Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing related to the nation’s use of military forces. The hearing included testimonies about the law of armed conflict as well as the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. The war authorization was passed after 9/11 and allows the President to put military forces anywhere. As you can imagine, this power outraged many policy makers, especially those committed to bringing all troops back home. 

Earlier this week, President Obama nominated Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx to become Secretary of the Department of Transportation. As the President solidifies his second-term cabinet, transportation policy comes to the forefront.

Mad Men is about to make Emmy history with the highest number of nominations for a drama series. The show depicts an era of American history when the priorities, preferences, and opinions of men prevailed in the public and private spheres of American life, often to the detriment of women. While the show is set in the 1960s, we could imagine what its storyline would look like if written for today's era.

You have to wonder about the level of Mitt Romney's desperation to select Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate. By all accounts, Mr. Ryan seems like a nice all-American guy: former McDonald's employee, waiter, and personal fitness trainer. But all of these ordinary working class jobs Ryan held in his youth do not cover the fact that he is aiding and abetting the most extraordinary financial heist in U.S. history.

Dear former Senator Alan Simpson,

I've seen you on television chatting up your debt reduction proposal with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, Savannah Guthrie of the Today Show and Bob Schieffer of Face the Nation. And while you come across as a likable guy, your claim to be working on behalf of the next generation of young Americans is bogus. Here's why.

You see, your argument rests on a big myth: that in order to save Social Security and Medicare for the young, you have to cut our benefits. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are fairer ways to ensure that these pillars of American progress stand the test of time. One option includes making wealthy individuals pay more by lifting Social Security's cap on wages, currently set at $110,100.

On Wednesday, progress for gun control in America was challenged by the defeat of a bipartisan bill. The bill between Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) sought to expand the national background check system for gun ownership. Despite the support from Republican and Democrat lawmakers and the impact of gun-related tragedies, politics held precedence over American people. Experts provide perspectives on the defeat of the gun control legislation.