In an exclusive interview, I recently had the privilege of speaking to an American hero, William Binney, NSA whistle-blower.

We discussed how NSA mass data collection makes us LESS safe; how the intentions behind it are not misguided but positively nefarious; how the lies that have been told about it are snowballing, and how Rand Paul's presidential candidacy may uniquely represent an opportunity for change.

Personal stories matter in politics. Personal stories connect us to the issues. They tie large, abstract issues to personal, human events. They help us empathize. They help us connect to each other, allowing us to understand, even if we don’t agree. It’s personal stories that change opinions.

Why all the buzz about whether we should call former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Hillary"? Or use just the familiar “Jeb” to refer to former Florida Governor John Ellis Bush.

Ron Paul and Rand Paul disagree over the Obama administration's proposed nuclear deal with Iran.

Supreme Court term limits. Currently, Supreme Court justices serve for life and can choose when they want to retire. Supporters of term limits argue that it is undemocratic for justices to serve life tenures while simultaneously not being held accountable to the public.

There has been a lot of debate recently about how to increase voter turnout -- to get more Americans engaged in the political process.

This is largely a reaction to the fact that the 2014 midterm election had the worst voter turnout in 70 years, with 36.4 percent of eligible voters casting ballots.

While a majority of Americans - 52 percent - now favor weed legalization, the federal government has done very little to act on the changing views of the nation. Many states, however, have taken matters into their own hands, passing legislation to better represent the changing attitudes of their residents.

Republicans and Democrats have been accused of being two arms of the same corrupt political body -- the two-party system. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush are demonized by each other, by their opponents, and even by factions within their own parties.

Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former professional wrestler and Minnesota governor, says he is willing to help independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in his bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. While not quite an endorsement, Ventura says he is "tired of the handpicked two candidates."

The new U.S. commander of the Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) assured allies Friday that American Forces are well-equipped and ready to respond to any issue that may arise in the South China Sea, where territorial disputes between China and various Pacific nations have sparked widespread uncertainty.