Outside the Beltway

As the Friday deadline for trade talks with China approaches, President Trump is threatening even more tariffs.

Later this week, the House Judiciary Committee will vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt, but it most likely won’t go anywhere.

More Madisonian musing on the current state of our constitutional order.

Back to Fed 51 and this moment in oversight: we have to remember what ambitions drive politicians.

We segregate men and women in sports for good reason. How we do that is complicated.

With the apparent failure of the coup attempt in Venezuela, what happens next?

The move creates a rare Senate opening in the Equality State, and an opportunity for the daughter of a certain former Vice-President.

There’s a lot of talk right now about “electability.” but what the heck does it mean?

Another post-announcement poll brings good news for the former Vice-President, but there’s a long way to go.

A panel of three Federal Judges has found Ohio’s Congressional District map to be unconstitutional, but a case currently pending before the Supreme Court could mute the impact of this decision.

As I have noted before: party trumps institutional pride. The Barr testimony is just another example.

President Trump’s obsequious effort to please Russian President Vladimir Putin continues.

Sexual misconduct in the military continues to frustrate observers.

The IRS is outgunned.

Republicans have aborted President Trump’s lofty plan for a $2 trillion infrastructure deal just days after it was conceived.

The former Kentucky coal executive, Republican fundraiser, and Ambassador to Canada would replace Nikki Haley in what used to be a position dominated by more experienced diplomats.

After disappearing from public view for an extended period of time, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh resigned yesterday amid an unfolding corruption scandal.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other firebrands aren’t steering the ship. Yet.

A year and a half into the #MeToo era, we’re still debating who gets to have a career.

The attorney general hasn’t said a single thing that wasn’t technically true about the Mueller report. But he was dishonest.

Newly discovered evidence shows that foreign governments have expanded their leasing of space from at least one Trump-owned office building in New York City.

The latest CNN poll raises some questions about gender bias.

Did I leave the Republican Party or did it leave me? Both.

Another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust.

A Virginia Judge has ruled that automated license plate collection systems violate state law.

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet is the latest entrant into the race for the Democratic nomination for President, and the field isn’t done growing.

A months-long standoff is stopping hurricane relief.

Former Vice-President Joe Biden is calling for an end to American support for the Saudi war on Yemen.

New poll numbers suggest that Congressional Democrats need to be careful about how aggressively they pursue their investigations of the Trump White House.

The President’s latest job approval numbers show little sign of movement in the wake of the release of the Mueller report

Robert Mueller objected to the Attorney General’s characterization of the final report he submitted, reports indicate.

Six Democrats are boycotting on principle. Four Republicans don’t care.

200-odd Congressional Democrats are taking an odd route to go after corruption.

This is my shocked face.

In the end, Impeachment is a political act more than a legal one. For that reason, Democrats should not pursue impeachment unless they have a reasonable chance of winning.

President Trump and the top Democrats in Congress announced a purported $2 trillion infrastructure deal but there’s no reason to believe it will ever become law.

There’s some very good news for Joe Biden in the first polls taken after he entered the Presidential race.

A cautious analyst makes a strong claim.

The narrow loser of the Georgia governor’s race has left open the possibility of running for President.

A Federal Appeals Court recently found that chalking the tires of a car parked in a public place is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. It’s not at all clear that this decision is correct.

Ben Wittes succinctly describes a phenomenon that I’ve been struggling with for three years.

Democratic House members are finding that their constituents aren’t quite as eager for impeachment as some party activists are.

A new poll shows that a majority of Americans say they won’t vote for President Trump in 2020. but that’s only half the battle for Democrats

President Trump is trying to politicize monetary policy. He should be resisted on this front.

A new poll shows President Trump struggling against four of his potential 2020 challengers. Should Republicans be worried and Democrats elated? It’s too early to tell.

His passing is a sad reminder of another era of the Republican Party.

Ballot measures across the country would deny access to those who refuse to release tax returns.

After just a year in office, Oliver North is out as President of the National Rifle Association as the group faces an ongoing series of scandals centered around Wayne LaPierre and others.

One opinion writer says that Senator Kamala Harris should be disqualified as a Democratic candidate because she owns a handgun.

A new poll finds that most Americans do not support impeaching the President at this time, but they also don’t believe the President on the issues of Russian interference and obstruction.