Posts by Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort Heads To Jail

Donald Trump’s former Campaign Manager was sent to jail, a move that likely increases the pressure on him to cooperate with Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Troops Sent To Guard Border Aren’t Guarding Border

Two months ago, the President called on states to send National Guard troops to the border. As expected, they’re not guarding the border.

Trump Arouses Controversy By Returning Salute Of North Korean General

President Trump is at the center of controversy again after video emerged of him returning the salute of a North Korean General.

“But My Emails”

There was some degree of humor in the Dept. of Justice’s Inspector General’s report.

D.O.J. Inspector General Finds No Political Bias In F.B.I.’s Clinton Email Investigation

The Department of Justice’s Inspector General found that former F.B.I. Director James Comey was ‘insubordinate’ in regard to the Clinton email investigation, but found no evidence of political bias at the Bureau.

New York Attorney General Sues Trump And His Family, Alleging Charity Fraud

The Attorney General of New York has filed a Complaint against President Trump and several members of his family alleging widespread fraud in the operation of Trump’s charitable Foundation.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban On “Political Apparel” At Polling Places

In a significant First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court has held that a Minnesota law barring “political apparel” at polling places is unconstitutional.

Trump Told An Exceedingly Weird Story About Meeting Parents Of A Korean War MIA

One outcome of the SIngapore Summit includes a purported agreement to work on repatriating American remains from the Korean War. This is a good thing, but the President couldn’t resist adding obvious embellishment.

Trump Praises Kim Jong Un, Dismisses Concerns About Human Rights Abuses

President Trump continues to dismiss concerns about Kim Jong Un’s brutality, and to lavish praise on a man who has a considerable amount of blood on his hands.

Senate Republicans Already Distancing Themselves From Corey Stewart

Corey Stewart may be the darling of the Trumpidians in the GOP, but he won’t be getting any help from Senate Republicans.

Trump Administration Hands Democrats A Gift On Pre-Existing Condition Coverage

The Trump Administration’s new legal position on coverage for people with pre-existing conditions could pose political problems in the fall.

Andrew Cuomo’s Celebrity Challenger Clearly Going Nowhere

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s celebrity challenger doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Trump Claims An End To North Korean Nuclear Threat, Reality Is Quite Different

President Trump is touting his Photo Op Summit as the end of the North Korean nuclear threat. Reality is quite different.

Hours After Praising A Brutal Dictator, Trump Attacked Justin Trudeau Again

Trump spent much of Tuesday praising a dictator who has murdered and imprisoned millions of people. Then he returned to attacking the democratically elected leader of one of our closest allies.

Virginia Republicans Nominate Pro-Trump, Pro-Confederate Corey Stewart For Senate

Virginia Republicans took a hard-right turn in yesterday’s primary. This is likely to benefit the Democrats.

Greece And Macedonia Settle Three-Decade Long Name Dispute

Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have apparently finally settled a three-decade old name dispute.

Maine Voters Head To The Polls To Give Ranked-Choice Voting A Try

Maine voters head to the polls today to pick nominees for Governor and several other offices, but the most interesting thing is way they’ll be voting.

Trump Administration Joins State Effort To Undo DACA

The Federal Government is signing on to an effort by Texas and several other states to have the DACA program declared unlawful.

Trump And Kim Meet For What Amounts To Mostly A Photo Opportunity

The Singapore Summit meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un was about as substance-less as most analysts anticipated it would be.

Canadians Not Too Happy About Trump’s Attacks On Trudeau

Not surprisingly, Canadians aren’t very happy about President Trump’s attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trump Administration Won’t Defend Obamacare, Says Mandate Is Unconstitutional

The Trump Administration is declining to defend the Affordable Care Act in Court, arguing that the individual mandate is now unconstitutional because the tax penalty has been eliminated.

Ahead Of Singapore Summit, The U.S. And North Korea Still Seem Very Far Apart

With the start of the Singapore Summit just hours away, it’s not at all clear what the respective parties can possibly agree to other than what amounts to a photo opportunity.

Democrats Adopt New Rule Requiring Candidates To Actually Be Democrats

Democrats have adopted a new rule requiring future candidates for President to certify that they are Democrats, but it seems largely unenforceable.

Trump Is Achieving Putin’s Goal Of Driving A Wedge Between The U.S. And Its Allies

Thanks to Donald Trump, the happiest man in the world right now is Vladimir Putin.

Trump Blows Up The G-7

Hurricane Trump hit the G-7 this weekend, and the damage it left behind will take years to clean up.

Justify Wins Triple Crown

For the second time in three years, we have a Triple Crown winner.

Robert Mueller Tightens The Screws On Paul Manafort

Former Trump Campaign Director Paul Manafort has been hit with a new round of charges.

Trump Hints At A Pardon For Muhammad Ali, But Ali Doesn’t Need A Pardon

Donald Trump hinted that he’s considering a pardon for Muhammad Ali, but Ali doesn’t need a pardon.

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Proposals For Superdelegate Reform Objected To By Congressional Democrats

Democrats on Capitol Hill are objecting to the proposed changes in the role of superdelegates in the party’s nomination process.

Anthony Bourdain: An Appreciation Of A Life Well Lived, And Cut Short Too Soon

Anthony Bourdain was a renowned chef, writer, television host, and storyteller. He also suffered from demons that ultimately caught up with him.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Administration Policy On ‘Sanctuary Cities’

Another Federal Judge has held that the Trump Administration’s efforts to punish so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ violates both Federal law and the Constitution.

Charles Krauthammer Announces He Is Dying Of Cancer

Political columnist and commentator Charles Krauthammer has weeks to live.

Trump Says Russia Should Be Allowed Back In The G-7

As he headed to the G-7 Summit, President Trump threw our ostensible allies another curve.

Trump’s Trade Policies Have Nothing To Do With Economics Or Reality

Donald Trump’s approach to international trade has nothing to with economics and everything to do with politics and the culture war he loves to provoke.

Majority Of Americans Oppose Trump Position On N.F.L. Anthem Protests

Most Americans disagree with Trump on the N.F.L. National Anthem protests, but Republicans are behind him.

Democrats Moving Up In Generic Ballot Polls Again

After a period where Republicans seemed to be closing the gap, Democrats may be widening their lead heading into November.

Commission Set Up To Examine School Shootings Won’t Look At Role Of Guns

The Trump Administration’s School Safety Commission isn’t getting off to a very good start.

Trump Administration Still Won’t Commit To Putting Harriet Tubman On The $20 Bill

The plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill appears to be running up against President Trump’s bizarre affinity for Andrew Jackson.

Trump To Trudeau: Blame Canada!

Once again, President Trump seems intent on insulting a major American ally.

Miss America Pageant Ends Swimsuit Competition

In what seems like an obvious response to the rise of the #MeToo movement and the cultural changes it has brought about, the Miss America pageant is making a major change.

Could SCOTUS’s Ruling In Masterpiece Cakeshop Impact Trump’s Muslim Ban?

Some legal scholars are speculating that the Court’s ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop could impact the ruling on the President’s Muslim Travel Ban. This seems unlikely.

Efforts To Arm School Teachers Run Up Against A Problem: Insurance Companies

In the end, it may be insurance companies that have the biggest voice in the debate over arming teachers. 

After Ethics And Criminal Charges, Bob Menendez Gets A Slap On The Wrist

After three years of ethical and criminal charges, Bob Menendez got a bit of a slap on the wrist from New Jersey Democrats.

The Case Against A Permanent U.S./NATO Base In Poland

The arguments in favor of a permanent U.S./NATO base in Poland are not very convincing.

McConnell Cancels Most Of Senate’s Summer Recess

Senators hoping for a long summer recess have had their hopes dashed.

Trump Unblocks Twitter Users, Appeals Ruling That He Can’t Block Twitter Users

President Trump has unblocked Twitter users, but at the same time his lawyers are appealing the ruling that he can’t block Twitter users.

The Presidency Of Exhaustion

More than a decade ago, Donald Trump revealed one of his secrets to success. Exhaust your enemies. It explains much of what has happened since he took office.

American Ambassador To Germany Raising Concerns About Interference In European Politics

The new American Ambassador to Germany is making what clearly seem to be inappropriate statements about domestic politics in Europe.

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Federal Government Set To Borrow $1 Trillion This Year

The Federal Government will borrow more than $1 trillion this year for the first time in more than a half-decade.

Reviving National Anthem Fires, Trump Revokes Eagles White House Invite

President Trump waded back into the National Anthem debate when he revoked the invitation of the Philadelphia Eagles to come to the White House today.