Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
4,060
questions
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What's going on with the lawsuit against Concord Management?
Last year (2018), the US federal government indicted Concord Management & Consulting LLC in relation to the alleged Russian social media campaign to meddle/undermine/influence the 2016 US ...
2
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2answers
29 views
High crimes and/or misdemeanors
In the context of impeachment of a president, the US constitution refers to "high crimes and misdemeanors".
The context is
... or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Does that mean
... or ...
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0answers
67 views
What is the smalest percent of U.S. voters needed to elect the 34 Senators to acquit a President?
When a U.S. President is tried for impeachment, he will be acquitted if more than 1/3 of the Senators (currently 34) vote to acquit him. What is the minimal number of voters (as a percent of eligible ...
4
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1answer
121 views
Did the Mueller report find that Trump committed any felonies?
In an answer to this question, @Peter said that:
...the Mueller Report ... would have resulted in multiple felonies for anyone other than the president.
Is this a true statement? If so, why ...
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2answers
116 views
How many hearings can the House hold before calling for a vote on impeachment?
There were House Intelligence Committee impeachment hearings lead by Adam Schiff, this week there is another set of hearings lead by Jerry Nadler for House judiciary committee.
What I want to know is ...
0
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1answer
208 views
Who are the missing witnesses John Turley is referring to when speaking against impeachment?
On the BBC, there was an article citing 4 law experts called by the US House to discuss whether Trump's Ukraine activities fall within the scope of "high crimes and misdemeanors" as described in ...
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1answer
105 views
presidential candidates promises
Why do presidential candidates make promises that they won't be (much) a part of?
For example: medicare for all
Anyone can come up with a bill but they are introduced, debated, amended, and passed ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
Can congressional committees publish phone records as part of their report?
The US House Intelligence committee released their report this week detailing the evidence they believe supports the case for impeaching Donald Trump.
In the report are a bunch of phone records. I ...
29
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5answers
7k views
Why impeach Trump now and not earlier?
I'm unclear why Democrats are trying to impeach Trump at this particular point in time.
The U.S. 2020 elections are less than a year (about 11 months) away, so why risk an impeachment move now when ...
0
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2answers
264 views
Why is Zelinsky believed when he says he felt no pressure?
One of the Republican defenses against a possible quid-pro-quo is that Zelinsky did not feel any pressure. We know this because he said he did not feel pressure. But, why do we believe this statement ...
7
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3answers
539 views
What's the conservative solution to wealth disparity?
While wealth/income inequality has generally been a Liberal concern, its increasing severity seems to have drawn Conservatives to consider it, including causing our current Conservative President to ...
2
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0answers
52 views
Where can more information be found on Government legislation against Benjamin Franklin Steven's Facsimiles project?
I found myself studying the facsimiles in Steven's project and in the prologue (page xvi) he notes that a prominent historian was against the project and even petitioned the Government to suppress it ...
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3answers
217 views
What is the defense spending obligation for NATO countries this year?
Several other questions are being asked in this same realm, however I've yet to see any question or answer directly ask what is the current (FY2018) obligation for defense spending of NATO countries.
...
4
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1answer
355 views
Is there a fund into which NATO countries are supposed to pay?
This morning, 12/3/19, Trump said that some counties have been delinquent in their payments to NATO because they have not (for years) met their 2% obligation. He intimated that he would bring up the ...
1
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1answer
260 views
Has Donald Trump ever admitted he was wrong? [closed]
From being a prominent birther, to ridiculous cases like covfefe, the President doesn't seem to be willing to admit he was wrong. Are there any cases where he explicitly said he made a mistake, or did ...
27
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3answers
8k views
How true are Trump’s claims about NATO spending?
Over President Trump’s term in office, he has been very vocal about the spending commitments made by many NATO countries, and their frequent failure to live up to them. He now seems to be taking ...
2
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1answer
179 views
How much does economy affect the US presidential election?
I have read that the US presidential election is influenced by the economy because independents are more likely to vote for a candidate if they got better stock returns. How big of an impact is this ...
10
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1answer
1k views
Why would the US try to make Karzai lose the 2009 election in Afghanistan?
