Politics

(CNN)When it comes to economic innovation, the rich are getting richer -- and that's generating increasing social frustration and political turmoil for the winners and losers alike as the digital revolution rolls through the American economy. Over the past 15 years, employment in the computer- and science-based industries at the forward edge of economic change has further concentrated into a handful of superstar cities, according to a sweeping new study released Monday by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. Just 20 large metropolitan areas now account for a clear majority of the nation's jobs in the 13 high-productivity industries that the authors identify as the nation's most innovative. This narrowing distribution of America's most cutting edge, research-intensive industries -- including pharmaceuticals, software, aerospace, data processing, and computer and communications manufacturing -- has … [Read more...] about How uneven economic growth feeds political turmoil

close Video Attorney General Barr: We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon The job of the Justice Department is over, the Mueller report is in the hands of the American people and there's an election in 18 months, Attorney General William Barr tells Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Attorney General William Barr fired back Wednesday at Democrats who for weeks have called his integrity into question over his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report, suggesting during a testy Capitol Hill hearing they were only using the issue to score political points ahead of the 2020 election -- and advising that the DOJ's role in the controversy is now "over." “We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon,” Barr said during a back-and-forth with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Dick Blumenthal. BARR REVEALS TENSIONS WITH … [Read more...] about Barr accuses Dems of using criminal justice process as ‘political weapon,’ as hearing tensions flare

A report by the Justice Department's inspector general released Monday sharply criticized the FBI's handling of a wiretap application used in its Russia investigation but exonerated former bureau leaders of President Trump's accusations that they engaged in a politicized conspiracy to sabotage him.Investigators uncovered "no documentary or testimonial evidence" of political bias behind official actions related to the investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane, according to The New York Times. The FBI had sufficient evidence in July 2016 to lawfully open the investigation, and its use of informants to approach campaign aides followed procedures, the inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, determined, the Times reported.You can read the full Horowitz report here.Here is The New York Times story on the report.Subscribe … [Read more...] about FBI Russia Inquiry: Report Rips FBI, Finds No Anti-Trump Plot

Nigel Farage has said that after Brexit, he and his party’s “new radicals” will push for “genuine reform” of the British political system.Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, the Brexit Party leader said: “If we get Brexit, then the idea that British politics goes back to where it’s been is an anathema.” Mr Farage said that he wanted “genuine reform” of the voting system, including reforming postal voting and scrapping the House of Lords. “We are the new radicals and we want genuine change,” he said. The Leave campaigner had revealed that he had registered the Reform Party if the UK does leave the EU, with the rebranded movement being a vehicle to “campaign to change politics for good”. While Mr Farage believes that it is possible for the Brexit Party to gain a few seats in the election, he told BBC listeners not to underestimate a small party’s ability to grow in influence, … [Read more...] about Farage’s ‘New Radicals’ Will Push for Political Reform After Brexit

Democrats are echoing the worst impeachment in American history — the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 — by drafting an article of impeachment that accuses President Donald Trump of “abuse of power.”The Washington Post reported Monday evening that, barely hours after the first and last hearing in the House Judiciary Committee to consider the evidence against the president, with no fact witnesses, Democrats were preparing two articles of impeachment. The first concerned “abuse of power,” and the second concerned “obstruction of justice.” (Articles alleging “bribery” and “obstruction of justice” were apparently dropped.) The argument for “abuse of power” is flimsy and draws on the worst possible precedent. Left-wing legal scholar Cass Sunstein, a former Obama administration official, actually argued in his 2017 book Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide that “abuse of … [Read more...] about Democrats’ ‘Abuse of Power’ Article Revives Disastrous Johnson Impeachment