Outside the Beltway

The economy grew in the final quarter of 2017, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year and far slower than what the President has promised.

And the evidence for obstruction of justice continues to mount.

President Trump has alienated America’s allies and friends, and they are acting accordingly.

With the Administration set to commit the United States to a forever war in Syria, it’s time for Congress to act.

The deal that led to the end of the Federal Government shutdown isn’t sitting well with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

While final votes remain to be taken, the Federal Government shutdown effectively ended this afternoon with an overwhelming bipartisan vote to reopen the government, combined with a commitment from Republicans to consider a DACA bill over the next three weeks. What happens next, though, is entirely uncertain.

It’s Day Two of the Federal Government shutdown and there are few signs of a quick resolution.

The government is shut down and Washington is playing the usual blame game. In reality, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and one of the guilty parties is the American people.

A group of 21 states has filed a petition to review the F.C.C.’s recent net neutrality rule changes, but it faces an uncertain future.

The GOP’s potential troubles in 2018 don’t just exist at the Congressional level.

Once again, President Trump opens his mouth and proceeds to insult a good part of the world while embarrassing the country.

A Federal Judge has put a hold on the impending end of the DACA program.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making it clear she has no intention of leaving office before the 2020 election.

New reports indicate that the President is spending more and more time watching television and tweeting. That’s not what he was elected to do.

Contrary to expectations, jobs growth in December was relatively modest.

Whatever goodwill may have existed between the Trump Administration and Steve Bannon appears to have evaporated.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is extending an olive branch of sorts to South Korea while simultaneously claiming success in achieving a nuclear deterrent.

2017 was quite a year. 2018 promises to be just as interesting.

Attempts to pre-pay property taxes lead to confusion and frustration.

Three U.S. cities are suing the Federal Government over the failure to properly report military convictions to the national gun background check database.

An increasing number of businesses are refusing to accept cash as payment, that raises some interesting social and legal issues.

A Judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit against the President based on two provisions of the Constitution that had never been ruled on before.

New York Knicks Center Enes Katner is at the center of an international legal dispute for speaking out against the President of Turkey.

Republicans passed their tax bill yesterday. What that means for the economy and the 2018 midterms is another question.

Some Democratic Senators are suggesting that Al Franken should reconsider his decision to resign from the Senate.

Once again, tax “reform” won’t make it easier to prepare or file tax returns.

The final version of the tax bill appears to be on track for passage, but the devil is in the details.

House and Senate Republicans say they have reached agreement on a final tax bill, and Democrats are engaging in an effort to delay a vote in the Senate until Doug Jones can be seated.

In what amounts to an electoral perfect storm, Democratic nominee Doug Jones pulled off a win last night in the Alabama Senate Election.

The Supreme Court declined to hear a major case regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation, but the issue is likely to come up again in the very near future.

Vladimir Putin will easily win re-election, but some are beginning to wonder who or what comes after him.

Donald Trump spends an inordinate amount of time watching television and regurgitating what he sees on Twitter. That’s not healthy.

Yesterday was the seventy-sixth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. For most Americans, though, it was just another day. That’s only natural.

November’s Jobs Report was stronger than expected, but there are several caveats to keep in mind.

Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision reveals yet again that he is an appallingly bad deal maker.

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.

A fitting honor for women who have brought to light an issue that was swept under the rug for far too long.

A seventh woman has come forward to accuse Senator Al Franken of having groped her as calls mount from his Democratic colleagues for him to resign.

Most Americans are unlikely to remember John Anderson, but he was a harbinger of things to come.

Mueller crosses Trump’s “red line.”

The current temporary spending measure reached by Congress in September expires on Friday, and Republicans haven’t come up with a solution yet.

As I’ve said before, the Republican Party in the Trump Era has become the party of Trumpaloons, sycophants, sellouts, and cowards.

The Senate passed a tax cut bill last night, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Jim Nabors, who became famous as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC, has died at the age of  87.

For a guy who considers the Russia investigation “Fake News,” President Trump sure is doing a lot to try to stop it.

It appears that Rex Tillerson’s days at the State Department may be numbered, but his proposed replacement leaves a lot to be desired.

The latest domino to fall in the ongoing wave of sexual harassment and abuse revelations is Matt Lauer.

Big problems for the Air Force.

North Korea tests another missile, and sends another message to the United States and its allies in Asia and the Pacific.