I see this mentioned in a story covering US interventions in foreign elections:
In his memoir, the former Defense Secretary Robert Gates accuses Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s ...
2
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1answer
108 views
When are US state department records declassified?
Suppose I was an ordinary US citizen and I wanted to read old diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Japan from the 1930s. Where would I go to access the original sources?
What about more recent ...
5
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1answer
209 views
Do Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman have anything to do with the Trump impeachment?
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are associates of Rudy Giuliani - Trump's personal lawyer. They have been charged with election finance violations - they had connections to a Russian Oligarch and sent ...
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2answers
234 views
Is the United States selective in its support of human rights in other countries?
It is common for the US government to make statements condemning what it considers to be human rights abuses in other countries.
This happens frequently with Russia, China, Iran, etc. But it seems to ...
4
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3answers
293 views
Has Trump done more for Taiwan than Obama has during their respective terms in office?
After visiting relatives living in Taiwan that a good many of them have favorable impressions towards Trump, more so than Obama. It surprises me, because Taiwan is viewed more as a liberal country ...
2
votes
2answers
175 views
Can the US Federal Government be considered to hold a State Monopoly on Violence?
I came upon the political science topic of State Monopoly on Violence and was ruminating on past and contemporary political structures, curious what a system where no party was afforded this monopoly ...
9
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4answers
475 views
Is the dossier released by Labour proof that the NHS is for sale?
Today, Labour released a 451 page dossier at a press event, which they say was leaked from the Department for International Trade, and is a record of preliminary discussions that have taken place ...
2
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2answers
154 views
Can the US Congress disqualify a person from holding office without removing them from office?
So, the process of impeachment described in the US Constitution has two punishments: removal from office, and barring that person from holding office in the future. Because the latter punishment does ...
2
votes
1answer
194 views
Trump impeachment and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
I am taking no position here on whether Trump should be impeached or not, but I am curious if the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act can be relevant for the impeachment process (say, because of the ...
6
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1answer
77 views
Who is the “agency designee” with respect to 5 CFR § 2635.502 (c)-(d) for the White House?
5 CFR § 2635.502 deals with potential conflicts of interests of federal employees. If I'm reading that correctly, it seems that every government agency needs to have at least one "designee" that rules ...
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5answers
368 views
Why is the current state of the economy used to judge a president over their impact on growth?
I've noticed that Donald Trump will often cite the current value of stock market indices, the current unemployment rate, the current number of people working in the US, and even the current GDP value, ...
17
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5answers
8k views
What are the possible punishments for an impeached USA president?
In the United States of America, if the House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment against the sitting president, and the Senate finds the president to be guilty, what are the options to ...
2
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0answers
152 views
Why was VP Biden not required to obtain a waiver to continue his influence over Ukrainian government policy? [closed]
In cfr §2635.502, paragraph (a) states:
(a) Consideration of appearances by the employee. Where an employee
knows that a particular matter involving specific parties is likely to
have a direct ...
1
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0answers
120 views
Why does the UK retain the Chagos Islands when it is a US military base
The Chagos Islands is at the centre of an ongoing dispute over ownership between the UK and Mauritius. The validity of each claim is covered in another question
However, current the only use The ...
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2answers
266 views
How likely is it for a Democrat to win the Presidency if he/she gets 52.8% of the (popular) vote? [closed]
In 2024, I am projecting the Democrat to win approximately 52.8% of the popular vote. However, I’m not sure about the Electoral College. If that number is true, I expect it to be concentrated in urban ...
26
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4answers
7k views
Do any other countries aside from the US have a pledge of allegiance?
As far as I understand it, the pledge of allegiance is an oath or expression of allegiance to the United States, and is made by students in many (most?) schools throughout the USA, as well as at the ...
3
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1answer
188 views
Can John Roberts rule on whether witnesses have to testify in the impeachment inquiry?
It was ruled today that Don McGahn, the former White House counsel, needs to testify in the impeachment inquiry. Like most things, I am guessing that this will probably be appealed, and could end up ...
