Gunman kills three in US abortion clinic shooting (5)

Gunman being moved to police vehicle in Colorado Springs, CO

Identified suspect Robert Lewis Dear, 57, stormed in an abortion clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado and shot and killed three people and wounded nine others. The attack began around noon when the shooter entered the clinic and began shooting. He then proceeded to engage in a gun battle with the police. Dear killed two civilians and one police officer. The nine surviving victims are now in good condition. The motive for the attack is not clear, but it can be assumed to be a result of the repeated protests by anti-abortion rights activists.

Aljazeera: Gunman kills three in US abortion clinic shooting

Ben Carson Calls Transgender Military Members a Distraction (4)

Ben Carson calls transgender military members a distraction

At an event in Waterloo, Iowa, Ben Carson told veterans that the military is "not the place to deal with the transgender thing". He states that he prefers the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy. Currently, there are around 15,000 transgender people who serve in the military but hide their gender identities because it is banned to serve in the military if you are trans. Carson is a firm believer in a strong military, and is concerned with the possibility of allowing transgender people to serve in the military. He states that "the military has a very important job, their job is to protect us. The last thing they need are a bunch of distractions".

The Huffington Post: Ben Carson Calls Transgender Military Members a Distraction

Clinton says term 'radical Islam' is an injustice to vast majority of Muslims (3)

Hilary Clinton works from a desk inside C-17 military plane during her departure from Malta

After the San Bernardino massacre, Hilary Clinton refused to say that "radical Islamists" or "Islamic extremists" were behind the terror attack. She told ABC news that, "I don't want to do that because, No. 1, it doesn't do justice to the vast numbers of Muslims in our own country and around the world who are peaceful people". Her comments and President Obama's comments about the recent terrorist attacks have intensified into a huge debate on whether to call Muslims who commit terror strikes "radical Islamists", "Islamic extremists" or "violent extremists". Both the president and Hilary have used the term "violent extremists" and refuse to use the work "Islamic".

Fox News: Clinton says term 'radical Islam' an injustice to vast majority of Muslims

ISIS claims responsibility for San Bernardino shooting (2)

Tashfeen Malik, 29, and Syed Rizwan Farooo, 28 

On Wednesday, U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farooo, 28, and his Pakistanian spouse, Tashfeen Malik, 29, stormed in San Bernardino's Inland Regional Center in California and shot and killed a group of country health department workers who were hosting a holiday party. ISIS said that the murderous couple were followers of the Syria and Iraq based terror group. Hours after the murder, the couple was killed in a shoot out with the police. About three years ago, Malik became an intense follower of the Muslim faith. Apparently, she pledged her allegiance to ISIS on Facebook right before the murder. The FBI is investigating whether or not this is a credible attack from ISIS. FBI Director James Comey stated that the investigation pointed to "radicalization of the killers and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations."

NY Daily News: ISIS Claims responsibility for San Bernardino shooting

Solid November Jobs Report Boosts US Stocks (1)

Two businessmen consulting one another on the trade floor

For the month of November, the U.S. added 211,000 jobs for the American people. By providing these jobs, it has shown that the economy is highly ready for takeoff at the next Federal Reserve meeting, where the first rate hike in 9.5 years could take place. After rallying the November job reports, stocks celebrated their huge gains. The Dow finished up 369 points, the S&P 500 closed up 41 points, and the Nasque finished up 104 points. McDonalds is the #3 winner in the Dow, hitting a lifetime high and trading above $115 a share.

Fox Business: Solid November Jobs Report boosts U.S. Stocks

Ebola returns to Liberia months after nation declared free of virus (5)

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf discussing Ebola outbreak on CNN

Three confirmed cases of the Ebola virus have been found in Liberia. Just two months earlier, Liberia declared free of the deadly disease. All three of the confirmed cases are undergoing treatment at an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, Liberia's capital. The World Health Organization and Liberia's health minister, Dr. Bernice Dahn, believe that more cases will probably emerge. However, Dahn is confident that Liberia will stop the virus and eventually win the fight against Ebola. Liberia has the highest number of fatalities from the Ebola outbreak with 4,808 deaths.

