Outside the Beltway

It’s been just about fifteen months since President Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Not surprisingly, those tariffs have not had the effect the President claimed they would.

I continue to be opposed to impeachment of the President, but I’m slowly moving in that direction thanks primary to the Administration’s own actions.

Yesterday’s press event with Robert Mueller underscores the importance of congressional testimony.

Despite appearing to have emerged from April’s election as the winner, Benjamin Netanyahu was unable to form a government. This means that Israel will have to hold new elections in September.

For the first time since being appointed Special Counsel, Robert Mueller spoke to the media regarding his report on the Russia investigation. The news was not good for the President.

Justin Amash’s call for impeachment of the President, and the Republican Party’s reaction to it, is telling us a lot about the current state of the GOP.

Most of us define ourselves largely through our jobs. That’s increasingly a problem.

Do you want to get money out of politics? You need to get politics out of money.

The transatlantic rejection of elite consensus that began with Brexit continues.

Yet another violation of norms by the 45th President.

No, abolishing the EC would not turn farmers into serfs.

Michigan Congressman Justin Amash is the lone Republican voice speaking out against the President, and he’s making a strong case for his position in favor of impeachment.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been indicted on seventeen counts under the Espionage Act arising out of his role in the Chelsea Manning affair.

President Trump’s stonewalling strategy suffered another legal setback in New York City yesterday.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin punted once again on the question of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, making clear that any change that does occur won’t happen until after Donald Trump is out of office.

President Trump isn’t pleased that a news network that has generally been his own personal propaganda network is reaching out to Democrats.

As the Administration continues to stonewall legitimate requests from Congress for documents and witnesses, pressure is growing on Speaker Pelosi to authorize the opening of an impeachment inquiry.

The Trump Administration lost what is likely to be the first of many court challenges to its effort to stop Congress from doing what the Constitution requires it to do.

Justin Amash spoke out against the President and Attorney General. Unsurprisingly this is not being received well by his fellow Republicans.

President Trump is reportedly planning to pardon several American servicemen convicted of war crimes, an action that would be an insult to everyone who has ever worn an American uniform.

Republican Congressman Justin Amash has always been a rebel within his own party, now he’s making that even more apparent.

We already know enough to impeach.

Attorney General William Barr has opened a new investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, a move that seems suspiciously political.

President Trump’s foreign policy has largely been a failure, and there are specific reasons why.

With his attempt to overthrow the government clearly a failure, Juan Guaidó is back to calling for foreign military intervention in Venezuela.

Right now, polling indicates that the American public is reluctant to support impeachment of the President but it’s possible that could change.

The President is systematically defying Congress. Whatever can be done about that?

The President’s eldest son has been subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding Trump campaign contacts with Russia.

Patrick Shanahan, who has been serving as Acting Defense Secretary since James Mattis left in December, is being selected to replace Mattis in that position.

While he campaigned on a message of restraint, Donald Trump has largely adopted the interventionist foreign policies of his predecessors.

As expected, the House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday on party lines to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to turn over a full copy of the Mueller Report

In an effort to block the release of the full report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the Trump Administration is invoking Executive Privilege.

The Trump Administration is taking an unnecessarily militaristic approach toward Iran, and that poses real dangers for the country and for the Middle East.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared “case closed” on the Mueller Report and the Russia investigation. This is far from the truth.

Later this week, the House Judiciary Committee will vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt, but it most likely won’t go anywhere.

Jack Goldsmith pushed back on “over the top” reaction to the AG’s handling of the Mueller report.

With the apparent failure of the coup attempt in Venezuela, what happens next?

President Trump’s obsequious effort to please Russian President Vladimir Putin continues.

The former Kentucky coal executive, Republican fundraiser, and Ambassador to Canada would replace Nikki Haley in what used to be a position dominated by more experienced diplomats.

Lacking any real support from the military or police, the attempted coup against Nicolas Maduro has predictably failed.

New poll numbers suggest that Congressional Democrats need to be careful about how aggressively they pursue their investigations of the Trump White House.

Robert Mueller objected to the Attorney General’s characterization of the final report he submitted, reports indicate.

In the end, Impeachment is a political act more than a legal one. For that reason, Democrats should not pursue impeachment unless they have a reasonable chance of winning.

The ongoing apparent attempted coup in Venezuela is already leading to talk of American intervention in the event of a crackdown. That would be unwise and unjustified.

President Trump and the top Democrats in Congress announced a purported $2 trillion infrastructure deal but there’s no reason to believe it will ever become law.

A cautious analyst makes a strong claim.

Breaking News out of Latin America

The President has hit a dubious milestone barely two years into his administration.

After just a year in office, Oliver North is out as President of the National Rifle Association as the group faces an ongoing series of scandals centered around Wayne LaPierre and others.

A new poll finds that most Americans do not support impeaching the President at this time, but they also don’t believe the President on the issues of Russian interference and obstruction.