Outside the Beltway

The Judge presiding over a case dealing with Trump’s proposed border wall expressed doubts about the project. The President will no doubt be irked by the identity of that Judge.

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.

President Trump is reportedly considering replacing his chief of staff. Again.

My latest for RealClearDefense.

While most of America slept, the government was shutdown thanks to some faux theatrics by a single Senator.

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.

Congress seems likely to pass a budget deal today that will massively increase spending, putting to rest once and for all the rank hypocrisy of Republicans when it comes to claims that they are “fiscally conservative.”

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.

Congress appears to be moving closer to a budget deal even as the President tries to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

Recent polls have caused Republicans to become more optimistic about their chances in this year’s midterms. That optimism is both premature and misplaced.

Michele Bachmann asked God if she should run for the U.S. Senate. Apparently, she got an answer.

A new poll indicates that most Americans support a DACA deal, but don’t think it should be linked to measures to avoid a government shutdown.

Donald Trump spent much of the past year touting the rising stock market, now he’s getting a lesson in reality.

President Trump has harsh words for Democrats who didn’t applaud his SOTU.

Donald Trump’s own lawyers are afraid he can’t help but lie to such an extent that he should not sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

With Republicans fully in control in Washington, their concerns about the budget deficit seem to have disappeared.

The Supreme Court has declined to stay a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling requiring the legislature to redraw the state’s Congressional District map.

Congress seems no closer to a DACA deal than they were in January.

After an extended break for the Republican retreat, Congress heads back to work today with just three days before a possible government shutdown.

Dodge is facing controversy this morning for using the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in a Super Bowl commercial, but they’re not the only party who may have some questions to answer.

A newly released poll has encouraging signs for Democrats in 2018, but there are several caveats.

The two most important allegations in the Nunes memo appear to be complete lies.

Will Joe Arpaio cause the GOP to lose an otherwise winnable Senate race?

Mostly it just tells us that Nunes and his allies are hacks.

He’s tan. He’s rested. He’s ready. And, yes, he’s running.

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

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.

The first jobs report for 2018 beat expectation slightly, but the most positive signs came in the underlying data on wages.

After spending much of 2017 trying to do it, Republicans are giving up on any effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before the midterms.

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

The guy who found Al Capone’s vault wishes we had a guy like Sean Hannity back in the Watergate era.

What seems like a nothingburger story from CNN.

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.

Imagine a world where Hillary Clinton was President and stood accused of the same things Donald Trump and his campaign are currently under investigation for.

Robert Mueller’s investigators are looking at the President’s role in drafting a false statement regarding the June 2016 meeting between his son and a lawyer linked to the Russian government.

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

In addition to deadlines on the Federal Budget and DACA, Congress also has to deal with the debt ceiling at some point in the next month.

Yet another demand for a loyalty pledge from a law enforcement official by a President under investigation.

Embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has dodged a bullet, but still faces uncertain prospects for reelection.

A train carrying Republican Congressmen and Senators, and their families, was involved in a crash in western Virginia.

The President talked about national unity last night, but given his own rhetoric as a candidate and as a President, it’s a call that seems to be hypocritical.