No Questions (Or Answers), But Plenty Of Fireworks At Kavanaugh Hearing

The first day of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings was much ado about pretty much nothing, but then that can be used to describe a process whose outcome is pretty much foreordained.

Rahm Emanuel Surprises Chicago By Dropping Out Of 2019 Re-Election Bid

Chicago won’t have Rahm Emanuel to kick around anymore.

Washington Bids Farewell To John McCain

Washington said farewell to John McCain today in a service that both remembered his spirit and his heroism, and stands as a sharp rebuke to what politics has been reduced to in America today.

Does Anything Change After the Manafort and Cohen Convictions?

It’s not obvious that two more felons in the Trump inner circle will have any immediate impact.

Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul, Dies At 76

RIP. Queen Of Soul

Mike Pence Used To Think Presidential Morality Mattered

There was a time when Mike Pence believed that a President’s personality morality and trustworthiness mattered. He clearly doesn’t believe that anymore.

Mueller Looking At Trump’s Twitter Feed As Part Of Obstruction Investigation

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly looking at the President’s Twitter feed as part of his ongoing investigation.

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Hawaii Law Barring Open Carry Of Weapons

A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down part of a Hawaii law barring open carry of weapons, but this win for gun rights advocates may turn out to be short-lived.

Michael Cohen Releases Tape Of Conversation With Trump About McDougal Payoff

A new recording of a conversation between Donald Trump and his one-time attorney/”fixer” Michael Cohen appears to put the President in a more difficult position than he has already been in.

Trump Reportedly Sees Joe Biden As His Biggest Threat In 2020

Notwithstanding his dismissive public rhetoric about the former Vice-President, Donald Trump apparently sees Joe Biden as his biggest potential threat in 2020.

Trump Nominates Judge Brett Kavanaugh To Replace Anthony Kennedy

A selection that is likely to keep the Senate GOP united and red-state Democrats up for re-election under pressure to vote to confirm.

National Debt Passes $21 Trillion Mark As Republican Budget Deficits Begin To Rise

The National Debt has passed $21,000,000,000,000 for the first time in history just as the nation begins its return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits.

President Trump’s Unreality Show

Either the President of the United States is a knowing liar or he is very easily duped. Neither is a comforting thought.

D.O.J. Inspector General Finds No Political Bias In F.B.I.’s Clinton Email Investigation

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.

Have Democrats Moved Too Far to the Center?

Has the party paid too big a price to attract suburban voters?

The President Probably Can Pardon Himself, But If He Does He Should Be Impeached

Based on a strict reading of the Constitution, a sitting President probably does have the power to pardon himself. That doesn’t mean he should be allowed to get away with it without consequence.

Donald Trump And The Mainstreaming Of Racism

Donald Trump may or may not be racist himself, but he has most certainly exploited and helped widen racial divisions ever since bursting on the political scene in 2015.

How Conservatives Learned To Discard Their Morality And Love Donald Trump

In the age of Trump, morality is optional for conservatives.

Missouri Governor Resigns Amid Allegations Of Affair, Blackmail, And Sexual Assault

The Republican Governor of Missouri is resigning amid growing accusations related to an extramarital affair, blackmail, and sexual assault.

Federal Judge: Trump Cannot Block People On Twitter For Political Reasons

A Federal Judge in New York has ruled that President Trump cannot block users from reading his tweets.

New York Appeals Court Denies Trump Request To Stay Defamation Lawsuit

Trump suffered another court loss yesterday that opens him up to some potentially embarrassing questions.

Mueller Reportedly Concludes He Cannot Indict Trump While He’s President

Robert Mueller has reportedly concluded that he cannot indict a sitting President. This is not a vindication of Trump, and merely upholds a conclusion that the Justice Department reached four decades ago.

George W. Bush’s Rehabilitation

61 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of a man who left office a failed president.

