Outside the Beltway

A public health crisis turns into a public relations crisis.

But they weren’t shouting it from the rooftops.

Most federal workers are still packing themselves into offices.

A proportional response.

Another milestone has been reached.

Tweets aren’t policy, unless they are.

Nobody even agrees on what baselines to use.

President Trump’s threat to attack Iranian cultural sites would most likely constitute a war crime if he actually carried it out.

Democrats who could prove to be vulnerable in 2020 are largely lining up in favor of impeaching the President.

Two Federal Courts have blocked the Administration from diverting Defense Department funds to pay for the President’s border wall

A new report details the extent to which the eighteen-year Afghanistan War has been marked by mistakes, and lies by the government to cover-up the fact that we went to war without a clear understanding of what we were doing.

Questions linger after a shooting leaves three people and the shooter dead in an incident at one of the nation’s largest Naval facilities.

There’s apparently big news in the fight against ISIS.

A Federal Court has struck down the President’s diversion of funds for his border wall.

Once again, a fight is set to brew over funding for the President’s border wall. Will he force another shutdown in an election year?

As the Saudis continue to evaluate the impact of the weekend attack on a major oil facility, the Trump Administration tones down the anti-Iran rhetoric just a bit.

The Air Force’s use of Trump hotels predates his presidency—but is still highly problematic.

The Trump Administration from projects to build on-base schools and daycare facilities to spend on his border wall.

For Donald Trump, the Presidency has been nothing but a get richer quick scam.

President Trump continues to have an odd obsession with nuclear weapons.

A disturbing story that’s almost certainly not what it first appears.

The Supreme Court handed the President a victory last night, ruling that the Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging his funding of the border wall did not have standing to challenge his diversion of Defense Department funds. This may only be a temporary victory, though.

Mark Esper has been confirmed and sworn in as the next Secretary of Defense, ending a period of nearly 100 days during which the Pentagon was headed by a succession of Acting Secretaries.

The Federal Budget Deficit passed the $700 Billion mark with three months still to go in the Fiscal Year.

Trump’s self-congratulatory July 4th nonsense bankrupted the District of Columbia’s security fund, now they’re seeking reimbursement.

Another court loss for Trump and his border wall.

The Pentagon has been headed by Acting Secretaries for an unprecedented period. Does it really matter?

Just days after being named the next Acting Secretary of Defense, the President is appointing Mark Esper to be full Secretary of Defense.

Patrick Shanahan is out as nominee to be Secretary of Defense after questions were raised during his background investigation.

A new poll finds increasing support for transgender rights, even among Republicans.

A Federal Judge has put at least a partial hold on President’s Trump’s effort to use a “national emergency” to fund his border wall.

Patrick Shanahan, who has been serving as Acting Defense Secretary since James Mattis left in December, is being selected to replace Mattis in that position.

The Trump Administration is taking an unnecessarily militaristic approach toward Iran, and that poses real dangers for the country and for the Middle East.

The President revived an old debate but added some new twists.

A perfectly reasonable initiative with a significant downside.

Jack Goldsmith pushed back on “over the top” reaction to the AG’s handling of the Mueller report.

Matt Bernius and I collaborated on an essay for Defense One.

The House of Representatives is asking a Federal Judge to block the President’s emergency declaration to fund his border wall.

A Federal Appeals Court has rejected Chelsea Manning’s bid to be released from jail notwithstanding her refusal to comply with a Grand Jury Subpoena.

An argument for an exception to the style guides.

The Wall Street Journal tries, and fails, to defend President Trump’s indefensible veto of the Congressional resolution regarding the war on Yemen.

Putting together a fair slate of games is a whole lot harder than it looks.

The other shoe has dropped.

The legendary figure was in charge of strategic forecasting at the Pentagon for decades.

The (Acting) Secretary of Defense has issued an unconstitutional order.

The office has been vacant for 81 days. President Trump has yet to nominate a replacement.

An odd bureaucratic reshuffling, seemingly out of the blue.

Looking to OTB readers for insights into an argument with which I’m struggling.

Once again, President Trump gets taken for a sucker by the North Koreans.

There appear to be enough votes in the Senate to pass the resolution disapproving President Trump’s border wall “emergency,” but there’s not enough Republican support to override an expected veto.