The countdown to 2018 has finished and Washington has snapped its head in the direction of another countdown: the mid-term elections in November.

In just eleven months, the balance of power can be easily swayed in Congress, which means this year is setting up to be two things: dramatic and expensive. Very Expensive.

So, grab some popcorn and your calculator because big money is pouring in to district races from all over the country, and it’s set to make history.

Every day, 122 young undocumented immigrants who were raised in this country and are known as Dreamers, are losing their legal protection, their livelihood, and their liberty because Congress has failed to act.

Over the last four months, Congress has had the opportunity to pass a Dreamer bill that provides permanent protection, but Congress has delayed taking action, making one excuse after another.

Their delay has put thousands of Dreamers in jeopardy.

In the last week of 2017, the Washington Post published an article highlighting perhaps the biggest winner from the the new GOP tax plan: accountants.

A largely ignored development at year-end 2017 was the story that the Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein’s campaign is under senate investigation for collusion with Russia.  

Dr. Stein was the Green Party’s presidential nominee in 2016 and was on the general election ballot in 47 states.  She received more votes than Donald Trump’s margin of victory in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.  Those states accounted for a combined 46 electoral votes and together would have swung the election to Hillary Clinton.  

American voters who have remained in the two-party system are more partisan than ever before and they're saying so in public opinion polls every year:

PIERRE, S.D. – On December 29th, the South Dakota Voter Protection and Anti-Corruption Amendment was certified as Amendment W for the November 2018 ballot by Secretary of State Shantel Krebs. This is a victory for the anti-corruption movement and South Dakotans who are fighting back, after the repeal of the South Dakota Anti-Corruption Act earlier this year.

Maine legislators first delayed and set a popular ballot initiative -- ranked choice voting -- up for repeal because they didn't like what voters wanted. Now, new measures from the secretary of state threaten the citizens' initiative process itself.

Today, it feels nearly impossible to discern who is telling the truth and who is, as the president is so fond of screaming, “fake news.”

My right-leaning father and I are consistently battling each other with conflicting facts from our niche news sources. For example, his conservative news bubble is telling him that Trump’s approval rating is high, while my liberal echo chamber tells me the opposite.

How’s that possible, and what can we do about it?

Say what you want about 2017, it wasn't the slow and boring year in politics many politicos would have otherwise expected from an odd year -- a year that falls between presidential and midterm elections.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they have reached capacity at Otay Mesa and San Ysidro and are telling Asylum seekers to not approach the border.

Officials say there are so many people fleeing persecution in their home countries that federal officials can't process all of them. Those seeking asylum are being help in temporary holding cells while border officials work through the backlog.

An official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that "no one is being turned away from ports of entry; however, there is a backup for those awaiting processing."