In a recent op-ed published on Rare.us, U.S. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) encouraged President-elect Donald Trump to not compromise in his pick for secretary of state and pick someone who shares his views on the Iraq War, regime change, and nation building.
As part of the California legislative process, there are several things to understand, including the types of measures and bills that can be considered by legislators; amendments to bills - both substantive and technical ones; and, engrossing and enrolling - largely done out of the public’s view. Let’s take a closer look at each:
Types of Measures
There are three types of measures considered by the California Legislature:
Not that it would surprise many, but President-elect Donald Trump contradicted himself recently.
Per usual form, Trump stirred up a hornets’ nest of controversy with a recent tweet, suggesting that flag burning—a form of Constitutionally-protected speech according to the Supreme Court—be criminalized.
“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American Flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail,” he tweeted.
The 2016 elections helped to illustrate the ways in which voters are penalized by our voting rules. Voters of all stripes are deprived of a range of real choices at the ballot. Unrepresentative winners in elections at all levels of government -- by candidates of all parties -- serve to further divide communities and make governing more difficult. Ranked choice voting gives you the freedom to vote for the candidate you like the best without worrying you'll help to elect the candidate you like the least.
April 1995 put radicalized right-wing terrorism firmly in the minds of Americans and law enforcement, when Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. At the time, this was the single largest act of terrorism ever committed on American soil.
Politico reported Monday that Art Sisneros, a Texas Republican elector, has chosen to resign his position instead of voting for Donald Trump. Sisneros signed a pledge with the Republican Party of Texas to vote for the nominee, but says he regrets that decision and calls the pledge "illegal" and "immoral."
What do Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick have in common? They are the latest in a growing line of political and sports figures to praise the life and legacy of Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro.
Huh?
Let’s be very clear here. The record is crystal clear. Fidel Castro was a revolutionary leader who came to power using violence and intimidation to brutalize the Cuban people for decades.
The court ruling to end extreme political gerrymandering in Wisconsin may have reverberations in neighboring Illinois.
As IVN previously reported, the Wisconsin Republican Party was free to draw districts which ensured the GOP would retain a majority of legislative seats. A 2-1 federal court decision overturned the precedent that it is permissible to dilute the power of voters based on political party.
A romanticized view of a past that never happened the way we thought is one of the greatest disservices to a functioning modern republic.
It gives us the impression that everything the demi-gods of the past did was right, and everything our modern leaders do is open to the highest scrutiny.