Outside the Beltway

The House of Representatives has begin the process of challenging the President’s recent declaration of a ‘national emergency’ at the southern border.

The former Attorney General is seriously pondering a presidential bid. Seriously.

A WaPo data analyst gives it a shot.

As the shutdown drags on, Republicans are beginning to fear that members in the House and Senate may begin to fall away from supporting the President.

Jon Kyl was named to replace John McCain back in September, but as expected he’s already announcing that he’ll be leaving at the end of the year.

Three Democratic Senators are suing the Acting Attorney General, asserting that his appointment was unconstitutional.

Yes, there can be real problems with election activities, but that does not excuse POTUS’ lies about fraud.

Senator Jeff Flake is threatening to vote against President Trump’s judicial nominees unless he gets a floor vote on a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Somewhere, Tim Russert is smiling.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley says he would not consider a Supreme Court nominee in 2020. But does he really mean it?

Open mouth, insert foot. Chuck Grassley didn’t exactly help his party when he was asked to explain the lack of Republican women on the Judiciary Committee.

After a long and contentious battle, Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed to become the 114th Supreme Court Justice.

The F.B.I.’s updated background check is complete and will be reviewed by Senators beginning today. As a result, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving forward toward a final vote on the Kavanaugh nomination later this week.

Regardless of who wins control of the Senate in November, the person who will stand third in the line of succession will either be over, or very close to, eighty years old. That doesn’t make sense.

Prominent supporters of the embattled Supreme Court nominee, including the President, are doing him no favors.

Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford want the F.B.I. to investigate the charges she has made against Judge Kavanaugh before she testifies, but it’s entirely unclear what such an investigation would accomplish.

Mitch McConnell has a plan that could pose problems for Democrats fighting for re-election.

As expected, Rick Scott easily won the GOP nomination for Senate in Florida, setting up one of the most highly anticipated Senate races of the year.

The Republican Party’s nominee for Senator in Virginia really is as bad as you’ve heard, probably worse.

Senate Democrats appear to be recognizing that there’s basically nothing they can do to stop the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Democrats are making largely meaningless appeals to the so-called ‘Merrick Garland Precedent” to argue for a delay in confirming the President’s next Supreme Court nominee. The American people feel differently.

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

Retiring Arizona Senator Jeff Flake says that he will not seek to block President Trump’s nominee to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

It isn’t a primary and it is an illustration of how electoral rules affect behavior.

Senators hoping for a long summer recess have had their hopes dashed.

Republicans are at least a bit more confident that they’ll hold on to the Senate this year.

With the start of her confirmation hearings just days away, Gina Haspel’s nomination to be C.I.A. Director is by no means secure.

National Republicans are increasingly concerned that an upstart, racist candidate who has unleashed personal attacks on Mitch McConnell’s family will sneak through and win tomorrow’s primary to decide who will face Joe Manchin in November.

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

Republicans joined with Democrats to advance a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but it’s unlikely to go anywhere beyond that.

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

Republicans are planning on pushing judicial nominees through the Senate in case they lose control in November. Meanwhile, the possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy raises the stakes.

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.

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.

Tammy Duckworth recently became the first sitting Senator to give birth. Thanks to a rule change, she’ll be allowed to bring her baby on the floor of the Senate if she needs to.

The first real poll of the Senate race in Texas shows Ted Cruz with a much thinner lead than might be expected in a state like Texas. That doesn’t mean we should expect a Democratic upset there, though.

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

Things continue to look good for Democrats as we get closer to the midterm elections.

Congress is no closer to a resolution of the DACA fix than it was earlier this year.

By all accounts, Gina Haspel is exceedingly well qualified to be the next C.I.A. Director, but she has a troubling past that the Senate will need to at least force her to answer questions about.

The octogenarian failed to get her party’s endorsement for a sixth term.

The prospect for a fix to help DACA beneficiaries is looking gloomier than ever.

With time seemingly running out, the Senate debate over extending DACA is moving slowly.

While most of America slept, the government was shutdown thanks to some faux theatrics by a single Senator.

Getting to a DACA deal isn’t going to be easy.

President Trump called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the legislative filibuster to resolve the government shutdown. That’s not going to happen.

Let’s not forget how unique the Moore-Jones contest was.

As expected, Minnesota’s Governor has named his Lt. Governor to replace Al Franken in the Senate.

Al Franken’s Senate career reaches its inevitable end.

President Trump has formally endorsed an accused child molester for the United States Senate.