Usually, companies use this power to secure financial benefits for themselves, such as tax or regulation relief. But increasingly, they’re using it for social causes as well.
After mass shootings, politicians in Washington have failed to pass new gun control legislation, despite public pressure. But laws are being passed at the state level, largely to loosen restrictions.
The vote to acquit former President Trump for inciting the attack on the Capitol is a symptom of the dramatic decline of the US constitutional system, which is being eroded from within.
Trump supporters have staked a claim to the US Constitution and the founding era of the country in their battle against what they perceive as an ‘illegitimate’ government.
Senate Republicans must now decide whether to convict the president — an unlikely outcome. But even if they do, purging Trump from the party will prove more difficult.
In such a narrowly divided chamber, the onus will be on the Biden administration not lose a single Democrat. This could limit the scope of his ambitious agenda.
The process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes usually generates very little attention. Not so this year, with rebel Republicans planning to challenge the votes in several states.
Banned in 2011, pork-barrel spending may return to Congress, where Democrats want to resurrect the practice to make passing budgets easier – and help keep their narrow majority in 2022 elections.
Congress and the White House are trying to wrap up negotiations on a nearly $1 trillion coronavirus bailout, but Senate Republican demands for a liability shield has been a key obstacle.
Trump has increased the appeal of American conservatism, even as he has complicated its meaning. His shadow will no doubt continue to loom large over the Republican Party.
The polls and pundits say Joe Biden will win, but they’ve been wrong before. So what will be the early indicators of whether Donald Trump stays or goes?
Republicans won the recent battle over nominations to the US Supreme Court with the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett. The loser might be the court itself.
Professor in U.S. Politics and U.S. Foreign Relations at the United States Studies Centre and in the Discipline of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney