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.

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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

The people at Mediaite interviewed comedian and talk show host Joe Piscopo about all the news coverage on Russia and Russia's alleged ties to the Trump administration. Piscopo, who is reportedly considering an independent run for governor in New Jersey, called the whole thing "comical" and "ridiculous."

In 2010, the Supreme Court overturned the ban on corporate election spending in the landmark Citizens United case. A majority of the justices considered political spending to be a form of free speech, corporations were free to ‘speak’, with the goal to persuade the voting public, through political contributions. Since then, the amount of money spent in elections has grown drastically, and the source of that money has become a key concern for many Americans. Many have come to wonder, with so much money involved, could our elections simply be ‘bought’?

This week, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) spoke out on the contentious issue of the H-1B visa program, arguing for moderation and consideration if any reforms are adopted.