Congressional productivity is up – but many new laws overturn Obama-era rules
This Congress has passed more substantive bills so far in its session than any since 2007 – though nearly a third of them were to undo Obama-era rules.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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U.S. active-duty military presence overseas is at its smallest in decades
The number of active-duty U.S. military troops stationed overseas has dipped below 200,000 for the first time in at least 60 years.
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God or the divine is referenced in every state constitution
God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall.
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John Kelly’s military background is unusual for a White House chief of staff
John Kelly is the first chief of staff in more than four decades to come from the upper ranks of the military, and unlike most of his predecessors he has no prior work experience in the White House or campaign politics.
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U.S. House seats rarely flip to other party in special elections
Special elections to the U.S. House of Representatives tend to be low-turnout events, historically speaking, and seldom result in seats switching from one party to another.
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Trump’s nominees have already faced a large number of cloture votes
The president has been slow to nominate people to fill key posts, and most of those he has named have had to overcome the cloture hurdle before being confirmed.
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Public Trust in Government Remains Near Historic Lows as Partisan Attitudes Shift
Changes in the dynamics of power in Washington have registered with members of both political parties.
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Sub-Saharan Africa experienced largest increase in religious restrictions in 2015
While sub-Saharan Africa had fewer religious restrictions than many other parts of the world in 2015, it experienced a larger increase than any other region.
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Many Americans haven’t heard of the House Freedom Caucus
About four-in-ten adults say they have heard “nothing at all” about the Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republican lawmakers in the House.
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Public Dissatisfaction With Washington Weighs on the GOP
While the party retains its advantage over the Democrats on handling terrorism, it has lost ground on immigration and foreign policy, and 68% of the public sees the Republican Party as “mostly divided.”
