| As Brexit racks Parliament, British democracy feels the strain Posted: 14 Jan 2019 02:00 PM PST ![As Brexit racks Parliament, British democracy feels the strain]( "As Brexit racks Parliament, British democracy feels the strain") Britain's decision to exit the European Union has divided the country and its political parties. In the high-stakes battle over Brexit, a sense of restraint has given way to a bare-knuckles contest in which conventions are flouted and rules reinterpreted in ways that could unsettle future democratic governance. "I think Brexit is pushing the rules of what is normal behavior ever further because it's such an extraordinary situation," says Catherine Haddon, a historian and senior fellow at the Institute for Government in London.
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| Trump pick for ‘top cop’ on hot seat: Is Mueller criticism disqualifying? Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:42 PM PST ![Trump pick for 'top cop' on hot seat: Is Mueller criticism disqualifying?]( "Trump pick for 'top cop' on hot seat: Is Mueller criticism disqualifying?") On Tuesday, former Attorney General William Barr will begin two days of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine his fitness to serve in the Trump administration as the nation's top law enforcement officer. What makes the nomination especially controversial is that as attorney general, Mr. Barr would have the authority to assume full supervision of the ongoing Trump-Russia investigation.
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| The global suicide rate has seen a net decline. What caused it? Posted: 14 Jan 2019 12:00 PM PST ![The global suicide rate has seen a net decline. What caused it?]( "The global suicide rate has seen a net decline. What caused it?") By some accounts, 2018 was a difficult year – conflicts raged in the Middle East, migrants swung between the difficulties of lives left behind and uncertain futures, and rising populist anger threatened to reshape political landscapes. Yet amid the doom and gloom shone one significant point of progress: The global suicide rate hit its lowest point in two decades.
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| When big nations need a little tête-à-tête Posted: 14 Jan 2019 11:29 AM PST ![When big nations need a little tête-à-tête]( "When big nations need a little tête-à-tête") In the anti-elite politics and protests of today's democracies, leaders are eager for new ways to gauge public opinion. Many of the old ways – elections, polling, referendums, even Twitter – just seem inadequate to shape consensus. "Change can only come," he tells them, "if we are only able to change ourselves." Mexico's new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, takes questions during hourlong press conferences – every workday starting at 7 a.m. and live on YouTube.
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