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.

Should we not find it curiously suspicious that most opinions about the allegations of specific, localized events, that are alleged to have occurred decades ago (the allegations of sexual impropriety when Kavanaugh was in high school and college) just happen to divide up along party lines?

The Public Policy Institute of California released its most recent survey on Californias and their government Thursday -- including public opinion on the upcoming elections. One of the most notable findings is that Democrat Gavin Newsom's lead over Republican John Cox has been cut in half.

In the current political environment, voters are looking for alternative perspectives that challenge the two-sided narrative we get in the media. Nonpartisan and independent news can enable citizens to better understand the political world around them in a way the mainstream media is failing to do.

Who would have thought that comedian turned political commentator Jimmy Kimmel (previously, the Man Show guy) would become the arbiter of moral behavior.

According to FBI statistics released this week, marijuana arrests in the United States actually increased to 659,700 in 2017 over 2016's total of 653,249. That's despite the fact that in 2017, the number of states that legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use reached a total of 29 (plus Washington DC).

AUBURN, MAINE - The Hayes for Maine campaign announced Tuesday that independent state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Terry Hayes has surpassed 6,800 donors, and has gained new endorsements in the 4-way race for Maine governor.

Hayes is the only candidate in the race running a clean elections campaign. Instead of fundraising the traditional way, she is asking Maine voters to make $5 contributions to the state's Clean Elections fund. Hayes receives matching funds when she submits enough qualifying contributions.

San Diego, CA.- District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf is on the ballot this November.

First elected to office in November 2010, Zapf served District 6, but switched districts in 2014 due to redistricting.

She has defeated Democrats Howard Wayne and Sarah Boot and is facing Dr. Jen Campbell in November.

On Beyond The Headlines, Zapf discusses the SDSU West and SoccerCity initiatives.

Zapf chairs the Audit Committee, and shares how that role is taking on critical importance with the departure of longtime Chief Auditor Eduardo Luna.

The success of Maine as the first state to use ranked choice voting statewide has brought newfound national attention to ranked choice voting. There’s much to like in this replacement to our fractious, problematic, and outdated plurality voting method. Voters can vote for their top choice without fear of splitting the vote. More candidates and parties can compete without the label of “spoiler.” Campaigns become more civil and less prone to negative attacks. The winner is the consensus, majority choice.