Trump is hastening his own political death spiral By Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post, June 16 at 9:15 AM President Trump (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) President Trump’s inability to extend a better-than-usual public moment has been the telltale sign of his campaign and presidency. All those “pivots” and glimpses of “normalcy” have been swiftly followed by a reversion […]

Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice, officials say This 2013 photo shows then-FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III on Capitol Hill. Mueller, the special counsel leading the Russia investigation, plans to interview senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes possible obstruction of justice by the president. […]

Russian Cyber Hacks on U.S. Electoral System Far Wider Than Previously Known Russian Election Cyberattack Breached 39 U.S. States A ‘red phone’ warning to the Kremlin from Obama White House by Michael Riley and Jordan Robertson, Bloomberg, June 13, 2017, 5:00 AM EDT Russia’s cyberattack on the U.S. electoral system before Donald Trump’s election was far more […]

In the four weeks since the president took the extraordinary step of bringing his private attorney from New York to Washington to deal with the Russiagate probe, Marc Kasowitz has a become an ominous presence around the White House. Kasowitz has a reputation for aggressive tactics similar to those of Roy Cohn, the early mentor […]

The last two days of congressional testimony have offered a stunning testament to Donald Trump’s attempted seizure of personal control over the nation’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Of the two days’ testimony, yesterday’s is the more important but needs to be seen from the vantage point of Comey’s testimony today. The use of law […]

The Lawless Presidency By David Leonhardt, The New York Times, JUNE 6, 2017 Credit Brian Stauffer  Democracy isn’t possible without the rule of law — the idea that consistent principles, rather than a ruler’s whims, govern society. You can read Aristotle, Montesquieu, John Locke or the Declaration of Independence on this point. You can also look at decades of American […]

Trump National Security Team Blindsided by NATO Speech They thought the president would commit to the principle of collective defense. They were wrong. By SUSAN B. GLASSER, Politico, June 05, 2017 When President Donald Trump addressed NATO leaders during his debut overseas trip little more than a week ago, he surprised and disappointed European allies who hoped—and […]

What is the organizing principle behind Donald Trump’s odd behavior, the driving force behind his self-damaging tweets and his confrontational decision-making? Or as my midwestern elders might have said, what makes him tick? Today we offer two quite different but complementary analyses that we are presenting together, one after the other. The first is a political one […]

White House orders agencies to ignore Democrats’ oversight requests Trump’s aides are trying to shut down the release of information that could be used to attack the president. By BURGESS EVERETT and JOSH DAWSEY, Politico, 06/02/2017 05:11 AM EDT The Trump administration’s plans to stonewall Democrats is in many ways unprecedented and could lead to a worsening of the […]

Democrats outraged by Trump ban on info requests By JOHN BRESNAHAN, Politico, 06/02/2017 06:58 PM EDT Hill Democrats are outraged by a new Trump administration policy to ignore information requests from members and senators unless they come from committee or subcommittee chairs. They argue it’s part of a broader pattern by the White House, designed to make […]