Outside the Beltway

The reaction of many of the GOP candidates to the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges is about what you’d expect, but there are a few interesting surprises.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal enters the Presidential race today, but it’s hard to see how he even manages to become a plausible candidate.

Chris Christie appears set to enter the race for the Republican Presidential nomination, but voters back home in New Jersey don’t seem to think very highly of him anymore.

As Governor Haley pushes the South Carolina legislature to take the Confederate Flag down, the movement moves beyond the Palmetto State.

Mitt Romney decided not to run in 2016 but he’s very much in the race.

In a setback for the gun rights movement, the Supreme Court has let stand a San Francisco law that places tough restrictions on handgun ownership.

The highest court in New York state has ruled that an undocumented immigrant brought to the U.S. as a child can be admitted to practice law.

Lee Siegel takes to the NYT to explain “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans.”

Another step forward toward ending a U.S. policy regarding Cuba that was outdated twenty years ago.

The race for the Republican nomination is as tight as ever, and so far nobody seems to be emerging as a clear front-runner.

Despite a veto from the state’s Governor, today Nebraska became the latest state to repeal the death penalty. Hopefully, others will follow.

With 14 candidates vying for the Republican nomination, TV execs are scrambling to make the debates watchable.

A New Jersey legislator is proposing finally getting rid of an antiquated law that makes it illegal to pump your own gas in the Garden State.

A Second Amendment victory in the District of Columbia,

Iraq seems to becoming a political headache for yet another member of the Bush family.

Jeb Bush will not participate in this year’s version of the Iowa Straw Poll.

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.

The tributes to the troops you see during N.F.L. games were most likely bought and paid for with your tax dollars.

A Judge in New Jersey has ruled that the twin children of a New Jersey woman were in fact fathered by two different men.

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 new poll has some bad news for Jeb Bush in the Hawkeye State, which leads to the idea that maybe he shouldn’t waste too much time there to begin with.

Aides to Governor Chris Christie apparently think there’s still a way he can run a credible campaign for President, but it seems unlikely.

Two of Chris Christie’s closest aides were indicted in connection with the Birdgegate scandal today, a third plead guilty, and Christie’s Presidential ambitions are pretty much dead.

Less than two weeks after entering the race, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is at the top of the GOP field in a new poll.

WaPo’s “Top Christie ally defects to Bush” buries the lede.

The GOP race remains tight, but some candidates have benefited from their entry into the race more than others. Overall, though, Hillary Clinton continues to dominate.

When it comes to marijuana policy, Chris Christie is stuck in the past.

His poll numbers are down, the GOP base is not hospitable, but Chris Christie still seems to be thinking about running for President.

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

Jeb Bush is leading the latest poll of the 2016 Republican race and Ted Cruz has surged since he entered the race, but the race is just beginning.

As expected, New Jersey’s senior Senator has been indicted.

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

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

A brutal assessment of Chris Christie’s presidential chances.

The 2008 runner-up has scared off all serious challengers for 2016. Why?

A powerful Democratic Senator looks like he’s about to be in a whole lot of trouble.

Reflecting a growing national trend away from the barbarity of capital punishment, the Governor of Pennsylvania has imposed a moratorium on executions in the Keystone State.

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) will become the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history when Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) resigns Wednesday

The debate over whether kids need to be vaccinated against communicable diseases baffles me.

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

Mitt Romney is set to make an announcement at 11 Eastern today. [UPDATE: He’s out!]

Conservatives finally seem to be waking up to the truth about Sarah Palin.

The Tea Party may be the most vocal wing of the GOP but most Republicans seems to favor candidates that aren’t quite so right wing.

He’s tan. He’s rested. And, apparently, he’s ready. Mitt Romney seems very interested in 2016 all of a sudden.

The news cycle in 2014 seemed to be dominated by a series of real and phony “crises” that grabbed our attention for short periods of time.

The fate of Cuba policy in Congress is far from certain, but what is certain is that following through on President Obama’s historic and necessary changes will face resistance.