Boehner simply quit before he could be fired; McCarthy quit while he was ahead. The two leaders were targeted because they were willing to cut deals with Democrats.

The real reason Hillary Clinton won the debate: optimism by Jonathan Zimmerman Where Bernie Sanders was sour and dour, Clinton projected a sense of confidence in America's future. And when it comes to electing people for the White House, American prefer sunnier dispositions to darker ones.

Are liberals to blame for the carceral state? by Mike Konczal That’s what Naomi Murakawa claims in The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America.

Playing Patience While Syria Burns by Niall Ferguson The bigger flaw in "strategic patience" is one identified long ago by Henry Kissinger. In 1963 Kissinger summed up what he called the "terrible dilemma" confronting any strategic decision-maker.

Henry Kissinger: Good or Evil? 10 historians assess the controversial statesman’s legacy.

What the Fight for the Speakership Is Actually About by John Lawrence Republicans are split on how to balance broad participation against the efficient functioning of the institution.

In Vietnam War US deliberately bombed hospitals by Greg Grandin It was policy to “look for hospitals as targets.”

When Conservatives Invoke Lincoln: From Dred Scott to Obergefell by Corey Robin But Lincoln never said what they say he said. He said the opposite.