The Supreme Court Immunity Ruling Now Complicating Trump’s Hush Money Case
On January 10, 2025, a New York judge sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge—a sentence with no punishment at all—in the Manhattan hush money case. No jail time, no…
What Happens to a Conviction If a Case Moves to Federal Court After Trial
A former president sits convicted in New York state court while a federal judge decides whether that conviction should be thrown out—a question American courts have almost never confronted. The…
Latest
An Independent Team to Decode Government
Our articles are referenced by trusted think tanks and publications including Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill, and USA Today.
Your Money & Home
How CFIUS Reviews Dual-Use Technology Mergers for National Security
A small federal committee called CFIUS has the power to reshape, delay, or kill Elon Musk's $1.25 trillion merger between…
FCC Spectrum Limits Were Designed for Dozens of Operators. One Wants Millions of Satellites.
SpaceX operates over 9,400 satellites. When Elon Musk announced the company's acquisition of xAI in a deal valued at $1.25…
Can the FTC Block Private Company Mergers? The Authority Is Murky.
Elon Musk announced a $1.25 trillion deal in early February 2026: SpaceX would acquire xAI. The deal raised a question…
Your Health & Safety
What Happens When Federal Agents Kill a U.S. Citizen During Enforcement
On January 7, 2026, federal immigration agents shot Renée Good while she sat in her Honda Pilot in Minneapolis. Seventeen…
The Fourth Amendment Rules ICE Must Follow—And What Happens When They Don’t
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot Renée Good three times through her windshield in south Minneapolis on January…
Federal Law Enforcement Shootings Face Almost No Outside Review. Here’s Why.
When a Border Patrol agent shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, federal authorities blocked state investigators from the scene. No written…
Your Voice & Rights
The Constitutional Limits on Federal Control of State Elections
But there's a problem. The Constitution might not allow it. The question isn't whether these policies are good or bad—though…
Voter Roll Purges: What Due Process Protections the Law Requires
The Make Elections Great Again Act, introduced by House Republicans in late January 2026 under the leadership of Rep. Bryan…
If MEGA Act Passes, These Voting Rights Act Protections Could Vanish
This bill doesn't repeal the Voting Rights Act. It creates rules that directly conflict with the VRA—you can't follow both…
Your World
Export Controls Meet Commercial Space: The Regulatory Gray Zone
On February 2, 2026, Elon Musk announced a $1.25 trillion merger between SpaceX and his artificial intelligence firm xAI. The…
3,000 Federal Agents Just Arrived. Who Pays for the Local Impact?
Minneapolis police logged $3 million in overtime costs in twelve days. That's for one city. Factor in lost tax revenue…
Congress Funds NASA and SpaceX Differently. Here’s Why That Matters.
While both missions are scheduled for February 2026, the timing is more complex than a simple five-day gap. The two…
FAA Licenses Every Commercial Spaceflight—Even for NASA Astronauts
In February 2026, SpaceX will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station—two NASA astronauts along with crew members from…
Trending Federal Guidance
Understanding the Social Security Earnings Limit
You can receive Social Security retirement or survivor benefits while still employed. However, if you begin receiving benefits before reaching your Full Retirement Age (FRA), specific rules limit how much…
USPS Package Size Limits
Whether you're shipping products nationwide as a small business owner or sending gifts to loved…
Understanding Your Passport Costs: A Clear Guide to Fees
Getting a U.S. passport is your ticket to international travel, but understanding the associated costs…
Step-by-Step Guide for Applying for Social Security Benefits
Navigating Social Security benefits doesn't have to be complicated. This guide breaks down the application…
USPS Media Mail Rules and Restrictions
Media Mail is an economy shipping service provided by the USPS specifically for sending media…
Other Top Federal Guidance
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Employees: Understanding Your Rights Under the FLSA
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the cornerstone of federal wage and hour law in the United States. Enacted…
Your Guide to Filing a Complaint About HHS Programs and Services
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is the federal government's primary agency dedicated to protecting the health…
Applying for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): A Guide for Families
Finding affordable health insurance for children is a top priority for many families. The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is…
Understanding Soil Health: USDA Guidance for Healthy Land and Sustainable Futures
When we think about the ground beneath our feet, we might just see dirt. But the United States Department of…
Medicaid Expansion Under the ACA: A State-by-State Guide
Medicaid is a cornerstone of the U.S. health safety net, a joint program funded by the federal government and individual…
You May Also Like
What Happens to U.S. Funding After Withdrawing from International Organizations
The United States owes the United Nations over $4 billion in unpaid bills. Now the administration is moving to withdraw from dozens of international organizations entirely, setting off a tangled…
Does Congress Have Power to Block Treaty Withdrawals? The Legal Battle Ahead
On February 4, 2026, President Trump signed a directive ordering the United States to exit sixty-six international organizations and treaties simultaneously—the largest mass withdrawal from global commitments in American history.…
How Criminal Contempt of Congress Works—And When It’s Actually Enforced
On February 3, 2026, something unusual happened: Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to testify before Congress about what they knew about Jeffrey Epstein. They'd spent months resisting. Their lawyers had…
Do Former Presidents Have Special Privileges to Refuse Congressional Testimony?
The agreement to provide private testimony sessions later this month represents a dramatic collision between two fundamentally different views of executive power: whether former officials can claim constitutional protections that…
From Motor Voter to MEGA Act: 30 Years of Federal Election Law Battles
Over thirty years later, Republicans in Congress have introduced what amounts to a dramatic shift in federal election policy. A new bill doesn't reverse the philosophy of making registration convenient—it…
Why Speaker Johnson Can Only Lose One Vote—And How That Broke Congress
Speaker Mike Johnson needs 218 votes to pass anything. One member with the flu, one at a funeral, one facing a tough primary—any of these kills the bill. When Johnson…
How a Government Shutdown Affects Federal Workers, Benefits, and Services
By Tuesday, February 3, 2026, House Republicans prepared for a vote with almost no margin for error. The outcome would determine whether millions of Americans would continue experiencing disruptions to…
When Congress Funds DHS for Just Two Weeks, Border Operations Face Chaos
Not two months. Two weeks. Whether immigration agents should wear body cameras. Whether they can stop people on the street without a judge's permission. Whether they need to coordinate with…
When Congress Misses a Funding Deadline, Here’s What Happens Next
At 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, January 31, 2026, the United States government entered a partial shutdown. Congress wasn't absent or unaware. The deadline had expired. The paperwork wasn't…
Senate Fails to Advance Appropriations Bills Over Immigration Dispute
The Senate blocked its own government funding package late Thursday night, with eight Republicans joining every Democrat to reject a six-bill spending measure that would have kept most of the…
When Congress Withholds Funding: How Agencies Decide Who Works Without Pay
In January 2026, hundreds of thousands of federal employees woke up to an email they'd been dreading. Some learned they were sent home without pay—no work, no paycheck, uncertain when…