Outside the Beltway

An important redistricting decision was handed down by the Supreme Court today.

President Trump’s speech on Islam was a change of tone. However, as critics noted, it was short on substance and is unlikely to accomplish anything.

Even with the revelations of the last three weeks, impeaching the President is still largely a fantasy.

Another day in Court for President Trump’s Muslim ban.

Two years after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, nearly two-thirds of Americans support the idea of legal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans.

By the barest of margins, the House passed its bill repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but the future of that bill is highly uncertain.

F.B.I. Director James Comey testified yesterday on the reasons he chose to publicly speak out just days before the 2016 election about the reopened Clinton email investigation.

Once again, the GOP punts on ‘repeal and replace’ because they don’t have the votes.

The Trump Administration is out with a tax plan, but it’s seriously lacking in details.

Another Federal Court has found another Trump Executive Order unconstitutional.

Six months after the election, the postmortems of the Clinton campaign all seem to have one thing in common, they all point at things other than the candidate and her campaign as being the reason she lost.

Even the most offensive speech is protected by the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court made it harder for states to keep fines and other payments in cases where defendants are exonerated.

States are considering laws that would require candidates for President to release their tax returns, but such laws are probably unconstitutional.

Judge Gorsuch is now Justice Gorsuch and it’s time to hit the ground running.

The Oakland Los Angeles Oakland Raiders are headed to Vegas, baby!

It may well be that the 25th Amendment, not the impeachment clause, will be his undoing.

A pioneer of Rock & Roll has passed away.

Rachel Maddow hyped the fact that she had obtained a copy of Trump’s 2005 tax return last night. It turned out to be much ado about nothing.

Part Two in a series of observations about health care and health insurance in light of the introduction of the House GOP’s health care plan. This post examines several ideas advanced by conservatives, and the reasons they aren’t complete answers to the problems we face.

Senate Democrats are divided on how to approach the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, making it likely that he’ll be confirmed.

Iowa Congressman Steve King is causing controversy yet again with his comments in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

Part One in a series of observations about health care and health insurance in light of the introduction of the House GOP’s health care plan.

Health care policy analysts seem united in their assessment of the House GOP’s replacement for the Affordable Care Act, and it’s overwhelmingly negative.

Whether you call it TrumpCare, RyanCare, or GOPCare, the Republican replacement for the PPACA isn’t very impressive.

Travel industry experts are reporting a noticeable drop in international travel and tourism since Donald Trump was elected President.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer hinted that the Federal Government may stop giving deference to states that have legalized marijuana.

Milo Yiannopoulos was a troll and a peddler in offensiveness, but the fact that he became a star on the American right was the result of a transformation of American conservatism that has been entirely unhealthy.

An unsurprising ‘resignation’ from the shortest-serving National Security Adviser in history.

Independent of the current controversy surrounding President Trump’s immigration order, Republicans in Congress are looking at a plan to break up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Several former candidates for President are emerging as potential candidates for Senate.

An initial setback for the Federal Government in its appeal of the ruling putting President Trump’s Muslim travel ban on hold.

In the end, an effort by Democrats to block Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court does not seem like a good use of their rather limited options.

The Great Wall of Trump™ is almost surely going to be a disaster, the question remains how big of a disaster will it be.

Another television icon has passed away.

The reality of global climate change made itself evident again in 2016.

A long-standing staple of American culture will soon be no more.

A tepid December jobs report tops off a tepid year.

On the eve of the 115th Congress, House Republicans voted to gut a key office charged with investigating Congressional ethics.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Be clear on what one is defending.

Survivors and family members of the Pulse Nightclub attack have filed what amounts to a frivolous lawsuit.