Donald Trump has accomplished “a number of fairly serious achievements,” in his first year as president — in the eyes of real-life super villain Vladimir Putin, at least. Unless you consider “most cabinet re-orgs in 12 months” an achievement along with it, he’s only really accomplished one — the tax plan.

T.J. O’Hara is joined by Brian Baird, former Democratic U.S. representative and co-founder of Washington Independents. The two discuss the partisanship and dysfunction in state legislatures and Congress, the Centrist Project and its approach, as well as the principles and goals of the organization he co-founded with former GOP Chair Chris Vance to elect independents.

Unbeknownst to most, Nebraska records some of the coldest temperatures in the United States. The reason it beats out most northern states is because it’s so flat the cold winds blow uninterrupted.

Del Mar City Councilman Terry Sinnott and Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, both considered staunch Republicans, are now the Chair and Vice-Chair of the regions most powerful transportation body.

The two were unanimously elected to lead the San Diego Association of Governments, taking the helm of the county's lead agency in charge of transportation goals.

CLIMATE CHANGE CONTROVERSY

It would have probably never occurred to most politicos that the Democratic Party may be in peril of losing the votes of black women, who make up one of its most loyal and politically active voting blocs. But the slow-motion implosion of both major political parties we are observing in real time on social media may also include an exodus of black women from the party of Jefferson.

It was reported Monday that former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's campaign has been asked to comply with a document search by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

When asked what the committee was looking for specifically, committee chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) said, "collusion with the Russians."

Though the DNC Unity Reform Commission (URC) hasn’t garnered widespread headline press coverage, the reporting it has received has either been outright scathing or outright congratulatory, akin to most of our current politics.

Was it a victory, an outrage, or an eye-opener?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4BVd35Z3hY&t=7m9s

President Donald Trump gave a widely televised speech Monday, during which he laid out his vision for security and defense, economic growth, infrastructure, and touted America's achievements over the last year.

The president also pointed to what he perceives as the political failures of the past on trade, foreign policy, the economy, and more, and touted his 2016 election as a pivotal turning point in modern political history.

IVN published an article recently about how partisanship has reached such an extreme in American society that it is dividing families, friends, and becoming a deal breaker for potential marriage partners.

So we set out to prove that despite the perception that people are only ugly to each other online and stuck in their own political bubbles, independent thought and civility can exist on social media.

Read our centrist recap for the week below. We shine a light on the spin and useless stories from the Left and Right and detail what you should focus on, before people can pull wool over your eyes.