Matt Connolly

Bio

Matt has written for Mother Jones, the Washington Examiner and Chicago Public Radio among many others. He's a resident of Washington, D.C., but much like Bruce Springsteen and pork roll he is a product of New Jersey.
One Chart Reveals The Dark Side of Today's Stellar Jobs Report
By Matt Connolly
The economy added 252,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' new jobs report, capping off what Bloomberg called the "best year for the labor market since 1999." But it wasn't all good news. Despite the growing job numbers…
Three Charts Shows the Hellhole America Has Become Under Obamacare
By Matt Connolly
It hasn't: The U.S. uninsured rate has dropped to its lowest point since the start of the 2008 recession as more people sign up under Obamacare's coverage mandate. Less than 13% of Americans are uninsured, according to a Gallup poll, down from a…
Heartbreaking Photos Capture the Humanitarian Crisis the World Forgot
By Matt Connolly
Much of the Middle East is facing its worst winter weather in a decade, making life hell for the many refugees who fled Syria amid war and chaos to live in neighboring countries like Lebanon and Jordan. There are about 1.1 million registered Syrians…
CNN's Don Lemon Just Asked a Muslim Human Rights Attorney the Worst Question
By Matt Connolly
When you're interviewing a prominent Muslim American human rights lawyer in the wake of a terror attack, plenty of great questions spring to mind. "Do you support ISIS?" is not one of them.  Yet that's what CNN's Don Lemon asked Arsalan Iftikhar, an…
America's Budding Marijuana Industry Is About to Get a Big Influx of Green
By Matt Connolly
Paypal co-founder and Silicon Valley superinvestor Peter Thiel and his firm Founders Fund are pouring millions into a marijuana firm, suggesting that some of the nations shrewdest investors and businessmen  are seriously banking on continued…
Republicans Are Using Special GOP Math to Make All Their Own Plans Look Amazing
By Matt Connolly
The news: Republicans in Congress voted in favor of a new method of budget prediction that could have huge ramifications on future legislation, potentially making Republican initiatives seem cheaper than they actually are. The Congressional Budget…
One Map Captures the Sad State of America's Prison-Industrial Complex
By Matt Connolly
There are more jails and prisons in the U.S. than there are colleges. America's prison system, truly the "school of hard knocks," incarcerates its citizens at a much higher rate than any other country in the world. There are 707 adults imprisoned…
Disgraced Former Virginia Governor Is Going to Prison for Two Years
By Matt Connolly
The news: Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday, following his September conviction on 11 counts of corruption. The sentence was actually much shorter than what prosecutors sought and many expected,…
By 2050, 10 Million People Will Die Every Year From Something That's Meant to Save Lives
By Matt Connolly
Prescribing antibiotics are a great idea in theory. How can fewer germs be a bad thing? In practice, though, their overuse can invite medical disaster. That's according to a new study commissioned by the British government, which predicts that by…
'Game of Thrones' Is Going Where No TV Show Has Gone Before
By Matt Connolly
If your Game of Thrones withdrawal has reached a fever pitch, HBO has a twist for you — and no, it's not a new character death. Starting Jan. 23, the show is bringing Season 4's last two episodes ("The Watchers on the Wall" and "The Children") to…