2
votes
1answer
141 views
Is there obstruction of justice in stopping McGahn?
A judge determined that McGahn (former white-house counsel) must testify despite the directions from Trump that he should not. Is this being looked at as possible obstruction of Justice? Or simply an ...
9
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2answers
1k views
What would it take to change first past the post voting?
I found this question and this question but they don't quite answer my curiosity. I'm wondering about what official changes would have to be made to laws/procedures, rather than how people should go ...
5
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1answer
123 views
Is there any polling on the Democratic primaries that includes Bloomberg?
Michael Bloomberg has announced yesterday that he officially joins the Democratic primaries race. This seems a bit late in the game, so to speak, but maybe he knows something we don't. So, is there ...
1
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1answer
132 views
Did Sondland confirm that he asked or suggested that Yovanovitch should start tweeting in support of Trump?
In her written (Nov 5) deposition ambassador Yovanovitch related the following meeting with Sondland, in which Sondland asked her to "go big or go home":
Yovanovitch said she raised concerns about ...
6
votes
2answers
303 views
What was the point of the Smear Campaign on Yovanovitch?
In order to remove Yovanovitch from her post as ambassador to Ukraine, Trump had his lawyers (aka Giuliani) bash her first. (Quote from NPR: "Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, and his associates had ...
8
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1answer
185 views
Are there more examples of self-contradictory messages from Trump when he (allegedly) asks for something iffy?
With respect to Trump telling Sondland "I want nothing" (which was used/repeated as a defense by other Trump allies), an opinion piece in the Washington Post claims that this might be a Trump pattern ...
14
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4answers
892 views
Why is Hunter Biden’s position in Burisma not considered a problem?
While I believe the current admin’s attempt to initiate an investigation into the Bidens’ Ukraine dealings was nothing but a political maneuver, what I’m more interested in is why most don’t consider ...
7
votes
1answer
307 views
What is the lowest percentage of the popular vote that a President has been elected on?
Obviously the US presidential election is not won by popular vote, but by votes in the electoral college. This means that, as in the 2016 election, the defeated candidate can obtain a larger total ...
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2answers
251 views
Can Adam Schiff refuse to testify because of a conflict of interest?
In the upcoming Senate "trial" of Donald Trump, can Adam Schiff reject a subpoena to appear because he presided over the House proceedings? I find it unusual that someone could both officiate in and ...
14
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1answer
1k views
Did the US embassy in Kyiv resist hanging Trump's picture while Yovanovitch was ambassador?
Trump charges that was the case. As the BBC reported yesterday:
President Donald Trump has pilloried an envoy who testified in the impeachment inquiry, claiming she refused to hang his photo in the ...
7
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2answers
211 views
Can the President refuse a subpoena from a Congressional impeachment hearing?
Many Trump supporters remain unconvinced by the testimony that has been given during the impeachment inquiry, and say they want to hear what the President has to say in a formal context (as opposed to ...
12
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3answers
892 views
Has the supreme court ever been asked to hear a case directly involving the president who appointed at least one of the Justices?
At least one of the lawsuits against Trump appear to be headed to a supreme court which includes his appointees. Has anything like this historically occurred, perhaps in a lower court? If so, Did ...
15
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2answers
352 views
Do countries other than the US have politically appointed ambassadors?
I read this question about US ambassadors being appointed without any formal career in the field but because of donations for a campaign.
Apparently in the US there are more or less two ways to be ...
19
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3answers
3k views
Was Nixon right, and if so, to what degree was he right, when he said that “… but when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.”?
In the comments of this question, I came across this quote from Nixon:
but when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal
My common sense is telling me that logically, there must ...
6
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2answers
1k views
Can the US Senate's Hong Kong bill be treated as foreign interference?
Recently, the US Senate passed a bill about the situation in Hong Kong.
Some core points from the bill:
impose sanctions on Chinese officials
review the special autonomous status it grants Hong ...
3
votes
1answer
167 views
How long does it take for the IRS to finish an audit?
Trump's tax returns have been in the media ever since 2016. He said then that he could not release his tax returns because they were under audit. Three years later, they are apparently still under ...
