| Dec 3, 2014 | Economy / BusinessGetting something for nothing is a pretty sweet deal — at least if you’re the one getting something. Not so much if you’re the one receiving nothing in exchange. Oil and gas companies are extracting gas from federal lands and paying nothing for much of it, according...
| Nov 19, 2014 | Peace / SecurityThe Department of Defense is requesting a base budget of nearly half a trillion dollars for the coming year. That may sound like a lot of money. But that figure doesn’t even count the Pentagon’s multibillion-dollar slush fund — known to policy wonks as the...
| Oct 1, 2014 | Peace / SecurityIt’s not yet clear exactly how much the Pentagon’s fancy new F-35 combat jet will cost or when any of these stealth fighters will become operational. But the F-35 already shows great promise in the tough competition to become the most expensive weapons...
| Sep 10, 2014 | Economy / BusinessAround Washington you can tell football season is upon us because Congress is lining up to punt its work until after the elections. Lawmakers have plenty to do over the next month, but little will — and even less incentive — to do it. Congress is grappling with the...
| Aug 13, 2014 | Economy / BusinessPanama! Panama-ah-ah-ah! The lyrics from the eponymous Van Halen song could just as easily be the nation’s port policy — if the country had one. Panama is nearing completion of retrofitting the Panama Canal to accommodate much larger ships. The prospect of these...
