If any U.S. senator ever deserved the term "maverick" it might actually be Rand Paul, not his colleague from Arizona. Another term that indisputably applies to the Tea Party Republican is "leader."

Most junior senators make it to the U.S. Senate chamber for the first time and lie low, often for years, and go along with the party's agenda for the most part, build up some political capital, and then start to influence the process.

San Diego is ground zero for a two-day opioid addiction summit designed to educate parents, doctors and the public on the country's "most aggressive epidemic." Health leaders from across the country are in town to discuss ways to curb the nation's growing epidemic of opioid use.

In San Diego alone, at least 37 San Diegans have died from fentanyl-related overdoses this year.

Health officials say that is an all-time record.

Former Interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile dropped a bombshell about the conduct of the DNC in the 2016 presidential campaign that has left many progressives reeling. Bernie supporters largely feel validated in their claim that the primary was rigged, and now a mass exodus from the Democratic Party could be looming.

US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is also a major in the Hawaii National Army Guard, has made veteran issues a top priority while in office. She has sponsored and supported several bills that would improve the lives of servicemen and women, including a bill that passed unanimously in the House Tuesday called the "Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act."

Rasmussen published the results of a new survey Tuesday that showed a sizable percentage (around a third in each state) of likely voters saw the elections in New Jersey and Virginia as a referendum on Trump.

The larger take way, however, is that voters are just sick and tired of the parties and their candidates on both sides of the aisle.

Turn on CNN or Fox News, and you would have to assume that all American politics settle nicely into two buckets -- two opposite extremes. With the patterns of brinksmanship and divisive politics that have defined much of our political dialog in recent years, it's easy to see how people form this opinion about the USA.

However, the truth is that extremist tactics are typically much less successful than moderate ones. Out of all of the important political decisions that define our way of life in the United States, many more of them have been more moderate than we may think.

In a nutshell, here’s how I would describe the state of American politics. The regulators are unqualified to regulate. The parties are unqualified to govern. The political scientists are unqualified to call themselves scientists. A sorry state of affairs.

These days it’s very fashionable to require “evidence-based research” to confirm pretty much anything and everything, including things that are obvious to the naked eye. This “standard” has spread like wildfire through the social sciences and policy world.

Attempting to capitalize on the controversy surrounding the National Anthem and the National Football League, the California chapter of the NAACP is seeking the support of California lawmakers to remove the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem completely.

California NAACP President Alice Huffman drafted the NAACP’s resolutions after President Donald Trump suggested NFL owners should fire any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem.

Today, New Yorkers will vote on whether to hold a New York State Constitutional Convention, often referred to by the shorthand “con con.” The con con issue has fractured both parties along establishment vs activists lines, those who fear it as a threat to entrenched gains against those who see an opportunity to pursue goals that have long been deadlocked at the state level.

On Monday, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap approved the petition form for supporters of ranked choice voting to use, to repeal the anti-ranked-choice bill that the legislature passed last month. See this story.