Outside the Beltway

Donald Trump’s assertion that he will get Mexico to pay for his border wall is being laughed at in Mexico City.

Donald Trump isn’t backing down from his post-debate meltdown, now the only question is what the polls will tell us when they come out.

The fallout from Donald Trump’s debate performance, and his comments afterward, continues, and it’s leading some to wonder if we may finally be at the end of this ridiculous charade.

An authoritarian ego trip for all to see.

Republicans have nobody to blame but themselves for the anti-immigrant Frankenstein in their midst.

In the end, the odds that Congress can actually stop the new deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program are pretty low.

A 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush shows a different GOP.

Finally.

The winners of the Women’s World Cup will get paid far less than the men that played last year, but that’s not because of sexism.

Greek voters rejected the latest bailout package, but that only seems likely to make things even worse for them.

The Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality seems to have revived an idea that has been mentioned before, but as it has always been, the idea of “getting government out of marriage” is little more than a simplistic slogan.

The US Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that the U.S. Constitution contains a right to same-sex marriage.

The era of legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act is over.

Political reality shows us that the shootings in Charleston are not going to have any appreciable impact on the likelihood of any type of gun control law passing anywhere outside of the bluest of the blue states.

David Frum calls for several measures to reduce gun violence.

An important tenet of the internet is “don’t read the comments.” Well, I have violated that rule of late–which means more musings on the symbols of the CSA.

It’s been obvious from the moment the news broke that the murders in Charleston were rooted in racism, but some Republicans have had trouble acknowledging that.

The murders in Charleston have revived a debate that should have been over a long time ago.

A word that has come in recent years to be used to refer chiefly to Muslim fanatics obviously applies to a man who murdered nine people because they’re black.

The Supreme Court ruled that states don’t have to grant license plates that display the Confederate flag. Their decision has the potential to seriously harm the First Amendment.

A black leader is running a billboard campaign to improve his community. Racism ensues.

The head of the Spokane NAACP has apparently been lying about her racial background, and that’s led to a whole other argument.

Lee Siegel takes to the NYT to explain “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans.”

Being required to demonstrate competency in liberal arts to teach is racially discriminatory, a federal judge has ruled.

Most Americans think that income inequality is a problem, but they don’t all agree on what to do about it.

A new poll shows that Americans have moved to the left on a wide variety of social issues.

Does an individual’s changed gender identity alter history?

Big news out of Baltimore and, perhaps, the beginning of justice for Freddie Gray.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about fundamentally changing what it means to be an American, and it’s a bad idea.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is insightful and eloquent. He’s wrong in this instance.

The “racism” debate brought about by Barack Obama in 2000 is getting a spin-off.

Conditioning an Iranian nuclear deal on recognition of Israel is foolish, unrealistic, and very bad diplomacy.

Many of America’s top law firms have declined to accept cases defending bans on same-sex marriage, and that’s okay.

A new poll suggests that the American public does not support laws that give religious exemptions to businesses that want to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Do we really want to put another first-term Senator with no executive experience in the Oval Office? Because beyond the mere legal requirements, it does not appear that Ted Cruz is qualified to be President.

Indiana is about to become the latest state to grants special rights to religious business owners.

Just in case there’s any question, yes, Ted Cruz is Constitutionally eligible to serve as President.

President Obama thinks that it would be a good idea if everyone were forced to vote. He’s wrong, and his idea is most likely unconstitutional.

The 2008 runner-up has scared off all serious challengers for 2016. Why?

Hillary Clinton addressed the week-long email controversy, but her explanations only raised new questions.

Don’t say “climate change” or “global warming” if you work for Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.

A theme that just won’t go away.

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

ISIS apparently now has a foothold in Libya, and is making inroads in Yemen.

Justice Ginsburg acknowledges the fact that, over the past nineteen years, same-sex marriage has gone from something that most Americans oppose to something that most Americans are willing to accept.

Jon Stewart is stepping down as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” after sixteen years.

I don’t Think that Means What you Think it Means (Huckabee Edition)

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

John McCain is not a fan of Code Pink.

By inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress, Republicans are damaging the U.S. relationship with Israel.