The filibuster debate has focused on whether the rule facilitates or stifles negotiation and compromise. Of course, the rule – that 60 votes are required to end debate – doesn’t do either. It’s the norms that those subject to the rule adopt that matter. When I was younger, it seemed, Congress adhered to a norm [...]
The White House said in a press statement on Friday that President Joe Biden signed a directive to set a new, increased refugee cap next month. The President came under criticism last week when he announced that the former President Trump’s cap would remain in effect. According to White House Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden continues [...]
Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.2 million citizens) is according to Worldometer in 5th place in the world by the number of deaths from COVID-19 per 1 million population. It tops the list in the region of South-East Europe with 212 deaths per 100.000 people. In the state that has struggled with a dysfunctional political system since [...]
On Friday, media tycoon Jimmy Lai and two other pro-democracy activists received sentences for unauthorized assembly relating to 2019 protests in Hong Kong. Lai was found guilty in two separate trials for unauthorized assembly. He will serve 14 months in prison for his involvement in the pro-democracy protests. On April 1, 2021, a Hong Kong [...]
The Spanish Parliament passed a bill on Thursday which seeks to protect child victims of sexual abuse. The bill was approved by a landslide 268 votes in favour and 57 against, whilst 16 elected to abstain. “El Proyecto de Ley Orgánica de protección integral a la infancia y la adolescencia frente a la violencia,” more [...]
Mexico’s Senate voted Thursday to pass several measures that seek to combat nepotism and corruption by restructuring the country’s Supreme Court. One notable measure will extend the current Supreme Court President’s term from four to six years. Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea was elected Supreme Court President and took office on January 2, 2019, with [...]
The Florida Senate passed House Bill 1 on Thursday, a bill which “combat public disorder” by requiring that municipalities allow law enforcement “to respond appropriately to protect persons and property during a riot or an unlawful assembly” and imposes civil liability for any damages incurred during the riot if a municipality breaches this duty. The [...]
The Constitutional Court of Moldova handed the country’s President Maia Sandu a victory on Thursday when it ruled she can dissolve the country’s parliament. President Sandu has been at odds with the parliament since winning a landslide election against the previous president, pro-Russia incumbent Igor Dodon. The parliament is dominated by Dodon’s Socialist Party and [...]
Five Republican senators introduced a bill on Wednesday to remove Major League Baseball’s (MLB) antitrust exemption after the MLB moved the All-Star game out of Georgia to protest Georgia’s new voting restrictions. In 1922, the MLB received an exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act when the Supreme Court ruled that professional baseball is not interstate [...]
Over 100 major corporations, including Starbucks, Apple, and Facebook, joined a full page ad in the New York Times affirming their support for democracy and accessible voting. The statement reads: As Americans, we know that in our democracy we should not expect to agree on everything. However, regardless of our political affiliations, we believe the [...]
