Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
3,872
questions
14
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5answers
804 views
Why does the Trump-Zelensky phone call matter?
I think that a simplified version of this question (which is put on hold because of too much opinion in the question) is an interesting one and I hope to learn something from this discussion.
The ...
39
votes
7answers
7k views
Does the DOJ's declining to investigate the Trump-Zelensky call ruin the basis for impeachment?
Background
2019-07-25US President Donald Trump had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that is central to the recent Trump–Ukraine controversy.
2019-09-24Nancy Pelosi, the ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
How could a third party candidate with electoral votes decide the choice of president?
In the 1968 Washington Post story announcing Nixon as the winner of the 1968 presidential election, the author made a peculiar point:
Nixon’s Illinois victory, which emerged more than 15 hours ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
How do US sanctions work?
Suppose I'm the US president. I decide that country X should be sanctioned (not through the UN). I tell my chief of staff to make it happen. Then... what happens next?
He tells the Dept of State? The ...
102
votes
15answers
14k views
What is the point of impeaching Trump?
By attempting to impeach Trump, Democrats will accomplish either of two things.
They will succeed in removing him from office. Mike Pence takes over. A career politician, well liked by conservatives, ...
7
votes
3answers
312 views
What is the relationship between Ukraine and Crowdstrike?
The recently release Trump-Zelenskyy phone call transcript has the following snippet (emphasis mine):
The President: I would like you to do us a favor though
because our country has been through ...
-3
votes
3answers
181 views
Green New Deal. Does it implies realization in the US only? [closed]
You may hear about that new democratic program - Green New Deal
It sounds very interesting, as it is huge, and gives bonuses for nearly all.
But this program implies huge changes in the US. In some ...
16
votes
1answer
559 views
Does a presidential impeachment inquiry give the House additional powers to obtain documents more quickly?
Does a presidential impeachment inquiry allow the House to obtain documents relevant to its inquiry (such as a president's tax returns) more quickly? Do impeachment inquiries change anything relating ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Can the Senate ignore impeachment? [duplicate]
If the House of Representatives impeaches a President, can the Senate Majority Leader or Senate leadership just ignore it and not even take it up, or are they required to hold a trial?
6
votes
1answer
358 views
What kind of concrete things has Donald Trump done that might constitute “high crimes and misdemeanors”?
"High crimes and misdemeanors" is a the official standard for impeachment of a US president. As I understand, the term is legally a bit vague because it hasn't been tested much. What kind of concrete ...
20
votes
5answers
4k views
Can the President of the US limit First Amendment rights?
The First Amendment to the US Constitution reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, ...
47
votes
10answers
16k views
Why has Speaker Pelosi been so hesitant to impeach President Trump?
I am curious as to why Nancy Pelosi (until 9/24/2019 17:00 EDT) seemed to be so reluctant to push for Donald Trump's impeachment. It seems that the Democratic Party is becoming increasingly outraged ...
5
votes
2answers
243 views
What are the US House of Representatives rules on holding a non-cooperating witness in contempt of Congress?
From The Washington Post's ‘We’ve been very weak’: House Democrats decry their oversight of Trump, push Pelosi on impeachment:
Several Democrats on the panel privately pressed House Judiciary ...
2
votes
3answers
368 views
Why does the Republican party have such a high appeal with Christians?
Why do Christians feel so inclined to subscribe to the conservative party?
Has a major Christian authority taught his subjects that it is righteous to be a Republican?
2
votes
3answers
175 views
What happens to money paid in fines?
Recently, Facebook agreed to settle a data privacy issue by paying 5 billion dollars in the United States, in an action brought by the FTC. What does the government do with all that money?
1
vote
2answers
195 views
Can a judge throw the U.S. President in jail for contempt of court?
In USA there is this concept or "rule of law" that includes the principle that no one is above the law.
About this the book "A Companion to the US Constitution and Its Amendments" (by John R. Vile) ...
11
votes
2answers
652 views
Is Treason the right term to describe making a secret deal with a foreign government for personal gains?
As a casual German observer following the news, I wonder about the language used in the news.
I gather that the current situation is that a whistle-blower from an important intelligence position has ...
