Outside the Beltway

Passports being denied to citizens whose birth records are being questioned.

Alex Jones lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed by families of children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre.

Despite the evidence, the President thinks he did a great job handling a disaster in which nearly 3,000 American citizens died.

A new study concludes that the total death toll from Hurricane Maria was vastly higher than previously reported.

Senator John McCain has died at the age of 81,

A new poll shows Ted Cruz in a much tighter than expected race for re-election, but it’s going to take more to consider Texas a state that Democrats could pick up in the fall.

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees has suspended football coach Urban Meyer for three games over his handling of allegations of domestic violence by an Assistant Coach dating back to 2015.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh reportedly told Senator Susan Collins that he considers Roe v. Wade
“settled law.” This will likely be enough to get her support and that of another holdout Republican Senator.

A group of lawsuits filed across the country are seeking to challenge the predominant method for allocation of Electoral College votes. These lawsuits appear to have little merit.

A new government report indicates that President Trump’s border wall will cost billions more than initially projected. And Mexico still isn’t going to pay for it.

The legal fight over DACA could end up posing problems for Republicans in November.

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

Nominating Corey Stewart is beginning to look like the biggest mistake Virginia Republicans have ever made.

Facebook, Google, and several other companies have closed down accounts associated with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Another Federal Judge has dealt a legal blow to President Trump’s effort to shut down the DACA program.

The Texas Senate race between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke is looking close, but Democrats should not hold out much hope of flipping this seat.

In what amounts to a significant, albeit not surprising, change in Catholic doctrine, Pope Francis has declared that the death penalty is unacceptable in all circumstances.

A Federal Judge in Washington State has, at least temporarily, blocked the release of files that would allow anyone to make a 3-D printed gun. The First Amendment seems to clearly indicate that this ruling is wrong.

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.

The Garden State has put a hold on marijuana prosecutions in anticipation of full legalization by the end of the year.

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.

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

With Justice Kennedy retiring, the new center of the Roberts Court is likely to be the Chief Justice himself.

What was once a rare symbol of national mourning has become so commonplace as to be meaningless.

The calls to “Abolish ICE” are spreading to potential candidates for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination.

After thirty years on the bench, during which he played a central role in some of the Supreme Court’s most significant rulings, Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring.

Joe Crowley, widely considered in line to replace Nancy Pelosi as party leader in the House, has been defeated.

Donald Trump continues to demonstrate that he has nothing but utter contempt for the Rule of Law. At some point, he will either be called to account for this or our nation’s institutions will suffer as a result.

The Supreme Court has largely rejected a challenge to state and Federal redistricting maps in the State of Texas.

The president has a skewed view of who is trying to enter the US.

The 100-mile Constitution-free zone strikes again.

Melania Trump visited a detention center in Texas where children are being held by the Federal Government, but it was her choice of apparel that seemed to garner the most attention.

President Trump has reversed the family separation policy and replaced it with a family detention policy. This is likely to lead to Court challenges.

Trump’s former Campaign Manager mocked a ten-year-old girl with Down’s Syndrome who was taken away from her parents.

With two more weeks to go, there are plenty of “big” cases still awaiting the release of a decision.

Two months ago, the President called on states to send National Guard troops to the border. As expected, they’re not guarding the border.

In a significant First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court has held that a Minnesota law barring “political apparel” at polling places is unconstitutional.

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

The Trump Administration’s new legal position on coverage for people with pre-existing conditions could pose political problems in the fall.

The Federal Government is signing on to an effort by Texas and several other states to have the DACA program declared unlawful.

The Trump Administration is declining to defend the Affordable Care Act in Court, arguing that the individual mandate is now unconstitutional because the tax penalty has been eliminated.

The Trump Administration’s School Safety Commission isn’t getting off to a very good start.

In what seems like an obvious response to the rise of the #MeToo movement and the cultural changes it has brought about, the Miss America pageant is making a major change.

In the end, it may be insurance companies that have the biggest voice in the debate over arming teachers. 

The arguments in favor of a permanent U.S./NATO base in Poland are not very convincing.

President Trump has issued another controversial pardon.

A new poll indicates that Texas Senator Ted Cruz isn’t as vulnerable as previously thought, and reminds us that Texas is still a very red state.

How far should judicial confirmation hearings go in asking potential Judges and Justices their opinions about issues that may come before them?

With one month to go in its term, there’s still a lot on the Supreme Court’s plate.

The 41st President has been hospitalized in Maine.