The US, Russia, and the EU

The actions of the Trump administration are helping Russian-EU relations (to the detriment of the US).

The Cynical Truth Behind Trump’s Attacks On The News Media

The President’s constant attacks on the news media are meant for a single purpose, to undermine even accurate reporting about wrongdoing in his Administration.

It’s Time To Call The President What He Is, A Liar

This President lies on a daily basis. It’s time to start calling him what he is.

Irish Voters Overwhelmingly Vote To Repeal Ban On Abortion

Just as they did three years ago when they legalized same-sex marriage, Irish voters turned out in record numbers to repeal the nation’s ban on abortion.

Nicolás Maduro “Elected” To Second Term As President Of Venezuela

In an election that pretty much everyone agrees was illegitimate, Nicolás Maduro has won a second term as Venezuela’s President.

George W. Bush’s Rehabilitation

61 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of a man who left office a failed president.

Return to the Axis of Evil: The Legend of Curly’s Gold

Does the administration know what it is doing?

Alan Dershowitz Hasn’t Changed

While longtime supporters have turned on the legendary attorney over his support of Donald Trump, he’s been astonishingly consistent.

In Donald Trump’s World, “Fake News” Means Anything Negative About Him

For Donald Trump and his supporters, “Fake News” means any news that doesn’t shower enough praise on him.

Donald Trump Continues His Unhinged War On The News Media

Instead of attending the White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night, Donald Trump took his show on the road where he continued his long-standing attacks on the press. Unfortunately, it’s a message that resonates with his supporters.

Appeals Court Reverses Lower Court Ruling On Texas Voter ID Law

A Federal Appeals Court has reversed a lower court ruling that struck down Texas’s Voter ID law as discriminatory against minority voters.

Trump and Violating the Norms of Political Speech

An essay from earlier in the year by Jacob T. Levy underscores some of the points I recently tried to make about democratic norms in the current era.

Hillary Clinton: ‘They Were Never Going to Let Me Be President’

A longtime “Hillary Beat” reporter ruminates on what she and her candidate could have done differently in 2016.

On Discussing and Analyzing the Trump Presidency

An attempt at defining the conversation.

Late Night OTB – Gareth Rhodes

Another early-morning edition of Late Night OTB.

Federal Judge Upholds Massachusetts Assault Weapons Ban

Another Federal Court loss for gun rights activists challenging state laws banning “assault weapons.”

Woman Fired After Flipping The Bird To Trump’s Motorcade Sues Former Employer

A woman who was fired after a photograph of her giving the middle finger to President Trump’s motorcade went viral is suing her former employer. She doesn’t have much of a case.

News Anchors At Sinclair Owned Stations Caught Reading From Same Corporate Mandated Script

News anchors at dozens of local stations owned by conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group were recently required to read a script mandated by corporate headquarters, and it’s leading to some bad media coverage for Sinclair.

Proposal to Tie Some Visas to Social Media Checks

Under the proposal certain visa-seekers (such as China and India) would have to have their social media presence scrutinized.

What Is The Proper Role Of Cabinet Members And Presidential Advisers?

As a general rule, Presidents are entitled to have a Cabinet and advisers he is comfortable with, but a Cabinet full of “yes men” is not ideal with any President, and certainly not with this one.

California Sues To Block Addition Of Citizenship Question To Census

California has pushed back quickly against the Trump Administration’s decision to include a question regarding citizenship in the 2020 Census.

Census to Ask Citizenship Question for First Time in Seven Decades

Critics warn this move would lead to a drastic undercount of Hispanic voters, impacting Congressional districting, federal programs, and more.

Republicans Should Spend Less Time Worrying About Leaks, More Time Doing Their Job

Republicans on Capitol Hill worried about all the leaking coming from the Trump White House would be wise to actually do the oversight the Constitution compels them to do.

Opponents Of New Pennsylvania Redistricting Map Suffer Two Big Setbacks In Court

Challengers to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling on Congressional redistricting suffered two big setbacks in court yesterday that suggest that they’ve reached the end of the road legally.