3
votes
3answers
311 views
Why does the U.S. keep pushing “the debt trap” narrative in Africa when China is not the major source of debt distress in Africa?
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5652847de4b033f56d2bdc29/t/5c467754898583fc9a99131f/1548121941093/Briefing+Paper+1+-+August+2018+-+Final.pdf
We find that Chinese loans are not currently a ...
1
vote
1answer
132 views
Why has the US not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
There is a known treaty about full banning nuclear tests, from 1996. Many states have signed it, but not all ratified. I can understand, why, for example, DPRK haven't signed it - it is critical for ...
15
votes
1answer
347 views
Trump is revoking California's Clean Air Act exemption. Does this automatically affect the 13 other states that use California's standards?
President Trump is reported to be revoking California's Clean Air Act exemption. Trump tweeted on September 18, 2019 that he was doing so. Since 1970, California has restricted automobile emissions ...
5
votes
1answer
158 views
How do people come to address the U.S. Congress?
Congresspeople often seem to be addressed by celebrities (and sometimes teenagers who are foreign nationals). It's often unclear in what the person's qualification for commenting on legislative ...
11
votes
1answer
196 views
Why does a state need a waiver to set emission standards?
"President Trump said Wednesday his administration is revoking a waiver that allowed California to set its own standards for automobile emissions." https://www.npr.org/2019/09/18/761815991/white-house-...
3
votes
1answer
214 views
Does Secretary of State's statement mean anything?
Since the United States is probably not going to take any military action and will at the most impose sanctions on Iran, does Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statement calling the strike by the ...
17
votes
5answers
7k views
Can the U.S. president make military decisions without consulting anyone?
Looking on Wikipedia, we learn that:
It is generally agreed that the commander-in-chief role gives the
President power to repel attacks against the United States[3][4] and
makes the President ...
6
votes
0answers
128 views
How is the US-China trade war viewed in Australia?
A pretty good question on econ.SE has highlighted the close relationship between the Australian and Chinese economies.
So, I wonder, how is the US-China trade war viewed in Australia, at a political ...
5
votes
1answer
221 views
Can the president of the U.S. fire, or have fired, the Fed Chair for not being 'independent'?
https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/section10.htm
The Section 10 of the Federal Reserve section 10 states that the President can remove the Fed chair for cause, but what does that mean?
The ...
2
votes
1answer
177 views
Yang's UBI Plan: Does it Differ From Charles Murray's?
Noted social scientist Charles Murray has long advocated for a UBI based upon a much earlier version proposed by noted supply-sider Milton Friedman of the Chicago-based economists.
The noted ...
4
votes
0answers
59 views
Why does the US Federal Election Commision currently not have quorum? [duplicate]
It's been mentioned in many news pieces about Yang's novel use of campaign funds that the US FEC cannot currently rule on it because it doesn't have quorum. So, why doesn't the FEC have quorum? It is ...
22
votes
4answers
3k views
As an electoral candidate, isn't Yang precluded from conducting his “UBI experiment”?
In the US Democratic Party’s presidential primary debate a few days ago, candidate Andrew Yang announced his campaign will conduct a 1-year experiment with Universal Basic Income - by paying USD 1000 ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
In the U.S., what is the exact process by which a Citizen proposes an idea for a bill to their Senator or Representative?
Background (unrelated to question, but it is what lead me to ask the question)
My SO and I were talking about an alternative solution to how Senators are elected other than through direct popular ...
4
votes
1answer
182 views
How would the chain of command work if a service member were elected president?
Tulsi Gabbard is currently enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard and running for president. If elected, she would become commander-in-chief, as opposed to Major (O-4), her current rank. Would she ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
What is a “major country” as named in Bernie Sanders' Healthcare debate answers?
During the debate tonight, Bernie Sanders said (from the Washington Post's transcript):
We need...a health-care system that guarantees health care to all people as every other major country does, ...
2
votes
2answers
257 views
Why does the Federal Government of the United States not have a plural executive, like most of its states?
Background
Many states such as Texas, Massachusetts, and Minnesota all elect members of the executive branch other than just the President. This leaves them accountable to the people and not just to ...
9
votes
4answers
572 views
Why won't the U.S. government end all fuel subsidies?
