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April 26, 2016

Most Support Americans Suing Countries With Ties to Terrorism

A bipartisan bill now before Congress would allow families victimized by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to sue the Saudi Arabian government if it can be shown to have ties to the killers, but opponents including the Obama White House worry that the legislation will have negative foreign policy repercussions for the United States. Most Americans support the families right to sue.

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April 26, 2016

Ethnicity Still Matters in the Politics of 2016 By Michael Barone

Ethnicity still matters. That's one lesson I draw from the results so far of this year's Republican and Democratic primaries and caucuses.

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April 25, 2016

Bathroom Fight Draws GOP Away From the Real Issues By Charles Hurt

Note to professional politicians: Voters really don’t care what bathroom Bruce Jenner uses. That is between him, her and their psychiatrist.

April 25, 2016

26% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-six percent (26%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending April 22.

April 25, 2016

Americans Want Government To Tell All About 9/11

Americans doubt they’ve been told all the facts about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and strongly believe the government should come clean.

April 25, 2016

Afghanistan Is A More Urgent Matter For Voters

With increasing concern about the threat of terrorism here and abroad, voters are placing more importance on the war in Afghanistan, now in its 14th year, although less than half favor keeping U.S. troops there another year.

April 23, 2016

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending April 23, 2016

Next Tuesday is likely to tell the tale after this week’s New York primaries put Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump back on track.

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April 22, 2016

What's Up with Black Voters? By Ted Rall

Thomas Frank made a splash a decade ago with a bestseller called "What's the Matter With Kansas?" In his book, Frank attempted to answer the question: why do so many Americans -- working-class Americans -- vote against their economic and social interests -- i.e., Republican?

April 22, 2016

Most Are Pro-Environment But Don't Thank Earth Day

While most Americans say they’ve donated time or money to clean up the environment, they don’t feel strongly that Earth Day, a tradition established in 1970, has been all that important in increasing environmental consciousness.

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April 22, 2016

New York's Home-State Winners Have November Problems By Michael Barone

Home-state candidates notched up impressive victories in New York's presidential primaries Tuesday. Donald Trump topped 50 percent for the first time -- and handsomely, with 60 percent of Republican votes. And Hillary Clinton won 58 percent of Democratic votes in her adopted home state.

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April 22, 2016

Dishonoring General Jackson By Pat Buchanan

In Samuel Eliot Morison's "The Oxford History of the American People," there is a single sentence about Harriet Tubman.   

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April 22, 2016

Trump Change: Is ‘The Donald’ Back?

The Trump train appears to be back on track following his big win in Tuesday’s New York primary.

April 21, 2016

Texting During the Movie? No Way

Last week, movie theater chain AMC announced plans to allow text messaging in certain theaters during movie screenings, then quickly reversed its decision after a swift backlash. But even the mention of the idea was enough to get people talking, and their reaction was decisive: no texting during the movie.

April 21, 2016

One-in-Four Say They’ve Been Helped by Obamacare

A major national insurer’s announcement that it is cutting back its involvement due to big financial losses is the latest problem besetting Obamacare. Few voters want to leave the health care law as is, even though more than ever say they have benefited from it.

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April 21, 2016

Primaries Versus Caucuses: The Score So Far in 2016 By Larry J. Sabato

Unfair! Rigged! Corrupt!

We’re hearing a lot of harsh adjectives being applied to aspects of the presidential nominating system this year — from “double-agent” delegate placement on the Republican side that may frustrate the plurality of GOP voters, to the establishment-based superdelegates (fully 15% of the convention, though down from 19% in 2008) on the Democratic side.

April 21, 2016

Americans Still Sour About Government Bailouts of Big Banks

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders may not be winning most of the state presidential primaries, but his strong criticism of the government’s treatment of Wall Street institutions certainly resonates with most Americans.

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April 20, 2016

How Trump Could Win the Republican Nomination in Five (Not-So) Easy Steps By Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley

Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. Bernie Sanders went into the New York Democratic primary with essentially no path to catching Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and he leaves it with even less of a path after Clinton’s victory. Despite some national polls showing the race effectively a tie, Clinton has a lead in pledged delegates and superdelegates that Sanders cannot catch. Unless Clinton is somehow forced from the race, she will be the nominee. Sanders assuredly still has some victories to come, but the eventual outcome really is not in doubt.

April 20, 2016

Voters See Growing Divide Between Voters, Party Leaders

The surprising level of support for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders suggests voters in the two major parties are getting more extreme in their thinking than their respective party leaders. A sizable number of voters agree, though Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think their party’s voters and leaders are in sync.

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April 20, 2016

Hospital By John Stossel

I write this from the hospital. Seems I have lung cancer.   

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April 20, 2016

Ted Cruz Fails to Heed Own Advice, Get Out of Race He Can’t Win By Charles Hurt

What strange bedfellows and broken pretzels politics do make!