Politics
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Independent voters can be decisive in elections – but they're pretty unpredictable, not 'shadow partisans'
In the end there was no red wave. And there was no blue wave.
There was an independent wave.
Pollsters and pundits were counting on independent voters in the 2022 midterm elections to swing to the Republicans as they did in 2014 when Barack Obama was president. That’s when independent turnout in the midterms added up to 29% ...Read more

Commentary: Here's how the new Congress can promote good governance and boost public confidence
A string of historic bipartisan victories during the last Congress — including an update of the Electoral Count Act and transformational investments in infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, veterans protections and new energy transitions — demonstrate that Congress really can work in a bipartisan and productive manner for the American...Read more

Commentary: When the chief justice himself was the Supreme Court leak
Six months of investigation, interviews with 97 employees, and meticulous forensic examination of computers and cellphones have failed to identify the person who, in May 2022, leaked a draft opinion in a Supreme Court case that would ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade and a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
At the time, Chief Justice ...Read more

Editorial: Kansas politicians want to take abortion fight to the city and county level. Just stop
In Kansas, a woman’s right to reproductive freedom is enshrined in the state constitution. The issue should be settled — especially after voters preemptively and decisively smacked down lawmakers’ last overreach to gut abortion rights. Apparently, according to Kansas Republicans, it isn’t.
GOP leaders in Kansas have made it known that ...Read more

Trump blasts Biden over tanks for Ukraine and calls for end to 'crazy war' to repel Russian invasion
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed the U.S. decision to send top-of-the-line tanks to Ukraine, calling the effort to repel the Russian invasion a “crazy war.”
In the latest criticism of aid to Ukraine, Trump echoed the Russian talking point that sending the Abrams M1 tanks amount to an escalation that could lead to nuclear ...Read more

How California's ambitious new climate plan could help speed energy transformation around the world
California is embarking on an audacious new climate plan that aims to eliminate the state’s greenhouse gas footprint by 2045, and in the process, slash emissions far beyond its borders. The blueprint calls for massive transformations in industry, energy and transportation, as well as changes in institutions and human behaviors.
...Read more

Ukraine has a mixed record of treating its citizens fairly – that could make it harder for it to maintain peace, once the war ends
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the dominant Western media narrative has been clear – Russia is the “global villain,” and Ukraine a model country victimized by an unjust war. But while the war may be unjust, Ukraine had its share of problems before the conflict with Russia intensified in 2022.
Expert analysis ...Read more

US will give military tanks to Ukraine, signaling Western powers' long-term commitment to thwarting Russia
President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 25, 2023, that the U.S. would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine – following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated requests for more military tanks to help wage its war against Russia.
“This is about helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive ...Read more

US Treasury denies Republicans' request for Hunter Biden records
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department refused Wednesday to provide House Republicans any suspicious activity reports it may have on foreign banking and other business transactions by Hunter Biden and other members of President Joe Biden’s family.
Jonathan Davidson, Treasury’s legislative affairs chief, told House Oversight and ...Read more

Poll shows Americans like the Supreme Court more -- but not that much more
Public perception of the U.S. Supreme Court has crept back up since bottoming out last year when the court eliminated constitutional abortion rights, according to a new Marquette Law School poll.
The poll found that 47% of people approved of the court, up from 38% just after the June 24, 2021, Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, but still well below the ...Read more

The trial of a prominent anti-abortion activist opens amid a political firestorm in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — The scuffle was brief.
The injuries minor.
And had the altercation that broke out near the intersection of 12th and Locust Streets on Oct. 31, 2021, occurred on almost any other street corner in the city, it might never have landed in federal court.
But because of who was involved — Mark Houck, a prominent Catholic anti-...Read more

Marjorie Taylor Greene says running with Trump not on her radar
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shrugged off rumors that she is angling to serve as former President Donald Trump’s running mate as he campaigns for a return to the White House in 2024.
Greene said she is focused on her work in Washington, which includes serving on committees for the first time. Greene has been appointed to ...Read more

Meta allowing Trump to return to Facebook, Instagram after 2-year exile
Former President Donald Trump is being allowed to return to the social media platforms that banned him following his supporters’ 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
His Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated in the “coming weeks,” an executive for Meta, which runs the sites, said in a Wednesday statement.
The move comes after ...Read more

North Carolina doctor who successfully challenged state abortion ban sues over pill restrictions
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina OB-GYN who successfully challenged the state’s 20-week abortion law is now suing the state over its abortion pills laws.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday morning, Dr. Amy Bryant, a University of North Carolina Health doctor, said the state laws conflict with federal regulations.
Bryant brought a lawsuit in ...Read more

Plenty of evidence to charge Trump in Georgia election interference case, former Lt. Gov. Duncan says
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said Wednesday that there is more than enough evidence to charge former President Donald Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State.
A day after an Atlanta prosecutor said “decisions are imminent” about charges, Duncan said he believes there is no question the former president ...Read more

Typical mass shooters are in their 20s and 30s – suspects in California's latest killings are far from that average
The two men who shot dead 18 people in separate incidents just days apart in California are the latest perpetrators in America’s long history of mass gun violence. But something about these public shootings, and the men held responsible, stands out.
The median age of mass shooters in the United States is 32. Yet the man who is ...Read more

As states seek to limit abortions, Montana wants to redefine what is medically necessary
Montana’s conservative leaders, stymied by the courts from passing laws that impose significant statewide abortion restrictions, seek to tighten the state’s Medicaid rules to make it more difficult for low-income women to receive abortions.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is proposing to define when an abortion is...Read more

Editorial: Missouri's abortion ban reads like a sermon. That's a constitutional problem
Among the problems with state abortion bans is that they are generally an expression of the religious convictions of the legislators who pass them. America isn’t supposed to be a theocracy. But challenging such laws as violating the separation of church and state is difficult because proponents can just claim they were enacted for secular ...Read more

Monterey Park: A pioneering Asian American suburb shaken by the tragedy of a mass shooting
For Americans of Asian descent, Monterey Park – a town near Los Angeles, located in the San Gabriel Valley – is a cultural center.
It embodies the modern Asian American experience; that is, a place where Asians in America can access and practice a diverse array of traditions and cultural pursuits in an environment where they are ...Read more

Trump asked 'Rocket Man' Kim Jong Un if he knew Elton John, Mike Pompeo's book says
Former President Donald Trump tried to downplay his insulting “Little Rocket Man” monicker for Kim Jong Un by asking if he was familiar with Elton John when he first met the North Korean dictator, ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reveals in a new book.
Seeking to break the ice at their first summit in Singapore, Trump told Kim the nickname...Read more
Popular Stories
- US Treasury denies Republicans' request for Hunter Biden records
- How California's ambitious new climate plan could help speed energy transformation around the world
- Ukraine has a mixed record of treating its citizens fairly – that could make it harder for it to maintain peace, once the war ends
- North Carolina doctor who successfully challenged state abortion ban sues over pill restrictions
- Poll shows Americans like the Supreme Court more -- but not that much more