Why ban transgender troops? Only Trump knows

President Donald Trump took to Twitter this week to a declare that transgender men and women would henceforth be banned from military service . Indeed, top Department of Defense officials quickly reassured the public that there will be "no modifications" to the military's transgender policy as a result of the tweet, and the military will continue to "treat all of our personnel with respect."

Activists Encouraged by DOJ Involvement in Police Shooting

When it was clear that Jeff Session would indeed assume the top leadership role at the U.S. Department of Justice, activists and city officials around the country questioned the fate of police-reform measures. Here, Mayor Jim Kenney, when the DOJ issued its final report on the progress made at the Philadelphia Police Department, said that the city is committed to reforming policing, no matter what takes place in Washington, D.C. The mayor, who was elected due a police-reform platform, now will be tested to see how sincere he was.

AG opinion strikes middle ground on cutting wages, benefits

A formal opinion released Thursday by Attorney General George Jepsen warns of legal peril in rewriting state-employee contracts through legislation, but notes the free hand legislators have after contracts expire and the flexibility the courts have granted in some cases in the event of extreme fiscal emergencies. The opinion was sought by Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, which voted along party lines Monday to ratify a deal projected to save the state more than $700 million in the current fiscal year and $800 million in the next.

Democratic Resilience for a Populist Age

The enemies of open, liberal societies have gained disconcerting influence in recent years, demonstrated most recently by the Polish government's bid to place the country's courts under political control. Although many democracies are plagued by serious maladies - such as electoral gerrymandering, voter suppression, fraud and corruption, violations of the rule of law, and threats to judicial independence and press freedom - there is little agreement about which solutions should be pursued.

Will: GOP squanders chance to lead on budget, entitlements

In January 1988, in Ronald Reagan's final State of the Union address, he noisily dropped on a table next to the podium in the House chamber three recent continuing resolutions, each more than a thousand pages long. Each was evidence of Congress' disregard of the 1974 Budget Act.

Who Owns Border Death Truck Tragedy? Mexico

Florida truck driver James Matthew Bradley isn't the mastermind of the human smuggling ring that led to the grisly deaths of 10 illegal immigrants in his rig, which authorities found at a San Antonio Walmart over the weekend. Bradley may now face the death penalty for transporting up to 100 people crammed in the trailer of his 18-wheeler.

Bigotry has no place in our courts

Last week, I took to the Senate Floor to shine a light on the president's nominee to join the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, John K. Bush. This man has a clear record of promoting bigotry and discrimination that has no place in our courts, and we cannot let this nomination slip through the cracks.

Outrage Over Trump Family Meetings with Russians is Establishment Hypocrisy

From where I normally sit in France , the ongoing Trump-Russia fever dream that has played out in the U.S. over the last year barely even qualifies as background noise. I guess the world has more important things to worry about than whether Russian President Vladimir Putin personally zombified the nearly 63 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in November's presidential election.

Jeff Sessions Lets Cops Be Robbers

Donald Trump made two things abundantly clear during a meeting with county sheriffs last February: He did not know what civil asset forfeiture was, and he wanted to see more of it. The president will get his wish thanks to a directive issued last week by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has a clearer idea of what civil forfeiture entails but is only slightly more sensitive to its potential for abuse.

Recent editorials published in Iowa newspapers

Rep. Steve King so desperately wants a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico that he's willing to take food from the mouths of babies to build it. After a House committee endorsed the Trump administration 's full, $1.6 billion budget request to begin the construction of a southern-border wall, the Republican congressman from western Iowa said he wanted to more than triple the spending on the wall.