Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
3,712
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Roughly what proportion of people think that abortion should be allowed, even if fetuses are persons?
There are two main ways of justifying support of abortion in relation to the potential personhood of a fetus/embryo.
Between conception and birth(or some time before), fetuses/embryos are not ...
2
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1answer
221 views
Are witnesses giving Congressional testimony (e.g. Mueller) generally required to tell the WHOLE truth?
Mueller has said that if he is required by subpoena to give evidence to Congress, that he will not be able to provide information beyond what is in his report.
He also seems to imply that he knows ...
-1
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3answers
179 views
Can a government tax “land”?
This question is inspired by this other question also on Politics SE.
My understanding of the way US law works (or in fact most property law in most of the developed world) is that, for various ...
20
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6answers
5k views
In American Politics, why is the Justice Department under the President?
This may sound like an easy question.
Legislators make laws, the executive executes laws and the judiciary judges laws.
Sounds simple.
I've heard that the Justice Department is under the executive ...
1
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1answer
274 views
Can the president hire an FBI Agent?
Can the President of the United States hire someone without any credentials to become an FBI agent? Can the director of the FBI do it?
3
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1answer
146 views
How many US states still prohibit transportation of alcohol across state lines without a license, even for personal use?
Apparently Ohio still prohibits transportation of alcohol (even for personal use) across its state lines, without a license ("H permit"), while Pennsylvania legalized it in 2015/2016 and Iowa was ...
10
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2answers
4k views
If there's something that implicates the president why is there then a national security issue? (John Dowd)
Here is a transcription of the recently popularized voice mail from John Dowd to Rob Kelner, the attorney of Michael Flynn, from CNN's Transcript released of Flynn voicemail from Trump lawyer showing ...
6
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0answers
121 views
Are Mexican trucks presently allowed beyond a buffer zone around the US southern border?
The US was involved in a long-running NAFTA dispute with Mexico over trucking:
Although the charter of the North American Free Trade Agreement established a schedule that would have opened the ...
2
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1answer
174 views
Ratification of trade agreements
Are trade agreements treaties?
If so, does that mean that trade agreements are agreed by trade envoys and cabinet-level politicians before being presented to the legislature for ratification?
In ...
0
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1answer
353 views
Do US lobbyists pay $45 million annually to keep cannabis illegal? [closed]
Basically, I want to know how accurate is this. Do lobbyists pay $45 million in US to keep ganja illegal?
5
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1answer
179 views
Do the United States' new tariffs on Mexican imports apply to goods shipped through the US to other countries?
Canada currently imports some 2.5 Billion C$ a year in fresh produce from Mexico.
If this produce is shipped by rail or truck through the United States to Canada, would the proposed Trump escalating ...
4
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1answer
220 views
What are the problems related to Trump administration’s targeting of Huawei affecting US/UK relationship?
The New York Times article Trump State Visit to U.K. Faces Turbulence Amid Brexit Chaos says:
British and American officials said the White House had been deferential to 10 Downing Street in ...
15
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3answers
675 views
Was Bill Clinton charged with a crime by the Justice Department, and why would the same reasoning not apply to Trump if so?
I see the following claim made by Andrew Napolitano on the Fox News network:
"That opinion [that you can't charge a sitting president] is advisory, not mandatory. How do we know that? It came out ...
5
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3answers
652 views
Can the US president change TIME to avoid leaving the office? [closed]
The 20th Amendment (article 1) of the US Constitution states that
The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and ...
7
votes
1answer
239 views
What are the obstacles for a US president to enact Healthcare For All? [closed]
I was told Bernie Sanders would be unlikely to enact it should he become president, but I don't understand why exactly. Particularly, I don't understand the intricacies of American politics.
I would ...
4
votes
1answer
79 views
How do special prosecutors leave their role?
In the US, how do special prosecutors leave their role? Are they appointed for a limited time, do they resign or get fired?
I've looked at Mueller's appointment letter but it doesn't mention a ...
-2
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5answers
523 views
What part of Mueller's report, public statements, or other actions suggest that he called on congress to impeach/further investigate?
After Mueller gave his public statement about his investigation into the President, he made an interesting statement.
