Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
3,882
questions
3
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29 views
Are there precedents for Congresspersons going in uninvited to closed-doors committee hearings?
According to CNN:
Roughly two-dozen House Republicans on Wednesday stormed a closed-door deposition in secure House Intelligence Committee spaces to rail against the Democratic-led impeachment ...
-1
votes
2answers
51 views
Can a US President ban a Congressman from using SCIFs?
A SCIF is a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and is mandated for use in some situations when reviewing classified and sensitive materials. If a President has cause, e.g. knows a ...
-1
votes
2answers
56 views
Are there some (more) polls on the public approval (or lack thereof) for US presidents playing golf?
An article in a golf magazine (pointed out to me by divibisan) says
Bill Clinton had a pollster figure out how Americans would react if he played golf on vacation (the game didn't poll as well as ...
2
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0answers
70 views
Which US states prohibit vote trading by elected officials?
Apparently vote trading is illegal in California when done by elected officials:
Recent amendments to the Penal Code extended the prohibition to local officials:
Any member of the ...
0
votes
1answer
74 views
Are there some US presidents who didn't play golf before being elected but started aftward? [on hold]
I'm basically asking how strong of a presidential tradition playing golf has become in the US. One way to quantify this issue is to ask: are there presidents who didn't play golf before being ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
Do (district level) US House of Representatives elections record county on the ballot?
Situation:
County X contains some but not all of Congressional Districts 1, 2,
and 3.
County X contains no entire Congressional Districts fully within its borders.
What I want to know:
The overall ...
5
votes
1answer
154 views
What gives presidents (President Trump) the right to negotiate bilateral trade agreements?
I know that there is some legislation that President Trump has cited allows him to raise tariffs, as well as "fast track" that applies to multilateral trade agreements, but what allows him to exercise ...
1
vote
2answers
149 views
What would happen if the President in America was convicted by the Senate after being renominated?
This question is of course inspired by current events, but I'm not looking for an answer primarily based around Trump's character, or the Republicans' strategy.
What if a president was renominated, ...
-1
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1answer
139 views
Is the US securing oil fields illegal under the International Law?
Recently, Trump claims something about controlling and securing oil fields in the north-east Syria.
Is it illegal by the International Law? I don't remember UN resolution about allowing such an ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
What Kurdish Syrian parties does the CIA and/or the US consider terrorist [affiliates] and which ones it doesn't?
According to Wikipedia
While the PKK has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States, the United States' position on the YPG is that it is not a terrorist organization, ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Has the US clarified where they (rather than Turkey) expect the SDF to withdraw from?
VOA reported yesterday:
With the withdrawal set to end Tuesday evening local time, Erdogan is warning Washington of its responsibilities to enforce it.
"We expect our American allies to keep ...
4
votes
2answers
448 views
Why do US presidents play golf? [on hold]
Most US presidents play golf.
On the other hand, I'm not aware of any recent British prime ministers who played the game.
While golf is probably more popular in the US than in the UK, I don't think ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
Are there ANY examples of corruption in Ukraine where the USA has an actual stake?
Assuming that the USA does not want to take on the role of being the world's policeman for any corruption where ever it might occur, The US might legitimately be concerned about corruption (occurring ...
1
vote
0answers
73 views
What is the longest someone served in the US Senate before they sponsored and passed a major piece of legislation?
Major can be defined as anything other than nonbinding resolutions, naming of public buildings, national days, flag commemorations and the like. And by passed I mean the act was voted into law. I ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
Did the now closed pro-Saudi think tank Arabia Foundation register as a foreign agent?
The Washington-based pro-Saudi Arabia Foundation think tank closed in the aftermath of the Khashoggi murder. I'm curious however: was the Foundation required to list itself as a foreign agent under ...
0
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0answers
18 views
Does Al Arabiya have a presence in the US? And if so, was there any effort to list them a a foreign agent?
Related to my question on Al Jazeera, does its UAE-based competitor
Al Arabiya have a presence in the US? And if it does, have there been any efforts, e.g. Congressional opinions on having them ...
-1
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0answers
36 views
Has the DOJ taken any steps to list Al Jazeera as a foreign agent?
