This week meet the party that believes power starts from the bottom up.

Host T.J. O’Hara is joined by Green Party National Political Organizer Adrián Boutureira. The two discuss the Green Party’s core philosophies, and what’s next for the party.

Readers who have been following IVN's ongoing coverage of the debate commission and the lawsuits brought against it are acquainted with the Commission on Presidential Debate's criterium that requires presidential candidates to poll at 15% or more in 5 polls hand-picked by the debate commission to appear on the presidential debate stage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1zdvSsLBvM

On Monday, the Senate approved in a near unanimous vote to clear the way for Montenegro to be the latest entry into NATO. The vote does not officially add the Balkan country, but it does approve a final vote later this week.

The Senate vote in favor was 97-2. The two dissenting votes were U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).

In case you are not sure where Montenegro is, here is a map:

After 7 years of the controversial PPACA and promises by candidate Donald Trump to repeal and replace, Republicans found themselves unable to pass their own bill. With critics ranging from conservative Republicans who saw the AHCA as “Obamacare Lite” to others worried about short-term loss of coverage, Speaker Ryan couldn’t garner the votes and Republicans pulled the bill, leaving Obamacare as “the law of the land.”

Last November, in the first such ruling in 30 years, partisan gerrymandering suffered a huge defeat when a district court in Wisconsin ruled that the state’s partisan redistricting plan was unconstitutional and served no legitimate government purpose.

Now, attorneys for the State of Wisconsin are challenging that ruling before the Supreme Court.

T.J. O'Hara, IVN correspondent and host of A Civil Assessment (IVN's newest podcast), appeared on Politically Speaking Sunday evening, a weekly segment on NBC7 in San Diego. Hosted by Gene Cubbison, O'Hara was brought on to talk about the state of civility (or lack thereof) in American politics.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: George Penn, 608-244-6436, geo_penn@charter.net

Nine Communities to Vote to Reclaim Democracy from Moneyed Interests

Outside the fall presidential debates, there are a lot of people who don't know about the Commission on Presidential Debates, mostly because it keeps its internal matters quiet. For instance, few noticed that the CPD swapped co-chairs in January, with Michael D. McCurry being replaced by Dorothy S. Ridings. Even McCurry's Wikipedia page still says he co-chairs the debate commission.

While marijuana legalization is making massive strides forward throughout the country, with a whopping eight states voting to legalize marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes in November's election, the movement to "legalize it" is facing resistance in Tennessee.

It's just not the kind of microwave you use to heat up a bowl of soup.

Many will recall the comment made by Kellyanne Conway on MSNBC a couple weeks back regarding the Trump wiretap allegations, where she made an offhanded remark about “microwaves that turn into cameras.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hJX1lSK_Uc

Conway defended her interview in a series of tweets.

https://twitter.com/KellyannePolls/status/841253603335647236

https://twitter.com/KellyannePolls/status/841255292373458944