For the last forty years, California has required that new taxes earmarked for a specific purpose be approved by a two-thirds supermajority in a general election to pass. But the state’s supreme court has thrown out this protection for new tax initiatives that are brought forward by a citizens’ group, rather than by government directly. Predictably, new and expensive tax initiatives are now being brought by citizens’ groups and are passing by simple majority when they would not pass by the previous supermajority rule.

Hoover Institution fellow Adam White discusses  the importance of Gundy v. United States, an update on President Trump's administrative state—including his many non-confirmed employees and how this gives him flexibility—as well as the non-Iran strike and the latest on the non-delegation doctrine's future.

In a political environment of stark partisanship, the understandable tendency in presidential campaigns is to focus on the conflict between candidates. Sometimes these conflicts are around ideas, often they are of a more personal nature. The rapid-fire, continuous loop of digital media amplifies this approach, and obviously voters find it important as well to inform their decisions. But there is another metric for choosing our leaders that can be more predictive of success in the White House, particularly in times of historic challenges that transcend party differences. And that is the combination of leadership skills that make up the alchemy of a transformational presidency.

Hoover Institution fellow Lanhee Chen discusses immigration, Iran, Joe Biden's comments about working across the isle, and much more.