P.T. Barnum dazzled early American audiences with what he often advertised as genuine fakes -- and the public ate it up.

Throughout the 20th century, urban legends and hoaxes abounded. From the great cabbage hoax to moon-landing conspiracies, commonly believed falsehoods entered the collective "knowledge" of humanity.

But studying and debunking these falsehoods has been around just as long, even being one of the first studied phenomenons within the modern field of psychology.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday approved new rules that will reclassify the Internet as a utility under Title II of the Telecommunications Act so "net neutrality" policies can survive judicial scrutiny. The vote fell along party lines, with the 3 Democratic commissioners voting in favor of the 332-page plan and the two Republican commissioners voting against it.

NATIONAL -- Earlier this month, VA Secretary Bob McDonald got into a heated argument with a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee while defending his efforts to turn around the scandal-ridden agency. Specifically, he called out U.S. Representative Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), a veteran of both Iraq wars, over his comments regarding McDonald's tenure.

NATIONAL -- The 2014 midterm elections were a huge victory for Republicans; they regained control of the Senate and increased their majority in the House of Representatives. But there was another winner in the election cycle that hasn’t been talked about much: money.

CAPITOL HILL -- The Hill reported Wednesday that the U.S. Senate voted to open debate on a DHS funding bill, breaking the stalemate between members of the Republican and Democratic parties. The 98-2 vote came after both sides in the Senate agreed to debate a funding bill that does not include provisions that would reverse President Obama's executive actions on deferred deportations.

NATIONAL -- There is no doubt that there are some IVN readers who support some form of proportional representation, often seen as a voting scheme that maximizes representation and makes every vote count.

But the real question is, what would be the avenue to implement proportional representation nationwide? What are the roadblocks and potential legal challenges?

To answer these questions, we have to examine the history of how we got to our current two-party voting system.

ALABAMA -- While Alabama officials adamantly oppose a federal court's decision to strike down the state's ban on gay marriage, LGBT groups are celebrating victory in the Heart of Dixie.

reported Monday that North Korea leader Kim Jong-un has called for full combat readiness so that North Korea's military is prepared for any form of war, specifically with the United States.

MISSOURI -- Missouri State Representative Keith English recently cut ties with the Democratic Party to become the Show Me State’s only independent legislator. In line with the state’s nickname (which describes the character of Missourians, who are not gullible), he wants to see more transparency in both state and federal politics.