Outside the Beltway

An initiative that would have purported to split California into three separate states has been barred by the California Supreme Court from appearing on the November ballot.

The midterm elections are still four months away, but Democrats are already making moves to prepare for the race for their party’s Presidential nomination in 2020.

California’s legislature has moved to block localities from imposing taxes on soda and other sugary drinks.

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.

The Supreme Court declined, for now, to hear the appeal of a Washington state florist who declined to provide services for a same-sex wedding. The issues it raises, though, are likely to return to the Court in the future.

A controversial name is disappearing from one small stretch of road.

The odds of an immigration bill passing the House were already low. This morning, President Trump pretty much guaranteed failure.

A new poll out of Arizona gives Republicans some hope that they’ll be able to dodge the possibility of Joe Arpaio or Kelli Ward winning a primary to fill an already vulnerable seat.

A federal trial court has ruled the practice an unconstitutional infringement on suffrage.

Democrats have decided to move up the date of their 2020 Convention.

House Republicans put forward a plan to protect DACA beneficiaries, but President Trump appears to have doomed it already.

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

The Department of Justice’s Inspector General found that former F.B.I. Director James Comey was ‘insubordinate’ in regard to the Clinton email investigation, but found no evidence of political bias at the Bureau.

Donald Trump hinted that he’s considering a pardon for Muhammad Ali, but Ali doesn’t need a pardon.

After a period where Republicans seemed to be closing the gap, Democrats may be widening their lead heading into November.

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

Earlier this week, the Illinois legislature ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. What’s unclear is if this act has any meaning at all.

President Trump has issued another controversial pardon.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a police officer violated the Fourth Amendment when he conducted a search on a vehicle parked in a Defendant’s driveway without a search warrant.

The President’s constant attacks on the news media are meant for a single purpose, to undermine even accurate reporting about wrongdoing in his Administration.

This President lies on a daily basis. It’s time to start calling him what he is.

American companies are struggling to comply with the EU’s new privacy regulation, with many outlets choosing to simply block access abroad.

Jack Johnson, who was convicted of violating the Mann Act in a case obviously infected with racism, has been pardoned by President Trump.

In their first year as an NHL expansion team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights have managed to do something that’s only been done once before in any of the ‘big four’ professional sports leagues in the United States.

As expected, Gina Haspel was confirmed as C.I.A. Director yesterday despite her controversial record when it comes to torture.

With a third Democrat crossing the aisle to support her, Gina Haspel now has the votes she needs to become the next C.I.A. Director.

Quietly, Mike Pence is seeking to create his own power base inside the GOP even as the White House pushes back.

Enforcing our immigration and drug laws comes at the cost of fundamental rights.

Joe Manchin looks to be facing a strong challenge from Patrick Morrisey.

The White House isn’t apologizing for an aide who made a joke about John McCain’s most likely terminal illness. That shouldn’t be surprising.

Republicans are trying to fight back against efforts to limit their ability to gerrymander Congressional and State Legislative Districts. It’s a fight they deserve to lose.

When it comes to the Trump White House, the fish rots from the head down.

Ohio voters have approved a referendum designed to reform the manner in which district lines are drawn.

Gina Haspel faced some tough questions from Democrats regarding her role in the C.I.A.’s post-9/11 torture programs, but she’s likely to be confirmed anyway.

For Donald Trump and his supporters, “Fake News” means any news that doesn’t shower enough praise on him.

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.

Regrets, he’s had a few.

John McCain continues to bravely battle an aggressive form of brain cancer, but he’s already made clear that he doesn’t want the 45th President of the United States at his funeral.

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

In a new book, Senator John McCain makes an announcement that everyone was anticipating.

The White House is pushing back on the allegations of misconduct that were made against Ronny Jackson this week, and trying to use them in a high-profile Senate race in Montana.

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

As expected, a Republican won the Special Election in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, but it’s not a win Republicans should really be celebrating.

The transformation is complete. The GOP is now the party of Donald Trump. If you’re sticking around and not speaking out against what the President represents, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

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.

Despite facing headwinds in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mike Pompeo will probably be confirmed as the next Secretary of State. That’s unfortunate.

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.

Whether they like it or not, Republican candidates in the midterms will have to run with the albatross of Donald Trump around their necks.

Out of the blue, President Trump plans to pardon Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, but the move seems to have more to do with James Comey than it does Scooter Libby.