Outside the Beltway

A group of states led by Texas has filed a suit in response to new guidelines from the Federal Government regarding the rights of transgender students.

Oklahoma’s Republican legislature passed a clearly unconstitutional bill outlawing abortion in the state.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders split victories in Kentucky and Oregon last night, and Clinton is now less than 100 delegates away from an historic victory.

Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee regardless of what happens in Kentucky and Oregon today, but her campaign is hoping for a win in Kentucky that puts an end to the repetitive stories about Bernie Sanders continuing to win primaries.

Bernie Sanders won another primary last night, but he continues to fall behind in the race for delegates nonetheless.

With the field before him now clear, Donald Trump is now assured to win the Republican Presidential Nomination. After that, though, his plans don’t seem to make a lot of sense.

Thanks largely to the fact that she has moved left on coal, Hillary Clinton seems likely to lose today’s West Virginia primary. But it will have only a minimal impact on Clinton’s quest for a delegate majority.

Bernie Sanders won the Indiana Primary last night, but Hillary Clinton continues to accrue the delegates she needs to become the Democratic nominee.

Another big night for Hillary Clinton, and more bad news for Bernie Sanders.

Another round of victories puts Donald Trump another step closer to the Republican nomination.

Looking at the delegate math, Donald Trump’s path to victory seems to be becoming clearer by the day.

Forget about Congress, the real story going forward is likely to be Republican dominance of state legislatures nationwide.

In the wake of failure that could have been easily foreseen, the Obama Administration is ending a program to train so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels.

Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis is being released from jail, but it may end up being a very short reprieve.

At least on paper, Senate Democrats now have enough votes to block the Senate from voting on a resolution disapproving of the Iran Nuclear Deal.

The 2016 election will be fought on a very small battlefield, and right now the makeup of that battlefield heavily favors the Democrats.

Senate Democrats are now just one vote away from being able to block a veto override, meaning that the effort to block the Iran Nuclear Deal will most certainly fail.

New information in the Dylann Roof case shows that the background check system used for gun purchases is still prone to human error.

Taxes on wine, beer, and spirits vary wildly from state-to-state and even within each state.

A proposed California law would require all students who attend public school to be vaccinated, with limited exemptions for medical reasons.

In a marked departure from recent cases, the Supreme Court rules that states can impose significant restriction on solicitation of campaign contributions in judicial elections.

Democrats like New York Senator Chuck Schumer could end up being the ones that scuttle the Iranian nuclear deal.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of three students disciplined for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo

Alec MacGillis argues for Slate that “Veterans Should Pay Taxes Like Everyone Else.” I agree!

With three days to go, there are signs the GOP is ready to give up on its showdown over DHS funding.

The debate over whether kids need to be vaccinated against communicable diseases baffles me.

West Virginia’s Joe Manchin is reportedly mulling leaving the Senate to run once again for a job where he’d have the ability to actually accomplish something.

Just one day into the new Congress, the first confrontation is already set.

Rand Paul is one of the few Republicans who seems to be evaluating the new policy toward Cuba through something other than an outdated Cold War perspective.

Some on the left are suggesting Democrats should write off the South for the foreseeable future, but that would be as foolish as Republicans assuming that their dominance in the region will last as long as Democratic dominance did in the century after the Civil War.

You’ve got your playoff College Football fans, as imperfect as it was inevitably going to be.

Texas has joined with 16 other states in a lawsuit against the Obama Administration over the President’s executive action on immigration. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to have much legal merit.

On substance, the President’s immigration actions aren’t very objectionable. How he is implementing them, though, is problematic and seems needlessly confrontational.

The Keystone XL pipeline bill is dead until the next Senate. Mary Landrieu’s political career, on the other hand, is basically dead for the foreseeable future.

Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline will likely pass the Senate today, and will eventually go forward despite an expected Presidential veto. But, Mary Landrieu’s political career is still dead.

The GOP is dominant in the Southern United States, but it’s unlikely to last as long as Democratic dominance of the region did.

Despite speculation, both Angus King and Joe Manchin will stay with the Democratic caucus. And that makes sense for both of them.

The GOP added to its majority in the House, giving it the biggest majority it has had since Truman was President.

Things are looking good for the GOP to take over the Senate, but there are still several right races that could tip the balance one way or the other.

There’s at least a 50-50 chance we won’t know who controls the Senate until weeks after Election Day.

The Supreme Court’s expansion of same-sex marriage seems to be sitting well with the American public.

In the space of one week, we’ve gone from 19 states that recognize same-sex marriage to 29. Soon, it will be 35.

The death of the Tea Party is greatly exaggerated.

By failing to act, the Supreme Court has effectively legalized same-sex marriage in eleven more states.

Two weeks after it seemed to be tightening, there are signs the battle for control of the Senate may be moving in the GOP’s direction.