Outside the Beltway

To the surprise of nobody, Mitt Romney entered the race to succeed Orrin Hatch in the Senate. He’ll probably win.

The prospect for a fix to help DACA beneficiaries is looking gloomier than ever.

Donald Trump’s lawyer admits to making a six-figure payment on the eve of the 2016 election to a porn star that Trump was alleged to have had an affair with. That just raises a host of other questions.

Another Federal Judge has placed a hold on President Trump’s order to end DACA.

With time seemingly running out, the Senate debate over extending DACA is moving slowly.

A Federal Court in New York City is set to hear argument tomorrow in a case that essentially argues that a large swath of Federal laws regarding marijuana are unconstitutional.

Republicans spent the eight years of Obama Administration railing against fiscal irresponsibility. Now that they have power, they’re the ones being fiscally irresponsible.

The Judge presiding over a case dealing with Trump’s proposed border wall expressed doubts about the project. The President will no doubt be irked by the identity of that Judge.

As Brexit negotiations go on and the consequences of Britain leaving the European Union become clearer, some Britons are starting to ask for a chance at a second referendum.

Congress seems likely to pass a budget deal today that will massively increase spending, putting to rest once and for all the rank hypocrisy of Republicans when it comes to claims that they are “fiscally conservative.”

Of course Donald Trump wants a military parade, it would be consistent with his delusions of grandeur.

Congress appears to be moving closer to a budget deal even as the President tries to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

The rise of ‘car sharing’ services has greatly benefitted consumers but had a devastating effect on taxi drivers.

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.

Dodge is facing controversy this morning for using the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in a Super Bowl commercial, but they’re not the only party who may have some questions to answer.

Two Amtrak crashes in less than a week is newsworthy. It is not, however, a trend.

A newly released poll has encouraging signs for Democrats in 2018, but there are several caveats.

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

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

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 first jobs report for 2018 beat expectation slightly, but the most positive signs came in the underlying data on wages.

Imagine a world where Hillary Clinton was President and stood accused of the same things Donald Trump and his campaign are currently under investigation for.

Robert Mueller’s investigators are looking at the President’s role in drafting a false statement regarding the June 2016 meeting between his son and a lawyer linked to the Russian government.

Embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has dodged a bullet, but still faces uncertain prospects for reelection.

International travel to the United States has declined since Donald Trump took office, and it’s having a measurable impact on the economy.

The recent cooling of relations between North and South Korea has led to some talk of eventual reunification, but for many South Koreans that idea is a non-starter.

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.