Outside the Beltway

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker is the latest entrant into the race for the 2020 Democratic Nomination.

There’s a way that Congress and the President could make future government shutdowns impossible, but they probably won’t do it.

Faced with the prospect of a large field like the one Republicans had in 2016, Democrats are trying to figure out how to handle debates. So far, the ideas being put forward are as bad as what the GOP ended up doing.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed major reforms in Federal sentencing and related laws. As the name of the bill implies, it’s a first step, but a good first step.

Cory Booker’s interest in running for President has been an open secret for some time, now he’s being far less coy about it.

The C.I.A. has apparently concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. What will the Trump Administration do about this?

Who’s John Delaney? Well, he’s a Congressman from Maryland who’s apparently running for President.

Florida voters approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that will restore the voting rights of as many as 1.2 million ex-felons and make it easier for future released felons to get their civil rights back.

President Trump is now claiming he will end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants via Executive Order. He clearly lacks the authority to do this.

In the wake of attempted bombing attacks on people he has criticized, the President is blaming the media for poisonous political rhetoric. He needs to look in the mirror.

President Trump is choosing money and moral cowardice over human life in his response to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is, effectively, assured. Democrats should be careful about how much further they push their opposition.

The confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh begin today, but the outcome seems foreordained.

Throughout the War On Terror, John McCain stood out as a strong moral voice against the use of torture against prisoners. For that he deserves the thanks of a grateful nation.

Senator John McCain has died at the age of 81,

Gary Johnson was a successful two-term Governor in New Mexico. Now he’s making a bid to represent the Land of Enchantment in the U.S. Senate.

Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination appears to be on track for confirmation before the new Supreme Court term begins in October.

Senate Democrats appear to be recognizing that there’s basically nothing they can do to stop the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Based on what can only be described as pure vindictiveness, the President is apparently planning on revoking security clearances of former officials who have been outspoken against the Administration and its policies.

At least in these early days, Democrats appear to lack a coherent message, or a coherent strategy, to propel any effort to block Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

A selection that is likely to keep the Senate GOP united and red-state Democrats up for re-election under pressure to vote to confirm.

The National Debt has passed $21,000,000,000,000 for the first time in history just as the nation begins its return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits.

The GOP and Donald Trump are indistinguishable now. But it’s not clear what that means.

Corey Stewart may be the darling of the Trumpidians in the GOP, but he won’t be getting any help from Senate Republicans.

As expected, Gina Haspel was confirmed as C.I.A. Director yesterday despite her controversial record when it comes to torture.

With a third Democrat crossing the aisle to support her, Gina Haspel now has the votes she needs to become the next C.I.A. Director.

Gina Haspel faced some tough questions from Democrats regarding her role in the C.I.A.’s post-9/11 torture programs, but she’s likely to be confirmed anyway.

With the start of her confirmation hearings just days away, Gina Haspel’s nomination to be C.I.A. Director is by no means secure.

National Republicans are increasingly concerned that an upstart, racist candidate who has unleashed personal attacks on Mitch McConnell’s family will sneak through and win tomorrow’s primary to decide who will face Joe Manchin in November.

Failed Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing several of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct during last year’s campaign.

Not surprisingly, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as America’s 70th Secretary of State today. Now, the hard work begins.

For better or worse, Mike Pompeo will be confirmed as the 70th Secretary of State by the end of this week.

Despite facing headwinds in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mike Pompeo will probably be confirmed as the next Secretary of State. That’s unfortunate.

In the wake of the latest attack on Syria, some of the President’s strongest supporters seem shocked to discover that the unprincipled egomaniac they supported is, in fact, an unprincipled egomaniac.

Without Congressional authorization, any attack on Syria would be illegal, but don’t expect Congress to do anything about it.

Congress passed a funding bill to avert a shutdown with time to spare early this morning, but now the President is threatening a veto.

The nominations of Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel could be in trouble in the Senate.

Continuing a long-standard tradition, the Trump Administration claims it doesn’t need to get legal authorization to keep American troops in Syria.

The Tea Party is dead, but it was never really alive to begin with.

While most of America slept, the government was shutdown thanks to some faux theatrics by a single Senator.

With just hours to go, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Senate can reach a deal to keep the government open.

The Trump Administration is reversing policy on an Obama Era policy that allowed states to choose their own course on marijuana laws.

With ten days to go, the Senate race in Alabama between Roy Moore and Doug Jones is close.

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

For some reason, Senate Republicans want to attach a bad health care reform idea onto an already controversial tax reform bill.

A new poll shows Democratic nominee Doug Jones tied with twice-removed former Chief Justice Roy Moore in Alabama’s Senate race, but it’s still too early to be optimistic.

Reports are indicating that President Trump will decertify the nuclear weapons deal with Iran. This would be a foolish and potentially dangerous mistake.

What was essentially the final effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act is officially dead.