CNN: Ebola returns to Liberia months after nation declared free of virus

Ben Carson compares some refugees to 'rabid' dogs (4)

Ben Carson pauses as he speaks about refugees.                                                                                 www.reuters.com

On Thursday, Ben Carson compared safeguarding Americans from Islamic terrorists who may sneak into the country as refugees to parents keeping their children safe from rapid dogs. He stated that "If there's a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood, you're probably not going to assume something good about that dog, and you're probably going to put your children out of the way. That doesn't mean that you hate all dogs". He said that you should put your intellect into motion and consider how to protect your children. I agree with Ben Carson because I'm sure there will be terrorists trying to sneak in to the US as refugees. I believe we should take further action to throughly do a background check to be 100% sure the refugees are only refugees before we allow them to enter the US.

CNN: Ben Carson compares some refugees to 'rabid' dogs

Clinton: US must push Arab leaders to confront Islamic State (3)

Hillary Clinton addressing her plan to fight ISIS 

Hilary Clinton stated that "the entire world must be part of this fight (against the Islamic State), but we must lead it". She is urging Americans to rise above personal fear to fight jihadism and lead the world in defeating the Islamic State. After the Paris terror attacks, she also called on Arab nations to increase their involvement in defeating Islamic State militants. She backed up President Obama's use of special forces and she supports a no-fly zone over the northern region of the country. It is time for America to step up and take the lead to defeat the Islamic State.

Fox News: Clinton: US must push Arab leaders to confront Islamic State

Syrians with stolen passports caught trying to enter US (2)

Honduran authorities arrested five Syrians at the Tocontin International Airport 

Five Syrians were caught trying to make their way into the United States from Honduras. The Syrians had stolen and doctored Greek passports to look legitimate. This group of Syrians traveled from Syria, to Lebanon and Turkey, to Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, and then Honduras. It is very rare for people with stolen passports to enter the U.S. because of the strict customs and border protection. Hopefully no one will make their way into the United States because stuff happening in the world right now is terrifying.

Fox News: Syrians with stolen passports caught trying to enter US, police say

Carson pledges to advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico (1)

Puerto Rico                                                                                                                           www.johnnyjet.com

Ben Carson stated on Sunday that he supports the U.S. territory Puerto Rico becoming America's 51st state. He believes that statehood for the island would benefit both the United States and the Puerto Ricans, saying that "we probably have more patriotic Puerto Ricans than almost any other state. Look at all the contributions that have been made to America." Puerto Rico becoming a state would strengthen the United States and would spark the island's economy. When Hawaii and Alaska became states, their debt was quickly shaken. I think it would be awesome if Puerto Rico (a beautiful, tropical island!!!) became a state.

The Big Story: Carson pledges to advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico

Political Parties in Nigeria

 1 & 3. Nigeria has a multi-party system

• 1.  Alliance for Democracy (AD)
• 2. All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP)***
• 3. All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
• 4. All Peoples Liberation Party (APLP)
• 5. African Renaissance Party (ARP)
• 6. Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP)
• 7. Community Party of Nigeria (CPN)
• 8. The Democratic Alternative (DA)
• 9. The Green Party of Nigeria (GPN)
• 10. Justice Party (JP)
• 11. Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria (LDPN)
• 12. Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ)
• 13. Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN)
• 14. National Action Council (NAC)
• 15. Nigeria Advance Party (NAP)
• 16. National Conscience Party (NCP)
• 17. New Democrats (ND)
• 18. National Democratic Party (NDP)
• 19. National Mass Movement of Nigeria (NMMN)
• 20. New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)
• 21. Nigerian Peoples Party (NPC)
• 22. National Reformation Party (NRP)
• 23. Progressive Action Congress (PAC)
• 24. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)***
• 25. Peoples Mandate Party (PMP)
• 26. Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)
• 27. Party for Social Democracy (PSD)
• 28. Peoples Salvation Party (PSP)
• 29. United Democratic Party (UDP)
• 30. United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP)

2.

