Government

Impeachment is when Congress decides whether it's possible a president, or another elected official, has failed in their duties to the American people.

By Jesslyn Shields

The Republican Party is known as the "GOP," but why? And what does "GOP" even mean?

By Carrie Dennis

President Joe Biden has earmarked $80 billion of his infrastructure plan to go to the U.S. railway system, namely Amtrak. But the biggest hurdle is getting Congress — and passengers — on board.

By John Donovan

President Biden wants to increase taxes on capital gains for the wealthiest Americans to help pay for some of his economic programs. But what are capital gains and how might this affect you?

By Patrick J. Kiger

When you think of the Secret Service, you probably think of the men in black guarding the president of the United States. But that's just a small part of the job. What else does this agency do?

By John Donovan

A brilliant political strategist and Putin critic, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been poisoned, imprisoned and recently ended a hunger strike. What's next for him?

By Patty Rasmussen

The results of the 2020 Census will shift political power in future congressional and presidential elections. Find out if your state won or lost seats and what that means.

By Dudley L. Poston Jr.

Reconciliation is a secret weapon the Senate uses to pass huge tax and spending bills quickly through Congress. It's how the Senate just passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. So what is it, and what does it mean?

By Patty Rasmussen

The United States Secret Service provides 24/7 protection for the wives and kids of the U.S. president and vice president, including their adult children. But why do a president's children get protection?

By Dave Roos

The Department of Justice claims to be the world's biggest law office, but it does everything from operating prisons to conducting counterespionage operations.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Judge Amy Coney Barrett says her judicial philosophy is originalism, following in the footsteps of her mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia. What does that even mean?

By John Donovan

Populism is a political philosophy that divides society by splitting it into two opposing factions: the people and the elite. So who benefits from that?

By John Donovan

Cast your ballot to these questions to find out how much you know about the history of U.S. presidential elections.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Young voters in the U.S. have a historically low turnout, which means the democracy fails to represent the youth generation. But we talked to five college students voting for POTUS this year who are determined to make a change.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

This American institution began with Abraham Lincoln following Stephen Douglas on the campaign trail. Today, the presidential debate is one of the most anticipated markers of candidates' campaigns.

By Josh Clark & Melanie Radzicki McManus

Candidates in U.S. elections spend an enormous amount of their time on swing states. But what exactly are these states and why are they so important?

By Ed Grabianowski & Patty Rasmussen

She was the youngest New Zealand leader elected in over 150 years and has won plaudits for her handling of the coronavirus epidemic. We get the backstory on Jacinda Ardern and her many achievements.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

It's happened before, and it'll likely happen again. The tricky part, though, is when it happens.

By Julia Layton

Voice of America, the U.S. government-controlled media network, has long had a reputation for being a source of unbiased news in contrast to the government-controlled media in countries it reaches. But will that continue?

By Patrick J. Kiger

America's founders devised a structure in which the three branches of government would co-exist in a system of checks and balances designed to prevent each branch from gaining too much power. But does it still work?

By Patrick J. Kiger

President Trump is threatening to pull funding from public schools that don't open due to coronavirus. Can he even do that?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

The U.S. presidential election is just around the corner and the country is in the throws of a global health crisis. Is voting by mail the way to stay safe this election cycle?

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Antifa is a loosely organized movement that doesn't have leaders or advocate government policies. Instead, the movement's goal is to oppose fascism wherever it appears around the world.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Every week there's a poll with new numbers on how many Americans approve of the president's job performance. But what do these numbers really tell us and when should we take them seriously?

By Dave Roos

The date the U.S. president must vacate office is written into the Constitution, election or not. Filling the seat without an election, though, is extremely complicated.

By John Donovan