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 Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. As a legal document, it appears to be little more than a political stunt.

Despite facing headwinds in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mike Pompeo will probably be confirmed as the next Secretary of State. That’s unfortunate.

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.

Mark Zuckerberg’s second day before Congress was somewhat more contentious than the first, but at the end of the day it’s still unclear that more regulation is the answer to the issues raised by recent Facebook “scandals.”

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

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.

Republicans are claiming that Conor Lamb won Tuesday’s Special Election in Pennsylvania because he campaigned as a conservative. These people are either deluded or lying.

A better than expected jobs report for February, but wage growth slowed for the month.

Maryland’s legislature is considering a law that would require candidates for President to release their tax returns. It’s probably not Constitutional.

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.

NRO’s David French offers “A Gun-Control Measure Conservatives Should Consider.”

Recent polls have caused Republicans to become more optimistic about their chances in this year’s midterms. That optimism is both premature and misplaced.

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

There are no good outcomes for the GOP in Alabama.

A seventh woman has come forward to accuse Senator Al Franken of having groped her as calls mount from his Democratic colleagues for him to resign.

For a guy who considers the Russia investigation “Fake News,” President Trump sure is doing a lot to try to stop it.

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.

A Los Angeles reporter says that Minnesota Senator Al Franken groped her and engaged in other inappropriate conduct during a 2006 USO tour.

For some reason, Senate Republicans want to attach a bad health care reform idea onto an already controversial tax reform bill.

Donald Trump has apparently made the American public more supportive of players who kneel for the National Anthem.

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

The pardoning of Joe Arpaio was distasteful and an affront to the Rule of Law, but it was completely within the powers of the President and should not be a ground for impeachment.

It’s time to stop honoring the symbols of a nation of racist traitors.

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

The Supreme Court ruled today that states may not exclude church-run schools from an aid program with a wholly secular purpose.

Puerto Rican voters voted overwhelmingly for statehood yesterday in a referendum whose legitimacy is being questioned due to boycotts by opposition parties.

A guilty plea in a particularly shocking case of police brutality.

With a government shutdown looming at the end of the week, the Administration has appeared to back away from a demand that a government funding bill include money allocated for the President’s promised border wall.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument yesterday in a case dealing with whether Missouri can deny a religious school from participating in a program to make school playgrounds safer.

States are considering laws that would require candidates for President to release their tax returns, but such laws are probably unconstitutional.

Judge Gorsuch is now Justice Gorsuch and it’s time to hit the ground running.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke suggests building Trump’s Wall on Mexican territory.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party is set to follow through on a campaign promise.

A pioneer of Rock & Roll has passed away.

After a highly contentious nomination process, Jeff Sessions was confirmed last night as the new Attorney General of the United States.

President Trump reverses a decision made by President Obama just over a year ago.

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

Just 1,436 days until Election Day 2020!

While it seems a strange choice at first blush, it’s a good one.

Alabama’s Jeff Sessions will become the nation’s top law enforcement officer. That’s not a good thing.

Defying the odds, Republicans held on in several traditionally Democratic states to keep control of the Senate.

My predictions for the House and Senate.

A look at the Electoral College shows that It is far more likely that Hillary Clinton will win the election than that Donald Trump will.

Republican candidates for the Senate and House are campaigning on the argument that they will be a bulwark against a Clinton Presidency.