•  Nigeria has a federal republic government, which is a federation of states with a democratic form of government. 
• The separation of powers is based on the United States' system. 
• The executive power is exercised by the president, who is the head of state, the head of government, and the head of the multi-party system. 
• There is a legislative branch (The National Assembly)- a Senate and House of Representatives.

4. The People's Democratic Party has a ⅔ majority rule over the National Assembly.

5. In Nigeria parties are officially recognized by the government. The political parties are usually formed from parts of other parties.

6. Most of the issues addressed by Nigerian parties are related to social and political problems. Economic government regulation, welfare, revenue distribution, and same sex marriage are all important present issues debated by the parties. 

President Obama addresses climate change in his first post on Facebook (5)

President Obama takes a selfie with a glacier

On Monday, President Barack Obama joined Facebook. He posted a video of himself walking through his beautiful back yard at the White House, and made sure that people knew that his Facebook account is "a place where we can have real conversations." His first post was about climate change, stating that Americans needed to "preserve this beautiful plant of ours." He expanded on how he wants the future generations of America to be able to enjoy national parks, the mountains, and the oceans because they are incredibly beautiful and some of the greatest gifts we have ever received.

CNN: President Obama joins Facebook, addresses climate change in first post

Carson and Trump compete for lead while Rubio is in third (4)

Ben Carson and Donald Trump                                             www.philly.com

Ben Carson leads the presidential race at 24%, Donald Trump closely follows at 23%, Marco Rubio follows at 12%, while Ted Cruz an Jeb Bush trail at 8% each, according to a McClatchy/Marist GOP presidential primary poll. It has been shown that for Carson, Rubio, and Cruz, the more Republican voters that hear about them, the more they like them. For Carson, 67% of Republicans said the more they hear about him, the more they like him. For Rubio, 58% say this is the case and for Cruz, 51% say this is the case. However, Republican voters who hear more about Bush and Trump, tend to dislike them more. 58% of Republicans say this is the case for Bush and 49% say this is the case for Trump.

CNN: Poll: Carson and Trump vie for lead, Rubio in third

ISIS may be responsible for the crash of the Russian jet (3)

Debris from the crashed Russian jet in Egypt                                                                                   www.nydailynews.com

The Russian jet that crashed in Egypt was "more likely than not" related to the Islamic State extremist group, ISIS. In this tragedy, 224 people were killed by a bomb placed on the plane by ISIS, investigators say. Security officials at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport have reported that the security is very poor, stating that drugs and weapons pass through security checks and scanning devices often do not work. Sharm el-Sheikh is a major tourist attraction in Egypt, so they are trying to protect their tourism industry by preventing foreign media. In Russia, over a thousand mourners gathered into St. Issac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, lit candles, and stood and prayed for the victims as the cathedral bells rang 224 times.

Fox News: 'Sensitive' intel suggests ISIS may be responsible for downing Russian jet, UK official says

Ben Carson slams reporters over questions about his past (2)

Ben Carson, Republican Presidential Candidate                                                                         www.newsbusters.org

After the media reported about Ben Carson's past, he aggressively defended himself. Nine childhood friends of Carson's declared that they had no memory of the violent incidents that Carson describes in his personal narrative. He states that "this is a bunch of lies attempting to say I'm lying about my history. I think it's pathetic, and basically what the media does is they try to get you distracted." Another question that has been argued about in Carson's past has been his scholarship to West Point. Because of all of these accusations, Carson says that "A lot of people think that I'm soft because I'm quiet. I think they're starting to find out that I'm not soft. And that I can be loud, particularly when the injustice is being done".

