Outside the Beltway

The Treasury Department has designated five entities and 19 individuals tied to the Russian government for cyber espionage.

While the nature of Rex Tillerson’s firing as Secretary of State was shocking in its abruptness, taken in context with the rocky nature of his tenure it was hardly surprising.

Rex Tillerson was an awful Secretary of State who simply had to go, It’s quite possible his successor will be an even greater disaster.

Ending an investigation that was flawed and tainted with partisanship from the start, the House Intelligence Committee has abruptly concluded its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Not surprisingly, the Trump Administration is backing away from gun regulations opposed by the N.R.A.

It is a fair question. But judging the Trump administration on tax cuts, Gorsuch, and the DJIA is to ignore a lot of profound problems.

The Russia investigation rolls on with more evidence of questionable conduct on the part of Trump and his team.

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

Despite the activism we’ve seen in the wake of the school shooting in Florida, it’s unlikely that we’ll see significant Congressional action on guns.

China’s Xi Jinping solidified his hold on power well into the next decade over the weekend.

Jonathan Bernstein thinks so and Chuck Todd and company outline a pretty strong case.

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have released a memo that completely eviscerates the memo prepared by Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.

The Mueller investigation moves forward.

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?

The students who survived last week’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida are speaking out, and some on the right are responding by engaging in personal attacks and spreading conspiracy theories.

Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty in response to clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a staggering and flagrant dereliction of the duties he agreed to take on when he took the Oath Of Office more than a year ago.

NRO’s David French offers “A Gun-Control Measure Conservatives Should Consider.”

Blake Hounshell has doubts about whether Trump colluded with Moscow.

President Trump’s tweets, other public statements, and actions are causing world leaders to doubt the reliability of the United States on the world stage.

Mueller tightens the screws even further.

The Russian government likely is quite pleased.

Donald Trump is now claiming that he had never denied that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. This is, of course, not true.

There are no adequate words.

Phil Carter makes an interesting argument but he’s ultimately mistaken.

From the F.B.I. on down, there were multiple warnings that could have prevented Wednesday’s tragedy in Parkland, Florida.

More security clearance problems for the White House.

Despite what his own intelligence chiefs are saying, President Trump still does not believe that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Another school shooting, this time in Florida.

Whether it’s the abuse angle or the more serious issue of security clearances, the White House still can’t get the story straight on the Rob Porter case.

Israeli police have recommended that charges be brought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Whether that damages him politically remains to be seen.

Intelligence officials are warning that the Russians are set to seek to influence the 2018 elections just as they did in 2016. Despite this, the Trump Administration refuses to acknowledge this publicly while the President seeks to undermine the investigation into past Russian interference.

More than a year into the Trump Presidency, dozens of White House personnel lack proper security clearances.

President Trump spoke up about the spousal abuse charges against his former Staff Secretary Rob Porter. His response was entirely predictable.

Donald Trump has blocked the release of a memo prepared by House Intelligence Committee Democrats to rebut the Nunes memo. It’s hard not to see this as a blatantly partisan move.

The Rob Porter story, which is quickly becoming the Rob Porter scandal, tells us a lot about the Trump White House, and none of it is good.

Contrary to the claims that were made by conservatives and Trump supporters before its release, the memo prepared by Congressman Devin Nunes has done nothing to undermine the Russia investigation.

Administration officials are admitting that it’s likely that Russia will try to interfere in the midterm elections just as it did in 2016, but they don’t seem inclined to do anything about it.

Donald Trump’s own lawyers are afraid he can’t help but lie to such an extent that he should not sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

A confusing new report from the Washington Post.

The two most important allegations in the Nunes memo appear to be complete lies.

Mostly it just tells us that Nunes and his allies are hacks.

President Trump is claiming that the Nunes memo vindicates him. He’s wrong.

National Review legal analyst David French argues that the Nunes memo actually undermines the central claim its proponents were seeking to bolster.

The 2008 Republican nominee for president condemned his party and its president for the release of a controversial memo attacking the FBI.

Republicans have released the memo prepared by Congressman Devin Nunes that purports to call into question the basis for the Russia investigation. In the end, though, it amounts to much ado about nothing.

The guy who found Al Capone’s vault wishes we had a guy like Sean Hannity back in the Watergate era.

What seems like a nothingburger story from CNN.