Credit: Newscom / csmonitor.com The Drug Enforcement Agency is using data in criminal investigations collected from the NSA, FBI, CIA, IRS, and the Department of Homeland Security, according to a report published by Reuters. The agency, however, has the ability to withhold the origin of that information. The investigative report cites documents obtained that teach officers how to conceal the origin of the information that led to arrests. The department responsible for this is referred to as t...

Image - Left: Candidate Ro Khanna / Right: Congressman Mike Honda Incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Mike Honda has been a popular fixture in the House of Representatives since his first election in 2000. He has not been seriously challenged for the seat since, usually drawing upwards of 70 percent of the popular vote each election. This does have its advantages for constituents. A well-liked representative allows for less time campaigning and fundraising, and more time in the capitol. ...

The 2014 California Cannabis Hemp Initiative hopes to address the shortcomings that have made previous attempts to legalize marijuana unsuccessful. Previous coverage outlined some of the ways the wording of the bill seeks to do this. However, that is not the extent of the challenges the CCHI will face, as insufficient funding and signature gathering kept the 2012 version of the initiative off the ballot. In an interview, the two men who submitted the 2014 initiative, Michael Jolson and Berton ...

A new marijuana legalization initiative, pending review by California’s Attorney General, is seeking access to the 2014 ballot. The California Cannabis Hemp Initiative of 2014 hopes to be the green light marijuana activists have been searching for in the Golden State. The CCHI aims to legalize all forms of cannabis hemp products, specifically stating those that are categorized as industrial, medicinal, nutritional, and euphoric products. Industrially, this can include fuel, paper, clothing, and...

Credit: Annie Lane / OBrag.org San Diego news has been dominated by allegations of misconduct by Mayor Bob Filner, but common discussion surrounding the controversy has overlooked the financial cost to the city. If Mayor Filner is recalled, the city will have to hold a special election to select a replacement. As a consequence, the city must pay for the administrative costs of this election. The Filner scandal is new territory for San Diego, a city where there has not once been a Mayoral reca...

Credit: Mark Poprocki / Shutterstock.com Money in politics is rising to the fore as one of the key issues worth evaluating in American political discussion. Political Action Committee (PAC) spending has doubled over the past 7 election cycles and these organizations find themselves at the center of this discussion, as the campaign spending that these organizations undertake cloud transparency in campaign finance. OpenSecrets.org compiled data on PAC contributions to federal candidates, categor...

Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com The Supreme Court of the United States of America, under Chief Justice John Roberts, has had its highest percentage of one vote majority decisions than ever before in the court's history. The Judicial Branch -- at the top of which is the Supreme Court -- is designed to be the most removed government branch from political leanings. Yet, the influx in court decisions made by a one vote majority have raised questions about political influence affecting the rule of l...

Dan Thornberg / shutterstock.com Bipartisanship is met with glee in the hyper-partisan atmosphere of modern politics. Congress being at its most divided point in history, a bipartisan agreement is usually a sigh of relief for many Americans. However, this thankful fervor is not all it is cracked up to be. Bipartisan agreements often do more to mask alternative viewpoints than they do to bring about meaningful compromise. Here are six top issues on which bipartisan agreement means no discussio...

In recent years, there has been a massive spike in premature deaths among U.S. citizens and military personnel due to prescription drug use. Meanwhile, some drugs that have shown potential for combatting severe psychological disorders remain illegal. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that drug overdose is the leading cause of sudden deaths in the United States, surpassing homicide, gun shot deaths, suicide, and car accidents. The analysis relays the fact that 38,32...