April 1, 2016–During a speech at the State University of New York on Friday morning, a hearty gust of wind lifted Hillary Clinton’s blouse about eight inches, revealing a six pack.

“I’ve been on a strict diet and exercise routine since Iowa,” Clinton told NYBC 4 after the speech. “High-intensity interval training. Heavy weight, low rep.”

Clinton is only the latest presidential candidate working to slim down in hopes of nabbing the Powerlifter vote, a key demographic, especially in the upcoming primaries in New England. Jeb Bush and Chris Christie put forth similar efforts, before they hung up their Harbinger Big Grip No Slip Weightlifting Straps and bowed out of the race for the Republican nomination.

Neither had as much success as Clinton. When Jeb Bush showed off his new body at a speech in New Hampshire in February he was forced to meekly ask an unimpressed gathering, “Please clap” — this was widely marked as the beginning of the end for his campaign.

“Hillary Clinton has consistently lagged behind her main Democratic rival in the power clean, deadlift, and leg press,” Bernie Sanders campaign spokesman Dean Waterston said in a press release after the breeze incident at SUNY, which some have already called Washboardgate. “It’s no surprise to us that the secretary would start high-intensity interval training at this stage of the campaign, it’s just disappointing it’s politically motivated. Senator Sanders has been lifting for decades, since his time at the University of Chicago.”

“Let me be perfectly clear,” Bernie Sanders told a reporter at Dalia’s Cafe in Soho, “Secretary Clinton’s Super PAC has received huge sums of money from the Supplemental Industry. The top tenth of 1% is not donating to her expecting nothing in return. We have to put an end to the reckless greed of Big Protein that is wrecking this economy.”

“I am so sick of these lies,” Clinton later snapped at a Louie’s Gym member at a campaign rally in Brooklyn on Friday afternoon. “I have never taken a single supplement to make these kinds of gains.”

Clinton is not the only one facing criticism, however. The Democratic National Committee is under fire from Bernie Sanders supporters concerned about what kind of advantage the supersets will give Clinton over Sanders when the race draws to a close. Clinton also leads Sanders in regular sets.

“She really looks great,” Bill Clinton said when pressed to comment on the incident. “She’s been working hard.” Chuckling, he continued, “Sometimes I spot her.”

Donald Trump, no stranger to controversy in this election, told a crowd of supporters in Wisconsin, “I shouldn’t say it, I feel bad saying it, believe me, but you have to wonder if Bill would have spent more time at home if Hillary had had abs like that a long time ago. I shouldn’t say that, I feel terrible. Terrible.”

Facing a firestorm of criticism, Trump later walked back the comment.

At about the same time, The Madison Times reported Ted Cruz broke his back going for a new wide-stance squat P.R. of 55 pounds.

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Tennessee’s Republican-led congress approved a bill on Monday, April 4, 2016, that would make the Holy Bible the official state book; it is unclear whether G.O.P. governor Bill Haslam will sign it into law, though he has said before he sees it as disrespectful and perhaps unconstitutional.

The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Steve Southerland, argues the Bible’s historical and cultural contributions to Tennessee makes it worthy of such a designation. The Tennessean writes Southerland made an “emotional plea in favor of the legislation,” even quoting one of his Jewish friends who supports the bill in an attempt to demonstrate people of minority faiths could get behind the idea.

In Tennessee, 3% of adults are of faiths other than Christianity and 14% are atheists, agnostics, or otherwise unaffiliated.

Opponents see the bill as a blatant “endorsement of religion” (Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery), a violation of precedents that separate church and state and establish secular government, including but not limited to the U.S. Constitution.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation called the bill a “supremely inappropriate attempt by zealous legislators to force Christian ideology upon all Tennesseans, regardless of their religious — or nonreligious — preferences” and implied the bill was illegal.

Some religious Republicans opposed the measure because they saw it as degrading the Bible; the senate majority leader even called it “sacrilegious.” The Bible would join other state symbols such as the official reptile (Eastern box turtle) and wild animal (raccoon).

Tennessee would be the first state to make the Bible its official state book. Lawmakers in Mississippi and Louisiana tried in 2015 but failed.

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Physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill may soon be the law of the land in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supports the legislation introduced on Thursday, April 14, 2016. It is expected to be voted into law, as the Liberal Party controls most of the legislature. In February 2015, the Canadian Supreme Court struck down a ban on assisted suicide for people with serious medical conditions, a ban upheld since 1993.

