Outside the Beltway

The Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by the Trump Administration to have an injunction against its new asylum policy lifted.

A preliminary report from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found at least 500 Catholic Priests whose abuse of children had been covered up by Church officials.

Federal prosecutors are investigating the Trump Inaugural Committee, adding to the long list of the President’s legal troubles.

Jacob T. Levy has a column worth a read.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S, Attorney for the Southern District of New York have filed sentencing memos that directly implicate the President in a series of felonies.

The evidence that the GOP lost the midterms because of public repudiation of President Trump is overwhelming. The GOP will either accept this and learn from it, or they will not.

Three Democratic Senators are suing the Acting Attorney General, asserting that his appointment was unconstitutional.

A new report indicates that President Trump wanted to use the Justice Department to target political enemies. The last time that happened, it led to Articles of Impeachment.

A Federal Judge has ruled that the Trump Administration’s efforts to limit the ability of migrants to claim asylum violates Federal law.

President Trump’s selection to serve as Acting Attorney General does not appear to be Constitutionally authorized to serve in that position.

For Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, Jr. being indicted didn’t stop them from being re-elected.

The Party of Donald Trump has left no sane choice but to vote straight Democrat.

A Federal Judge in Maryland has ruled that discovery can proceed in a case alleging that President Trump has taken payments from outside sources in violation of the Constitution

While the numbers seem to show that scandal-plagued Senator Bob Menendez will win re-election on Tuesday, national Democrats aren’t taking any chances.

President Trump wants to send more troops than we have in Syria and Iraq combined to the border to deal with a non-existent threat.

The investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is inching closer to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, but it seems unlikely to impact his hold on power.

The Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church is pushing for independence. Church leaders in Moscow are not too happy about this.

Not surprisingly, it appears that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salam, who effectively runs Saudi Arabia under his father’s rule, is behind the apparent plot against Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

At this point, corruption, dishonesty, and insanity are just baked in.

Last Tuesday, Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document he needed. He hasn’t been seen since.

Despite his ethical issues, Bob Menendez appears to be solidifying his position in New Jersey’s Senate race.

Trumpism is a direct by-product of the poisonous populism of the Tea Party movement, and they’ve both taken over the Republican Party.

Trump has an autocrat’s view of justice.

Recently indicted Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. is blaming his apparently estranged wife and the so-called “Deep State” for the fact that he’s charged with embezzling a quarter million dollars from his campaign.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez continues to lead in the polls, but his lead is far from secure.

Max Boot proclaims “Trump is an illegitimate president whose election is tainted by fraud.”

California Republican Duncan Hunter Jr, who was an early backer of President Trump’s campaign, has been indicted on charges he used massive amounts of campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.

The latest reports about the circumstances surrounding the payoff to Stormy Daniels could pose big problems for Michael Cohen and his client.

Pope Francis took the rare step of sending a letter addressed to all of the world’s Catholics on the sexual abuse scandal. Words are fine, but they need action to back them up.

New Generic Congressional Ballot polls have good news for Democrats.

A Pennsylvania Grand Jury report reveals decades of abuse by some 300 Catholic Priests impacting more than 1,000 children and 26 of the state’s Roman Catholic Diocese.

A Federal Judge in Maryland ruled last week that a lawsuit against the President based on a rather obscure provision of the Constitution could go forward.

The President was up late last night sending an incredibly over-the-top tweet directed at Iran.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is running for a third term under a dark ethical cloud. That probably won’t matter.

He had to go (and should have been gone some time ago).

Recent polling finds that Americans aren’t feeling quite so patriotic right now. It’s understandable, but we shouldn’t give up hope.

What was once a rare symbol of national mourning has become so commonplace as to be meaningless.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a populist from the left, rode a wave of populism and public disdain for the outgoing President to a landslide win in Mexico

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces what could be a scandal that will quickly push him out of office.

Both President Trump and Ivanka Trump are profiting handsomely from their time in the White House.

Former Trump Campaign Director Paul Manafort has been hit with a new round of charges.

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

After three years of ethical and criminal charges, Bob Menendez got a bit of a slap on the wrist from New Jersey Democrats.

The rules of American journalism haven’t caught up with the reality of this Presidency.

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

An important message from Josh Marshall.

The President and the Secretary of State had some oddly contradictory statements this week.

In an election that pretty much everyone agrees was illegitimate, Nicolás Maduro has won a second term as Venezuela’s President.

Eleven states plus DC, who have 172 of the 270 electoral votes needed to elect a President, are now part of the compact.

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