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/danielle-droitsch/time-us-end-fossil-fuel-subsidies
A new study, the G7 Fossil Fuel Subsidy Scorecard, measured the US
against other G7 countries on each country’s ...
-2
votes
1answer
107 views
Mandate or Mission Statement of US Space Command
In August of 2019, the re-establishment of the US Space Command. While I understand that this a unified force command under the US Strategic Command at the Pentagon, what is the official mandate or ...
7
votes
1answer
241 views
Federalist 57 suggests voting open to everyone in the early republic?
I recently read The Accessible Federalist by Adam Seagrave (a great resource to avoid archaic English).
In the Federalist 57, I came upon something interesting. James Madison appears to have been ...
2
votes
4answers
488 views
What prevents other nations from participating in and condoning the counterfeiting of the United States dollar?
I don't understand why people in 3rd world countries don't try to counterfeit the US dollar. If you're in Zimbabwe or Syria the government presumably isn't going to stop you and it just needs to be ...
39
votes
4answers
16k views
What officially disallows US presidents from driving?
Why can’t the US president drive, officially? Or is it not official? What steps could be taken to allow this action.
0
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0answers
80 views
The Number of Presidencies in the USA [duplicate]
May a president in the USA who served two periods come back after a waiting period and be reelected for more times in pattern much as in Russia?
-2
votes
1answer
166 views
US trade war with China: what is in total with trade balance for today? [closed]
Trade war between US and China lasts nearly since Trump's election. One of claimed goals was to shorten US trade deficite.
There is a hoard of different news and bright claims about trade war, but ...
4
votes
0answers
74 views
Can a government force another government to force its private companies to transfer technology under the GATT, WTO?
http://cloudfront-files-1.publicintegrity.org/legacy_projects/pdf_reports/BUYINGTHEAMERICANMIND.pdf
It is true that the Japanese government has taken steps to open its
government funded ...
5
votes
2answers
602 views
Is it possible to have no customs union and a soft border?
I know that there have been answers to similar questions in the context of Brexit, and the consensus seems to be that it's not possible. But in the question about why the US-Canada border is soft at ...
-5
votes
1answer
185 views
Why's the B.C.-Washington border mostly unfenced and so poorly monitored? [closed]
This was in the news recently — Lawyer for B.C. man who pleaded guilty to migrant smuggling to challenge mandatory minimum penalty.
But search warrant documents previously obtained by the National ...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
What are the likely results from a world court filing from Vietnam against the U.S.?
What are the likely results from a world court filing from Vietnam against the U.S.?
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/vietnams-latest-demand-agent-orange-compensation-described-last-resort
...
-2
votes
1answer
213 views
Politicians on credibiltiy crisis in America after Epstein's death [closed]
Nowadays even mainstream media in the USA shows doubts about the official version on certain events. eg. Jeffrey Epstein’s death ref here and ref here.
Surveys show that most people in the USA believe ...
3
votes
2answers
162 views
What functional purpose does endorsing a candidate serve?
Background
In the United States, it is common for political officials, or former political officials to endorse Candidates that are running for other offices. For example, there are numerous ...
7
votes
1answer
274 views
Can the U.S. default on its debt held by the Chinese by using Imperial Chinese debt notes as a pretext to do so?
Can the U.S. default on its debt held by the Chinese by using Imperial Chinese debt notes as a pretext to do so? This seems far-fetched and almost absurd to do so, but there has been numerous story ...
8
votes
1answer
784 views
Why is Mitch McConnell blocking nominees to the Federal Election Commission?
As at Sep 2019 - we can see that the Federal Election Commission is down to three members, one short of its required quorum, making it toothless.
Mitch McConnell could allow hearings for the current ...
0
votes
3answers
601 views
Is political correctness applied to science terms something usual in the US?
This Wikipedia article on Master/Slave as defined in technology also include the following:
In 2003, the County of Los Angeles in California asked that
manufacturers, suppliers and contractors ...
8
votes
1answer
322 views
Why is the U.S. the only Presidential Republic that provides for an indirect election of the President?
Background
In Electoral College Reform: Contemporary Issues for Congress, Thomas H. Neale states that the United States takes an unusual approach to Presidential and Vice Presidential elections on ...
