Explainer

December 26, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about the 2018 partial government shutdown

What just happened? On Friday the federal government entered a partial shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a spending bill that includes border wall funding. President Trump refuses to sign any additional funding that does not include $5.1 billion in additional money to pay for an extension of the border wall, allowing him to fulfill his primary campaign promise. Continue Reading...

December 19, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about the latest criminal justice reform bill

What just happened? Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed an overhaul of the criminal justice system known as the FIRST STEP Act. The vote of 87 to 12 included all Senate Democrats and dozens of Republicans. Continue Reading...

December 17, 2018

Explainer: Christmas 2018 by the numbers

$75 – Average amount U.S. consumers spent on real Christmas trees in 2017. $107 – Average amount U.S. consumers spent on fake Christmas trees in 2017. 27,400,000 – Number of real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. Continue Reading...

December 13, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about France’s Yellow Vest (Gilets Jaunes) protests

What’s going on in France? For the past two months, a protest movement known as Gilets Jaunes (the Yellow Vests) has rocked France. The French government has considered imposing a state of emergency to prevent a recurrence of some of the worst civil unrest in more than a decade. Continue Reading...

October 25, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about the White House’s report on socialism

What just happened? On Tuesday the White House released “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism,” a report outlining the “opportunity costs of socialism on the macro economy, including standards of living, and the impact on the Federal budget.” Continue Reading...

October 01, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

What just happened? Shortly before midnight on September 30, the United States and Canada agreed to a deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new trilateral trade agreement is called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Continue Reading...

September 27, 2018

Explainer: The Supreme Court confirmation process

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. This is likely to be the final stage in the process the will either approve or disapprove his appointment to the Court. Continue Reading...

July 09, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about Democratic Socialism

While many left-leaning American politicians tend to avoid the labels “liberal” or “progressive,” two popular Democrats—Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—proudly self-identify as a “democratic socialists.” Continue Reading...

June 27, 2018

Explainer: Supreme Court upholds free speech and free association for public sector workers

What just happened? In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled today in the case of Janus v. AFSCME that government employees who are represented by a public sector union to which they do not belong cannot be required to pay a fee to cover the costs of collective bargaining. Continue Reading...

June 07, 2018

Explainer: What you should know about the Right to Try Act

Last week, Congress passed and the president signed into law the “Right to Try Act,” legislation President Trump had touted in his previous State of the Union address. Here is what you should know about the new law. Continue Reading...

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