The New Republic

With $85 billion in budget cuts set to take effect Friday, when the sequester kicks in, there's been plenty of debate about whether the economy will spiral back into a recession. In search of some clarity, The New Republic asked economists from across the political spectrum a simple question, "Will the sequester start another recession?" The answers were a bit more complicated.It could. And either way, it's dumb policy. READ MORE >>

In the month since the Newtown massacre, there has been an onslaught of state legislation related to guns—both to broaden, and restrict, owners’ rights. With Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to present his gun-violence task force’s recommendations on Tuesday, and New York state reportedly poised to vote on comprehensive gun legislation, here’s a roundup of ten measures being pushed around the country. South Carolina Less than a week after Sandy Hook, a Republican delegate introduced legislation that would allow school employees with concealed-weapons permits to bring their guns to work. Each employee seeking to bring his or her weapon onto school grounds would need approval from the school board and could not have a history of violence. But even in the state’s Republican-controlled legislature, such a bill is far from a sure bet. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, a representative tried to pass a similar bill that would have allowed concealed carry on public school grounds, but the bill died on the House floor. New Jersey Members of the New Jersey Legislature introduced 18 bills related to gun control at the start of the 2013 session. One of the more controversial ones: a bill that would require people seeking a gun permit to undergo a psychological evaluation. Under the proposal introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, prospective gun owners would submit to the same kind of evaluation performed on police officers. Her bill would also call for police officers to inspect prospective gun owners’ homes to determine if the weapon would be properly kept away from children and the mentally ill. If it passes, the law would rank among the strictest in the country.IllinoisAfter the Illinois General Assembly failed to act on gun control during its recent lame-duck session, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took matters into his own hands.  The former White House chief of staff is drafting a Chicago-only gun ordinance that he hopes will push state legislators to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, according to the Chicago-Sun Times.  It is unclear exactly what his ordinance will entail, but the mayor’s team expects—and is ready—for whatever Emanuel passes to be challenged in court. READ MORE >>

In 2006, the Israeli Defense Forces made a relatively simple policy change that required soldiers to leave their weapons at their bases when they headed home for the weekend.  The result: a staggering 40 percent drop in the suicide rate among soldiers aged 18-21, according to a November 2010 study. READ MORE >>

Update: As of 5 p.m. there have been 71,849 calls into Election Protection’s 866-OUR-VOTE Hotline. The trends throughout the day include confusion over voter ID requirements in multiple states; long lines at the polls in part due to early voting restrictions; and inadequate preparation throughout the country—not enough voting machines or polling officials—for a large voter turnout. READ MORE >>

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Mitt Romney has long avoided explicitly calling President Obama a socialist, but desperate times call for desperate measures—and that includes another dubious ad, this one linking Obama with a triumvirate of famous socialists. READ MORE >>

Is Canada getting ready to endorse Romney-Ryan? No–but it’s safe to say that our northern neighbor has endorsed the Republican vice-presidential candidate’s abs. READ MORE >>

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