Outside the Beltway

As expected, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Chinese goods yesterday, and China quickly retaliated.

Your phone won’t be beeping on Thursday after all.

Be prepared to get a test message from the Federal Government at 2:18 pm Eastern Time on Thursday. This is only a test.

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment has been in the news a lot lately, but what would it actually take to use it to remove a President from power?

As expected, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo easily fended off a challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon. Let the Presidential speculation begin.

Three months after the Singapore summit, evidence grows that North Korea is still making nuclear weapons.

The #MeToo movement brings down the head of a Fortune 500 company.

Recent controversies over rules enforcement have some crying Foul!

A significant advance for LGBT rights in the world’s most populous democracy.

After four days of hearings, the fate of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court seems assured.

The second day of questioning for Judge Brett Kavanaugh was a bit rockier than the first, but nothing happened that seriously threatens his eventual confirmation.

The tough guy actor best known for the “Smokey And The Bandit” movies has passed away at the age of 82.

The first day of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings was much ado about pretty much nothing, but then that can be used to describe a process whose outcome is pretty much foreordained.

A new book by legendary Washington reporter Bob Woodward appears to contain explosive revelations about the President and the operation of the White House.

Former Vice-President Biden’s eulogy for his friend John McCain is a lesson in what has gone wrong with American politics.

In his final words to his fellow Senators, and to his fellow Americans, Senator John McCain left a legacy, and a challenge.

With Martha McSally pulling off a decisive win, Arizona Republicans managed to avoid the disaster that likely would have occurred had either Kelli Ward or Joe Arpaio won last night.

A top Vatican official is alleging that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were both aware of previously unknown allegations of sexual abuse and chose to allow them to be covered up rather than bringing them to light.

Iconic Broadway legend Neil Simon, who was responsible for hits such as “The Odd Couple, has died at the age of 91.

Republican candidate Troy Balderson was declared the winner of a Special Election in suburban Central Ohio, but the fact the race was even close should worry Republicans nationwide.

ESPN won’t air the National Anthem before regular season games this year, but that probably won’t stop the President from ranting about it.

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.

The former CIA Director has been stripped of his access to classified information after repeatedly criticizing the President.

As much as we hate paying $200 a month for television, the future is likely going to be worse.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, who used to be a Trump favorite, is out with a book that makes sensationalistic claims about the Trump Administration. The real story, though, is what she has on tape and how she got it.

White supremacists held a rally in Washington on Sunday, and almost no one but their opponents and the police showed up.

One year after Charlottesville, it’s clear that President Trump still doesn’t understand what happened there, or that he just doesn’t care.

The race for the Republican nomination for Governor between Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach is even closer than ever and will likely remain undecided for weeks.

In a rare red-state victory for labor unions, Missouri voters rejected a right to work initiative by an overwhelming margin.

Republican Troy Balderson holds a narrow lead in a Special Election in Ohio. Even if he wins, though, the way this election played out does not bode well for the GOP in November.

A Special Election tomorrow in suburban Columbus, Ohio could tell us a lot about where the midterm elections might be headed.

Make it so!

A basic explanation for Trump’s behavior towards Russia.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro survived an apparent, albeit amateurish, assassination attempt yesterday in what could be a sign of underlying instability in Venezuela.

One of the biggest names in Hollywood stands accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women in yet another ground-breaking report by Ronan Farrow.

I have heard Trump supporters offer the following rationale for Trump’s tarris, “It is a bargaining strategy.” Then they sit back and smirk, and tell me, “Trump really wants zero tariffs, but to get these other countries to come to the table he has to get their attention. And once he has softened them up, they’ll be willing to reduce their tariffs.”

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is running for a third term under a dark ethical cloud. That probably won’t matter.

Even if all he gets out of the Helsinki Summit is a handshake and a photograph, Vladimir Putin has already won.

In one area (with an important caveat) this has been a pretty normal administration.

A man who had been identified as an assailant at last year’s Charlottesville rally and apparent member of a white supremacist organization has been dismissed by defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

An idiot climbed the monument, wasting police resources and ruining the day for hundreds of visitors.

More evidence that North Korea isn’t living up to the promises it made in Singapore.

One of the biggest pre-trial issues in the criminal case against Harvey Weinstein will be the issue of how many women other than his accuser will be able to testify against him.

There is a frustration and a growing sense that the American political system is illegitimate.

Harlan Ellison, who had a reputation for being as cantankerous as he was a great writer, has died at the age of 84.

The White Male Great American Literary Novelist for the 21st Century is not a fan of modern realities.

Was one of the pioneering African-American entertainers a “house Negro”?

A pioneer woman born in 1867 depicted American Indians and African-Americans in ways that are cringe-worthy today.

Turkey’s authoritarian leader is going to be around for a long time.

The Vietnam memorial helped heal a gaping wound. What purpose will this one serve?