Outside the Beltway

What we know thus far.

The longtime OTB front-pager has passed far too soon.

Competing analogies and externalities.

The Excelsior Pass is the nation’s first. Will it start a trend?

A discussion of what #NeverTrump means, on Sanders v. Trump, and some about the philosophy of voting.

President Trump is making ridiculous threats against the regime in Iraq that are likely to draw it closer to Iran.

Mike Bloomberg’s campaign was forced to apologize for something that really isn’t a scandal.

The Hallmark Channel caved to the complaints of a small group of so-called Christians who objected to a television commercial.

California Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. will remain in office for the rest of 2019 notwithstanding his guilty plea.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has apologized for blocking constituents on Twitter as part of a legal settlement.

The case of Roland Gramajo is an excellent example of what’s wrong with the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.

Mark Halperin, the former MSNBC political analyst who was accused of misconduct during the height of the #MeToo Movement, is trying to make a comeback with a new book.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a bill that will make it easier for Congress to get President Trump’s tax returns.

Late last week it appeared as if a 90-year-old veteran of the Korean War would be buried without anyone to say goodbye. Then the word got out, and thousands of people responded.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has entered the race for the Democratic nomination for President, making him the 23rd candidate in an already crowded field.

Chelsea Manning, who was being held in jail for refusing to comply with a Grand Jury subpoena, was released yesterday but it’s likely to only be a temporary freedom.

A seemingly out-of-the-blue political movement is arguing in favor of independent election of Vice-Presidents.

One opinion writer says that Senator Kamala Harris should be disqualified as a Democratic candidate because she owns a handgun.

Checking in after an extended absence.

Our most prolific front-pager hasn’t posted in two weeks. Readers are beginning to ask questions.

The New Hampshire Supreme Court rejected a challenge by three women to their prosecution for going topless on a public beach in the Granite State.

A new law set to take effect in Utah before the New Year will lower the BAC limit for drunk driving by 40% to .05. Will the rest of the nation follow?

Once again, people on the left are complaining that Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn’t retire when they wanted her to.

With the election over, New York’s junior Senator seems to have changed her mind about running for President.

The Supreme Court is set to consider whether to take a case involving employment discrimination based on gender identity.

The Trump Administration is preparing a policy change that will essentially define transgender Americans out of existence.

A Soyuz mission sending two men to the International Space Station was forced to abort shortly after launch. Fortunately, the American and Russian on board returned safely to Earth.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley says he would not consider a Supreme Court nominee in 2020. But does he really mean it?

Indicted New York Congressman Chris Collins will run for re-election despite being indictment for securities fraud.

As expected, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo easily fended off a challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon. Let the Presidential speculation begin.

The fact that American officials talked with Venezuelans plotting a coup against the government of their country is a dangerous turn of events.

A Federal Judge in Texas has declined to grant a request to bring the DACA program to an end, but its days appear to be numbered unless Congress acts.

California is taking a major step in Criminal Justice reform by eliminating cash bail.

For the second time this year, a three-judge panel of Federal Judges has struck down North Carolina’s Congressional District map. The immediate question is what impact, if any, this will have on November’s election.

Democrats have pulled the trigger and essentially eliminated the power of superdelegates except in the unlikely event that a nominating convention goes to a second ballot.

One moment at a campaign rally in October 2008 defines better than anything else what American politics lost when John McCain passed away.

Just days after being indicted on insider trading charges, New York Congressman Chris Collins is suspending his campaign for re-election.

In an obvious effort to pander to the city’s taxi industry, New York City is placing new limits on ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro survived an apparent, albeit amateurish, assassination attempt yesterday in what could be a sign of underlying instability in Venezuela.

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

Democrats are on the verge of reducing the power of superdelegates to the point where they will essentially become meaningless in the nomination process.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s celebrity challenger doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Democrats have adopted a new rule requiring future candidates for President to certify that they are Democrats, but it seems largely unenforceable.

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

South Korea’s President is saying that Kim Jong Un has renewed his supposed commitment to ‘denuclearization,’ but it isn’t at all clear what that means.

A writer at National Review is proposing a compromise on the issue of transgender rights. Needless to say, many conservatives aren’t very happy about it.

Mitt Romney stumbled in his bid to become Utah’s next Senator but he’s still likely to win the nomination anyway.

As suspected, Cynthia Nixon is not shaping up to be much of a challenge for Andrew Cuomo.

The President jokingly praised his Chinese counterpart’s power grab at a fundraiser. But he seriously doesn’t understand the rule of law.

Continuing a pattern that has gone on for eight years now, the Supreme Court has declined to hear another appeal regarding a Second Amendment challenge to state gun control laws.