Outside the Beltway

Republicans are worried about 2018, and they’re even more worried that they have a President who is refusing to acknowledge political reality.

The White House is pushing back on the allegations of misconduct that were made against Ronny Jackson this week, and trying to use them in a high-profile Senate race in Montana.

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

The GOP’s most vulnerable incumbent is still looking very vulnerable.

For better or worse, Mike Pompeo will be confirmed as the 70th Secretary of State by the end of this week.

The transformation is complete. The GOP is now the party of Donald Trump. If you’re sticking around and not speaking out against what the President represents, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Hillary Clinton isn’t running for anything in 2018, but that isn’t stopping Republicans from running against her.

Kyrsten Sinema, the likely Democratic nominee for the Senate in Arizona, is leading all three of her potential Republican challengers. This could spell trouble for the GOP.

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.

A decryption device called GrayKey is being used by all manner of government agencies.

The idea that individuals have different “learning styles” is apparently not borne out by the evidence, according to recent research.

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

Last night, he finished in double digits for his 867th consecutive game. There are 71 players in the Hall of Fame who didn’t play in that many games.

Like many Presidents before him, Donald Trump wants a line-item veto. Getting there won’t be easy, nor should it be.

Conor Lamb’s win in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District has set off an inevitable debate inside the Democratic Party about how to approach the upcoming midterm elections.

Students across the country are staging 17-minute protests at 10 am in their time zones.

As with any such discretionary power given to police, it will surely be abused. But the Parkland shooting was yet another in a long line of situations where obvious “red flags” were ignored until it was too late.

Democrats appear to have regained momentum in the Generic Congressional Ballot.

New polls show increased support for various gun control measures, including limitations on so-called “assault weapons,” but that doesn’t mean we’re likely to see Congressional action on the subject.

The Judge presiding over a case dealing with Trump’s proposed border wall expressed doubts about the project. The President will no doubt be irked by the identity of that Judge.

President Trump and his supporters like to claim that the economy has been booming since he became President. A look at the numbers reveals that this is not the case.

With just hours to go, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Senate can reach a deal to keep the government open.

Fixing long term shifts in manufacturing isn’t easy.

With the results from Alabama. the GOP faces a hard road ahead defending its majority in the Senate.

Roy Moore’s loss in Alabama is bringing out into the open a civil war that has been going on for seven years now.

Jim Nabors, who became famous as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC, has died at the age of  87.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in what could end up being a landmark case on the issue of the scope of Fourth Amendment rights in the 21st Century.

The early numbers in the battle to control Congress look good for Democrats, but there are are a number of caveats to keep in mind.

In his time as President, Donald Trump has demonstrated as much contempt for the rule of law as he did as a candidate.

Former Trump aide Steve Bannon is declaring war on Republicans in the Senate.

Vice-President Pence left an Indianapolis Colts game early in what was obviously a cynical pre-planned publicity stunt.

Roy Moore’s victory in Alabama is raising fears of a wider battle in the Republican Party heading into 2018.

Hugh Hefner, who became both a cultural icon and a catalyst and reflector of vast social changes, has died at the age of 91.

Republicans finally unveiled the outlines of a tax reform package yesterday, but the devil is in the still to be determined details.

Another poll shows the vast majority of Americans want Congress to act to help the people covered by DACA.

One of the legal giants in the Federal Judiciary has retired from the bench.

President Trump once again revealed his true self at a press conference yesterday.

More than twenty states are resisting requests for data from a ‘voter integrity’ Commission built on President Trump’s lie that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

A Federal appellate court has ruled that a transgender student must be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

A big win for opponents of Voter ID laws.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but its reasoning is questionable at best.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch even as it became inevitable that Republicans would be forced to invoke the ‘nuclear option’ to confirm him to the Supreme Court.

Day One of the questioning of Judge Neil Gorsuch went very well, and it suggests that his path to confirmation is basically clear of serious obstacles.

Donald Trump isn’t going to change, and that’s bad news for all of us.

Once again, Donald Trump has played his supporters for suckers.

As things stand, Democrats will have a hard time winning back control in the Senate in 2018.

Rest In Peace, Mrs. Brady.

A surprising name is emerging as the likely pick for the nation’s top diplomatic position.

Defying the odds and the polls, Donald Trump triumphed over Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States.