The DNC Rules Committee approved the recommendation of a new rule last week that allows the party to block certain presidential campaigns. More specifically, the party will block campaigns that do not "affirmatively demonstrate that they are faithful to the interests, welfare and success of the Democratic Party of the United States."

Partisan gerrymandering. Money in politics. The Electoral College. Undue restrictions on who votes and how we vote. Every contentious election issue discussed today was either inherited from 18th-century England or came out of a compromise in our democracy’s incubation when there were few voters and fewer voting models.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could face a grand jury investigation while he runs for governor. The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday that a citizen grand jury can proceed with an investigation into allegations that Kobach tampered with people's ability to register to vote online.

The biggest primary day of 2018 has come and gone. The November ballot is now set in California and 7 other states.

As I looked at the coverage from the week, I noticed an article from Slate writer Jamelle Bouie that makes the case that because the nonpartisan, top-two primary in California doesn't serve the interests of parties, it is undemocratic.

Seriously?

By 5-0, the San Diego County Planning Commission voted to support the New Lilac Hills Ranch community. The project will now go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.

For several years the development has been a target for environmentalists who claim the project is too large for the community and will be detrimental to the environment.

The Planning Commission didn't agree with that assessment.

Independent (NPP) candidate for Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner is looking to become the first independent to win statewide office.

Poizner was the top vote getter in the June 5th primary election, besting Democrat Senator Ricardo Lara.

The two have advanced to the November General election.

Poizner Wins Primary, Ready For November

Steve Poizner finished with 41% of the vote, Lara had 40%.

In a political world dominated by voices from the Republican and Democratic parties, the Robert J. Dole Institute at the University of Kansas stepped outside of the partisan narrative with its Spring Semester discussion group focusing on the “Rise of the Independents.”

There was no contest for the top spot in the US Senate race in California. Incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein took 43.8% of the vote in the nonpartisan, top-two open primary. That was in a field of 32 candidates.

Huawei is a Chinese mobile phone manufacturer that is flagged by US intelligence agencies as a national security threat. And Facebook gave it what is called “deep access” to user data: friends, relationship status, work history, likes, and more. But now the social media giant says it is cutting that agreement.

The world at large found out about this agreement after the New York Times broke the story days ago.

Votes are still being counted and analysts are still trying to spot the trends from the June 5th primary.

What we do know happened is more a story about what didn't happen: The crush of progressive activists expected to turn out to vote against Trump and swamping conservative candidates.

They never did.