Outside the Beltway

Another drug war example.

Last week, the Washington State Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. The latest in a string of victories for opponents of capital punishment.

One month before voters in several states head to the polls to vote on legalization referendums, a new poll shows that public support for legalization remains at record high levels.

After four days of hearings, the fate of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court seems assured.

An Oregon state agency is suggesting that Walmart’s decision to restrict arms sales to bar people under 21, but over 18, from being able to purchase firearms violates state law.

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees has suspended football coach Urban Meyer for three games over his handling of allegations of domestic violence by an Assistant Coach dating back to 2015.

Another step forward in the seemingly unstoppable movement toward nationwide legalization.

Another Federal Judge has ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking the right to use the gender that conforms to the gender they identify with.

A Federal Judge in Oregon has rejected an efforts by a parent’s group to block a school district policy that allows transgender students to use the restroom facilities that conform to their gender identity.

The Garden State has put a hold on marijuana prosecutions in anticipation of full legalization by the end of the year.

An initiative that would have purported to split California into three separate states has been barred by the California Supreme Court from appearing on the November ballot.

The midterm elections are still four months away, but Democrats are already making moves to prepare for the race for their party’s Presidential nomination in 2020.

In November, Michigan voters will be able to make their state the tenth state to legalize marijuana. This is just the latest step in what seems to be an irreversible trend.

The calls to “Abolish ICE” are spreading to potential candidates for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that public sector unions cannot force employees to pay membership fees.

Tim Draper’s fantasy will finally get a vote this November.

A big win for Federalism and common sense at the Supreme Court.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization according to a new poll.

The highest ranking Democrat in the Senate has introduced a bill that would effectively decriminalize marijuana nationwide and leave it up to each state to decide how far they wish to go with regard to cannabis regulation. It’s a huge step in the right direction.

CNN reports that the Interior Secretary, who claims to be a “geologist,” merely has a geology degree.

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.”

Late last week, Hawaii became the seventh state and eighth major American jurisdiction to legalize assisted suicide.

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

The Federal Government has fired another shot in the ongoing war over so-called “sanctuary cities.”

Another lawsuit has been filed against Dick’s Sporting Goods over its policy barring gun sales based on age.

The inevitable response to announcements by the big box stores that they would not sell guns to those under 21 has arrived.

The actor best known for his run on M*A*S*H died Saturday after a battle with colon cancer.

Following yesterday’s move by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart has raised the age for all gun sales to 21.

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.

Two Amtrak crashes in less than a week is newsworthy. It is not, however, a trend.

A longstanding claim—that I myself believed to be true—is that spending money on preventative care like regular checkups would save money in the long run by catching health issues before they become acute. The evidence does not support this.

A group of 21 states has filed a petition to review the F.C.C.’s recent net neutrality rule changes, but it faces an uncertain future.

The GOP’s potential troubles in 2018 don’t just exist at the Congressional level.

The Trump Administration is reversing policy on an Obama Era policy that allowed states to choose their own course on marijuana laws.

The Supreme Court heard argument today in a case challenging a 1992 law barring sports gambling in all but a handful of states, and the Justices appeared skeptical of the law.

As I’ve said before, the Republican Party in the Trump Era has become the party of Trumpaloons, sycophants, sellouts, and cowards.

House Republicans passed their tax reform bill. That was the easy part.

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

A new poll shows that a record majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, support legalization of marijuana.

More evidence of apparent Russian-backed efforts to interfere in the election.

The Senate appears ready to get rid of another procedural move designed to block judicial nominees.

“Why the hell would we do that?” — White House official.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving New Jersey’s challenge to a Federal law outlawing sports betting.

Republicans are finding that their constituents aren’t very happy about the passage of the American Health Care Act.

The Trump Administration is out with a tax plan, but it’s seriously lacking in details.

Part One in a series of observations about health care and health insurance in light of the introduction of the House GOP’s health care plan.

With two votes last night, President Trump’s Cabinet is coming together.

Independent of the current controversy surrounding President Trump’s immigration order, Republicans in Congress are looking at a plan to break up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

There were fireworks on the floor of the Senate last night, but it was really just politics as usual.

The fight for marijuana legalization advances in California.