Outside the Beltway

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.

The Washington Post exposes another James O’Keefe fraud.

The Supreme Court has declined to hear yet another Second Amendment case.

Potentially bad news for President Trump in connection with the Russia investigation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Federal Judge in California has entered an order permanently blocking a Trump Administration effort to deny funding to so-called sanctuary cities.

The woman who says Ray Moore assaulted her when she was just 14 spoke out this morning at the same time that the White House effectively endorsed Moore’s candidacy.

Charles Manson, who led a cult-like “family” to a series of murders in 1969 and subsequently spent more than 40 years in prison, has died at the age of 83.

There’s growing evidence that Donald Trump’s tweets are hurting him but his aides have basically given up trying to control his Twitter habit.

No, we don’t have to presume that Roy Moore is “innocent until proven guilty.”

New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand says Bill Clinton should have resigned over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Raising the question of just how stringently we should apply the standards of today to the events of the past.

Could the tide be turning in the Alabama Senate race against Roy Moore? At least some polling indicates the answer could be yes.

House Republicans passed their tax reform bill. That was the easy part.

New Jersey Senate Bob Menendez has temporarily dodged a bullet, but his ultimate fate is far from clear.

A Los Angeles reporter says that Minnesota Senator Al Franken groped her and engaged in other inappropriate conduct during a 2006 USO tour.

It appears Russia attempted to influence last year’s Brexit vote in the same manner it did the 2016 election in the United States.

The charges against Roy Moore continue to mount as national Republicans continue to push back against him.

President Trump returns home from an Asian trip that wasn’t exactly impressive.

More indications that Donald Trump Jr. was heavily involved in Trump campaign efforts to coordinate with foreign contacts regarding damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Another Alabama woman accuses Roy Moore of sexually assaulting him when she was a teenager.

As a candidate, Donald Trump liked to claim that he only hired the “top people.” and said he would do the same thing as President. So far, it isn’t working out that way.

Will Joe Biden be ‘tan, rested, and ready’ enough to take on 2020?

Notwithstanding overwhelming public support, Congress is not moving forward on a proposal to ban bump stocks.

Democrats, Republicans, and Independents came out for an an election that can only been seen as a strong rebuke to President Trump and the Republican Party.

In his time as President, Donald Trump has demonstrated as much contempt for the rule of law as he did as a candidate.