CNN: Carson slams reporters over questions about his past

Paul Ryan as the Speaker of the House (1)

Paul Ryan as new Speaker of the House.                                 www.slate.com

Paul Ryan was elected to the new House speaker position. He received 236 votes, while his democratic opponent, Nancy Pelosi, received 184 votes. He declared that "the House is broken", but he is going to move forward and start fresh. Ryan vowed to do the best that he can to help America with tough issues such as fixing the tax code, growing the economy, paying down the debt, and creating a more transparent legislative process. He also called for the Republicans and Democrats to pray together, hoping to create a deep bond between the two parties. Ryan's first real test as Speaker of the House is a long-term bill to fund highway programs.

Fox News: Ryan succeeds Boehner as speaker, seeks to fix 'broken' House

Americans and TV News

Summary of the Article:
This article focuses on how Americans get TV news at home. It stated that Democrats are more likely to get their news from multiple TV sources while Republicans are not. It touched on how many, how often and when Americans watch the news. It was also explained that Americans watch their news on cable TV, local TV, and network news. Cable news is the most popular news viewing on average.

1. Over the course of a month, 71% of Americans watch local TV news while 65% watch network news.
2. More than one-third of Americans watch the news on cable TV.
3. News viewership is the largest during the night.
4. Americans who watch cable news very heavily watch for 72 minutes on average a day. TV local news heavy viewers average around 22 minute.
5. Heavy viewers of network and local news spend their most time watching cable news.
6. More than 50% of adult Americans watch more than one form of TV news.
7. CNN reaches 20% of US adults, Fox News reaches 18%, and MSNBC reaches 14%.
8. 28% of Fox News viewers watch MSNBC, while 34% of MSNBC viewers watch Fox News. 54% of MSNBC viewers watch CNN, while 44% of Fox News viewers watch CNN.
9. About 38% of Americans access their news sources through their home desktop/laptop computer.
10. Nbcnews.com is one of the most viewed news sites on the internet. The second most viewed news site is cnn.com, followed by foxnews.com

Follow up to Man Behind the Mosque

1. Assume that the documentary, The Man Behind the Mosque, provided an accurate and research-based perspective on how the “Ground Zero Mosque” became a story. Based on what you saw there, what steps can you remember the cable-news media covering the story taking to investigate who was actually behind the Mosque in terms of mission, goals, and funding?
   
• The cable-news media investigated by interviewing the real estate agent of where the mosque was going to be, Islamic people, Christians, and families of those lost in 911. 
2. Who brought the story of the “Ground Zero Mosque” to Fox News, the station that broke the story and led coverage of the story?
   
• Pamela Gellar, executive director of Stop Islamization of America, brought the story to Fox News.
3. It can be argued that much of the cable news coverage of the story was just that – coverage of a “story,” and how people felt about this “story,” rather than actual reporting.  Explain how we can see this at work
   
• There were many parts where the cable news coverage focused on the families of those lost in 911. These families expressed the way they felt rather than the actual facts. The man trying to build the mosque also expressed how hurt he felt that people thought he should move the mosque. He should have looked at the facts of 911 and realized that it really is inconsiderate to place a mosque on ground zero.
4. The journalists of Frontline included coverage of and interviews with the staff of Park 51 (the NYU grad and a couple other part-timers).  Do these individuals appear ever to have been interviewed on cable-news?
   
• The real estate-agent, Sharif El-Gamal, declined to be interviewed by Fox News. None of the other staff members were interviewed on cable-news. Sharif El-Gamal and a female staff member was interviewed by Frontine
5. What sources did Cable news appear to rely on for knowledge and expertise about Islam?  How credible did you find these sources?  Why?
   
• From the Frontline video, Cable news mainly focused on historians who were not Islam. This was not credible because they did not have the proper knowledge and expertise about Islam.
6. How relevant is the ownership of a media source for understanding its goals and how its goals may shape bias in its coverage? 
   
• The ownership of a media source is relevant because they want to share and spread their ideas. Its goals may shape bias because they may only promote their viewpoint.
7. Who was, at the time of the Ground Zero Mosque story, the second largest shareholder in the News Corp?
   
• Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
8. If you bring up the topic of the Ground Zero mosque today, many people might say something like, “Oh yeah . . . What ever happened to that?”  Think about it:  Given the level of urgency that was attached to the story, why did cable news just stop covering the story of the Mosque at Ground Zero?
   
• Cable news stopped covering the story of the Mosque at Ground Zero because people lost attention and it was too controversial of a topic.
9. Read about what polls reveal about Americans and their views on Islam.
   
   http://www.pewforum.org/2009/09/09/publicationpage-aspxid1398-3/

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-7jsJa5YaWrZ0hmRHVtUmtlbkk&usp=sharing

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/10/americans-islam-poll_n_7036574.html

Dale Johnston, wrongly sent to death row, can sue Ohio (7)

Dale Johnston, man wrongly sentenced to death

Dale Johnston, 82, was sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder of his step daughter and her boyfriend. A law passed in 2003 that updated a law about wrong inprisonment allowed Dale Johnston to sue Ohio for his sentence. A man had confessed to killing the couple in 2008, and in 2012 the court ruled for Johnston's release but later appealed the decision. Johnston now on the offensive has the opportunity to win his freedon back.

 Fox News: Man wrongly sent to death row can sue Ohio, court rules

Intro to Media Questions

1. List as many types (example: TV) of media as you can think of.

• TV, email, cell phones, tv, social media, radio, internet, newspapers, journals/magazines are all examples of media. 

2. Investigate ownership of the media in the US. Find an article or chart that will allow you to identify the corporations that actually own mainstream media outlets like ESPN, Disney, FoxNews, CNN, NBC, Etc., Write down what you find.

• Six corporations control 90% of the media in America. They are GE, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. 

3. Find a list that identifies universities with what are considered the top programs for journalism. Pick anyone you like, and then go to the website to investigate that school’s journalism program, as if you were a prospective student. What can you learn about the professional values, standards, and practices associated with professional journalism? (Write it down)

• Emerson College's Department of Journalism trains ethical journalists to write original, convicting news stories that can really move people. They teach their students to bring their stories to life through broadcast, print, web, and multimedia platforms. "As a student, you’ll gain rich experience in the field through class assignments, internships, and extracurricular activities that range from conducting on-street interviews and attending State House press conferences to providing multimedia coverage of the Emmys". 

4. Historically, the media in the United States has often been viewed as playing the role of “watchdog.” Do research to understand the watchdog role of the media so that you can answer these questions: Who is being watched? Who is being protected? And from what?

• Watchdog Journalism informs and protects the public when a significant problem is found. Watchdog Journalism refers to the media. The media is watching businesses and the government to prevent abuse of power. 

5. What have you heard about “liberal bias”? (Don’t do research for this one – just write down what you have heard about this phrase. If you have never heard this phrase before, say so, and then explain what you think it might mean.)

• I don't know exactly what "liberal bias" means, but I am pretty sure that it means a leaned favor of the Democratic party. Many news sources today are liberal bias, meaning they favor the Democratic party's views.

Vice President Biden's decision to not run for President (6)

Vice President Joe Biden                wikipedia.org

On October 21, 2015, Vice President Biden announced that he would not be running for president in 2016. There have been a lot of rumors going around about whether or not he would be running, and now America knows. It has been said that Biden's decision to not run will hurt the Democratic party.Although he is not running for President, Biden states that he "will not be silent". He will speak out for the Democrats and what he believes in during the race. He also states that he does not "think we should look at Republicans as our enemy. They're the opposition". I think this is a wonderful thing that Biden said. Both the Democrats and Republicans need to work together, not fight all the time.

Fox News: Biden announces he will not run for president in 2016

Pastor of The City of God Church in Detroit Kills Man (5)

The City of God Church in Detroit

Deante Smith, 25, was shot and killed by the pastor of The City of God church in Detroit. It is said that Smith and the pastor have had previous problems and arguments. Smith has threatened the pastor that he would do him bodily harm. On Sunday, Smith walked into The City of God church and tried to attack him with a brick. In response, the pastor pulled out his Glock, fired many shots, and killed Smith. Thankfully, no one else was hurt in this incident. It is a very scary thing that shootings are becoming more and more casual in the world. Church is supposed to be a place where people feel safe, loved, and in peace. However, this was not the case in The City of God church.

Fox News: Detroit pastor shoots, kills hammer-wielding church intruder

State of emergency concerning homelessness in Hawaii (4)

A homeless man living in a small neighborhood in Honolulu pushes his cart

Hawaii accounts for the highest rate of homelessness per-capita of any state in America with more than 7,260 homeless people. Gov. David Ige has issued a state of emergency concerning Hawaii's homelessness crisis. Using $1.3 million, the state is expanding services to help homeless people by creating a new shelter for them. This homeless shelter will be used for individuals and families and will be able to house up to 15 families at a time. The state of Hawaii has done an amazing thing by standing up and helping these people.

Fox News: Hawaii declares state of emergency for homelessness crisis

Federal prisons return pork to the menu after outcry (3)

Week-old pigs stand in a pen

Earlier this month, The Federal Bureau of Prisons banned pork from prison menus. However, numerous complaints from the American pork industry and the Senate have caused pork to be returned to the menu. Pork was banned from the prison menu because surveys of prisoners' food preferences showed that it was not a popular item. Another reason it was banned is because of the high cost. Sen. Chuck Grassley was influential in bringing back pork to the menu because he explained the importance of pork in America. He states that "The pork industry is responsible for 547,800 jobs, which creates $22.3 billion in personal incomes and contributes $39 billion to the gross domestic product". By banning pork from prisons, the lives of American citizens who work in the pork industry will be severely damaged.

Fox News: Swine and Dine: Federal prisons reverse pork menu ban after outcry

Paul Ryan as Speaker could unite Republicans (2)

Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman

Many Freedom Caucus members want Paul Ryan to run for Speaker of the House. They believe that he will unite the Republicans with his leadership, communication skills, and intelligence. However, Ryan's immediate answer was "no thanks". Ryan does not want the job because he is completely in love with his current job as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, but he stated that he will think about it.

The Denver Post: Republicans could unite behind Paul Ryan for Speaker

AP Gov- Speaker of the House

1. In Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution states that the "House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker". The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House and serves as second in line for the U.S. presidential line of succession. The Speaker's jobs include administering the oath of office to Members, calling order, preserving order and decorum within the House, recognizing speaking members, and determining rulings on House procedures.

2. House leadership includes the Speaker of the House, the majority leader, and the minority leader. The Speaker "presides over proceedings on the House floor", "influences which bills go to which committees", "influences committee assignments for new members", "appoints the party's other leaders", and "rules on questions of parliamentary procedure". The majority leader helps to plan the party's legislative program. The minority leader heads and organizes the minority party.
Senate leadership includes the Vice President who serves as the President of the Senate and can only cast a vote in case of tie. However, a President Pro Tempore usually takes the Vice President's place because he rarely sits with the Senate.

3. For the Speaker of the House to become President, both the President and the Vice President would have to be unable to serve as President. The Speaker of the House is second in line for the President.

4. The longest-serving Speaker was Samuel Rayburn of Texas. He served for 17 years, two months, and two days.

5. On January 4, 2007, the first woman Speaker became Nancy Pelosi (D) of California.

6. Newt Gingrich served as the 58th Speaker of the House under Bill Clinton from January 4, 1995- January 3, 1999. He is known for leading the Republican Revolution.

7. John Boehner just resigned as Speaker because he no longer believes he can lead the Republicans in Congress. He had been serving as the Speaker since 2011.

8. Kevin McCarthy was considered to be a likely successor because he is the majority leader of the House. However, he recently decided to withdraw from the Speaker race. He chose to do this because he realized that his support for speaker was crumbling.

