Joel Mathis

Contributing Writer

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife and son. He spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His honors include awards for best online commentary from the Online News Association and (twice) from the City and Regional Magazine Association.

John Bolton, Salman Rushdie, and IRG Soldiers

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Briefing

Rushdie, Bolton, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard, explained

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Briefing

Climate, crime, and the bodies at Lake Mead

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Opinion

What the Inflation Reduction Act can actually accomplish

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Briefing

In Trump's missing texts, an echo of Nixon's 18 minutes

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Briefing

America's history of hostage-swapping

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Briefing

The CHIPS Act and industrial policy, explained

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Briefing

Andrew Yang's third party precedent

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Briefing

The controversy over Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan trip, explained

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Briefing

The rise of Christian nationalism

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Briefing

Kansas' big post-Roe abortion battle

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Briefing

How conspiracy theorists weaponized ballot boxes

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Opinion

Will indicting Trump save democracy, or hurt it?

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Briefing

A history of Trump's alleged witness tampering

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Briefing

When presidents get primaried

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Briefing

Is this our Volcker moment?

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Briefing

Are vasectomies the future of family planning?

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Briefing

Four governors who might run for president

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Briefing

Abortions on federal lands?

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Briefing

The new push for Scottish independence, explained

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Opinion

The future of the pro-life movement

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Opinion

Why Trump's 'guilty mind' could make or break his prosecution

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Briefing

The limits of the Geneva Conventions

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Feature

The morbid fates of presidential assassins

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Feature

Bear markets, explained

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Briefing

Is Google's chatbot program self-aware?

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Opinion

The controversy over Biden's solar energy plan

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Briefing

A short history of Congress on TV

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Briefing

The new golf league challenging the PGA, explained

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Briefing

The debate over Putin's 'off-ramps,' explained

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Opinion

The debate over showing photos of gun violence victims

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Analysis

The pros and cons of nuclear power

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Briefing

How widespread is the abuse scandal in the SBC?

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Briefing

Would the U.S. really defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion?

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Briefing

Monkeypox comes to America

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Briefing

Is the U.S. losing the hypersonic missile race?

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Briefing

'Great Replacement Theory,' explained