News this summer was that group of US Senators was pushing the DOJ to list Al Jazeera as ‘foreign agent’ (or probably force them to list themselves as such under FARA).
In a letter to the justice ...
34
votes
12answers
12k views
Can only rich people become president?
It seems that, in practice, the US Presidency is limited to rich people. For example, elections are extremely expensive and getting attention during the primaries and general election seems to require ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Did Rand Paul publicly approve of Obama's withdrawal from Iraq?
Rand Paul is one of the few (I think) high-level Republicans who publically approved of Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria. (Even Mitch McConnell attacked it and reminded that "A bipartisan ...
2
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0answers
53 views
Why did the U.S. forced Japan to stop its government subsidized VLSI project while it also had its own government subsidized VLSI project?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLSI_Project
On Japan's side, the government was concerned about a negative impact
on its relationship with the United States with regard to both
national security ...
-4
votes
0answers
84 views
Are there any historical examples of false consciousness? [on hold]
False consciousness means acting against your interest due to misinformation. Has this ever happened in politics,.can you give examples?
Just give 1 example?
2
votes
2answers
133 views
Is there a concise snapshot summary of US foreign aid and its purposes?
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, was quoted in media reports as saying:
"You don’t hold up foreign aid that we had previously appropriated for a political initiative. Period.”
I'm curious if that's ...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
Will the recent US tariffs against Scottish (and more generally UK) products cease to apply after Brexit?
The BBC has some details as to the list of products tariffed by the US as a result of the Airbus WTO ruling. Among these
Single malt Scotch whisky
According to the Scotch Whisky Association (...
21
votes
3answers
1k views
Why are the Ukraine related congressional hearings behind closed doors?
A series of high profile witnesses have recently testified in US congressional hearings about Ukraine, particularly including Marie Yovanovitch (Oct. 11, 2019) and Gordon Sondland (Oct. 17, 2019). As ...
1
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3answers
216 views
Has Pence essentially granted Kurdish Syrian territory to Turkey, subject to Russian approval?
The Guardian reports
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters would pull back from Turkey’s proposed 20-mile (32km) deep “safe zone” on its border, Pence told reporters in Ankara on Thursday evening ...
0
votes
3answers
364 views
Did any anti-war politicians commend Trump for removing US troops from Syria?
On the one hand, Trump's removal of troops from Syria signified the end of Kurdish independency as they were forced to officially rejoin Assad's regime to protect themselves from a Turkish invasion. ...
5
votes
0answers
142 views
+100
Do any Democratic Presidential candidates support a 0 copay 0 deductible Public Option?
Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, and a few other 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates support a single-payer “Medicare for All” healthcare plan with zero copays and zero deductibles. ...
2
votes
1answer
252 views
Is Obama's support of Trudeau's re-election “foreign interference”? [closed]
There have been concerns that the 2019 federal Canadian election might be the target of foreign interference.
Former U.S. president and current American citizen Barack Obama issued a public statement:...
1
vote
0answers
71 views
Why is the lease of Tulagi Island to a Chinese company concerns the US?
Excerpts from an article in New York Times:
Beijing’s ambitions in the South Pacific have economic, political and military ramifications.
The region is rich in natural resources, and China’s ...
-1
votes
2answers
143 views
Is automation a major economic threat? [closed]
construction
Tech
Doctors
Lawyers lawyers salary growing below inflation
It seems multiple sources say most fields will be automated, remoted, or deskilled to Oblivion from 2030 to 2050. Is ...
7
votes
1answer
226 views
Are meetings between the President and leaders of congress neutrally documented for the public?
There was a recent meeting in the White House where Pelosi and Schumer walked out. Unsurprisingly the Democrats and Republicans have slightly different versions of what happened - Democrats making the ...
2
votes
1answer
173 views
Why didn't the United States sign the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic?
I read on https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic&oldid=919574725#Contracting_parties:
The United States and China are the most notable examples of non-...
-6
votes
2answers
150 views
Why don't the US Democrats add the withdrawal from Syria to President Trump's impeachment charges? [closed]
It seems to me like the Democrats have the potential to gain a lot if they do. The GOP has already come out strongly against the withdrawal, as opposed to their tepid reception of the Ukraine related ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
What was the ultimate fate of the 1985 defamation lawsuit against Rep. Don Sundquist?