The statement: "And as set forth in the report, after that investigation, if we ...
-6
votes
1answer
194 views
Did Robert Mueller try to prove a negative? [closed]
In Robert Mueller's statements following the conclusion of his investigation said if he had the evidence the president did not commit a crime he would have said so (paraphrasing). This sounds like the ...
4
votes
2answers
230 views
What could the Justice Department actually do with the Special Counsel’s report if it said the president likely committed a crime?
I understand that the Justice Department can’t charge a sitting president with a crime, but what could they actually do if a special counsel like Mueller found that it seemed very likely the president ...
39
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5answers
9k views
Why is Colorado so different politically from nearby states?
In the 2018 midterms, Democrats gained control of Colorado’s Senate and elected a Democratic governor (the previous three governors were Democrats, too).
However, nearby states like Utah and Wyoming ...
34
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2answers
5k views
How can a single member of the House derail a Congressional bill?
I read a news article today that claims that a Congressional bill to provide disaster relief to US communities has been derailed, because a single member of the House of Representatives objected to it....
1
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1answer
293 views
Why does the 25 year import rule for cars still exist in the USA?
A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS.
Why does that 25 year import rule for cars still ...
53
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12answers
12k views
What caused the tendency for conservatives to not support climate change regulations?
In the United States, conservatives tend to be against climate change regulations more frequently than the rest of the population.
Conservatives in the U.S. tend to hold traditional and Christian ...
44
votes
8answers
12k views
Why does the UK have more political parties than the US?
After reading this article, I got to wondering why the US has 2 viable political parties while the UK appears to have many, even though both use first-past-the-post voting.
Across England and Wales,...
1
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1answer
130 views
Jurisdiction stripping
According to the Wikipedia article "Jurisdiction stripping":
Congress may effectively eliminate any judicial review of certain federal legislative or executive actions and of certain state actions,...
1
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1answer
190 views
If China is forcing U.S. firms to hand over technology, why hasn't the U.S. taken China to the WTO and filed a complaint?
The U.S. keeps saying that China is forcing its companies to hand over technology, but then if it's the case as they say, then why didn't the U.S. take China to the WTO in order to complain about it? ...
16
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4answers
3k views
Under what law can the U.S. arrest International Criminal Court (ICC) judges over war crimes probe?
US threatens to arrest ICC judges over war crimes probe (Deutsche Welle)
Is there any such law that would allow the U.S. impinge on another nation's sovereignty in order to prevent ICC judges from ...
0
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3answers
268 views
Why does North Korea test their nuclear weapons underground?
When the U.S. and the Soviet Union were testing their nuclear bombs during the Cold War, they did the testing above ground. Why does North Korea test their nuclear weapons below ground, and how is it ...
0
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1answer
101 views
Why did Turkey not wait until after acquiring US F-35 before initiating talks with Russia about S-400? [closed]
The United States has blocked shipment of F-35 technology to Turkey over a Turkish decision to purchase S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia. Why didn't Turkey wait until they had ...
1
vote
3answers
392 views
Does the US have a “Beauty Tax” on property?
Investopedia says that making your house look pretty is likely to cause an increase in taxes.
..more attractive homes often receive a higher assessed value than comparable houses that are less ...
4
votes
2answers
232 views
Is the President of the United States bound by state laws?
The state of New York is currently in the process of passing a law allowing Congress to access the state tax returns of elected officials and top appointed officials. This is seen as a potential "end-...
2
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2answers
199 views
Do any NATO members control rare resources that could be blocked in response to China blocking rare earth materials shipments to the US?
Let's say China decides to go ahead and block shipments of rare earth materials to Western countries. Is there a way for NATO members to retaliate and block crucial shipments to China?
9
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2answers
420 views
What can the U.S. do politically if China decided to stop exporting rare earth metals to the U.S.?
China has recently threatened to ban export of rare earth metal to the US. What can the US do to retaliate against such a move politically? Is there anything the U.S. can do that could hurt China as ...
2
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1answer
105 views
What is the point of holding a committee with an empty chair?
In Don McGahn defies subpoena as Trump clash with Congress intensifies, the Guardian raises that:
The House judiciary committee held a brief hearing on Tuesday morning in McGahn’s absence, with an ...
