Outside the Beltway

Two seemingly contradictory essays out today highlight the exhausting political conversation environment.

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

North Korea’s Dear Leader has baited the President of the United States into a trap.

The eighty year old mystery regarding the fate of famed aviator Amelia Earhart may have taken a step toward being solved if the results of a new forensic study are correct.

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

Witnesses say another student was “showing off his gun.”

The Russia investigation rolls on with more evidence of questionable conduct on the part of Trump and his team.

Adult film star Stormy Daniels has filed a lawsuit against the President, handing the already beleaguered White House yet another headache.

The President suffered a setback in his other job yesterday.

The former Trump campaign official made the most of his 15 minutes of fame.

POLITICO buries the lede in making the case for “Donald Trump’s bubble presidency.”

The circumstantial case for corruption by Kushner is growing.

I’ve made the sad discovery that longtime friend of the blog John Burgess passed away on February 16, 2016.

This isn’t your ordinary windy day.

President Trump appeared to change positions on several gun control ideas, but he probably doesn’t mean it.

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

Despite the activism we’ve seen in the wake of the school shooting in Florida, it’s unlikely that we’ll see significant Congressional action on guns.

Ben Carson has expensive taste in office furniture.

This is very much why the security clearance process requires so much financial disclosure.

What is CPAC telling us about the contemporary conservative movement?

Mexico’s President canceled a visit to the United States for the second time since Donald Trump became President due to a continued disagreement over who will pay for Trump’s border wall.

The Defense Department will reportedly recommend to President Trump that transgender members of the service currently serving in the military be allowed to continue serving.

Since the Supreme Court handed down its decision in District of Columbia v. Heller four separate Federal appellate courts have ruled that state and local laws banning “assault weapons” do not violate the Second Amendment.

President Trump is pressing the idea of arming teachers to stop shootings in schools.

The students who survived last week’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida are speaking out, and some on the right are responding by engaging in personal attacks and spreading conspiracy theories.

Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty in response to clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a staggering and flagrant dereliction of the duties he agreed to take on when he took the Oath Of Office more than a year ago.

From the F.B.I. on down, there were multiple warnings that could have prevented Wednesday’s tragedy in Parkland, Florida.

The prospect for a fix to help DACA beneficiaries is looking gloomier than ever.

While I don’t always agree with her, I’ve never ceased to be amazed at the sheer vitriol she inspires, given that she’s unfailingly polite, not discernibly partisan, and bends over backwards to acknowledge the merits of competing viewpoints.

The Department of Education announced yesterday that it will no longer investigate civil rights complaints from transgender students regarding bathroom access in public schools.

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 spoke up about the spousal abuse charges against his former Staff Secretary Rob Porter. His response was entirely predictable.

WaPo is overhyping things a bit.

The Rob Porter story, which is quickly becoming the Rob Porter scandal, tells us a lot about the Trump White House, and none of it is good.

Congress seems likely to pass a budget deal today that will massively increase spending, putting to rest once and for all the rank hypocrisy of Republicans when it comes to claims that they are “fiscally conservative.”

Of course Donald Trump wants a military parade, it would be consistent with his delusions of grandeur.

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

Donald Trump spent much of the past year touting the rising stock market, now he’s getting a lesson in reality.

A newly released poll has encouraging signs for Democrats in 2018, but there are several caveats.

A confusing new report from the Washington Post.

The two most important allegations in the Nunes memo appear to be complete lies.

The military options thus far presented for dealing with the DPRK have not been satisfying.

Donald Trump lies about even the most trivial matters, How are we supposed to believe anything else he says?

Embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez has dodged a bullet, but still faces uncertain prospects for reelection.

Two weeks later, it’s still unclear what caused a false missile alert to be sent out in Hawaii.