We are The Commonwealth Club of California's @cwclub civics education initiative. Visit our website to learn about our student-focused civil dialogue projects.
San Francisco, CA
Joined October 2021
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As July is ending, #Congress prepares for its August recess. How many days a year is Congress in session? There are...
101 days where both houses are in session.
51 days where only the #Senate is in session.
15 days where only the House is in session.
rollcall.com/2022/12/13/sena…
The #WagnerGroup, Russia's "private military," has received a lot of press this month.
Q: Does the US have an equivalent private military?
A: Sort of.
The Pentagon has used tens of thousands of mercenaries and "civilian contractors," for decades.
politico.com/news/magazine/2…
Last year, #Egypt's President #ElSisi promised increased dialogue with political opposition.
#PatrickZaki was sentenced today to 3 years in prison, convicted of spreading "fake news."
Egyptians say conditions for political dissent are not improving.
nytimes.com/2023/07/18/world…
As #bookbans hit #libraries across the country, some states are implementing preventative measures.
#Pennsylvania is looking to follow #Illinois, by requiring any state-funded libraries to develop language around preserving the "Right to Read" for all.
bookriot.com/pennsylvania-se…
With #Ukraine’s efforts to join, #NATO has become a well-known acronym to many.
However, NATO (1949) is just one of several modern alliances.
The Tratado Interamericano de Asistencia Recíproca (1947), or TIAR, actually pre-dates NATO by 2 years.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-…
The president of #ElSalvador, #NayibBukele, whose policing & prison policies have been criticized abroad, is very popular domestically.
He's running for president again. Experts say that his reelection could violate at least 4 constitutional articles.
apnews.com/article/bukele-el…
In 1978 the #ICWA was passed to address the issue of Native children, separated from their families, being placed in non-Native homes.
Today, the #SupremeCourt ruled (7-2) to preserve the system, which preferences Native American families in foster care & adoption proceedings.
Secretary of State #AntonyBlinken is travelling to #Beijing.
How much does the US's top diplomat travel?
A lot.
Secretary of State John Kerry (2013-2017) travelled 1,000,000+ miles, spent 118 days worth of time in the air, & visited 90+ countries.
npr.org/sections/parallels/2…
#Trump will be arraigned today in Miami.
Storing sensitive documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom is unusual, but how unusual are paper documents?
Most #ClassifiedDocuments are electronic, but some of the most sensitive material is produced ONLY on paper.
cnn.com/interactive/2023/06/…
3-time Italian PM #SilvioBerlusconi has died. As owner of #ACMilan and partial owner of #MediaForEurope (MFE), his influence was felt throughout #Italy.
His path of businessman turned politician (1994) was closely mirrored by former US President #Trump.
reuters.com/world/europe/for…
This morning the #SupremeCourt rejected #Alabama's new state voting map.
That state redistricted after the 2020 census, but the Court ruled (5-4) that new district boundaries intentionally limit the influence and strength of the black vote in the state.
nytimes.com/2023/06/08/us/su…
Today kicks off #China's #gaokao college entrance exams. The 2-4 day test highlights the uniqueness of China's population size, economy, and higher ed system.
Economists worry: The 12.91 million test takers outnumber the 9.56 million babies born in 2022.
aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/7/…
QUESTION: Is former VP #MikePence the first person to run against the President (#Trump) who chose him as running mate?
ANSWER: No
In 1800, VP Jefferson ran against President Adams. This was pre-12th Amendment (1804) and the two did not get along.
apnews.com/article/pence-tru…
Could librarians and booksellers really be sent to prison in #Arkansas?
An Arkansas law going into effect in August, will require any material that might be "HARMFUL TO MINORS" to be shelved in "ADULTS ONLY" areas in bookstores and libraries.
#bookban
nytimes.com/2023/06/02/books…
FREE MEMBERSHIPS FOR GRADUATES!
Did you just graduate?
Did somebody you know just graduate?
Are you about to? Are they?
Recent COLLEGE and HIGH SCHOOL graduates can get a FREE 12-month membership with The Commonwealth Club.
Details on our website:
commonwealthclub.org/events/…
#Somalia announced its plans to introduce universal suffrage for its 2024 elections.
Men & women have had the right to vote since 1960, but Somalia uses a complex election system, installed to promote peace, where parliament members are chosen by clans.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Monday was #MemorialDay, where we remember the 1,000,000+ service members who died in service to the US.
Statistics around service members who have died in "conflicts" vs "wars" can be hard to find.
Why? The US hasn't actually declared war since WWII.
time.com/3399479/war-powers-…
700,000+ individuals of "Mexican origin" live in #Florida. The state's governor, #RonDeSantis, is running for president.
Yesterday, Mexican President #LópezObrador said,
"Hopefully Hispanics in Florida will wake up and not give him one single vote."
thehill.com/latino/4020967-m…
Grover Cleveland was the 1st and only US president to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms (1884; 1892).
#DonaldTrump is attempting to become the 2nd.
To do that, he'll have to battle #RonDeSantis, who launches his campaign today, for the Republican nomination.
nbcnews.com/politics/2024-el…