Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina make it hard to ignore the simple fact that floods and flood risk management are an increasingly serious problem. Emergency responses have improved, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We need to address the root causes of flood vulnerability. It’s better to have the government take precautions now rather than counting on FEMA to bail us out later.

Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina make it hard to ignore the simple fact that floods and flood risk management are an increasingly serious problem. Emergency responses have improved, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We need to address the root causes of flood vulnerability. It’s better to have the government take precautions now rather than counting on FEMA to bail us out later.

(City Hall) -- Mayor elect Bob Filner will be the second mayor to serve San Diego under the city's relatively young Strong Mayor system. The city switched from the City Manager government to the current Strong Mayor form on January 1, 2006. Under the new system the Mayor is the City's Chief Executive Officer, functioning similar to the governor or the president.

In an exclusive interview with Russia Today television in Damascus on Friday, Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, told reporters he has no plans to step down from his post – despite nearly 20 months of ongoing internal violence in criticism of his governing practices.

After the re-election of President Barack Obama, national energy policy will likely continue without drastic changes, but questions still loom on the future of energy policy in the United States. Will oil and coal companies be further strained by regulations? Will alternative energy companies have the means to displace reduced production of fossil fuels?

After the re-election of President Barack Obama, national energy policy will likely continue without drastic changes, but questions still loom on the future of energy policy in the United States. Will oil and coal companies be further strained by regulations? Will alternative energy companies have the means to displace reduced production of fossil fuels?

With the 2012 election finally behind us, we all witnessed how divisive and partisan our political culture has gotten. Diversity of opinion is a defining and essential characteristic of democracy, but it does not have to divide us. This week on IVN, we will pay special attention to the new make-up of our political landscape and its implications on America's evolving political culture.

With the 2012 election finally behind us, we all witnessed how divisive and partisan our political culture has gotten. Diversity of opinion is a defining and essential characteristic of democracy, but it does not have to divide us. This week on IVN, we will pay special attention to the new make-up of our political landscape and its implications on America's evolving political culture.