In a pre-Westfall case (which might as well have motivated the 1988 law that increased Congresspersons' immunity against civil lawsuits), NYT reports (1987)
A Federal appeals court panel has ruled ...
1
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0answers
23 views
Are there any (post-Westfall) cases in which the Attorney General refused certification for a defamation lawsuit against a Congressperson?
The Westfall Act (1988) provides strong protection for Congresspersons against civil lawsuits. Part of the procedure that allows this protection to be effective is the fact that following Attorney ...
12
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1answer
1k views
Can US Congress members be (successfully) sued for defamation?
What is the level of protection of Congress members against civil lawsuits for statements they make, e.g. can they be successfully sued for defamation (libel, slander etc.)?
10
votes
3answers
277 views
How [dis]similar are Trump's and Warren's (proposed) trade policies?
An AIER article says
Today Congress is statutorily impeded from stopping a continued march toward autarky, lest there appears some bipartisan legislation structured to take it back. The problem is ...
4
votes
2answers
276 views
Did Trump make any concessions in his 'Phase 1' trade deal with China today?
From what I've read, the US agreed to not proceed with a round of tariff increases on Chinese imports, and in exchange China agreed to buy several tens of billions of dollars more in agricultural ...
1
vote
2answers
184 views
Can the US President sue political rivals?
President Trump recently made a statement about suing Pelosi and Schiff over the impeachment inquiry.
Can the US President sue political rivals?
What would he sue about? How would that work in ...
0
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0answers
40 views
What's the point of the ranking minority member being consulted before a subpoena is issued by the chair?
A 2018 CRS document summarizing the subpoena power of committees of Congress says
Most House committees have also delegated to their chair the power to authorize subpoenas. Many of these rules ...
1
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0answers
66 views
Is there a national movement for a plural executive in the federal government?
In the United States, there has been a long standing movement for the unitary power of the executive branch. That is, there is a well known movement that purports:
a "hierarchical, unified ...
3
votes
2answers
78 views
What are the political or business connections of Parnas and Fruman in the former USSR countries?
From breaking news in the Guardian:
Two associates of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have been charged with election finance violations for channeling foreign money into the ...
17
votes
3answers
3k views
When and why did the House rules change to permit an inquiry without a vote?
This other question asks whether the House requires a vote to begin an impeachment inquiry, but several of the answers (including the accepted one) point out that the rules have changed since Clinton'...
1
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0answers
53 views
Should the House of Representatives have voted on the impeachment investigation? [duplicate]
The White House has sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several heads of committees, refusing to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. The argument is that the investigation is ...
4
votes
2answers
262 views
Does the US Supreme Court have the authority to rule on impeachment matters?
In the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump, the Trump administration has recently taken the stance that apparently they view the inquiry as invalid in some way, and are refusing to ...
29
votes
1answer
3k views
Have the US and Russia (or USSR before it) co-vetoed a UN resolution before today?
In an interesting development today regarding the latest Turkish operation in northern Syria.
The U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a statement on Turkey's counterterrorism operation in ...
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1answer
201 views
What is the appropriate government agency to which I can report foreign influence in the domestic US process?
As many of you are well-aware, the subject of foreign influence in the domestic US process has become a subject of great concern.
Which investigative body should I inform of this clear attempt to ...
0
votes
1answer
107 views
How could presidential power realistically be reigned in over time? [closed]
As I understand it scholars generally agree that the modern president is far more powerful then originally intended by the founders of the constitution.
Over the generations presidents have been ...
9
votes
1answer
329 views
Does the US require any level of apolitical-ness from career federal employees?
We have a question here Why should public servants be apolitical? which informs us that in Westminster-inspired systems, the career civil service employees can't even tweet their political opinions ...
3
votes
2answers
274 views
What is Trump's plan to end or reduce US involvement in Syria?
Trump recently slammed the "endless wars", but an apparently not very well publicized Pentagon press release from Oct 8 says:
Despite continued misreporting to the contrary, Secretary Esper and ...
