Government

Encryption grants your data privacy, while locking out others, including law enforcement. Could encryption ever stay strong and grant law enforcement access?

By Greg Fish

If the U.S. vice president must step up and become president, who becomes vice president?

By John Donovan

Among the line of cramped toilet stalls, there's usually a larger one reserved for people with disabilities. But if no one seems to need it, is it OK to borrow it?

By Alia Hoyt

He wants YOU, but who the heck was he?

By Stell Simonton

Is sending federal troops to the U.S.-Mexico border even legal? As it turns out, a U.S. law called the Posse Comitatus Act has something to say about it.

By John Donovan

President Donald Trump proudly declared he is a 'nationalist,' much to the chagrin of many Americans. Still others support his comment. So what exactly does it mean?

By John Donovan

Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been tiny, but she left a huge mark on the U.S. judicial system in the 27 years she served on the Supreme Court, more than earning her nickname the "Notorious RBG."

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Former U.S. presidents draw a hefty pension for life, but what about members of Congress? You might be surprised to know where your tax dollars are going to fund their retirement.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

It's also known as "maternity tourism," and defined as travel to the U.S. for the purpose of having a child on American soil.

By John Donovan

Midterm elections in the U.S. don't get the public excited the way presidential elections do. But there's a lot at stake, actually, during these contests. Why do midterms exist, anyway?

By Dave Roos

Though treason is the only crime mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, few know what the word actually means and fewer still have ever been indicted for it.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Federal law doesn't require Americans to have a fixed address in order to vote, but state and local laws often pile on additional restrictions that make it hard for the homeless to cast a ballot.

By Dave Roos

When a Supreme Court justice retires, there's a lot of speculation and political maneuvering regarding the replacement. Find out how Supreme Court justices are nominated, who is qualified to serve and how a nominee is approved.

By Ed Grabianowski & Sarah Gleim

In the age of endless information, are voters too distracted to make informed decisions?

By Diana Brown

First ladies have traditionally played significant roles at the White House. But so far that work has been sans pay.

By Dave Roos

The complicated U.S. immigration system, with its numerous categories and caps, can require some applicants to wait decades to become permanent legal residents.

By Patrick J. Kiger

'American Exceptionalism' is a slippery term that has been used both positively and negatively. What does it really mean and how did it come to be embraced by both American Democrats and Republicans?

By Dave Roos

With so much public outcry and concern over the rash of gun violence in the U.S., why would Congress cut federal funding for research into causes and solutions?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Members of the U.S. LGBTQ community want to be counted in the 2020 Census. So what's the big deal, and why would the government not count sexual orientation?

By John Donovan

Anyone can submit an idea for a postage stamp, but who decides which ideas make the cut?

By Stell Simonton

It's been invoked in the past, but never to remove a U.S. president from office. How does it work and when — if ever — should it be used?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Contrary to his tweeted threat to North Korea, President Trump doesn't actually have a nuclear button.

By Patrick J. Kiger

A handful of write-in candidates have been elected to both the U.S. House and Senate, but it's a difficult way to win office.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Constitution gives the U.S. Senate the power to expel one of its members by a two-thirds vote, but it hasn't happened since the Civil War, and there isn't a well-established process for doing it.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was impeached and is on trial for corruption. Who was really pulling the strings during her administration?

By Diana Brown