Americans would not be able to take advantage of the policy by heading north. According to The New York Times, “The proposed law limits physician-assisted suicides to Canadians and residents, who are eligible to participate in the national health care system, preventing a surge in medical tourism among the dying from other countries.”

Adult Canadians could get medical drugs from their doctors and end their lives by themselves or with family, or have their doctors help them at the hospital. A doctor would be required to refer people to other doctors if he or she personally objected to assisted suicide. Canadians with mental health issues would not be included in those eligible.

Germany, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Columbia, and other nations have legalized assisted suicide.

A matter of fierce debate over whether people deserve the right to kill themselves to end their suffering, this is as controversial in the United States as it is in Canada. Assisted suicide is legal in 5 states; one in six Americans can therefore legally end their lives in this manner.

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On Friday, April 15, 2016, Kshama Sawant — social justice activist, socialist, and Seattle city councilwoman — called for Bernie Sanders to form a new political party (or join the Green Party) and run as an independent if he does not clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Sawant launched a petition to gather support for the idea, not dissimilar from one created earlier on MoveOn.org.

Sawant wrote:

The stakes are too high to let this moment slip through our fingers… We can’t allow the corporate media, Wall Street PACs, and the Democratic Party establishment to derail this movement before the real presidential election even begins. An independent run by Bernie could open a new era in American politics if linked to building a new party for the 99% and laying the foundation for an ongoing mass political movement that runs hundreds of left candidates for all levels of government, independent of corporate cash.

In an article for Occupy Wall Street, Sawant declared that the “Democratic Party establishment is completely opposed to this political revolution,” in which Sanders is “a lightening rod for the enormous discontent at the billionaire class and its domination over the political system.”

Addressing concerns among many on the Left, including Bernie Sanders himself, that an independent run would draw votes away from Hillary Clinton and hand the Republicans the White House, Sawant suggests Sanders wouldn’t necessarily need to run to win, but rather build a force for future elections:

…there is no reason he could not at least run in the 40+ states where it’s absolutely clear the Democratic or Republican candidate will win, while not putting his name on the 5-10 closely contested “swing states”… The confidence and energy our youthful, working-class political revolution will turn into demoralization and disorganization if the movement is corralled into Clinton’s Wall Street funded campaign…

The Green Party is a third party (remember Ralph Nader?) that will be on the ballot in at least 20 states when the U.S. votes in November. Its platform closely aligns with Bernie Sanders’. Its “Four Pillars” are Peace (ending U.S. wars and its global military presence), Ecology (renewable energy), Social Justice (stronger wages for workers), and Democracy (expanding the voice of the people and getting money out of the political process).

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In a nation with a two-party system as firmly entrenched as in the United States, there exists political motive to inhibit the growth of other parties. Republicans and Democrats alike would naturally shy away from broadening competition for votes and thus competition for power. The fact that third parties have existed for a long time but are still waging war state by state to even get on the November ballot is a testament to the struggle between established power and new challengers.

Ballot access laws ensure getting on the ballot in all 50 states is extremely difficult; if it were easy, if the procedures less complex and stringent, older third parties would today have the same access to voters that the two major parties enjoy (and maybe even access to the debate stage — which only happens if the Commission of Presidential Debates says it’s OK).

There are three minor parties making progress toward total ballot access. Here’s a brief summary of each.

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY: SOCIALLY LIBERAL, FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE 

The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971. In general, Libertarians believe in maximizing personal freedoms (such as the right to drug use or abortion), minimizing government interference in citizen affairs (like ending government surveillance), and terminating U.S. military invasions and bombings in foreign nations. The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 32 states.

THE GREEN PARTY: VERY LIBERAL

The Green Party began in 1984. It’s “Four Pillars” are: Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice. They emphasize the use of tax wealth to meet human needs like universal healthcare, want to reduce the military budget and keep the U.S. out of wars, and want to end corporate control of the U.S. political process. They are on the ballot in 20 states.

THE CONSTITUTION PARTY: VERY CONSERVATIVE

The Constitution Party was recognized in 1996. This party stresses the need to follow the Constitution according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers. Members oppose abortion rights and gay rights, and support states’ rights, religious liberties, and Second Amendment rights. The Constitution Party will be on the ballot in 18 states.

AND MORE

To see who you can vote for in your state, hit up the Sample Ballot Lookup on BallotPedia. There are many to choose from besides the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution parties, from veterans to socialists.

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