1. The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union sues New Hampshire secretary of state over restrictive ballot access laws.

"The law says third parties may not gather signatures to petition their way onto ballots before Jan. 1 of the election year. It took effect Tuesday."

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the state's Libertarian Party, claims the law will force third party candidates to "sit on the sidelines" all of 2015 before they can build support for the 2016 elections.

2. California voters will be able to make their voices heard on Citizens United in the November election.

"The Governor of California signed into law Senate Bill 1272 on July 16 -- the Overturn Citizens United Act -- to put the advisory question on the November 2014 ballot."

To be clear, so there is no confusion, the California voter ballot is not legally binding. However, some do hope that it will help increase voter participation during the election.

3. New York Governor Cuomo pushes plan to create women's equality party for the gubernatorial ballot.

“We will not tolerate elected officials who block our basic rights,” she said. “We will not stand to be treated like second-class citizens. And we will not allow our votes to be taken for granted. It is time women stand up and make our voices heard.”

In an IVN article published on Monday, Debbie Sharnak reported briefly on the proposed new party and how Cuomo's primary opponent, Zephyr Teachout, has come out against it because she says there is no need to create a new party for women's rights; the state just needs leaders who are willing to act.

4. Ron Paul speaks out against reactionary response to Malaysia Airline crash in Ukraine and the media's failure to report on important information.

“They will not report that the Ukrainian government has much to gain by pinning the attack on Russia, and that the Ukrainian prime minister has already expressed his pleasure that Russia is being blamed for the attack,” Paul said.

U.S. lawmakers quickly came out against Russia and President Obama for not taking a stronger stance against Russia's involvement in Ukrainian unrest.  Some immediately said we need to increase our defense budget.

5. House Republicans propose several ideas on how to resolve the border crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Our focus has been to ensure the safety of the children and it has remained a top priority throughout this process,” said Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who chaired the group.

These solutions include the Department of Homeland Security taking control of operations of the Southwest border, establishing border security in Central American countries, deploying troops to the border, increasing the number of immigration judges, and deploying messaging campaigns that make it clear that if an immigrant comes here illegally, they will be deported immediately. House Republicans continue to focus on the question of how to stop unaccompanied minors from  coming to the U.S. rather than why they are coming here.

What news stories have you been following?