Outside the Beltway

Clashes between the US and Chinese navies in the South China Sea have intensified.

South Korea’s President is saying that Kim Jong Un has renewed his supposed commitment to ‘denuclearization,’ but it isn’t at all clear what that means.

The Federal Reserve sees the economy staying relatively the same for the foreseeable future, which is both a good and bad thing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a bombastic speech on Iran yesterday that reveals just how empty and dangerous the Trump Administration’s policy toward Iran actually is.

Despite advice from advisers, the President continues to use unsecured devices to communicate outside of White House channels.

The Internet is a global platform. Should every country’s laws apply to everyone using it?

Although he came in third place in the GOP primary, Don Blankenship is now running as a third-party candidate and could potentially be a problem for Republicans in November.

For some reason, the President wants to help a Chinese company that has been accused of being a security risk by American intelligence services.

President Trump’s decision to violate the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran could be a turning point in relations between the United States and its most important allies, and not in a good way.

The date and location of the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un has been set, but there’s as much chance of failure as their is hope for success.

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.

Some good news from North Korea.

Republican chances to hold the Senate were boosted in West Virginia last night thanks to the fact that a fringe candidate was soundly defeated.

As expected, President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran. There was no rational basis for doing so.

Whether Don Blankenship wins or loses in West Virginia, his success is yet another example of how Donald Trump has changed the GOP for the worse.

National Republicans are increasingly concerned that an upstart, racist candidate who has unleashed personal attacks on Mitch McConnell’s family will sneak through and win tomorrow’s primary to decide who will face Joe Manchin in November.

Seven years after deactivation, the U.S. Second Fleet will be patrolling the North Atlantic again.

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

Israeli Prime Minister gave a speech yesterday designed to undermine the nuclear deal with Iran. The evidence was unconvincing, but the speech was really only aimed at an audience of one.

The meeting between Kim Jong-Un and Moon Jae-In was historic, but many questions and caveats remain.

Not surprisingly, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as America’s 70th Secretary of State today. Now, the hard work begins.

French President Emmanuel Macron predicts, correctly, that President Trump will pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran for the worst possible reasons. This will be a disaster for America’s national interests.

French President Emmanuel Macron is in the U.S. hoping to lobby President Trump to keep the United States in the nuclear deal with Iran. He’s got his work cut out for him.

The Kim regime has announced the end, for now, of its nuclear and ballistic missile testing programs. To understand why they made this concession, one needs to read between the lines.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

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.

Republicans have been hoping that the tax bill passed in December would help them in the midterms. That’s appearing to be less and less likely by the day.

We’re set to return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits, and Republicans won’t do a thing about it.

Trump’s tariff plan isn’t going over well in farm country, and that could cause problems for the GOP in November.

The great negotiator in the White House is likely underestimating the tools available to Xi.

Speaking of trade war talk…

The DJIA (and other markets) are not too happy about all of this trade war talk.

President Trump is continuing his dangerous and misguided trade war rhetoric,

March’s Jobs Report fell far short of expectations.

Begun the trade wars have.

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.

Under the proposal certain visa-seekers (such as China and India) would have to have their social media presence scrutinized.

After initially praising the completion of a trade deal with South Korea, President Trump is now suggesting he may withhold final approval contingent on progress on talks with North Korea. This makes no sense whatsoever.

As a general rule, Presidents are entitled to have a Cabinet and advisers he is comfortable with, but a Cabinet full of “yes men” is not ideal with any President, and certainly not with this one.

Another significant development on the Korean Peninsula.

After several days of speculation, it was confirmed that the leaders of North Korea and China had met in Beijing. This was meant as much for external consumption as it was the relationship between the two nations.

In selecting John Bolton as his National Security Adviser, Donald Trump has signaled to the world that he’s likely to take action that will only serve to make the world a more dangerous place.

From Europe to the Middle East, to Asia, America’s allies are concerned about what the selection of John Bolton as National Security Adviser means going forward. They should be, and so should every American.

The selection of Mike Pompeo as the next Secretary of State makes it more likely that President Trump will take the foolish and dangerous step of withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran.

Best known as a television host, he served in the Reagan administration and chief economist of Bear Stearns.

While the nature of Rex Tillerson’s firing as Secretary of State was shocking in its abruptness, taken in context with the rocky nature of his tenure it was hardly surprising.

Nine years later, at least one member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is admitting what seemed at the time a rather obvious fact.

By threatening to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, Donald Trump is making it far less likely that any upcoming talks with North Korea will succeed.

There won’t be any tanks, but it looks like President Trump will get his military parade.