On November 8th 2016, Maine became the first state to adopt Ranked Choice Voting as their process to elect state representatives. Now, the citizens’ initiative that passed with over 400,000 “yes” votes, the 2nd highest in Maine’s history, is being challenged by legislators.

On Monday, a bipartisan group of Virginia Senators voted against a bill on the floor to effectively close the state’s primary elections. It was the second time in less than 12 months that an effort to close Virginia’s primaries had made it to the floor.

The 29 to 11 vote on Monday, however, was much broader than the 21 to 19 defeat in last year’s legislature that largely broke along party lines, and was only successful when two Republicans joined a unified Democratic opposition.

The first three chaotic weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency have unfolded on social media like no presidential transition before it. Trump is the first president to transition into office with an immense presence in social media, Twitter in particular. According to White House archives, Barack Obama didn’t tweet using the @POTUS account until his 6th year in office.

Little Rock, AR - A state bill designed to "protect the rights and privileges granted under the Arkansas Constitution and the United States Constitution, and to declare American laws for American courts" may cover a broader scope than its proponents are advertising.

The Bernie revolution set grassroots on fire. It got young people involved like we haven’t seen in years. It shifted the dialogue to things the media had not focused on before, things that were important to voters.

Disputed land rights. Corporate enterprise at stake. The presence of quasi-military units. Native communities on the defense. Violent conflict just one misfire away. It’s a scene Native Americans have grown accustomed to through centuries of marginalization at the hands of the United States.

Tuesday night, CNN aired a healthcare debate which featured Senator Bernie Sanders representing the pro-Obamacare side and Senator Ted Cruz who provided the anti-Obamacare viewpoint. The debate featured questions from an audience members, including one who had difficulty paying her premiums and another who had only been able to receive treatment for her cancer due to the Affordable Care Act.

Following her historic confirmation as Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos may find herself unemployed. A bill (H.R. 899) has already been proffered to eliminate the Department of Education. The bill, introduced by Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), and co-sponsored by seven other Republican members of the House, is terse by any standard invoking just one sentence: “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”

Oceania was at war with Eastasia: Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia. A large part of the political literature of five years was now completely obsolete. Reports and records of all kinds, newspapers, books, pamphlets, films, sound-tracks, photographs — all had to be rectified at lightning speed. . . . Within one week no reference to the war with Eurasia, or the alliance with Eastasia, should remain in existence anywhere. -- George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

Democrats in Congress have predominantly lined up in opposition to President Trump's agenda since he took office last month. Democratic U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, however, is one notable exception.