Workers clear out of Russian consulate in San Francisco

Acrid, black smoke was seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco and workers began hauling boxes out of the stately building in a historic area of the city Friday, a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Russia. The order to leave the consulate and an official diplomatic residence in San Francisco - home to a longstanding community of Russian emigres and technology workers - escalated an already tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow, even for those who have long monitored activities inside the closely monitored building.

Trump’s still campaigning when he needs to govern

At the end of last year's presidential campaign, a sufficient number of voters in just the right places elected Donald Trump to go shoot up Washington and fundamentally change the way it operates. In fact, 30 weeks after he took office Trump is still shooting wild words and tweets at most anyone who criticizes him, hints at criticizing him or just moves.

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017: Sen. Collins shows courage, Fulford for Congress, don’t use pesticides

Maine has a proud tradition of independence and leadership. Decades ago, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith stood up to partisan bullying in the Senate in a famous floor speech , and recently Sen. Susan Collins has shown the same courage.

Policymakers back private flood insurance

Mississippi's top insurance regulator and its only Democratic congressman are both ready to cede some of the federal flood insurance market to private insurers. Both Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson say they're open to proposals being considered in Congress that would make it possible for private insurers to enter the market in a big way.

Are We Red Yet?

In Reflections on a Ravaged Century , his classic study of twentieth-century politics, Robert Conquest emphasized that democratic capitalism was far and away "the best and most hopeful arrangement available to us" in the real world . Compared with what prevailed and still prevails in Russia, China, and other communist and formerly communist states, Western democracy is a paradise of freedom and opportunity.

It’s Time For a Big “You’re Fired.”

U.S. investigators examining money laundering accusations against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort hope to push him to cooperate with their probe into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation said. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is examining Manafort's financial and real estate records in New York as well as his involvement in Ukrainian politics, the officials said.

COLUMN: President should launch the GlobalSuperTanker

Some federal government bureaucrat has decided it is more important to glue thousands of paper cups to thousands of posts, arrange them in a grid, have the aircraft drop water on the grid and then weigh each cup to see how much water is in each of them than it is to put out fires. This ridiculous exercise in bureaucracy is a required part of federal approval for an aircraft to dump water onto a raging forest fire.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Fighting to make sure that the little guy gets crushed

The last thing Republicans on Capitol Hill apparently want the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do is actually protect financial consumers. That would explain the angry GOP reaction whenever the bureau announces new rules, such as one this week to stop big financial institutions from imposing mandatory arbitration agreements on consumers who have legal grievances.