As Brett Kavanaugh proceeds through an FBI investigation, a partisan war, and a scathing court of public opinion, the world seems to have forgotten the institution he is headed toward - the Supreme Court.

Shorthanded by one, with a bench of eight, the court started its 2018-’19 session Monday. Its current roster of cases may not sound very exciting to some (the fate of an endangered frog vs landowners), but three major partisan gerrymandering cases hit the Supreme Court during its last session and they may be back again for this one.

https://soundcloud.com/independent-voter-podcast/a-conversation-with-state-superintendent-candidate-marshall-tuck

San Diego, CA.- While it certainly doesn't have the political fervor associated with partisan politics, make no mistake, the race for Superintendent of California is hotly contested.

Candidates Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond have been trading barbs over the direction of the states school system, responsible for educating more than 6 million students.

Next week, IVN will launch its California-focused election coverage. In preparation, we conducted a survey of California voters on key races and issues to give our writers and readers a baseline look at where things stand to go into the final month of the election season.

Readers can also access information about the responses from various subgroups in the sample (known as crosstabs).

The California election gets our attention because California’s “top two” nonpartisan primary reform has produced some interesting matchups that could produce historic results.

It'd be hard to believe how quickly artificial intelligence found its footing in the mainstream — if we weren't already reaping the benefits in industry as well as our personal lives.

If anything, though, the progress we've already made in adapting AI to our existing industries, lifestyles, and workflows only betrays how much more work there is to do. In health care, particularly, we're only beginning to explore AI's potential in making our lives better and healthier.

First the ad.

Wait for it:

BOOOM!

What a remarkable campaign ad.

You don't see something like this very often.

The ad was very well-planned, with the first names only and occupations of the Gosar siblings (e.g. rural physician, private investigator) displayed as they trash their brother's record on health care, jobs, and the environment, and then the big reveal that their last name is Gosar and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) is their brother!

Are we looking at a blue wave? Or is it a red wave? Is the silent majority going to rise up and make their voices heard at the ballot box? These are among the questions that are being considered by most campaigns going into November.

In California, Democrats in particular see an opportunity to increase their political dominance in the state -- specifically in traditionally Republican rural and agricultural districts like Congressional District 10 -- located in the San Joaquin Valley.

True to form, the eccentric and wildly popular rapper, Kanye West donned the MAGA cap again for his SNL performance over the weekend. "Ye" wore the hat for a performance of the song "Ghost Town," and followed up the song with a pro-Trump political speech for the studio audience after NBC's broadcast ended.

San Diego, CA.- Governor Jerry Brown has had a busy week.

Brown signed a flurry of bills and vetoed others, as the 39th Governor of California nears the end of his term.

Among the bills he signed Friday:

Tighter Gun Legislation

Senate Bill 1100 now requires all firearms purchasers to be at least 21. California already restricts handgun sales to people 21 and older.

San Diego, CA.- The California Legislatures push to turn California an even deeper shade of blue, proved too much even for Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

On Thursday, Brown vetoed two bills that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to serve on state boards and commissions, and would have prevented immigration authorities from making arrests inside courthouses.

Washington, D.C. - In a party-line vote of 11-10, the Republican-dominated Senate Judiciary Committee pushed Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination to the Senate floor, of course with an 11th-hour caveat.

Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) requested that the floor vote be delayed until after a brief FBI investigation. Flake was cornered by Democrats outside of the hearing room who pleaded with him for another delay.

What comes in the immediate future is a bit of a toss-up today - this appears to be unprecedented.