House Judiciary Committee To Subpoena A Dozen People Close To Trump

The House Judiciary Committee has upped the ante in the showdown between the Trump Administration and Congress.

Hong Kong’s Leader Declares Controversial Bill ‘Dead,’ Protesters Aren’t Satisfied

The government in Hong Kong keeps conceding ground to the protests that have taken hold in the city, but the protesters have more fundamental objections.

Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Barring Emergency Funding For Trump’s Border Wall

Another court loss for Trump and his border wall.

Basic Democratic Models

Presidential v. parliamentary democracy, some basics.

A Fourth of July Thought

Ideas, not tanks.

Justin Amash Leaves GOP with BothSides Op-ed

The Republican Party is ruining the country. But so are the Democrats?

Census Won’t Have Citizenship Question

The Trump Administration has officially conceded to the rule of law.

Trump Assisting Putin In His War On Liberal Democracy

Whether he knows it or not, Donald Trump is assisting the Russian leader in his goal of undermining the foundational institutions of democracy and freedom.

Hong Kong Protests Turn Violent

The ongoing protests in Hong Kong over controversial extradition legislation have taken a violent turn.

Voter Suppression in Florida

Let’s call it what it is.

Putin: “The liberal idea has become obsolete.”

The latest in the wars against liberalism.

Robert Mueller To Testify Before Congress

Robert Mueller has agreed to testify before Congress in public. Testimony that is likely to be the big story of the summer.

Trump Still Won’t Acknowledge The Truth About The Murder Of Jamal Khashoggi

Eight months later, the President and his Administration continue to refuse to acknowledge the truth about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Russia Used Social Media Trolls To Interfere In E.U. Elections

Evidence appears to clearly established that Russia used many of the same social media efforts it used in the United States in 2016 to interfere in the recent European Parliament elections.

Supreme Court Dismisses Virginia Legislature’s Effort To Challenge Racial Gerrymandering Ruling

The Supreme Court rejected an effort by the Virginia House of Delegates to overturn a Federal Court ruling that the state’s district lines constituted gerrymandering by race. But they didn’t rule on the merits of the appeal.

Trump Kicks Off 2020 Campaign With Return To 2016’s Rants And Red Meat

President Trump’s opening rally of the 2020 campaign sounded an awful lot like a rally from 2016

Not Mollified By Concessions, Hong Kong Protests Expand

If Hong Kong’s leaders thought protesters would be satisfied with relatively minor concessions, they have significantly miscalculated the situation.

Graham is Wrong

This time on Venezuela

They’ve Got XCIX Problems, But Arabic Numerals Ain’t One

Amusing results, and a history lesson, in a new poll

House Votes To Allow Contempt Proceedings Against Barr And McGahn

With the Trump Administration continuing to stonewall investigations, the House of Representatives is seeking to ramp up the pressure.

New York Times Editorial Cartoons Gone

America’s Newspaper of Record has decided the backlash isn’t worth it.

What’s So Bad About ‘Flip-Flopping’?

Is it really such a bad thing when a politician changes a long-help position on a political issue?

Hundreds Of Thousands In Hong Kong Protest Proposed Changes To Extradition Law

Protesters flooded the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday over proposed change to the city’s extradition laws.

Donald Trump And The Legacy Of D-Day

Donald Trump has betrayed the legacy and the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought their way onto the beaches of Normandy.

London Mayor Denounces Trump On Eve Of State Visit

Just a day before he is scheduled to arrive in the city for a State Visit, London’s Mayor is denouncing President Trump.

A Duty to Impeach?

Does the House have an obligation to proceed with impeachment?

The True Cost of Trade Wars

The cost of Trump’s trade policies are well beyond the cost of soy beans.

Today in Terrible Electoral College Columns

No, abolishing the EC would not turn farmers into serfs.

Theresa May To Step Down As Conservative Party Leader On June 7th

Theresa May has announced she is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party as of June 7th, starting a process that will have her out of Downing Street withing the next two months or so.

Most Americans Do Not Want Roe v. Wade Overturned

A new poll shows that roughly two-thirds of Americans, including a large number of Republicans, do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

Thinking Through the Impeachment Process

Forget high language about constitutional prerogatives. This is about parties and elections.

Democrats Playing into Trump’s Hands on Mueller Report

We already know enough to impeach.

House Judiciary Committee Votes To Hold Attorney General Barr In Contempt

As expected, the House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday on party lines to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to turn over a full copy of the Mueller Report

California Becomes Latest State To Try To Force Trump To Disclose Tax Returns

California is the latest state to try to force all Presidential candidates, including the President, to release their tax returns as a condition for getting on the ballot. It’s not at all clear that this is permitted under the Constitution.

No Mitch McConnell, It’s Not “Case Closed”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared “case closed” on the Mueller Report and the Russia investigation. This is far from the truth.

On Angels, Ambition, and Institutions

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

Back to Ambition Countering Ambition

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

What’s Next For Venezuela?

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

I’ve Changed, Man

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

American Intervention In Venezuela Would Be Counterproductive, Unwise, And Illegal

The ongoing apparent attempted coup in Venezuela is already leading to talk of American intervention in the event of a crackdown. That would be unwise and unjustified.

Japanese Emperor Officially Yields The Chrysanthemum Throne

Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese Emperor to abdicate the throne in 200 years today.

Stacy Abrams Not Running for Senate

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

Federal Court Finds Michigan Districts Unconstitutionally Gerrymandered

A Federal Court in Michigan has found several of that state’s Congressional and state legislative districts to have been subject to extreme partisan gerrymandering.

F.B.I. Warns Of Russian Plans To Interfere In 2020 Elections

Counter-Intelligence officials are warning that Russia is preparing another election interference campaign for the 2020 election.

Foreign Interference in Elections

A law professor asks some interesting questions, but ultimately not the right ones.

Hillary Clinton Writes History’s Most Self-Serving Op-Ed

Having lost to him, she’s an ineffective voice on the matter of Donald Trump.

A Comparative Note on Prisoner Voting

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

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Obama Warns Democrats Against ‘Circular Firing Squads’

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