Japan and United States Inch Closer to Military Action?

The latest ballistic missile test from North Korea has not only angered the United States, but also one of its key allies in the region, Japan. Following a an early morning conference call with President Trump, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that more action was needed. It seems clear that both nations are losing patience with North Korea.

After the call Shinzo told reporters in Tokyo:

President Trump tweeted about his new chief of staff friday afternoon, writing "Reince Preibus is a good guy, John Kelly is a star."

Four stars actually.

John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff, is a retired four-star Marine general who served with distinction in the military for over four decades.

Maybe most importantly, Kelly was not involved in the 2016 campaign and didn't support any of the candidates.

His history is very impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyy6SPmbqJo

It's certainly true that the most valuable things in life don't come easy.

That is the case with health care reform.

No question, Obamacare needs to be fixed and improved. It's failing across the country. All parties have admitted the system is collapsing on itself.

And there is no question the fractures in Congress need to be healed if any significant repeal and replace bill can be passed.

Greens will have a chance to win the New Jersey governorship in November. Ohio will have the same opportunity to vote in a Green governor in 2018.

After a high profile 2016 presidential campaign, running candidates for governor over the next two years might keep momentum going for the Green Party.

New Jersey Greens are running Seth Kaper-Dale as a 2017 candidate for governor.

While the 2016 presidential election campaign was sadly divisive, it also provided a surprisingly clear window into the drivers of human behavior.

Here are five important things we can learn about ourselves from how this election unfolded.

1. Basic Human Perceptions Drive Most of Our Voting Behavior

Contrary to conventional wisdom, our willingness to vote for Clinton, Trump, or any other candidate for president does not derive primarily from their specific policy positions or qualifications.

"Skinny" Repeal Misses Mark as John McCain Leads 3 Republicans Against Health Care Reform

The drama on the floor of the U.S. Senate to replace and repeal Obamacare stretched into the morning hours of Friday.

The discussion was related to the "Skinny" repeal. If it had passed, here's what it would have done:

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) is a process where “state officials automatically register eligible citizens using reliable information from other government lists. All would be given the chance to “opt out” or decline registration.”

This policy proposal seeks to resolve the issue of having a barrier at the polls.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - A Senate committee approved an amendment to a budget bill Thursday that would block the DOJ from using funding or resources to target state medical marijuana programs.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Commerce, Justice Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) approved the amendment by voice vote. It renews protections already in place by Congress that all but legalize medical marijuana in states that allow it within their own jurisdictions.

Rising distrust in our political system is due in large part to a lack of transparency in several aspects of government.

In Colorado, several organizations have taken up the cause of increasing transparency. Colorado Ethics Watch, a nonpartisan nonprofit, has been working for over 10 years in keeping the government accountable to the people it represents through government ethics work and attempting to decrease the influence of money in politics.

President Trump announced Wednesday, via Twitter, that transgender troops would be banned from military service in any capacity.