Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
3,853
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Why don't the US Democrats add the withdrawal from Syria to President Trump's impeachment charges?
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
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1answer
31 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 ...
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0answers
18 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.)?
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3answers
222 views
+50
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
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2answers
260 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
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2answers
168 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
38 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
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2answers
73 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
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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'...
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0answers
50 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
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2answers
249 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
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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 ...
-11
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1answer
167 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
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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
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1answer
323 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
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2answers
236 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 ...
11
votes
1answer
495 views
Kurds in World War 2
I am reading quotes of Trump saying
"They didn’t help us in the second world war, they didn’t help us with Normandy" in regards to Kurds.
How could an ethnic group spread between multiple different ...
22
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4answers
6k views
Why it is a big deal whether or not Adam Schiff talked to the whistleblower?
I'm wondering why the news media focuses on the problem of whether or not Adam Schiff talked to the whistleblower before filing the complaint or not such as this.
I would appreciate it if somebody ...
4
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1answer
451 views
What is President Trump's first public reaction to Turkey's invasion into Northern Syria against his stark warning?
Hours ago, Turkey started an offensive into North Eastern Syria:
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies have launched their military operation into northeastern Syria, President ...
16
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3answers
481 views
Did past presidential impeachment inquiries have basic defendant's rights?
In a recent letter on behalf of the president to the House committees on impeachment, the president's counsel Pat A. Cipollone wrote:
I write on behalf of President Donald J. Trump in response to ...
0
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0answers
40 views
Does Trump ban on Iranian citizens prevent doing exchange studentship in the US? [migrated]
I'm hoping this is the right place to ask this question (otherwise please let me know so I move it to the right place). I'm Iranian and currently doing a PhD degree in Canada. I might need to do an ...
28
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7answers
7k views
What can be done about a US president who refuses to co-operate with an impeachment panel?
Is it possible to prevent a sitting US President from hindering an impeachment investigation against him or her?
The Washington Post just reported that:
Trump personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani ...
19
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4answers
3k views
Does the US require a House vote to begin an impeachment inquiry?
Does the US require a House vote to begin an impeachment inquiry?
News sources such as this CNN article seem to show a disagreement between the White House saying that a House vote is required, while ...
0
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0answers
56 views
Advantage of Blocking Sundolands Testimony [closed]
Perhaps this is not an appropriate question for this site, but perhaps there is an answer for it:
Why would Trump block Sundoland's testimony? Whether this is legal or not legal, does it not have ...
1
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0answers
31 views
Blocking Sondolands Testimony [duplicate]
How can the president block someone from testifying before Congress? Wouldn't that straight up be obstructing the investigation of Congress?
2
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2answers
279 views
How did the State Department block Sondland from testifying? Is it legal?
The State Department has stopped Gordon Sondland, the US-EU ambassador, from testifying in the House of Representatives. Democrats are calling it obstruction of the inquiry. How does this work? Is ...
65
votes
10answers
16k views
Why is Trump releasing (or not) his tax returns such a big deal?
Why is it such a big deal that President Trump has not released his tax returns?
Also, why would he make such a big deal about not releasing them, given that this just makes everyone more interested?...
5
votes
3answers
144 views
Is comparing healthcare to food for private versus market based policy logical? [closed]
When I try to formulate a sound moral foundation for having universal healthcare that all citizens pay taxes towards, I always get tripped up that we don't argue the same for food, water, and housing -...
3
votes
3answers
378 views
What is the least divided country, politically?
The United States is thought of as a divided country based on numerous studies, and the trend seems to be getting worse (more divided). Are there any westernized, Democratic, and free societies that ...
2
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0answers
113 views
Policing would-be immigrants away from rich countries borders: US vs EU
Apparently the EU has been increasingly conditioning funding of various programs in Africa on African countries stopping would-be immigrants to Europe far away from the actual EU borders. I've also ...
1
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2answers
180 views
Why the use of the term “whistleblower”? [closed]
Strictly in regard to the current events happening in the US involving its president and the Ukrainian call, I'm confused by the use of the term "whistleblower".
The context I've been able to infer ...
