Outside the Beltway

Thanks mostly to Republicans unhappy with the Court’s decisions on same-sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act, public disapproval of the Supreme Court is nearing a new high.

Your tax dollars at work.

In the wake of yesterday’s shootings in Oregon, President Obama took the airwaves to offer the same empty rhetoric he has on this issue in the past, and to make the false claim that there are simple solutions to what is a very complex problem.

September’s Jobs Report was disappointing to say the least, and calls into question the Federal Reserve’s apparent plan to raise interest rates in the near future.

Up to 13 people are dead and as many 20 injured after another mass shooting on a college campus.

Rand Paul’s fundraising in the just completed quarter is disappointing enough that it’s clearly time for him to consider calling it a day.

With Russia now launching its own airstrikes in Syria, it’s become obvious that U.S. policy in the Syrian Civil War is irrational and contradictory. And Russia’s policy isn’t any better.

Vice-President Biden will apparently not be at the first Democratic debate, which may be yet another sign that he’s not running for President.

Budget cuts mean it is now harder to get an ID in much of Alabama.

The criteria for next month’s third Republican Presidential debate have been announced, and they’re likely to end up being bad news for several Republican candidates.

The man who will likely be the next Speaker of the House accidentally acknowledged the real motivation behind the Select Committee investigating, yet again, the Benghazi attack.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus suggested that Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn’t get used to their place at the top of the primary calendar. He’s right, but fixing the crazy system that put them there isn’t going to be easy.

The Taliban dealt a major defeat to a numerically superior Afghan Army force, raising questions about just how well Afghanistan can defend itself on its own.

Congress will get a temporary funding bill passed in time to avoid a shutdown on Thursday, but it may just be delaying the inevitable.

Trump remains in the lead, but he has been steadily falling over the month of September. (And this triggers, as these things do, musings about institutions and our party system).

The next Republican debate is likely to be a lot smaller than the previous two, and that could prove fatal for several candidates.

NASA had a potentially significant announcement today.

John Boehner let loose on the “false prophets” on the right yesterday, and he’s absolutely right.

The seeds of the current peace deal date back to 2007-2008 (plus some longer-term background notes).

Peace between the FARC and the Colombian state appears nigh.

A bizarre hatchet job on Carly Fiorina’s autobiography.

WaPo’s Robert Costa reveals an emotional reaction by the Speaker to the papal visit to Congress.

She’s where she’ belongs.

The final GDP revision for the second quarter showed the economy grew at a nearly four percent rate.

Big news out of Washington, D.C.

One week after the second Republican debate, Donald Trump is still at the top of the GOP field, and that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.

When did “politics” become a dirty word?

A Federal Judge has ruled that the copyright to ‘Happy Birthday To You’ has been invalid for at least the past eighty years.

Vice-President Biden continues to rise in the polls even though he has yet to actually enter the race for President.

A true legend has passed.

The Club For Growth has released two ads criticizing Donald Trump, so of course Trump is threatening to sue them.

Congress has just over a week to pass a funding bill, and it’s not looking very good.

Two gone: 14 to go.

Once a candidate that many believed could become the Republican nominee, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is dropping out of the race for President.

The pressure on Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to expand the 2016 debate schedule is increasing.

Hillary Clinton seems to be bouncing back from recent troubles in the latest national poll, but Vice-President Biden is starting to rise in the polls before even getting in the race.

The U.S. is set to ramp up its contribution to dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, but there’s a lot more we can do.

The first significant national polls taken in the wake of last week’s debate show that Donald Trump has slipped somewhat, but still remains the clear leader of the Republican race for President.