Outside the Beltway

Plus, I question the timing.

Hegseth’s pulpit.

Trump attacks the Pope on Truth Social, You know, as one does.

A coin for Dear Leader.

If the shoe doesn’t fit, wear it.

Presidential fashion choices for solemn occasions.

A third (and hopefully final) post on the matter.

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

Citing substantial cooperation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller is recommending no jail time for former Trump associate Michael Flynn.

RIP. Queen Of Soul

The frequency and ease with which this President lies is, to say the least, alarming.

The Strzok hearing provides a return to this timeworn favorite.

A Federal Judge in California has largely rejected a Trump Administration challenge to a series of new laws in California designed to protect so-called “sanctuary cities.”

The unconscionable violation of norms in 2016 won’t apply in 2018; it’s a matter of power, not principle.

The White Male Great American Literary Novelist for the 21st Century is not a fan of modern realities.

The 100-mile Constitution-free zone strikes again.

Melania Trump visited a detention center in Texas where children are being held by the Federal Government, but it was her choice of apparel that seemed to garner the most attention.

Maine voters head to the polls today to pick nominees for Governor and several other offices, but the most interesting thing is way they’ll be voting.

For the second time in three years, we have a Triple Crown winner.

Trump’s withdrawal of his invitation to the Philadelphia Eagles is just another example of his populistic nationalism. (And it isn’t healthy).

Days after designer Kate Spade killed herself, depression has claimed another celebrity.

The President’s constant attacks on the news media are meant for a single purpose, to undermine even accurate reporting about wrongdoing in his Administration.

An inordinate amount of cruelty is being perpetrated in the name of border security. It’s only partly the fault of the current President.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is hinting she might try to revive a Scottish independence vote in the wake of Brexit. That’s easier said than done.

Does the administration know what it is doing?

A writer at National Review is proposing a compromise on the issue of transgender rights. Needless to say, many conservatives aren’t very happy about it.

Remember Donald Trump’s strange doctor? Well, things just got stranger;.

Andrew Sullivan wonders, “Will there always be an England?”

Michael Cohen will invoke his rights under the Fifth Amendment in response to any questions asked in discovery in the civil suit filed against him by Stormy Daniels. That’s really the only option he has.

For intelligence and law enforcement to function, their leaders must remain outside the partisan fray—even in recent retirement.

Stephon Clark died after being shot eight times in the back and side by police in Sacramento. So far, the authorities haven’t acted.

A big win for gun control advocates in a deeply Republican state.

The legal distinction between “personal capacity” and “official capacity” makes no sense for senior presidential appointees.

Yet another top appointee is in the awkward position of having to defend himself from the Tweeter-in-Chief.

Presidents are much more constrained in issuing and rolling back regulations than they or the public think.

Some thoughts on the biggest Marvel blockbuster yet. [Modest spoilers]

An emerging technology will take “fake news” to a whole new level.

If a law enforcement officer with 30 years of experience can’t stop an active school shooter, what makes anyone think a teacher with a gun can?

John Kelly continues to throw away the good name he earned in decades of service as a Marine to serve the agenda of President Trump.

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

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

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

Donald Trump Jr. is claiming that some conversations between him and his father are covered by the attorney-client privilege. Based on what we know about those conversations, there’s a good possibility that he’s right.

White House Chief Of Staff John Kelly publicly defended the President’s call to a military widow yesterday, but he got several facts wrong in the process.

At least for now, Republicans seem to be giving up on repealing and replacing the PPACA. That’s not going to make the base happy.

A complicated concurrence to Steven Taylor’s recent postings.

A gunman opened fire on a crowd of over 20,000 people in Las Vegas, and the results have been predictably horrific.