Outside the Beltway

The President’s second State of the Union began and ended with calls for unity. In between, it was filled with the divisive partisanship that has marked his Presidency.

The Northam situation shows the rigidity of separation of powers systems.

Virgnia’s governor has to resign. But not because of some 35-year-old photos.

A reading recommendation.

There’s a good reason why Democrats want Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to get out of the way sooner rather than later.

Eugene Volokh asks, I provide my answer.

Despite overwhelming calls for his resignation, Ralph Northam is refusing to step down as Governor of Virginia.

National and Virginia Democratic officials are calling on Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign over racist photos in his 1984 medical school yearbook.

There’s not really a good explanation for this, Governor Northam.

While much of the attention in the race for the Democratic nomination to date has been on the left, there is a path forward for a more centrist candidate.

After an essentially pointless 35 day shutdown, some members of the House and Senate are proposing bills that would make government shutdowns impossible.

The Speaker was dealt a winning hand and played it with the skill of a seasoned pro. But the outcome was all but inevitable.

Does trash become treasure with time?

As the shutdown enters its thirty-fourth day and the Senate gets ready to vote on proposals that have no chance of succeeding, Democrats are preparing a new proposal.

In a rare public statement, the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller is disputing reports that the President directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress.

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

Historical numbers, but still a very male chamber.

The Supreme Court is taking up the issue of partisan gerrymandering. This time, though, they’re likely to reach the merits of the cases rather than punting like they did last year.

Former Senator and Denocratic Presidential candidate Jim Webb is reportedly being considered for Defense Secretary.

My mother has passed, aged 75 years.

Faced with the prospect of a large field like the one Republicans had in 2016, Democrats are trying to figure out how to handle debates. So far, the ideas being put forward are as bad as what the GOP ended up doing.

In what clearly appears to be a rebuke of the President, Defense Secretary James Mattis is retiring as Secretary of Defense.

President Trump’s first choice to replace John Kelly as Chief of Staff turned the job down, leading one to wonder why anyone would want the job.

The white supremacist charged with killing a counter-protester during last year’s events in Charlottesville has been convicted of first-degree murder.

Cory Booker’s interest in running for President has been an open secret for some time, now he’s being far less coy about it.

Lies and possible evidence of obstruction of justice make up the bulk of Robert Mueller’s new case against former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.

William Barr, who served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, has been selected to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

The evidence against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi continues to mount. Will the Trump Administration care?

An effort by the Federal Government to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises serious First Amendment issues.

After initially saying no, Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke is now reopening the door to the idea of running for President.

Paul Manafort finds himself in new legal trouble after Special Counsel Robert Mueller accused him of lying after entering a plea agreement.

Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has made several mistakes since Election Day, but she’s likely to win tomorrow’s runoff election.

The morning show co-hosts tied the knot at a secret ceremony at the National Archives.

Once again, Republicans in California find themselves looking up and seeing a lot of desolation. They need to find a way to bounce back.

With the recounts over we can officially say that Rick Scott will be the next Senator from Florida.

The economy may be doing well, but that didn’t help Republicans in the midterms.

Losing the midterms is not going over well with the President.

Amazon has reportedly decided to split its second headquarters between an already urbanized area of Northern Virginia and the outer boroughs of New York City.

Democrats have flipped the Senate seat currently held by Republican Jeff Flake.

Democratic pickups in several state legislatures could impact redistricting after the 2020 Census.

Beto O’Rourke should consider running again in 2020, but not for President.

With the election over, New York’s junior Senator seems to have changed her mind about running for President.

Whether as candidates or as voters, Democrats can thank women for many of their victories on Tuesday.

In addition to winning back the House, Democrats also made gains in Governor’s races.

It’s all over but the vote counting.

The Party of Donald Trump has left no sane choice but to vote straight Democrat.

For better or worse, here are my projections for the midterm elections.

A Federal Judge in Maryland has ruled that discovery can proceed in a case alleging that President Trump has taken payments from outside sources in violation of the Constitution

With less than forty-eight hours to go until voters head to the polls, the odds are pointing to a Democratic House and a Republican Senate.

Anti-Semitic violence has increased markedly over the past two years. So has the spread of far-right “anti-Globalist” conspiracy theories. This is not a coincidence.