5
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0answers
365 views
Has the media reevaluated Schiff's statements in light of the fact there was a second whistleblower?
Only a few days ago the Washington Post gave Schiff "four pinocchios" for his statements regarding his early contacts with the whistleblower. Interestingly, this sentence was part of the WaPo ...
4
votes
2answers
203 views
Has Ukraine responded in any way to the 2018 letter sent by three Democratic senators?
Trump has raised the issue of a 2018 letter to Ukraine, sent by three US senators (all Democrats) . As CNN summarized this letter:
it expressed concern about a New York Times article that said ...
66
votes
5answers
13k views
Is there a push, in the United States, to use gender-neutral language and gender pronouns (when they are given)?
I have just read a tiny fraction of a huge amount of content generated by the apparent abusive dismissal of an important moderator from the Stack Exchange network.
An answer that tries to explain one ...
0
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0answers
44 views
What is the legal status of complaints of criminality that the DOJ hears about but are not in written form?
NBC reports:
Weeks before the whistleblower's complaint became public, the CIA's top lawyer made what she considered to be a criminal referral to the Justice Department about the whistleblower's ...
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0answers
68 views
What level of disclosure about prior contact is required on whistleblower forms?
The Trump-leaning media (e.g. Fox) is full of stories that the whistleblower did not disclose his initial approach to the House Intelligence Committee.
Sources say Michael Atkinson said the ...
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2answers
112 views
Whistleblowers and statutory protections
The Federalist is reporting that the "whistleblower" in the Ukraine affair "concealed contacts" in their submission about prior contact with Congress.
According to Fox News investigative reporter ...
1
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1answer
232 views
Have Republicans or others elaborated concretely why (some) election security bills would be partisan?
In June of 2019, the New York Times reported:
WASHINGTON — A raft of legislation intended to better secure United States election systems after what the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, ...
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1answer
137 views
Is government necessary to build roads? [duplicate]
Can you cite this. Make an actual proof that government is needed to build roads.
The linked answer is quite feeble.
12
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2answers
3k views
How does the Trump administration justify tariffs on luxury goods?
This question recently asked about the justification for steel import tariffs against China - specifically on the grounds of national security. The answer is through, but also carries the implication ...
12
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2answers
2k views
If the law cited as the reason for an impeachment article is rendered unconstitutional, does that nullify the impeachment article?
Background
Back in 1868, President Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 when he tried to remove the secretary of war Edwin Stanton without the Senate's consent. ...
0
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2answers
185 views
What happens if an official leaves office before the end of his/her impeachment process?
There's an article on CNN and one of its headers says that
There's no time limit on the impeachment process - but Democrats want to move quickly
What happens if the legal process takes multiple ...
4
votes
2answers
111 views
Which US state constitutions don't have a legislative privilege (“speech or debate”) clause?
I read that
The United States Constitution and forty-three state constitutions
include a Speech or Debate Clause granting legislators a legal privilege for
their legislative work.
Which US ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Are there any public opinion polls in the US on them starting military action against Iran?
Give the recent international events rising tensions between the US and Iran, have there any public opinion polls been conducted in the US asking whether the US should do more militarily against Iran?
...
10
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2answers
514 views
Why did the EU threaten to retaliate over Airbus-related tariffs even after they were allowed by the WTO?
I'm probably missing something in the long saga of the Airbus-Boeing WTO complaints, but today the BBC reported that:
The US has been given the go-ahead to impose tariffs on $7.5bn (£6.1bn) of ...
48
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4answers
9k views
Why is lying to Congress a crime?
Why is it considered a crime if you lie while testifying before Congress, but Representatives seem to be able to say whatever they want without repercussions?
4
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1answer
316 views
The politics of loneliness
This Real Clear Politics article finds some very interesting nuggets like:
One reason young people get involved in politics might be loneliness. In a nationally representative survey conducted by ...
4
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2answers
112 views
How big is the total bailout (“trade aid”) that Trump gave to US farmers since the trade war began?
News from 2018 mentioned $12B:
[07/24/2018] Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Tuesday unveiled a three-part, $12 billion plan to ease the sting of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. farmers through a ...
