Outside the Beltway

Catalonia’s independence referendum is one day away, and nobody seems to know what to expect.

A sign of hope that Alabama voters could end up rejecting the far-right theocratic politics of Roy Moore? Possibly.

While Puerto Rico suffers, President Trump is spending the weekend at his New Jersey golf resort attacking people on the ground who are actually doing something.

Trump loses his HHS Secretary amid a growing scandal involving the use of private and government jets by Cabinet officials.

In its upcoming term, the Supreme Court will hear a case that is likely to have a significant impact on the powers of public-sector unions.

A Federal Appeals Court has declined to review a panel decision striking down the District of Columbia’s restrictive concealed-carry law.

Roy Moore’s victory in Alabama is raising fears of a wider battle in the Republican Party heading into 2018.

Hugh Hefner, who became both a cultural icon and a catalyst and reflector of vast social changes, has died at the age of 91.

Republicans finally unveiled the outlines of a tax reform package yesterday, but the devil is in the still to be determined details.

Progress in Saudi Arabia, but there’s still a long way for this backward, discriminatory society to go.

Another poll shows the vast majority of Americans want Congress to act to help the people covered by DACA.

Most Americans don’t support President Trump’s statements about the protests by N.F.L. players, but it’s just another example of him using hateful rhetoric to pander to his base.

Kurds in Iraq voted overwhelmingly for independence in a non-binding referendum, and the result is threatening to create a new conflict in the Middle East.

Bob Corker, who has served in the Senate since winning election in 2006, announced yesterday that he would not stand for re-election.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his bigoted, radical, far-right positions on the issues, Roy Moore beat the sitting Senator from Alabama in a runoff election that essentially guarantees that he will win the General Election later this year.

What was essentially the final effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act is officially dead.

A new poll shows that Donald Trump could end up having an impact on the race for Virginia Governor.

Speaking about his cancer treatment for the first time, Senator John McCain paints a grim picture.

While there are real differences between what’s being reported about White House officials such as Jared Kushner and what Hillary Clinton did, the charge of hypocrisy is well-founded.

Some quick thoughts on Moore v. Strange.

The latest effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act appears to be dead.

Donald Trump’s increasingly confrontational rhetoric regarding North Korea is leading to similar rhetoric from the DPRK, and concern among top diplomats.

With his sentencing, the strange, strange saga of Anthony Weiner has come to an end. What a strange and wild ride it has been.

The Trump Administration has issued a new travel ban to replace the temporary one that expired late last week, but it still suffers from most of the same defects as its initial efforts.

Angela Merkel was re-elected to a fourth term as German Chancellor as expected, but voters also sent a warning.

A new poll shows, unsurprisingly, that the vast majority of Americans see Donald Trump as a divider rather than a uniter

More evidence of apparent Russian-backed efforts to interfere in the election.

In President Trump’s mind, American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights are “sons of bitches” who should be fired for exercising their rights.

The GOP’s effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act appears to suffer a fatal blow as Senator John McCain announced his opposition to what is the last gasp of that effort in the Senate.

Former N.F.L. player, and convicted murderer, Aaron Hernandez suffered from a severe case of C.T.E. at the time of his death according to a post-mortem brain study.

President Trump’s job approval has improved slightly, but the numbers remain historically low for a newly elected President.

As the date for Catalonia’s disputed independence referendum nears, tensions are rising between Madrid and Barcelona.

Yet another lawsuit against yet another controversial Trump Administration policy.

Senate Republicans have ten days to act on their last-ditch attempt to ‘repeal and replace’ Obamacare, and it’s not at all clear if they have the votes to do so.

The ‘No Labels’ movement is back, and it’s as irrelevant to contemporary politics as ever.

Commerce Department figures report a measurable drop in international travel to the United States since the start of 2017.

In a marked departure from previous American Presidents, Donald Trump delivered a highly belligerent speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

The Trump Administration has been hit with two new lawsuits over the President’s decision to end the DACA program.

Special counsel Robert Mueller could be looking to “flip” Paul Manafort, giving President Trump and those close to him something new to worry about.

Sean Spicer now says he regrets the lies that defined his time at the White House.

Some more interesting post-election commentary from Hillary Clinton.

Senate Republicans are considering one more last-ditch effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act.

Hillary Clinton has found another group to blame for her loss, educated white married women in suburbia.