Midday Roundup

Ezra Klein says you should blame the Chinese for the high price of ground beef.

Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina had his hind quarters handed to him by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Unsurprisingly, the president used his weekly address to honor those that have given their lives during military service. Less predictably, the president made an appearance in Afghanistan today. He shook the hand of every soldier in attendance.

Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is hoping to break a Republican filibuster against expanded background checks for gun purchases by making the bill focus more on mental health.

According to exit polls, chocolate tycoon Petro Poroshenko has won the Ukrainian presidential election. Vladimir Putin says he will respect the results of the election.

You knew that Speaker Boehner was bad at his job, but you probably couldn’t even fathom that he’d let our highways run out of money.

“Nothing [is] happening in the House when it comes to the highway bill,” former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this week. “Nothing introduced, nothing debated, no discussion and we’re in a mess.”

The gas tax expires on September 30th if Congress doesn’t reauthorize it.

On this Memorial Day weekend, let’s remember the fleeting illusion that Bob Marley spoke about.

What’s on your mind?

Author: BooMan

Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.