Articles by Kendall Shain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZZrjURmKk&t=3m41s US Senator Bernie Sanders published an opinion piece on CNN.com, calling for an end to the "global oligarchy." Sanders is referring to a state in which "a handful of billionaires now own and control a significant part of the world economy." Sanders writes: "Here in the United States, the top one-tenth of 1% owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90%. Incredibly, according to a recent report from the Institute for Policy Studies, three of th...

Dr. Jill Stein had a rough go with the media in the 2016 election. But then again, so did all third party candidates. Both Stein and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson were accused by partisan political pundits of "spoiling" the 2016 presidential election and giving Donald Trump the victory. On Wednesday's Intercepted Podcast, hosted by The Intercept's Jeremy Scahill, Stein was given an open platform to discuss these accusations and give her take on what happened in the 2016 presi...

US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard continues to fight for marijuana decriminalization. She shared an article from the American Legion Monday, which makes the case for medical marijuana for wounded vets. Gabbard says the American Legion is right and her bill, HR 1227, "would help veterans get the treatment they need." https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/871760769221894145 Medical marijuana is still illegal in the US, though several states (29 states and DC) have laws on the books that legalize it withi...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRtznPEc4RA Over the weekend, President Trump and Saudi King Salman signed several deals regarding military and economic partnerships between the two countries. This includes a $110 billion investment deal as well as another $350 billion over the next 10 years. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) has come out in strong opposition to the deals, condemning Saudi Arabia as having a "devastating record of human rights violations at home and abroad, and a long history of p...

Last week's memo released by Attorney General Jeff Sessions may place him in direct conflict with public opinion as well as a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers. The memo directs federal prosecutors to seek the harshest sentences possible when prosecuting federal cases and also signals a formal withdrawal from a signature aspect of Obama era Attorney General Eric Holder's "Smart on Crime" initiative, which "sought to target the most serious crimes and reduce the number of defendants charged with...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTsBAxngGLY Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), and Edward Snowden all have reason to cheer the recent win for privacy. On Friday, the NSA announced that it would end the controversial practice of collecting communications of U.S. citizens who are incidentally swept up in surveillance of individuals overseas. This practice was allowed under the controversial FISA 702, which was a product of the expansion of national security powers following the 9/...

https://youtu.be/WDH9oLh6WXg The divide between the left and the right continues to grow with no end in sight. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) sat down with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press this past Sunday to provide their take as some of the more independent-minded members of the Senate, on the causes, effects, and solutions to polarization. "The rise of ideologically-driven groups on both the left and the right who are requiring 100 percent compliance with 100 percent...

On Wednesday, the FCC's Trump appointed chairman, Ajit Pai, announced the new plan to roll back Obama era net neutrality rules created by the agency’s 2015 Open Internet Order, calling it “an aberration” that “puts the federal government at the center of the internet.” The FCC then quickly went on defense, and released the following fact sheet to get ahead of expected detractors. I've added some additional annotations to qualify the claims of the FCC. Myth: Title II regulations are necessary t...

"Regardless of your party or political beliefs, the need for transparency is an issue that unites us all. Let’s continue our work to ensure our government remains of, by and for the people.” - U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Saturday's Tax March brought out thousands around the country demanding President Trump release his tax returns on April 18, Tax Day. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is cosponsoring HR305, a bill that would require presidents to release federal income tax returns for the three most ...