Outside the Beltway

John Kelly is nearing the end of his first year as White House Chief of Staff, and it’s becoming apparent that his mission to bring order to a disordered White House has failed.

New polling shows that the Trump Administration’s family separation policy is widely unpopular, with only Republicans supporting it. That last fact, though, is why Trump is unlikely to change the policy.

Democrats have decided to move up the date of their 2020 Convention.

President Trump and his supporters are blaming the policy of separating parents and children at the border on Democrats. This is, simply put, a lie.

Donald Trump’s former Campaign Manager was sent to jail, a move that likely increases the pressure on him to cooperate with Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

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

President Trump is touting his Photo Op Summit as the end of the North Korean nuclear threat. Reality is quite different.

Trump spent much of Tuesday praising a dictator who has murdered and imprisoned millions of people. Then he returned to attacking the democratically elected leader of one of our closest allies.

Virginia Republicans took a hard-right turn in yesterday’s primary. This is likely to benefit the Democrats.

GOP primary voters continue to reward staunch supporters of the President and punish those who get on his bad side.

His criticism of President Trump appears to have been a key reason.

Maine voters head to the polls today to pick nominees for Governor and several other offices, but the most interesting thing is way they’ll be voting.

Has the party paid too big a price to attract suburban voters?

Most Americans disagree with Trump on the N.F.L. National Anthem protests, but Republicans are behind him.

Based on a strict reading of the Constitution, a sitting President probably does have the power to pardon himself. That doesn’t mean he should be allowed to get away with it without consequence.

In the age of Trump, morality is optional for conservatives.

The Republican Governor of Missouri is resigning amid growing accusations related to an extramarital affair, blackmail, and sexual assault.

This President lies on a daily basis. It’s time to start calling him what he is.

Conservatives claim to support freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but they’ve utterly failed that test when it comes to their reaction to players who peacefully and respectfully kneel during the National Anthem.

President Trump continues his unhinged, and unsupported by facts, war on Amazon and its owner Jeff Bezos by pressuring an independent agency to raise shipping rates.

Backing up the nation’s intelligence agencies, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a preliminary statement that it had concluded that Russia sought to aid Donald Trump’s campaign in the 2016 Presidential election.

Quietly, Mike Pence is seeking to create his own power base inside the GOP even as the White House pushes back.

The number of Americans professing no religious affiliation is on the rise. This will have some interesting cultural and political implications.

While longtime supporters have turned on the legendary attorney over his support of Donald Trump, he’s been astonishingly consistent.

Republicans are trying to fight back against efforts to limit their ability to gerrymander Congressional and State Legislative Districts. It’s a fight they deserve to lose.

Mike Pence’s obsequiousness to his master knows no limits.

A small group of Republican rebels in the House are attempting to push legislation protecting DACA beneficiaries to a floor vote. Unfortunately, they’re not likely to succeed.

Republican chances to hold the Senate were boosted in West Virginia last night thanks to the fact that a fringe candidate was soundly defeated.

Whether Don Blankenship wins or loses in West Virginia, his success is yet another example of how Donald Trump has changed the GOP for the worse.

A blast from the past as Oliver North, who was once at the center of a major Washington scandal, is named President of the National Rifle Association.

Regrets, he’s had a few.

Republicans are worried about 2018, and they’re even more worried that they have a President who is refusing to acknowledge political reality.

Instead of attending the White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night, Donald Trump took his show on the road where he continued his long-standing attacks on the press. Unfortunately, it’s a message that resonates with his supporters.

The GOP’s most vulnerable incumbent is still looking very vulnerable.

As expected, a Republican won the Special Election in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, but it’s not a win Republicans should really be celebrating.

The transformation is complete. The GOP is now the party of Donald Trump. If you’re sticking around and not speaking out against what the President represents, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Hillary Clinton isn’t running for anything in 2018, but that isn’t stopping Republicans from running against her.

Mitt Romney stumbled in his bid to become Utah’s next Senator but he’s still likely to win the nomination anyway.

With just over six months to go before the 2018 elections, the storm clouds are starting to gather for the Republican Party.

The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. As a legal document, it appears to be little more than a political stunt.

A longtime “Hillary Beat” reporter ruminates on what she and her candidate could have done differently in 2016.

The highest ranking Democrat in the Senate has introduced a bill that would effectively decriminalize marijuana nationwide and leave it up to each state to decide how far they wish to go with regard to cannabis regulation. It’s a huge step in the right direction.

Republicans on Capitol Hill and in positions of power are slavishly backing their President over their country. They should be ashamed.

Kyrsten Sinema, the likely Democratic nominee for the Senate in Arizona, is leading all three of her potential Republican challengers. This could spell trouble for the GOP.

Republicans are blaming the President for the fading popularity of the tax reform law passed in December. It’s more complicated than that.

Sean Hannity was Michael Cohen’s “secret client,” but it’s not clear that should matter to anyone.

An attempt at defining the conversation.

Given a choice between Robert Mueller and Donald Trump, most Americans are siding with Mueller. Unless they’re Republicans that is.

Some Republicans are suggesting that Paul Ryan should be pushed out as Speaker before the November elections.