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On May 7, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the NSA's bulk collection of phone records was illegal, putting Congress in a difficult position. However, legislation in Congress may dilute attempts to reform surveillance practices. The USA Freedom Act was once hailed by privacy advocates as a step toward reining in the controversial practices leaked to the public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Various versions of the bill have been introduced in the House of Representatives,

The term "skills gap" is a common one in discussions about America's economic forecast. The notion is that job opportunities for skilled laborers exist, but that not enough laborers have the correct skills to fill the positions. Oftentimes, talk of a skills gap crops up in reference to vocational jobs -- those requiring "middle skills," which can range from manufacturing jobs to some health care positions. "The demand for vocational and skilled trade jobs is stronger than it has been in some t

While media attention has surrounded the events in Baltimore, the Obama administration has taken part in the negotiations of a Trans-Pacific Partnership involving 12 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. The countries involved comprise around $27.7 trillion in gross domestic product (around 40% of the global GDP). A successful implementation of this partnership would result in about $110 billion per cou

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general in a 56-43 vote. The confirmation is historic as Lynch will be the first African-American woman to serve as America's chief law enforcement official. The Hill reported Thursday on how the senators voted and possibly why: "Senators voted 56-43 to confirm Lynch, more than 160 days after she was first nominated for the position by President Obama. Ten Republican senators broke ranks and sided with Democrats to

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the network of small-government advocacy groups steered by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, is expanding into new states and attracting new donors in its efforts leading into 2016. A leaked document details plans to enhance the network's data system and bring on hundreds of staff in communities across the nation.  These preparations indicate a massive get-out-the-vote effort that has never been seen from a group that isn't the Democratic or Repu

Update: After reconsidering the legislation, a committee in the Idaho House approved the cannabidiol oil bill in a 12-4 vote. Idaho is not a place one would expect to see bipartisanship. Regardless of whether you use the term “Republican” or “conservative,” Idaho consistently shows up in the top 5 states for that affiliation. The political news coming out of the state has been a long litany of arch-conservatism that has raised several eyebrows on the national stage. Recent examples have includ

Two campaigns to alter the process of presidential debates are working to change the rules set by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Change the Rule aims to add an alternative route for minor parties and independents to participate in the CPD-sponsored debates, while Open Debates wants to create an entirely new debate process. The tradition of presidential debates dates back to 1960, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. While debates between presidential candidates occurred we

Daylight Savings first originated in Germany during World War I to save electricity, and the UK quickly followed their lead. When Daylight Savings was first adopted in the U.S., it was part of a war policy, also implemented during the First World War to save fuel.The U.S. ceased to recognize Daylight Savings after the war and didn't adopt it again until the Second World War. 1966 was the first year that Daylight Saving Time (DST) became a nationwide, peacetime policy that all states had to use

It is nearly impossible for candidates outside the major parties to qualify for a presidential debate. The Commission on Presidential Debates, founded by the Republican and Democratic parties in 1988, requires candidates to poll higher than 15 percent in polls conducted by 5 national public opinion polling groups selected by the commission. The rules have kept many candidates not affiliated with the major parties from getting the exposure they need to build support. However, a group of nearly 5

Last week, the Utah House reignited the capital punishment controversy by approving a measure to bring back the firing squad as a legal form of execution in response to growing court challenges over lethal injection. Wyoming approved a similar law in January, joining Oklahoma as the only states with the firing squad approved in the event of court rulings against lethal injection. Too often, the death penalty debate centers on what the Founding Fathers meant by the phrase "cruel and unusual pun