American Politics Today

 Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders and Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

                                Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley waves as he arrives with his wife, Katie O'Malley, at an event in Baltimore to announce he is entering the Democratic presidential race. // May 30, 2015 2:04 p.m. ET                                   BALTIMORE—Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley launched an underdog presidential bid Saturday morning based on the proposition that his brand of liberal politics is what the Democratic Party and the country need now. “The story of our country’s best days is not found in a history book, because this generation of Americans is about to write it,” he said before declaring his candidacy in front of several hundred people. Mr. O’Malley made his announcement at a rally on Federal Hill, overlooking this city where he began his political career as a councilman and was twice elected mayor. Later Saturday, he is scheduled to fly to Iowa—his seventh trip to the early voting state since last Ju

// ( LifeSiteNews.com ) –OKLAHOMA CITY, May 18, 2015 – If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn the  millennia-long definition of marriage , Oklahoma cler gy will not have to be concerned that they will be forced to perform such ceremonies. On May 1, Governor Mary Fallin signed a law that would allow ministers to exercise their religious beliefs on marriage and decline to “wed” same-sex couples. Governor Fallin’s office said in a press release that H.B. 1007 is “a bill protecting religious leaders from being compelled to perform marriages that are in direct contradiction to their religious beliefs.” The law says that “no regularly licensed, ordained, or authorized official of any religious organization shall be required to solemnize or recognize any marriage that violates the official’s conscience or religious beliefs.” Unlike other governors , the Oklahoma Republican did not back down from the potential controversy that could surround her signature of H.B. 1007. “Thi

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Tuesday he will move back into the White House if his wife Hillary wins the presidency next year—"if I'm asked." In an excerpt from an interview on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman," Bill Clinton, who served as president from 1993 to 2001, was asked how he would rate his chances of moving back into the executive mansion. "First of all, Hillary has to win the nomination. If she wins the nomination, then she has to win the election," Clinton said of his wife, the front-runner in the race for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. "If she wins the election, the chances are 100 percent I'll move back ... if I'm asked," he said to audience laughter. // http://www.charismanews.com/

Kentucky senator Rand Paul and Oregon senator  Ron Wyden  are teaming up in a bipartisan filibuster to block renewal of the Patriot Act. Key provisions of the controversial legislation, including one which allows bulk collection of phone data by the  NSA , are set to expire at the end of June. Many Democrats and libertarian-leaning Republicans support reforming the Patriot Act through the passing of the USA Freedom Act. However, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has been pushing to renew the Patriot Act without amendment. Although it is unlikely that any clean reauthorization of the Patriot Act would receive a majority in the House of Representatives, the threatened filibuster by Paul and Wyden, first reported by Buzzfeed,  would make it impossible for McConnell to even get a vote on extending the Patriot Act. Wyden’s office confirmed the planned filibuster to the Guardian. With the clock ticking, the question is whether there is any compromise that can receive

Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul sparked applause from a tech-heavy audience Saturday when he criticized the government's bulk collection of data but drew a more tepid response for his opposition to so-called net neutrality. Appearing at a tech start-up office space in the South of Mission district, Paul reiterated his stance against the National Security Agency collecting and storing data on nearly every American's phone calls. The practice, aimed at preventing terrorism, has divided Republican presidential candidates. Tech entrepreneurs, typically zealous in guarding their online privacy, welcomed Paul's pledge to rein in U.S. intelligence agencies' broad data captures of phone calls and Internet use. "The NSA doesn't need to be recording all of our phone calls," said Paul, a Republican senator from Kentucky. He added, "There's not one other candidate ... willing to say, 'On Day One, I'd stop it all. I'd end all b

Issues where Jeb disagrees with Hillary Clinton. (Dec 2014) Make abortion rare by supporting adoption & foster care. (Apr 2008) Potential for life begins at conception, but don’t intrude. (Apr 2008) Opposed China’s forced abortion & Romania’s forced pregnancy. (Apr 2008) Long-held moderate stance focuses on reducing abortions. (Mar 2008) Consistently uses Dem. Party line, "safe, legal, and rare". (Mar 2008) 1974: pro-choice fervency not based on any personal abortion. (Jul 2007) 1999: keep abortion safe, legal & rare into next century. (Jul 2007) Lift ban on stem cell research to cure devastating diseases. (Jun 2007) 1993:Early action on abortion rights ended Right’s dominance. (Jun 2007) Personally would never abort; but deeply values choice. (Jun 2007) Abortion is a sad, tragic choice to many women. (May 2007) Respect Roe v. Wade, but make adoptions easier too. (Nov 2006) Partial birth exceptions for life-threatening abnormalities. (Apr 2006) Gove

US Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism http://annenberg.usc.edu/ Organizations and leaders around the world turn to scholars and researchers to provide key insights on their industries or regions, relying on the school as a global forum for new ideas. With a powerful network of intellectual resources located in the world's most global city, the school is a recognized authority on the ways in which leaders in the public and private sectors can manage, create, inspire and empower organizations that have a major impact on society on a local, national or international scale. 

The relatives of Freddie Gray got a swift answer to their calls for justice, as Baltimore’s chief prosecutor announced Friday that six police officers will be criminally charged in the death of the 25-year-old. Marilyn Mosby spoke forcefully at a Friday press conference, saying officers acted without probable cause when they arrested Gray on April 12, and then recklessly disregarded his severe injuries suffered during police custody. Gray died a week later from his injuries. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/freddie-gray-death-homicide-baltimore-117551.html#ixzz3Z1IfLILX //// ///

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