4
votes
2answers
157 views
Is the idea of governing for one's constituents at odds with good policy?
In the US legislator, the elected people govern to help their constituents. How does this work with governing for the greater good of everyone. Let’s use climate change as an example and assume it is ...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
Why is there a hard limit to the total length of time one can receive TANF benefits in one’s lifetime?
The U.S. TANF welfare programme (unlike its predecessor, AFDC, which it replaced in 1997) has a hard five-year limit on the total length of time in one’s lifetime that one can receive benefits (and a ...
2
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1answer
292 views
Are there any statistics / studies to prove that Fox News is putting on more Democrats than Republicans?
President Trump just said this in his rally tonight:
What’s going on with Fox, by the way? What’s going on there? They’re putting more Democrats on than you have Republicans. Something strange is ...
4
votes
1answer
201 views
Oregon household medical visits to familes with newborn children. Voluntary or mandatory?
Oregon's SB 526 has gained much controversy. The bill, if passed, is supposed to implement home visits by nurses/other-medical-professionals to families with newborn children. According to Patrick ...
11
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1answer
2k views
Why won't the U.S. be a signatory nation of The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
The following Wikipedia article states that the U.S. is not a signatory member of The United Nations Convention on the ...
4
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1answer
191 views
What is the U.S. seeking to achieve by trying to make sure that G20 members such as Mexico and Turkey cannot claim the WTO developing country status?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-wto/u-s-drafts-wto-reform-to-halt-handouts-for-big-and-rich-states-idUSKCN1Q426T
After reading that article, it seems that the U.S. is pushing to remove ...
2
votes
1answer
393 views
Are Washington's threats over Nord Stream pipeline against WTO rules?
I heard that the U.S. is considering imposing sanctions against Germany if it proceeds to build the Nord Stream pipeline and import gas from Russia, but I was wondering if such trade restrictions ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
Does the US Supreme Court vote using secret ballots?
I am interested in the mechanism by which the Supreme Court casts votes on a ruling.
Do they do it by secret ballot? Or is it as simple as a show of hands?
Does a Justice have the opportunity to ...
2
votes
1answer
523 views
If China is as good as other developing countries at protecting IP, why is the U.S. administration labelling China as a trade cheat?
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/us-trade-hawks-exaggerate-chinas-threat/587536/
I was reading this article and read that China is not any different in regards to other developing ...
12
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3answers
325 views
Rationale for including incest as common abortion exception in addition to rape and health
This is a sensitive subject so let me be clear:
I am not looking for opinions on abortion (good or bad).
I am not looking for opinions on whether or not rape, health or incest are reasonable ...
38
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7answers
12k views
Why does the U.S military use mercenaries?
With a defense budget now totaling ~686-billion dollars a year – which is about the size of the next 8 largest defense budgets combined (figure) – why does the U.S military see the need to ...
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3answers
338 views
Why is there no “tax relief program” (for real estate property in many US states) for the poor like they have for the people over 65?
The fact that we help the poor and homeless with shelter, foodstamps.. etc, but at the same time we take away the (paid off) houses owned by people who live on an equally poor budget (under the ...
10
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3answers
377 views
What limits exist to stop a grand jury being used to persecute a political opponent?
Grand juries are conducted in secret by prosecutors without the oversight of a judge. The reasons for the secrecy of these proceedings have been adequately covered here but I am curious as to what ...
25
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2answers
5k views
Why are lawsuits between the President and Congress not automatically sent to the Supreme Court
When the United State Congress and the President are involved in a legal fight together, the resulting legal case originates in a US District Court for DC, as was the case for United States v. Nixon. ...
9
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1answer
402 views
Exactly what did China “renege on” in a trade deal?
Donald Trump said Beijing “broke the deal” by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.
Larry Kudlow said that China needs to agree to “very strong” enforcement provisions ...
2
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1answer
128 views
What explains the timing of the U.S China trade tariffs and negotiations?
This Wikipedia article dates the start of the U.S. China trade war to January 2018.
Link to Wikipedia.
Of course trade rhetoric about China probably dates back to the earliest days of the Trump ...
