Outside the Beltway

Why “the First Amendment protects Trump” defense doesn’t make sense

Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey has some interesting results.

Young Americans are increasingly ruling out those of the other party.

“Red States” and “Blue State”

The lunatic fringe idea is both appealing and unworkable.

Understandable efforts to protect their market share are alienating customers who think they’re doing nothing wrong.

How an apparent serial fabulist got elected to Congress

A thought inspired by the PA Senate race.

An example of rationalization.

A country music icon is gone at 90.

An ugly divorce exposes a gap in our legal structure.

Quite often, political fights are about attitudes rather than issues and polices.

An extraordinary example shines light on coercive factors that incentivize plea deals

A trailblazing diplomat has died at 84.

The veteran character actor has died of cancer at 66.

He beats the alternative.

Some semi-coherent thoughts on the occasion.

An interesting proposal to improve tax collection.

Not of governance.

Already-high rates have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

(At least the removal part)

Boris Johnson and the British Conservative Party scored a huge win in yesterday’s General Election, while Labour walked away with its biggest defeat in a generation.

A sad day for those of us who grew up watching Big Bird, Kermit, and the rest of the Muppets.

Seeking to have a US citizen investigated by a foreign government based on innuendo is a major problem.

Barely in office a year, California Congresswoman Katie Hill has been forced to resign in the face of inappropriate contact with a staff member and a campaign worker.

A Federal Appeals Court has reinstated an Emoluments Clause lawsuit against the President that had been dismissed nearly two years ago.

The so-called “rebel alliance’ in the House of Commons continues to stack up wins against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but Johnson could still win in the end.

Parliament returns for a short period tomorrow, but there’s little time for those who hope to stop Boris Johnson’s plans to force a hard Brexit.

A newly released report leaked from inside the British Government notes that a hard Brexit is likely to be a disaster for the British economy.

Dozens of well-off students from the Chicago area are getting college subsidies.

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.

Just over nine years after retiring from the Supreme Court, former Associate Justice John Paul Stevens has passed away at the age of 99.

Eight months later, the President and his Administration continue to refuse to acknowledge the truth about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

A Florida Woman is being charged with felony burglary after breaking into her estranged husband’s apartment to seize his guns and give them to the police.

Another woman has accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her some 20 years ago.

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.

Hours before departing the United States for a pomp and circumstance filled State Visit to the United Kingdom, President Trump sticks his foot in his mouth.

Despite opposition from the Catholic Church, or perhaps in rebellion against it, Irish voters overwhelmingly approved a new law liberalizing that nation’s divorce laws.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking an extension on her promise to leave office at the same time that the political future of her Conservative Party becomes increasingly doubtful.

Stephen Moore, who has been nominated to a seat on the Federal Reserve Board by President Trump. has a history of controversial remarks about women.

Ending an eleven-year drought, Tiger Woods is back on top at a major tournament.

As a no-deal Brexit becomes more likely, the EU is taking things personally.

Brexit means May-exit.

Many are calling for the UK Prime Minister’s ouster. But the problem is Brexit itself, not any one leader.

The publisher of the National Enquirer is learning that it may have been a mistake to go to war against Jeff Bezos.

The longest-serving member of Congress in American history has passed away at the age of 92.

President Trump stormed out of a meeting with Congressional leaders as the shutdown drags on with no end in sight.

The European Union has approved the final Brexit deal negotiated with Theresa May’s government, but the final chapter has yet to be written.

It’s been a month since Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Saudis are continuing to lie about it, and the Trump White House is letting them get away with it.