DEMOCRACY - I wrote my new book in lockdown from a socially distanced corner of my home. That might seem an odd perch from which to write about citizenship, but it taught me something important.

BUDGET WATCH - The drama over the Build Back Better Act has revealed the power of narrative in our political landscape.

MARC'S ANGle - Following up on my piece last Friday as the initial facts were released on the tragedy in New Mexico, I had a chance to sit down and interview Stefano Da Frè, independent filmmaker.

COMMENTARY - A long time ago, Gordon Adams introduced the term “iron triangle” to characterize the interlocked relationship of the Pentagon’s military services, the corporations that contract with it to build weapons and provide services, and the Congressional committees that vote on military appropriations

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - If you follow the news about President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, you might have heard a lot about its 10-year price tag. But you probably haven’t heard much about what it would actually do.

SCHOOL POLITICS - School board meetings have been in the news lately, with parents and community members taking aim at board members and the policies they’re trying to implement.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA - Are you a Californian who wants to make your state a better place?

HOMEOWNER RIGHTS - For the last 20 years, I have lived and thrived in a mobile home community. I loved where I live — right up until Wall Street bought the park and threatened the well-being of myself, my neighbors, and my family.

RACIAL RECKONINGS - Hidden in the stories surrounding the racist and homophobic emails between now former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was an interesting tidbit about ESPN Insider Adam Schefter’s communication with Gruden and Bruce Allen, the then-president of the Washington Football Team.

DIGITAL MISDEEDS - The enthusiasm with which much of the media and political establishment have characterised Frances Haugen as a “Facebook whistleblower” requires that we pause to consider what exactly we think the term “whistleblower” means.

COMMENTARY - Activists harass White House officials and senators as they eat dinner at restaurants.

RACIAL CONSERVATISM - Out on the dusty prairie west of Houston, the construction crews have been busy.

VIRTUAL UNREALITY - Three years ago, my wife and I moved from a spacious apartment. What we couldn’t fit into our new digs, we gave away.

LGBTG NATION - A viciously anti-LGBTQ pastor was arrested on the tarmac as he exited a plane in Canada after touring the U.S. to spread COVID-19 misinformation on a contempt of court charge.

COMMENTARY - The historic center of Puebla city, where I live, is a World Heritage site.

U.S. UNINTELLIGENCE - The jokes regarding the “I” in “CIA” are familiar and predictable. The middle letter in the initialism might stand for imbecility, ignorance, or incompetence – essentially anything other than “intelligence.”

NEW GEOGRAPHY-Many of us have spent the last week glued to our televisions watching the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

COMMENTARY - We know Republicans lie. We know they are racist.

RANDOM LENGTH NEWS - Several years ago I was standing in front of the art deco Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, France and was admiring the block-long park across the street with lush palm trees and cascading water feature.

LGBTQ POLITICS - The state of Texas just declared that gender affirmation surgery for minors is child abuse and that teachers, doctors, and other mandatory reporters in the state are legally required to tell the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) if they have “cause to believe” that a child has undergone the procedure under the threat of jail time.

Alexander Vindman, the former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, provided testimony to the Congress in 2019 that framed the charge of abuse of power in the impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump.