Outside the Beltway

With the exception of the mandatory Federal death penalty appeals, the legal process is basically over in the Charleston Church shootings.

Next week’s big news is likely to be the Senate’s vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, which could mean invocation of the so-called ‘nuclear option’ by Senate Republicans.

Republicans in Congress are slavishly seeking to divert attention from wrongdoing by Donald Trump, or Russia.

A new head for the DNC at a time when the Democratic Party finds itself reeling and eager to take on Donald Trump.

The President’s choice for Labor Secretary withdrew his name from consideration yesterday, but this is just the latest example of what has been a transition that has largely consisted of fumble after fumble by the Trump team.

There were fireworks on the floor of the Senate last night, but it was really just politics as usual.

Not surprisingly, Dylann Roof received a sentence of death for the murder of nine people at a historic African-American church.

To nobody’s surprise, Dylann Roof was convicted of the race-motivated murders in a Charleston church.

Despite a video that clearly shows what appears to be cold-blooded murder, the trial of a South Carolina cop who shot an African-American man in the back while he ran away ended in a hung jury. Fortunately, this isn’t the end of the road.

To the surprise of nobody who paid attention, Nancy Pelosi won re-election as leader of the House Democrats.

He has a fool for a client.

Now, the road to trial will move forward.

While it seems a strange choice at first blush, it’s a good one.

Team of Rivals?

Alabama’s Jeff Sessions will become the nation’s top law enforcement officer. That’s not a good thing.

Senior Republican Senators are throwing cold water on the idea of eliminating the filibuster.

The Federal Judge presiding over Dylann Roof’s murder trial suggested late last week that Roof may not presently be competent to stand trial. This does not mean that he’ll be set free, though.

Future Supreme Court Justice?

Defying the odds, Republicans held on in several traditionally Democratic states to keep control of the Senate.

Viewership for the second debate fell some twenty percent from the first debate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that voter are losing interest.

The GOP civil war continues…..

Evan McMullin’s quixotic campaign for President continues.

If you want to volunteer for Donald Trump, you’ll have to agree to never disparage Trump, his family, his campaign, or any of his businesses. Forever.

The “independent conservative” running for President is finding it hard to even get on the ballot.

Another poll confirms that Virginia is firmly in the pocket of Hillary Clinton.

A new poll shows Donald Trump barely winning in a state that should be solidly red.

The Veepstakes continues.

As with each previous committee that investigated the 2012 attack on the U.S outpost in Benghazi, the House Select Committee finds that mistakes were made but no evidence of wrongdoing or cover-ups.

Republican officials are running away from Donald Trump the way they’d run away from a horde of mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus.

The Trump campaign is out with its own ‘short list’ of potential running mates.

It won’t be a very good holiday season for Charleston Church shooter Dylann Roof.

With top Republicans recoiling from the realization that the GOP is stuck with Trump in 2016, the ground seems to be being prepared for a conflict that could tear the GOP apart regardless of who wins in November.

An increasing number of Republican politicians are finding reasons to skip the Republican National Convention.

Following in the footsteps of state prosecutors, Federal prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty for Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.

Oklahoma’s Republican legislature passed a clearly unconstitutional bill outlawing abortion in the state.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders split victories in Kentucky and Oregon last night, and Clinton is now less than 100 delegates away from an historic victory.

Even before the 2016 convention, Republicans are talking about possible rules changes to stop another Trump-like candidate in 2020 or beyond.

Paul Ryan is declining to back Donald Trump for the time being, but other Republicans are making their own choices.

Several top Republicans have already said that they would not accept a position on a ticket with Donald Trump, so who might he choose?

For better or worse, Republicans seem to be resigning themselves to the inevitable.

A New Jersey judge, along with a Judge in Pennsylvania, is among the first to rule on the meaning of the ‘natural born citizen’ clause.

For most Americans, the debate over same-sex marriage is over and marriage equality has won. This would not, however, include the social conservatives who continue to have a much too vocal role in the Republican Party.

Donald Trump takes opposition to abortion to a new, extreme, level.

Looking at the delegate math, Donald Trump’s path to victory seems to be becoming clearer by the day.

Marco Rubio is ruling out a return to politics, at least for now.

A big night in the Republican race for President leaves Donald Trump as the only candidate realistically situated to be anywhere near a majority of delegates by the time the primaries end in June.

Bernie Sanders won two of the three Democratic contests last night, but he fell further behind in the delegate count any way and isn’t very far from being mathematically eliminated.