The Maine Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that could decide the future of ranked choice voting in the state. The State Senate asked the court to issue an advisory opinion in February.

The justices could very well give lawmakers the justification they need to drop implementation of a voter-approved ballot measure (Question 5). Ranked choice voting was approved by the second-largest referendum vote in Maine's history.

Thursday afternoon, CIA Director Mike Pompeo gave his remarks on what he views as an assault on the intelligence community by Julian Assange and his colleagues at WikiLeaks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2eE3WRS0R8

Pompeo explains that his reason for speaking is due to:

North Carolina may be jumping on the “Top-Two” train. A house bill introduced this week, H.B. 737, would reform the current partisan open primary system to a nonpartisan, top-two primary similar to the systems already in place in California and Washington state.

H.B. 737 was introduced by state Reps. Ken Goodman (D-Rockingham) and Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro). It would put all state and congressional elections on a single primary ballot where all voters and candidates, regardless of party affiliation, participate.

WikiLeaks posted a leaked 2012 email Wednesday from a policy advisor to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that said al-Qaeda was helping rebel forces in Syria and was "on our side."

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/852266094379380738

Here is more from the email:

As a life-long Democrat, I am increasingly perplexed by elected Democrats who appear to align themselves unflinchingly with the CIA and the most hawkish members of the Republican Party.

I don't have anything profound to say about it beyond the simple fact that it is "odd."

Is it possible that Democrats simply have a new affinity for, and trust in, the intelligence community?

A recent Gallup poll listed ‘dissatisfaction with the government’ as the highest ranking problem facing Americans. They found that fewer than a third of Americans are happy with the direction the country is going.

On HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver tackled an issue that many consider the most pressing threat to our democracy: gerrymandering. As he often does, Oliver explained the intricacies of this complex policy issue with wit and humor, much to the alarm of voters everywhere. After explaining how politicians help their own party win seats by “packing and cracking” voters into districts, Oliver left viewers with a glimmer of hope by introducing the idea of independent redistricting commissions.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, AP notified followers that an investigative report revealed broad and damming allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation over the last 12 years by UN peacekeepers around the world. In total, AP uncovered almost 2,000 allegations.

https://twitter.com/AP/status/852084955219996672

Sri Lankan peacekeepers are accused of being involved in a child sex-ring in Haiti.

Independent and minor party candidates in Montana were handed a bittersweet victory in their bids to replace former Congressman Ryan Zinke.

On April 8, Federal Judge Brian Morris ruled against Montana Secretary of State Cory Stapleton, finding that the signature requirement placed on non-major party candidates "severely burdens the constitutional rights of ballot access for independent candidates and minor party candidates."

Authoritarians to the Right of Me

Trump’s election caused a spike in sales of George Orwell’s famous novel, 1984 – apparently to people who believe that his becoming president may be a harbinger of an Orwellian dystopia across our country.