Outside the Beltway

A Federal Court in New York City is set to hear argument tomorrow in a case that essentially argues that a large swath of Federal laws regarding marijuana are unconstitutional.

Republicans spent the eight years of Obama Administration railing against fiscal irresponsibility. Now that they have power, they’re the ones being fiscally irresponsible.

Expecting North Korea to agree to diplomatic talks that are aimed at getting rid of their nuclear weapons is asking for the impossible, and ensuring there will be no progress on the diplomatic front for the foreseeable future.

More than a year into the Trump Presidency, dozens of White House personnel lack proper security clearances.

Donald Trump has blocked the release of a memo prepared by House Intelligence Committee Democrats to rebut the Nunes memo. It’s hard not to see this as a blatantly partisan move.

WaPo is overhyping things a bit.

My latest for RealClearDefense.

A Federal Judge In Kansas has blocked enforcement of a state law barring anyone who does business with the state from engaging in a boycott of Israel.

Contrary to the claims that were made by conservatives and Trump supporters before its release, the memo prepared by Congressman Devin Nunes has done nothing to undermine the Russia investigation.

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.

Of course Donald Trump wants a military parade, it would be consistent with his delusions of grandeur.

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

They’re right. And there’s precious little they can do about it.

One of the oddities of military culture is the constan

A confusing new report from the Washington Post.

Senator Mark Warner, Vice-Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, says, “We Need Revolution, Not Just Evolution” in Security Clearances.”

My latest for The National Interest takes a contrarian view on the new National Defense Strategy.

National Review legal analyst David French argues that the Nunes memo actually undermines the central claim its proponents were seeking to bolster.

The military options thus far presented for dealing with the DPRK have not been satisfying.

Republicans have released the memo prepared by Congressman Devin Nunes that purports to call into question the basis for the Russia investigation. In the end, though, it amounts to much ado about nothing.

When it comes to foreign policy, Donald Trump has no over-arching philosophy and little knowledge, so don’t expect anything approaching a coherent doctrine from his Administration.

Chelsea Manning is running for Senate, but she may be violating military regulations by doing so.

John Kelly continues to throw away the good name he earned in decades of service as a Marine to serve the agenda of President Trump.

Three women who attended Annapolis together are running for seats in Congress.

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.

The recent cooling of relations between North and South Korea has led to some talk of eventual reunification, but for many South Koreans that idea is a non-starter.

A quarter century ago, soldiers were first using GPS to help them navigate the battlefield. Now, GPS is giving away their location.

The Polish Government appears ready to approve a law that seeks to whitewash the truth about the role that many Poles played in the Holocaust.

Donald Trump is wildly unpopular in the United Kingdom, and that’s apparently causing him to eschew visiting the United States’s most important ally.

America’s closest European allies are rebuffing the Trump Administration’s efforts to renegotiate the nuclear deal with Iran. They’re right to do so.

With the Administration set to commit the United States to a forever war in Syria, it’s time for Congress to act.

While everyone is paying attention to the government shutdown, the Trump Administration is preparing for a never-ending, unwise, and unauthorized military commitment in Syria.

One year after his Inauguration, Donald Trump is the most unpopular new President since the invention of modern polling. However, his numbers are generally the same that they’ve been for some time now.

Fortunately, yesterday’s missile alert in Hawaii was a false alarm. However, it is raising questions about the early warning system that’s in place and the state’s preparedness in case of an actual attack.

America’s closest allies sent a strong signal that they do not agree with President Trump on the nuclear deal with Iran.

Donald Trump’s irrational tweets are once again focused on the leader of North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is extending an olive branch of sorts to South Korea while simultaneously claiming success in achieving a nuclear deterrent.

POTUS decided to start the New Year by insulting Pakistan over Twitter.

Anti-government protests are spreading in Iran.

Three U.S. cities are suing the Federal Government over the failure to properly report military convictions to the national gun background check database.

Late yesterday, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling striking down the latest version of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.

As we near the end of the year, the President’s job approval numbers remain at historically low levels, and there’s no sign that they’ll improve in 2018.

My latest for The National Interest, “How Trump’s National Security Strategy Breaks with the Past,” has posted.

Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been erratic, illogical, and demonstrated a clear disdain for diplomacy.

Transgender Americans will be able to enlist in the military beginning January 1st thanks to a ruling from a Federal District Court Judge.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is floating the idea that the U.S. might not take part in the Olympics due to safety concerns. This would be a foolish decision.

Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision reveals yet again that he is an appallingly bad deal maker.

Russia has been barred from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics after an investigation uncovered extensive evidence of cheating.

Most Americans are unlikely to remember John Anderson, but he was a harbinger of things to come.

The Supreme Court is allowing the latest version of Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban to go into effect.