Outside the Beltway

With the accusations mounting, the nomination of Ronny Jackson to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs is becoming more and more imperiled.

A Federal Judge has struck down the revised version of the ban on transgender members of the military from serving openly, and the ruling has significance that goes well beyond the issue at hand.

Running for and being President of the United States has been very lucrative for the family business.

There is no obvious strategy and even the expressed rationale makes no sense.

Once again, President Trump’s foreign policy tweeting is causing problems.

A response to one of the most deadly chemical attacks in the Syrian civil war has come, probably from Israel. What’s next?

President Trump’s call for National Guard troops isn’t going over well even with Republican Governors.

Leland Bohannon objects to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. What rights should he have to act on that belief?

President Trump is talking about pulling American troops out of Syria, but his own White House is contradicting him.

President Trump wants to send the military to the Mexican border. This is both unnecessary and a bad idea.

The Trump Administration says David Shulkin resigned as Veterans Affairs Secretary. Shulkin says he was fired. Which one of them is right could be legally significant, but probably won’t ever be heard in Court.

Fourteen months into his presidency, he has no idea how the federal budget works.

The President’s new attempt to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military is as legally defective as the original ban was.

The President issued an incredibly confusing order that contradicts the advice of his generals and is probably illegal.

Absent changes in policy, the nation’s most hallowed military cemetery will run out of space in two decades.

The Defense Department will reportedly recommend to President Trump that transgender members of the service currently serving in the military be allowed to continue serving.

National Security Adviser H.L. McMaster is the latest person rumored to be considering moving on from the Trump Administration.

President Trump’s military parade would come with a not insignificant cost.

Of course Donald Trump wants a military parade, it would be consistent with his delusions of grandeur.

Congress appears to be moving closer to a budget deal even as the President tries to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

A new poll indicates that most Americans support a DACA deal, but don’t think it should be linked to measures to avoid a government shutdown.

My latest for The National Interest takes a contrarian view on the new National Defense Strategy.

Chelsea Manning is running for Senate, but she may be violating military regulations by doing so.

The economy grew in the final quarter of 2017, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year and far slower than what the President has promised.

While everyone is paying attention to the government shutdown, the Trump Administration is preparing for a never-ending, unwise, and unauthorized military commitment in Syria.

Three U.S. cities are suing the Federal Government over the failure to properly report military convictions to the national gun background check database.

Transgender Americans will be able to enlist in the military beginning January 1st thanks to a ruling from a Federal District Court Judge.

For the second time in as many months, a Federal Court is blocking the Administration’s ban on transgender troops in the military.

Is it time to reexamine Presidential authority to launch a nuclear strike?

The shooter in the Texas church shooting was apparently able to get his weapons because the Air Force failed to report his domestic violence conviction.

A Federal Judge in Washington, D.C. has blocked the Trump Administration from implementing its ban on transgender soldiers.

America has become involved in conflicts around the world, largely without the knowledge of the American people or the consent of their representatives, and it doesn’t appear that’s going to end anytime soon.

Donald Trump continues to be as astoundingly ignorant about the most powerful weapons the U.S. military possesses as he was as a candidate.

Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin’s trip to Kentucky that ‘just happened’ to coincide with last month’s eclipse is being investigated by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General.

Contrary to reports, Secretary of Defense Mattis is not defying the President on his order to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military.

Another Cabinet member rebukes the President for his comments about Charlottesville.

President Trump’s effort to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military faces two new legal challenges.

President Trump’s shameful decision to ban transgender Americans from the military has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with pandering to his far-right base.

The Trump Administration has reportedly finalized its order to the Defense Department regarding a ban on military service by transgender soldiers.

Just about two weeks after being announced, the President’s proposed ban on military service by transgender troops is being challenged in Court.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are making clear that President Trump’s tweets are not official policy. At least not yet.

A step backward on civil rights from a President who claimed he would be a friend to the LGBT community.

Donald Trump seems to be surprised that being President requires actual work.

President Trump has issued a revised ban on travel from six predominantly Muslim nations.

It was both the best speech Trump has ever given and the worst presidential address I can recall

President Trump has actually made a good pick for National Security Adviser. As with the rest of his foreign policy team, though, the question is if he’ll listen to him.

There are growing signs that the Deep State is seeking to thwart legal orders from President Trump. This is dangerous.

A potentially controversial commutation from President Obama today.