Outside the Beltway

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

A few key observations on the bigger picture.

The Russian government likely is quite pleased.

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

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

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

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.

My latest for RealClearDefense.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Democratic norms are eroding.

And a little Electoral College for good measure.

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.

Two Republicans spoke out today against the President’s war on the news media, but don’t expect their colleagues to follow suit.

A Federal Court in North Carolina has issued a stinging ruling against the partisan gerrymandering undertaken by the Republican legislature in that state.

Donald Trump’s latest Twitter rant is one of his most bizarre.

Whatever goodwill may have existed between the Trump Administration and Steve Bannon appears to have evaporated.

After nearly twenty years, the Republican domination of the Virginia House of Delegates came to an end thanks to a single vote.

The difference is, dare I say, huge.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a second case dealing with political Gerrymandering.

After a long wait, gays and lesbians in Australia have achieved marriage equality.

Negotiations over government formation is not a crisis.

After more than thirty years in power, Robert Mugabe is on his way out in Zimbabwe, but that doesn’t mean things will improve.

An overwhelming majority of Australians voted in favor of marriage equality in a non-binding referendum. The ball is now in the court of the nation’s legislature to move forward.

The Moore situation illustrates the nonhierarchical nature of US parties. This is nothing new.

Will Joe Biden be ‘tan, rested, and ready’ enough to take on 2020?

The first in an occasional series.

Things are heating up very quickly in Catalonia.

John McCain has been standing out from his fellow Republicans largely by unleashing on President Trump, and it is unlikely to end anytime soon.

Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy has said he will act to remove Catalonia’s pro-independence leadership from power.

President Obama spoke out yesterday against his successor and the America he has created.

Without mentioning his successor by name, former President Bush delivered a stinging rebuke to Trump and Trumpism.

Donald Trump is continuing to up the ante in his rhetorical war against one of America’s most fundamental freedoms.

A complicated concurrence to Steven Taylor’s recent postings.

More thoughts related to Gill v. Whitford and the problem of extreme gerrymandering.

And even moreso when they are consciously created by the winner.

After Sunday’s referendum, the government of Catalonia says it may declare independence from Spain as early as Monday. However, it’s likely to be a completely meaningless act.

The Supreme Court appears split on the question of whether or not partisan Gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

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

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

Some more interesting post-election commentary from Hillary Clinton.

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer poked fun at himself on last night’s Emmy broadcast, and the political pundits are all in pearl-clutching mode because of it.

In less than a month, voters in the Catalan region of Spain will be voting whether to remain part of Spain or assert independence.

A Federal Appeals Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Gary Johnson and Jill Stein regarding their exclusion from Presidential debates.

Another Cabinet member rebukes the President for his comments about Charlottesville.