Outside the Beltway

It’s been seven years since Congress eliminated earmarking, and what we’ve seen has provided good evidence for the argument that it should never have been eliminated.

We’re slowly fixing the site.

Another win for forces fighting partisan Gerrymandering.

My latest for The National Interest has posted.

The deal that led to the end of the Federal Government shutdown isn’t sitting well with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

While final votes remain to be taken, the Federal Government shutdown effectively ended this afternoon with an overwhelming bipartisan vote to reopen the government, combined with a commitment from Republicans to consider a DACA bill over the next three weeks. What happens next, though, is entirely uncertain.

President Trump is apparently pressuring the President of South Korea to give him the credit for talks between North and South Korea that the United States isn’t involved in at all.

As the Federal Government shutdown moves into the work week, there are some rumors of a possible deal, but nothing concrete and the lack of trust between the two parties could make a deal hard to achieve.

President Trump called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the legislative filibuster to resolve the government shutdown. That’s not going to happen.

It’s Day Two of the Federal Government shutdown and there are few signs of a quick resolution.

The redevelopment of the site that I posted about a few weeks back is underway in a phased approach.

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.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Government’s appeal of the Trump Administration’s revised Muslim Travel Ban

The government is shut down and Washington is playing the usual blame game. In reality, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and one of the guilty parties is the American people.

Last October, legendary rocker Tom Petty died of a heart attack, at the relatively young age of 66. The medical examiner has now attributed this to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Both #TrumpShutdown and #SchumerShutdown put the blame in the wrong place.

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.

With just hours to go, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Senate can reach a deal to keep the government open.

Thanks to Donald Trump, public opinion around the world about the United States is at its lowest level in ten years.

With less than two days to go, the prospects for Congress finding a way to prevent a government shutdown aren’t looking good.

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

A group of 21 states has filed a petition to review the F.C.C.’s recent net neutrality rule changes, but it faces an uncertain future.

Former White House and Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Norway is poised to make some big changes to its drug laws.

With only days to go, Congress seems unable to come up with either a funding deal for the Federal Government or a solution to the DACA issue.

Late last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the question of whether online and out-of-state businesses can be required to collect sales taxes in states with which they have no connection.

The GOP’s potential troubles in 2018 don’t just exist at the Congressional level.

That “Romney for Senate” campaign seems pretty much inevitable.

Some thoughts about why the president’s remarks on immigration are so problematic.

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.

Support for Trump’s comments are very telling.

Once again, President Trump opens his mouth and proceeds to insult a good part of the world while embarrassing the country.

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

The numbers aren’t looking good for Republican prospects in this year’s midterm elections.

The Supreme Court heard argument yesterday in an important case dealing with the circumstances under which voters can be purged from the voting rolls.

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

A Federal Judge has put a hold on the impending end of the DACA program.

Steve Bannon loses his position at Breitbart after his blistering comments about the President and others in the Administration became public.

Controversial former Sheriff Joe Arpaio is running for Senate in Arizona.

Some progress on easing tensions between North and South Korea.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making it clear she has no intention of leaving office before the 2020 election.

New reports indicate that the President is spending more and more time watching television and tweeting. That’s not what he was elected to do.