Outside the Beltway

Under the proposal certain visa-seekers (such as China and India) would have to have their social media presence scrutinized.

After initially praising the completion of a trade deal with South Korea, President Trump is now suggesting he may withhold final approval contingent on progress on talks with North Korea. This makes no sense whatsoever.

Within hours after being fired as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin was fighting back.

Descriptions of Robby Jackson as “Trump’s personal physician” mischaracterize his qualifications for the job.

After several days of speculation, it was confirmed that the leaders of North Korea and China had met in Beijing. This was meant as much for external consumption as it was the relationship between the two nations.

If you recall your grade school civics, you already knew this.

Fourteen months into his presidency, he has no idea how the federal budget works.

Normally attorneys would be jumping at the chance to represent the President of the United States. With Donald Trump, the lawyers are distancing themselves from him as fast as they can.

Like many Presidents before him, Donald Trump wants a line-item veto. Getting there won’t be easy, nor should it be.

A well-meaning journalist brushes off critiques by experts in the field. He owes it to his readers to keep learning.

Personal attacks on teenagers whose friends were murdered is a strategy sure to backfire.

The Department Of Justice is proposing a rule change that would ban bump stocks, but it could run into legal problems.

The President’s new attempt to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military is as legally defective as the original ban was.

From Europe to the Middle East, to Asia, America’s allies are concerned about what the selection of John Bolton as National Security Adviser means going forward. They should be, and so should every American.

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

Is Google acting as a good citizen here? Or abusing its market dominance?

Profiles in courage? With Republicans in the Trump Era, it’s more like profiles in cowardice.

President Trump continues to obsequiously praise Russian President Vladimir Putin

The Nigerian terrorist group has released an unknown number of the 110 girls kidnapped from a boarding school last month.

Sometimes, it’s all in the framing.

A famous name enters the race to challenge Andrew Cuomo, but it’s unlikely she’ll have much of an impact.

We don’t yet have enough information to assign blame here. Naturally, that’s not stopping anyone.

The head of the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation admitted yesterday that the committee was never focused on any potential evidence of collusion.

Local and federal authorities are investigating a spree of explosions terrorizing Austin, Texas.

If you’re tired of the restraint being shown by this President, you may be in luck.

The fact that Andrew McCabe was fired before he could retire means that he will lose out on some significant pension benefits, but. contrary to some media reporting, he won’t lose his pension completely.

Lawfare provides a balanced piece on the firing of Andrew McCabe.

Less than 24 hours after the McCabe firing, the president’s attorney explicitly connects the move to the Mueller probe.

The FBI’s former deputy director was shamefully fired late Friday night, after which President Trump gloated on Twitter.

H.R. McMaster appears to be on the way out as National Security Adviser. The important question is, who replaces him?

The Stormy Daniels/Donald Trump story will break open wide on 60 Minutes next weekend.

ProPublica has retracted an explosive but erroneous report about the nominee to be the next CIA Director.

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

Individual races are idiosyncratic. But there are nonetheless some lessons here.

While the nature of Rex Tillerson’s firing as Secretary of State was shocking in its abruptness, taken in context with the rocky nature of his tenure it was hardly surprising.

Next up: Pompeo

Ending an investigation that was flawed and tainted with partisanship from the start, the House Intelligence Committee has abruptly concluded its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

It is a fair question. But judging the Trump administration on tax cuts, Gorsuch, and the DJIA is to ignore a lot of profound problems.

Anderson Cooper has interviewed adult film star Stormy Daniels for 60 Minutes, but lawyers for President Trump are apparently considering legal action to stop the report from airing.

This is from the band Jack Levitt off their 2007 release “Conversations With A Chupacabra.”

CJR’s Dan Mitchell has a tiny quibble with a recent viral NYT thumbsucker. 

The Judge presiding over the lawsuit brought by a group of Twitter users blocked by President Trump may have sent a hint about how she’s inclined to rule during a hearing this week.

Two seemingly contradictory essays out today highlight the exhausting political conversation environment.

Netflix no longer offers President Frank Underwood. They’re lining up a replacement.

North Korea’s Dear Leader has baited the President of the United States into a trap.

The legal distinction between “personal capacity” and “official capacity” makes no sense for senior presidential appointees.

While Team Trump has gone out of its way to waylay the Russia investigation, this may not be is part of that effort.

POLITICO buries the lede in making the case for “Donald Trump’s bubble presidency.”

How ‘tainted’ must a funder be before a charity is obliged to reject the donation?

After six months, Angela Merkel has apparently succeeded in forming a coalition government.