Outside the Beltway

The Senate returns tomorrow to try to pass an extension of the PATRIOT Act before it expires, but it may not be able to do so.

Marco Rubio seems to be in lockstep with the extreme social conservatives when it comes to same-sex marriage.

A minimum wage for thee, but not for me.

The Senate went home last night without passing a bill to renew the PATRIOT Act, which expires at the end of the month.

Disturbing developments on the part of the Ukrainian government.

Thwarted by the legislature, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal used his executive power to take action that seems directed more toward evangelicals in Iowa than anything happening in his home state.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer suggests that his fellow Congressmen and Senators are underpaid at $174,000 per year.

Rand Paul held the Senate floor for nearly twelve hours yesterday to talk about the PATRIOT Act, but it’s unclear if he accomplished anything.

A Second Amendment victory in the District of Columbia,

Lindsey Graham says that, if elected president, he would summarily kill anyone thinking about joining ISIS.

Fresh off an election victory, British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to propose a series of new measures to crackdown on extremism that raise serious civil liberties concerns.

The House has passed a bill that would place real restrictions on the National Security Agency’s data mining program. Now, it moves to the Senate.

As expected, the Republican-controlled House passed a bill that would ban most abortions after twenty weeks. It also happens to be completely unconstitutional and has no chance of actually becoming law.

A plan to distribute migrants from the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa across the entire European Union seems destined to cause political conflict.

House Republicans are set to vote on a bill banning abortion in almost all cases after twenty weeks. What they can’t do is explain where the Constitution gives Congress the power to do this.

For reasons only he can understand. South Carolina’s senior Senator will be entering the race for the White House early next month.

Two Republican candidates for President say that Republican elected officials should simply ignore the Supreme Court if it strikes down bans on same-sex marriage.

A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the N.S.A.’s data mining program is illegal, but its ruling may not have a very big impact.

In a move that is clearly designed to have an impact in the General Election, Hillary Clinton came out in support of broad immigration reform in Nevada yesterday.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about fundamentally changing what it means to be an American, and it’s a bad idea.

Congress can’t really do anything to stop a nuclear deal with Iran, and John Boehner knows it.

Another poll shows that Republicans are largely out of step with public opinion on the question of whether businesses should be free to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings.

Ted Cruz and Steve King think the Court should be prevented from hearing any case involving same-sex marriage. Because they know they’re losing.

Senate Republicans are working on legislation to fix the PPACA’s subsidies if the Supreme Court rules against the Federal Government in June.

For months, Ted Cruz said the nomination of Loretta Lynch must be blocked. Then, he failed to show up when the Senate voted on her nomination.

Seventy years ago, Harry Truman became President in the final months of a war. He wasn’t prepared for it, but most Vice-President’s after him have been.

Five years after it became law, the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act appears to be over.

After months of resistance, the White House will allow Congressional review of any deal with Iran, but it may not hamper negotiations much in the end.

Marco Rubio is the first Republican in the race who actually has a plausible chance to win the nomination, but it’s not going to be easy.

Legislators in Tennessee have taken the “gun rights” argument further than it was ever intended to go.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge is creating a scandal where none exists.

Democrats like New York Senator Chuck Schumer could end up being the ones that scuttle the Iranian nuclear deal.

One Missouri legislator is going on a crusade against a “problem” that may not actually exist.

A bill pending in Louisiana seems likely to become the next national focus in the debate between marriage equality and claims of ‘religious freedom.’

The Iranian nuclear accords are barely 24 hours old and some people have already made up their mind about them.

We’re down to debating whether bigots should have to sell cakes to gay people.

Arkansas, North Carolina, and Virginia may soon see the same battle over RFRA laws that is playing itself out in Indiana

The devil is in the details of what the legislature passes, but Indiana’s Governor has essentially conceded defeat in the battle over his state’s controversial new “religious freedom” law.

Indiana is about to become the latest state to grants special rights to religious business owners.

Rand Paul now says he signed the Cotton Letter to strengthen the Administration’s bargaining position.

Alec MacGillis argues for Slate that “Veterans Should Pay Taxes Like Everyone Else.” I agree!

Senate Republicans have done more harm to the goal of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons than they have done good.

Amateurish? Condescending? Yes. Treasonous? No.

The post title is quite the recurring question, it would seem.

As expected, Republicans have caved in the showdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Now that they control all of Congress, some Republicans are suddenly deciding that the filibuster should be repealed.