Rudy Giuliani Suggests Trump Could Ignore A Mueller Subpoena

Rudy Giuliani is basically now suggesting that his client would be willing to set off a Constitutional crisis that would make Watergate seem like a picnic.

McCain Doesn’t Want Trump At His Funeral

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.

Trump’s Dishonesty Baked into People’s Assessments

To paraphrase the late Dennis Green, he is who we thought he was. 

Jobs Growth Falls Below Expectations In April While Wages Remain Stagnant

The unemployment rate hit a point unseen since Bill Clinton was President in April, but jobs and wage growth remain tepid at best.

Stormy Daniels Sues Donald Trump For Defamation

Stormy Daniels is suing the President for defamation after he accused her of lying about a threat made to her seven years ago.

Trump Losing Another Lawyer, But Adding One Of Bill Clinton’s Impeachment Lawyers

Another one of Trump’s lawyers bites the dust, and hired someone with some very specific experience.

Mueller Has Donald Trump In An Impossible Situation, And A Potential Perjury Trap

When it comes to a potential interview with Robert Mueller, President Trump faces risks no matter what form that interview takes.

Republicans Worried Trump Doesn’t See The Danger On The Horizon 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.

If Trump Is Innocent, Why Is He Acting Like He’s Guilty?

It’s a valid question, but one should also be careful about drawing conclusions based on how a person in Trump’s position acts.

Trump Likely to be Favored in 2020

The campaign-agnostic political science models predicted a toss-up in 2016 and again in 2020.

Barbara Bush, Wife And Mother Of Presidents, Dies At 92

Barbara Bush, only the second woman in history to be the wife and mother of a U.S. President, has died at the age of 92.

Sean Hannity Is Michael Cohen’s Mystery Client, But That Shouldn’t Matter

Sean Hannity was Michael Cohen’s “secret client,” but it’s not clear that should matter to anyone.

NYT: The President is Not Above the Law

The Editorial Board of the Newspaper of Record urges Congressional Republicans to steady themselves for a constitutional crisis.

Trump Unloads A Tweetstorm On The Eve Of James Comey’s Book Tour

President Trump is on the attack against James Comey as the former F.B.I. Director begins his book tour.

Trump Job Approval Improves Slightly, But It’s Still Historically Low

President Trump’s job approval numbers remain historically low.

Most Americans Support Mueller Probe Of Russia, Trump Campaign, And Trump Businesses

Given a choice between Robert Mueller and Donald Trump, most Americans are siding with Mueller. Unless they’re Republicans that is.

Teaching Political Science and the Trump Administration

Dan Drezner notes some challenges on this topic, and I add some of my own thoughts.

Walking Away From The Nuclear Deal With Iran Would Be A Gift To Iran

President Trump seems intent on walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran. If he does, he’ll be handing a gift to Iran and harming American national interests significantly.

Citing Trump’s Rhetoric, Judge Allows Lawsuit Against DACA Order To Proceed

A Federal Judge In New York City is allowing a lawsuit against the President’s DACA order to go forward, and he based part of his ruling on the President’s own rhetoric.

Donald Trump Wants A Line Item Veto. He’ll Need A Constitutional Amendment.

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

New York Judge Says Defamation Suit Against Trump Can Go Forward

A state trial court Judge in New York has ruled that a defamation lawsuit filed in Manhattan against President Trump can go forward.

Mueller Investigation Moving Away From Russian Interference?

The special counsel may be moving beyond the 2016 campaign and into post-election obstruction of justice.

Conor Lamb’s Win Sets Off Debate Inside Democratic Party

Conor Lamb’s win in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District has set off an inevitable debate inside the Democratic Party about how to approach the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump Accepts Kim’s Offer to Meet

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

Thad Cochran Resigning from Senate Effective April 1

The 80-year-old Mississippi Republican, who was first elected to the Senate in 1978 after serving six years in the House, has been in poor health.

The President’s Self-Imposed Bubble

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