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**SNIP** “What we have today is a process that has been rushed, that has been deliberately opaque where information that the Congress, not just Democratic senators, but all senators and the public deserve to see that they were denied.” “So there has to be a set of standards,” she continued. “And, yes, there should be due process for everyone involved. And I think that’s what Dr. Ford is asking for. She’s asking for due process. She’s asking that there be an investigation. You know, at the end of the investigation, she might very well decide not to pursue her willingness...

More than two-thirds of Americans want the presidential nomination processes to be changed and more than half say the systems are “rigged,” a new poll found. The Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that 51 percent of likely voters believe the primary system is “rigged” against some candidates. And 71 percent say parties should pick their presidential nominees with a direct vote, instead of using delegates. Twenty-seven percent said they did not understand how the primary process works, and 44 percent said they were unsure why delegates are involved at all. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders...

Dioceses across the US have been bombarded with questions about the annulment news from the Rome. The Diocese of Madison, Wis. has already released a timely document (Frequently Asked Questions Re: Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus) that should prove helpful to Catholics seeking an annulment and Church leaders concerned about setting realistic expectations... Who qualifies for the shorter process? Answer: The shorter process is designed only for those rare cases when it can be employed without injustice. Three strict qualifications have to be met. Both spouses have to petition for it together, or if not, then the other party must at...

The latest example of cellphone video vindicating someone from false charges is a doozy. It comes from Washington Parish, La., and WWL TV. One of the worst days of Douglas Dendinger’s life began with him handing an envelope to a police officer. In order to help out his family and earn a quick $50, Dendinger agreed to act as a process server, giving a brutality lawsuit filed by his nephew to Chad Cassard as the former Bogalusa police officer exited the Washington Parish Courthouse. The handoff went smoothly, but Dendinger said the reaction from Cassard, and a group of officers...

This isn’t one of those articles where I ask a question in the headline and provide the answer in the text. Because the truth is, I don’t know how someone accused of sexual assault is supposed to prove they obtained consent under the new “yes means yes” policies. And it looks like no one else knows either. I reached out to the lead sponsor of the California affirmative consent law, state Sen. Kevin de Leon, because when I tried asking other sponsors of the bill, they directed me to him. His office provided a lengthy description of the bill that...

The Israel-Palestinian Authority (PA) peace process is dead, according to Martin Indyk, formerly the U.S. special Middle East envoy who resigned from his post last week. Speaking to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg in his first interview since stepping down, Indyk said that there is strong dislike between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. "There is a deep loathing of each leader for the other that has built up over the years," Indyk said in the interview, which was published Thursday. "'Loathing' may be too strong [a word] for how Netanyahu feels about Abu Mazen (Abbas -ed.),"...

CAROLINE GLICK: It’s really great to be here in Texas. I already managed to buy cowboy boots for my son, so I’m pretty much set. (Applause.) Anybody have any idea where we can get cowboy hats? I’d love to know. Then we’ll be done and can come back here when they’re 15. But it is a pleasure to be here, and thank you. And so now that I’ve gotten all the pleasantries and happiness in being in Texas out of the way, let’s talk about what’s really depressing. It’s amazing. You know, the Peace Process fell apart over the past...

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that the U.S. electoral process has been broken by the Supreme Court with its ruling in the Citizens United campaign finance case. Trumka, speaking at a National Press Club luncheon on Friday said the Supreme Court had helped to break the American electoral system by ruling that corporations were covered by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Citizens United vs. the FEC lifted restrictions on companies, unions, and other organizations, allowing them to make independent expenditures in political campaigns.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: This is somewhat interesting. Democrat speaker Pro Tempore will not let Steve Buyer, Republican from Indiana speak. This was yesterday on the House floor, and this is a pretty interesting exchange. Listen to this. RICHARDSON: For what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? BUYER: I ask unanimous consent to address the House for five minutes. Hearing no objection -- RICHARDSON: Five-minute special orders are not being recognized at this time. BUYER: I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute. Hearing no objection -- RICHARDSON: Not being entertained at this time. BUYER: Oh, so as...

Sarah, Duchess of York, who has a remarkable ability to bounce back from tabloid scandals, has been offered an intriguing new lifeline. Mandrake can disclose that Fergie is in negotiations with Oprah Winfrey about making a six-part television series for the American chat show host's channel, documenting how she was "abandoned" as a teenager by her mother and the "devastating" effect that this had on her life.

