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1500 questions
39
votes
8 answers
Has any of the US federal armed forces acted violently against civil movements / protesters?
Details may be confusing, but I mean to ask whether federal armed forces, including the military (Army, Navy, etc.) and policing/investigative organizations (FBI, Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and…
choklo
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6 answers
Why has Russia declined OPEC's request to cut oil production?
On Friday, Russia declined to participate in a plan devised by the Saudi-led Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut oil production levels, in order to keep oil prices steady in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The article…
CDJB
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39
votes
8 answers
Can the U.S. Senate hold an impeachment trial if the House "passes" articles of impeachment but does not "transmit" them to the Senate?
After passing articles of impeachment against the President, Speaker Pelosi has announced she will not immediately send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.
What does this actually mean? Can she prevent the Senate from taking up…
Rain Willow
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39
votes
6 answers
Why does China have so few nuclear weapons?
From the wikipedia page about the number of nuclear weapons we see that China only has 250 nukes, which puts it in the same league as France or the UK, and way under the 1000+ actives held by Russia and the US. That number has been unchanged for…
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
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39
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6 answers
Can a country avoid prosecution for crimes against humanity by denying it happened?
I found this article and what I read really shocked me.
There are an estimated 650,000 like Hong Hanh in Vietnam, suffering
from an array of baffling chronic conditions. Another 500,000 have
already died. The thread that weaves through all their…
Sayaman
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39
votes
8 answers
Why do presidential pardons exist in a country having a clear separation of powers?
This answer provides some insight into a way for a President to pardon someone with virtually no consequences:
(..) in reality, presidents often wait until his final days/hours to
grant the most controversial pardons.
And once a pardon is…
Alexei
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39
votes
3 answers
Why hasn't the U.S. government paid war reparations to any country it attacked?
Why hasn't the U.S. government paid war reparations to any country it attacked?
According to Wikipedia, the U.S. has never paid any war reparations to members of other countries. It has only paid damage to its Japanese citizens for interning them…
Sayaman
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39
votes
5 answers
Why is Colorado so different politically from nearby states?
In the 2018 midterms, Democrats gained control of Colorado’s Senate and elected a Democratic governor (the previous three governors were Democrats, too).
However, nearby states like Utah and Wyoming very consistently vote Republican. Why is Colorado…
Stormblessed
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39
votes
6 answers
Did Erdoǧan cheat in the 2018 election?
Did Erdoǧan cheat in the 2018 Turkish election?
Cheating means, for example:
Gerrymandering
Buying/bribing/scaring voters
Jailing/scaring/assassinating candidates
Interrupting/blocking candidates from canvassing
Ballot stuffing
Manipulating the…
user21304
39
votes
3 answers
Why does the BBC claim that there is 'no clear winner' in England's 2018 local elections?
In the latest local elections in May, Labour won 2,350 seats (up 77), the Conservatives 1,332 (down 33). There were other parties involved, but these are the main two.
The BBC has an article (2018-05-05) claiming that:
No clear party winner has…
user7809
39
votes
4 answers
In the US, what is the role of and relationship between federal law and state law?
(This is an attempt at a canonical question about an important distinction in US law and politics that is different than many other countries. It was suggested by this comment on another question. I'm looking for a "101-level primer" not a…
BradC
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39
votes
5 answers
Why hasn't the US tried to stop the North Korean missiles?
The US has several anti-ballistic missile systems in South Korea and I think some more in Japan, so why haven't they tried to shoot down the North Korean missiles, like the one that North Korea just shot over Japan?
It seems to me that if a missile…
Daishozen
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39
votes
4 answers
Why is Canada's bill C-16 believed to be legislating pronoun use?
The Canadian bill C-16 ("An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code") has been the subject of heated debate and controversy. I admit I hadn't followed it very closely, but I've seen many articles and videos discussing that…
terdon
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39
votes
14 answers
Why are chemical weapons such a big deal?
Trump seemed to be a big supporter of the current Syrian regime up until the recent chemical weapons attack. But why are chemical weapons such a big deal? What's the difference between killing 100 people with a bomb and doing the same with a…
JonathanReez
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38
votes
2 answers
How is Senator Tuberville able to block all military promotions?
It has been widely reported that Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is somehow single-handedly holding up all military nominations and promotions in the US Senate:
AP: Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the…
BradC
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