Trump Hires Conspiracy-Theory Lawyer

Joseph E. diGenova has touted the theory that rogue FBI elements have tried to frame Trump in the Russia probe.

No, Your Facebook Likes Didn’t Steal the Election

Will Bunch wildly exaggerates the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Russians Voting to Give Putin Another 6 Years

A contest with no serious challenger will make him the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin.

Andrew McCabe Fired Two Days Before Retirement

The FBI’s former deputy director was shamefully fired late Friday night, after which President Trump gloated on Twitter.

Former Secretary Of Nobel Committee Says Obama’s Peace Prize Was A Mistake

Nine years later, at least one member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is admitting what seemed at the time a rather obvious fact.

House Intelligence Committee Ends One-Sided Russia Probe, Claiming No Collusion

Ending an investigation that was flawed and tainted with partisanship from the start, the House Intelligence Committee has abruptly concluded its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

State Department Has Spent None of its $120 Million Budget to Protect Against Russian Interference

While Team Trump has gone out of its way to waylay the Russia investigation, this may not be is part of that effort.

What’s The Next Step On The Korean Peninsula?

With the Winter Olympics over, the next step on the Korean Peninsula is utterly unclear.

Are People Too Stupid to Raise Taxes?

Daniel Triesman offers an explanation as to “Why the poor don’t vote to soak the rich.”

Xi Jinping Solidifies His Hold On Power In China

China’s Xi Jinping solidified his hold on power well into the next decade over the weekend.

‘Deep Fakes’ a Looming Crisis

An emerging technology will take “fake news” to a whole new level.

Donald Trump’s Dereliction Of Presidential Duty Is Self-Evident

Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty in response to clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a staggering and flagrant dereliction of the duties he agreed to take on when he took the Oath Of Office more than a year ago.

Why Aren’t Nonprofits More Regulated?

A series of scandals at Oxfam and other charitable organizations raise troubling questions.

Some Thoughts on Russian Interference in US Elections

A few key observations on the bigger picture.

Trump is Right

The Russian government likely is quite pleased.

Hyperpartisanship Continues To Ruin Our Political Culture And Our Country, And We’re Letting It Happen

The tragedy in Florida last week revealed once again how hyperpartisanship is destroying our politics and harming the country.

Trump’s Military Parade Could Cost Up To $30,000,000

President Trump’s military parade would come with a not insignificant cost.

Trump Still Doesn’t Believe Russia Interfered In The 2016 Election

Despite what his own intelligence chiefs are saying, President Trump still does not believe that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Intelligence Chiefs Warn Of Russian Plans To Interfere In Midterm Elections

Intelligence officials are warning that the Russians are set to seek to influence the 2018 elections just as they did in 2016. Despite this, the Trump Administration refuses to acknowledge this publicly while the President seeks to undermine the investigation into past Russian interference.

Congress is Powerless to Stop Presidential Strike on North Korea

My latest for RealClearDefense.

Trump Administration Admits 2018 Elections Are Vulnerable To More Russian Interference

Administration officials are admitting that it’s likely that Russia will try to interfere in the midterm elections just as it did in 2016, but they don’t seem inclined to do anything about it.

Specks, Logs, and Dr. Martin Luther King

In a healthy democracy we need not agree, nor must we finally even respect one another’s objects of devotion.  But we should exercise a salutary measure of mutual forbearance and be willing to acknowledge that no side has a monopoly on either truth or justice.

Polish President Signs Controversial Holocaust Bill Into Law

Poland’s President has signed a controversial bill that purports to criminalize any effort to tie Poland to the Holocaust.

McCain Says Republicans ‘Doing Putin’s Job for Him’

The 2008 Republican nominee for president condemned his party and its president for the release of a controversial memo attacking the FBI.

Congress Heads Toward Another Budget Deadline With No Apparent Deal In Sight

The current budget deal expires in six days and Congress doesn’t seem to know what it’s going to do about it.

The Myth And Dangers Of “No Daylight” Between The United States And Israel

The Trump Administration has acted in a manner to create the impression that there is “no daylight” between the United States and Israel. This is a myth, and pursuing such a goal poses real dangers for America’s national interests.