Outside the Beltway

The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez edition.

Howdy, folks. I’m Butch Bracknell.

California Governor Gavin Newsome may have put the issue front and center for 2020.

If it’s Sunday night . . .

Add DHS to the list of Departments being run by interims.

Despite some obstacles, America’s armed forces drink other professions under the table.

Sanders’ suggestion is not as outside democratic norms as one might think.

The Israeli prime minister is engaging in a familiar but dangerous gambit to retain power.

“We have to be careful in balancing big dreams and bold ideas with also recognizing that typically change happens in steps.”

As many states contemplate restoring voting rights to felons who have completed their sentence, a leading Democrat wants to go further.

Trying a different take on an old concept.

A lesson from Puerto Rico and further reasons why the EC is a problem.

Bernie also faces disclosure pressures.

It’s a lot harder than it looks.

The law is not on the President’s side.

Let us know if anything’s broken.

Happy Friday!

Nein. Nein. Nein.

Very little of our vast landmass is densely populated with humans.

The Constitution’s invitation to struggle over foreign policy continues.

Princeton historian Sean Wilentz lays to rest a pernicious idea propagated by . . . Princeton historian Sean Wilentz.

Our colleague hopes to make his return soon.

The Justice Department has issued a damning report.

A reminder that over 3 million citizens have no effective influence over the federal government.

It now appears that the Attorney General is keeping publicly-releasable information hidden away longer than necessary.

The mid-week edition.

Theresa May and the UK are quickly running out of options.

Senate Republicans are pushing for the end of minority obstruction—and the Democrats can’t wait.

Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris are leading the field and Pete Bittigieg is doing surprisingly well.

While polarization in our national politics gets the most attention, several states also face serious rural-urban tensions.

In 2016, a crowded Republican field yielded an unlikely nominee. Could history repeat itself in 2020?

Yet another promising spring football league seems to have bitten the dust.

Six weeks is a very long time in American politics.

The esteemed biographer on his process.

The replacement of Anthony Kennedy with Brett Kavanaugh is already having a significant impact.

After a flood of stories saying the former Vice President is unsuitable for the modern era, the inevitable pushback is happening.

He’s a national treasure who has been appropriately honored for a lifetime of service and sacrifice. But this seems different.

In some expert trolling, the Senate Majority Leader decries “mindless, undiscriminating obstruction for the sake of obstruction.”

Findings of “foreign influence, conflicts of interest, concerning personal conduct, financial problems, drug use, and criminal conduct” were dismissed.

The White House clearly doesn’t have a plan beyond attacking Obamacare to score political points.

Our new bi-weekly tradition continues.

Trump’s threat will not make things better (and the notion of actually closing the border is insane).

Note to the folks at Fox and Friends: Central America is not part of Mexico.

Trump declares he will end aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The peril of not yet running for President include not yet having a campaign staff in place.

John Fund thinks I am afraid of Stephen Moore (and that I am an economist). He is wrong on both counts.

More simplism from the WH.

The early frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is drawing fire from multiple fronts. It may destroy his candidacy before it begins.

Happy Friday!

As a no-deal Brexit becomes more likely, the EU is taking things personally.