Opinions

Mostly it's been depicted as a crop grown far from the mainstream in the fields of far-right crackpots, at least that's how the government-approved media see it. They conveniently fail to mention that Ronald Reagan campaigned on the idea and was elected President - twice.

‘He’s not understanding the magnitude of it’

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Wednesday he favored punishing women who obtain abortions if the procedure were outlawed, before retreating hours later amid criticism from his rivals for the White House. Pro-choice and pro-life activists demonstrate on the steps of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

Chicago releases videos showing police-related incidents

The Chicago agency that investigates police misconduct cases released more than 300 video clips Friday - along with audio recordings and police reports - from 101 incidents it has investigated, the latest step by the city to restore public trust in its beleaguered police force. The Independent Police Review Authority, which also investigates any instance of an officer firing a gun in a manner that could injure someone, posted the material to its website.

FAA compromise bill drops key drone privacy provisions

A Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that was passed by the Senate on Wednesday has excluded key privacy provisions, including a requirement that commercial and government users of drones must disclose if they collect personally identifiable information of a person. The bill, which is a compromise short-term extension to ensure continued funding at current levels to the FAA, was passed by the Senate and goes to President Barack Obama to be signed into law, two days before the current authorization is to expire.

Can Marco Rubio spend his way back into the Senate?

Republican Marco Rubio, the failed U.S. presidential contender, is battling to hold on to his U.S. Senate seat from Florida in what is shaping up to be the costliest congressional contest of 2016. More than $33 million has been raised and over $24 million spent so far by both parties in the Florida race, according to the latest U.S. Federal Election Commission data.

House on track to vote Thursday on impeaching IRS chief

Conservatives are pushing to force an election-season House vote on impeaching IRS chief John Koskinen, despite misgivings by many Republicans and solid Democratic opposition that means Congress lacks the votes to ultimately remove him from office. Some Republicans argue that an impeachment vote two months before elections risked irritating voters, while others said Koskinen deserved a full House Judiciary Committee probe before embarking on the seldom-used impeachment process.

Democratic Prospects for TN Governor. Dog-and-Pony at County Commission

In this week's Viewpoint , Tom Humphrey, retired from the Knoxville News Sentinel , where he earned a reputation as the dean of Tennessee political writers, and now my colleague as a contributing editor of The Tennessee Journal , contributes some informed - and likely definitive - thoughts on the Republican candidates who will be vying in a 2018 gubernatorial contest which is about to get started in earnest. As Humphrey points out, Tennessee is now about as deep-dyed red in its political sentiments as can be, and the GOP has a built-in advantage.

FBI Director Facing Congressional Probe After Clearing Hillary

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte has many questions for FBI Director James Comey, given the news that Comey isn't recommending criminal charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of classified information. "It is clear that Secretary Clinton possibly jeopardized the safety and security of our citizens and nation through her use of private email servers," the Virginia Republican said in a Tuesday statement.

Here We Go! Pence Just Told Gop They Better Prepare- “Buckle Up!”

Since Trump has faced such staunch opposition from both sides of the aisle, he's going to need to prove himself very quickly when he finally moves into the White House. Vice President-elect Mike Pence has made it clear the the first 100-200 days of the Trump Presidency are going to move at warp-speed, and everyone needs to strap in.

NY Times Suddenly Very Concerned Over People Complaining About Vote Rigging

The Editorial Board of the NY Times is in a snot over Trump's constant comments about the election being rigged, which is being aped by his most ardent supporters, and use this as a means to attack all Republicans It may be too late for the Republican Party to save itself from the rolling disaster of Donald Trump, but the party's top leaders still have the duty to speak out and help save the country from his reckless rhetoric. The most frightening example is Mr. Trump's frenzied claim that the presidential election is being "rigged" against him - a claim he has ramped up as his chances of winning the presidency have gone down.

Sen. John McCain’s illness could complicate President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick

Trump's Monday night prime-time announcement of the nomination of Kavanaugh, a former attorney and top aide to President George W. Bush, would move the high court in a more conservative direction for decades to come. The president described Kavanaugh as "one of the finest and sharpest legal minds" of the modern era and called on the U.S. Senate to move quickly to confirm him.

GOP Congress will keep investigating Clinton email

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said that his committee will continue to investigate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state despite the fact that the presidential election is over. "This was never a political targeting in the beginning.

Just in Time for the July 4 Break, Congress Imposes ‘Colonialism at Its Worst’ on Puerto Rico

Shortly after the distribution of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine began writing the series of "American Crisis" essays that inspired Americans to maintain their arduous rebellion against colonialism. "We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in," argued Paine in a series of pamphlets that concluded: "Our citizenship in the United States is our national character.

U.S. personnel management hack preventable, congressional probe finds

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management did not follow rudimentary cyber security recommendations that could have mitigated or even prevented major attacks that compromised sensitive data belonging to more than 22 million people, a congressional investigation being released on Wednesday has found. Two breaches at the federal agency detected in 2014 and 2015 were made worse by lax security culture and ineffective leadership, which failed to harness available tools that could have stopped or limited the intrusions, according to the report from the Republicans on the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

AP sources: Gingrich, Christie being vetted for Trump VP

The New York billionaire is considering former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie , among what he previously described as a short list of possible running mates. Their inclusion was confirmed by people with direct knowledge of the vetting process who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

Fool’s errand or heroic stand? GOP on Ted Cruz, Mike Lee

The bipartisan compromise on Wednesday to avoid a financial default and end a 16-day partial government shutdown cast a spotlight on Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, who had precipitated the crises with their demand that President Barack Obama gut his 3-year-old health care law. Other Republicans who repeatedly had warned the two about their quixotic move took little pleasure in saying "I-told-you-so."

Richard Bammer: GOP brinksmanship: Whistling past the graveyard

In similar words, that is the theme of the Education Nation Summit, a three-day gathering, which ended Tuesday at the New York Public Library. The event, sponsored by NBC, drew more than 300 of our nation's top thought leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy and media.