The trouble with the peace process is that it is rigged against Israel. It is a vehicle forced on her by the international community to enable it to impose its will on her. It all started with UNSC Res 242, which established the principle of land for peace. Just how much land or peace was not described. It was left to the parties to each cut a deal. This resolution in no way threatened Israel because she was left with a free hand to define what she considered to be "secure" borders. In the meantime, she was authorized by the...

The Democratic Party believes so deeply in the will of the American people that it may courageously not vote on a bill that it couldn't pass. It was The Washington Post that recently compressed the absurdities of the Democrats' plan to control your health care into a single amusing headline: "House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it." For the typical American, this may sound counterintuitive — or perhaps inconceivable — but, as Democrats continue to display a creative knack for legislative swindling, a question has emerged: Are voters, by and large, concerned about the "process,"...

Democratic leaders are likely to sidestep a conference committee in merging the House and Senate versions, an attempt to block Republicans from delaying the bill. Reporting from Washington - As congressional Democrats work toward a final healthcare bill, they appear increasingly likely to forgo the formal conference committee process for merging House and Senate versions of the legislation, opting instead for closely held negotiations between leaders from the two chambers. Under that scenario, aides said, the House would take up and amend the Senate bill before sending it back for a vote.

Reporting from Washington - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress on Wednesday that delays in the release of H1N1 flu shots show that the United States is too dependent on other countries for the manufacture of vaccines and that the technology to make them must be improved. Four of the five manufacturers of H1N1 vaccines are foreign companies -- a fact that alarmed lawmakers, who expressed concern about the ability of the federal government to secure enough vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus, known as swine flu.

Pelosi: now we don't have to 'explain process' @ 7:44 pm by Eric Zimmermann Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to switch parties will make it easier for Democrats to move forward with their agenda, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday. Specter's switch will give Democrats 60 caucus members in the Senate (assuming Al Franken wins his legal battle in Minnesota). That is enough votes to end debate on a bill and overcome Republican filibusters. "Very exciting, very exciting for the American people, because now we can get things done without explaining process," Pelosi told CNN's Candy Crowley. Specter has said that...

On December 5, 2008, only ten days before the electoral college votes, the nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will meet in private to review Obama's citizenship status. Leo Donofrio's case, "Leo C. Donofrio, v. Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State of the State of New Jersey, United States Supreme Court Docket No. 08A407," regarding Obama's citizenship has reached a new level. The case has been "distributed for conference." This docketing today by the court should send ripples of fear through the Obama camp. Obama has been proceeding at lightening speed to put together a cabinet and take possession...

Life in southern Israel is unbearable. Since last January, on average, 6.3 mortars and rockets have been fired from Gaza on southern Israel every day. As Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i warned the heads of the communities around Gaza last week, due to the improvements in the Palestinian arsenal since Israel vacated Gaza two years ago, the Palestinians now field missiles and rockets with extended ranges that place 130,000 Israelis under threat of missile attack. Wednesday, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi made clear that if Israel wishes to secure its citizens there is only one thing it...

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 8, 2006) -- When Army Maj. John W. Penree decided to pay his nephew, Marine Sgt. Peter A. Penree Jr., a visit in Iraq’s Al Anbar province, the timing couldn’t have been better. The circumstances, however, probably could have. Both men are currently deployed to Iraq – Penree Jr., serves with the Hawaii-based 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in western Al Anbar Province; Maj. Penree with the Wiesbaden, Germany-based 3rd Corps Support Command in Balad, Iraq. Penree Jr., a 23-year-old Marine infantryman from Frankfort, N.Y., was wounded recently when a suicide bomber drove a truck...

SACRAMENTO – A two-house committee approved a new state budget of roughly $131 billion yesterday, setting the stage for Senate and Assembly votes this week that could produce the first on-time budget in two decades. But Democrats sent the new spending plan to the legislative floors despite opposition from Republicans, with the apparent hope that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would help negotiate agreements on remaining differences. Republican legislators, whose votes are needed for the two-thirds approval of both houses required to pass a budget, made it clear that they want changes made in the plan that was approved by the committee....

SINGAPORE, June 2, 2006 – The world should not be surprised at the pace in which democracy is progressing in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld takes questions from reporters at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore June 2. Rumsfeld is in Singapore for the 5th International Institute for Security Studies Asia Security Summit. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Rumsfeld is in Singapore to attend a conference of Asian and Pacific defense ministers. The new Iraqi government has come under...