Outside the Beltway

Donald Trump isn’t just admiring dictators now, he’s acting like one.

On the Sunday shows today, one of the President’s top aides insisted that the Administration is seriously looking at the idea of buying Greenland even though it isn’t for sale.

A newly released report leaked from inside the British Government notes that a hard Brexit is likely to be a disaster for the British economy.

While much of the talk about Robert Mueller’s testimony has focused on the Trump campaign, there was another part to his testimony that brings attention to a far more serious threat.

The evidence is clear that Russia interfered in the election in 2016 and intends to do so again. Despite this, Mitch McConnell is blocking legislation designed to enhance election security.

The World Health Organization has declared the year-long Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “world health emergency.”

The DNC has $9.3 million to the RNC’s $44 million.

Well, of course they are.

The ground shook overnight in Southern California for the second time in two days.

Rural Americans are much less likely to go to college than their urban counterparts. Is there a solution?

Senators Warren and Sanders have both proposed plans to forgive student loan debt and make public colleges tuition-free. That’s easier said than done.

The Democratic Socialist wants to absorb $1.6 trillion of student debt.

It burns.

Not only are we deploying it more slowly than China and others but we’re doing it in a way that will live behind rural Americans.

Four years ago, Donald Trump began his campaign for President. What has followed has been as bad as could have been predicted that day.

There isn’t a lot of legislating going on.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is being accused of giving preferential access to businesses and businessmen tied to her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

While mildly embarrassing, it’s unlikely to have much impact on the race.

Jared Kushner’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan is still awaiting release, but it already appears to be dead on arrival.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ruled out what would essentially be a quixotic primary challenge against President Trump.

Earlier this week, SpaceX deployed the first 60 satellites in a network that could result in Internet access from virtually anywhere in the world.

The Toddler-in-Chief has issued an ultimatum.

The city by the Bay is rapidly transforming. Should we lament that?

The President’s trade policies stand to benefit a lot of other countries, just not the United States.

We’ve soon see whether the current Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade.

Other than confirming a lot of Trump Judges, the Senate has not been getting much work done so far this year.

Republicans have aborted President Trump’s lofty plan for a $2 trillion infrastructure deal just days after it was conceived.

President Trump and the top Democrats in Congress announced a purported $2 trillion infrastructure deal but there’s no reason to believe it will ever become law.

The Trump Administration’s policies toward Iran aren’t going to work, but that’s because they aren’t supposed to work.

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

Cory Booker’s message of unity isn’t going over well with Democratic voters eager for a fight.

The New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago metro areas are all losing people.

The findings are a dispiriting Rorschach test.

So far, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign has been far more about image than substance.

The 2020 debate on Twitter does not represent ordinary Americans. Does that matter?

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

The legendary figure was in charge of strategic forecasting at the Pentagon for decades.

Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is the latest entrant into an already crowded Democratic field.

Congressman Bradley Byrne has entered the race to challenge Doug Jones for the Senate from Alabama in 2020. This seat is likely to be a Republican pick-up regardless of who the Republicans nominate.

Following Donald Trump’s lead, the GOP is making clear that its game plan for 2020 is paint all Democrats as ‘socialists, baby killers, and anti-Semites.’

Thanks mostly to political opposition that misrepresented the nature of the deal it had made, Amazon has abandoned plans to locate parts of its new headquarters in New York City.

And a reminder about how little the current POTUS understands.

The President’s second State of the Union began and ended with calls for unity. In between, it was filled with the divisive partisanship that has marked his Presidency.

Pensions and health care costs for the elderly are crowding out other vital spending.

As public opinion of the President continues to slide his pandering to his far-right base increases.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is preparing a second run at the White House, but this race won’t be anything like 2016.

The Senate has the ball this week in terms of action on the government shutdown, but its work is going to end up being utterly pointless.

President Trump put an offer on the table to end the shutdown, the question is whether it will actually lead anywhere.

With Democrats making a new proposal and the President set to speak later today, there could be movement on ending the government shutdown. I wouldn’t be too optimistic, though.

The government shutdown has now entered historic territory, and the Trump Administration is moving closer to a “national emergency” or other extra-legal means to get money for his wall.