9. Many Republicans believe that Paul Ryan will be the right man to unite the party. He is a great communicator and the Republicans need a good messenger. He has repeatedly stated that he does not want to be the Speaker, but will keep it in consideration.

10. Paul Ryan is the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The responsibility of the Committee on Ways and Means is to serve as the primary tax-writing committee in the House. The committee exercises authority over revenue, tariffs, trade agreements, the U.S. debt, the Social Security system, Medicare, and social service programs.

11. A congressional committee is "a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress)". Currently, there are 21 permanent committees in the House, 21 permanent committees in the Senate, and five joint committees which operate with both houses.

12. Some of the reasons why Paul Ryan chose not to take the job are that he believes Republicans won't be able to get much done while President Obama is still in the White House and he absolutely is in love with his job as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

13. If I were Paul Ryan I would not take the job. He expresses his love and enthusiasm for his current job and does not want to be the Speaker. Paul Ryan is a very smart and successful man and I think he could handle the job as Speaker, but he may not be able to if he really didn't want it.

14. No, the Speaker of the House is not a stepping stone to the Presidency because the only Speaker to serve as President was James K. Polk.

15. A congressional caucus is "a group of members of the United States Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives". There are dozens of caucuses. Caucuses are different from committees because they come together under one specific goal to achieve power, whereas committees have a role in the legislature.

16. The House Freedom Caucus is "a congressional caucus consisting of conservative Republican members of the United States House of Representatives". The House Freedom Caucus is extremely rigorous in finding a new leader for Speaker of the House. By doing this, they are demonstrating leadership. They want a leader with new perspective, a wide range of experience, and a positive view for American in the future.

17. Blog post.

Oregon gunman targeted Christians (1)

Christopher Harper Mercer, Oregon community college gunman                                                   the guardian.com

Thursday, October 1, 2015 marked a huge disaster in the United States. A gunman, Christopher Harper Mercer, specifically targeted Christians at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. He killed at least 9 people and injured at least 20 people. The shooting began when Mercer sent a bullet through a classroom window into a teacher's head, a student witness states. Kortney Moore, 18, speaks out that Mercer ordered students to stand up and state their religion. If the students said they were Christians, they were shot in the head. If they did not respond or had a different religion, they were shot in the leg. The motive of the shooter is not yet known, but will be further investigated.

Fox News: 'Filled with hate': Witnesses say Oregon gunman targeted Christians in community college mass murder

First Quarter Reflection

AP Government has taught me so many new things that I did not know about the United States Government. The most interesting thing that I have learned about during this quarter is probably the US Constitution. Before this class, I thought I knew what the Constitution was. In reality, I did not know the basis and principles that someone needs to know to truly understand the Constitution. The project that we did helped me to analyze, understand, and remember the things I learned about the Constitution.
I also really enjoyed the blog posts that we have been required to do. Doing these help me to keep up current events in a fun way. The blog posts have also taught me to summarize very long articles. This skill will be very helpful in the long run.
At first, the grant project that we did was extremely confusing. After I did more and more research on my grant, it began to make more and more sense. I now actually know and understand what a federal grant is.
During the next three quarters, I hope to continue learning in deep detail about the importance of our government. Doing this, I will increase my intelligence about the United States Government and learn how to speak out for the political issues I believe in.

Taliban free hundreds of prisoners in attack on straegic Afghan city (5)

Taliban fighters after seizing a police station in Kunduz City.

On September 28, 2015, the Taliban freed hundreds of fighters by braking in and occupying a main Kunduz prison. They also seized the government headquarters, the governor's office, a hospital, a courthouse, and are moving towards seizing the main airport. The Interior Ministry spokesman told the Associated Press that security forces were prepared for an attack, but not one of this size. More than 20 bodies have been found and at least three police officers have been found wounded.

Fox News: Taliban free hundreds of prisoners in attack on strategic Afghan city

Why Students Hate School Lunches (4)

Ayumi Takahashi, Students not Eating their School Lunches

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which took effect in 2012, has caused a dramatic decrease in school lunches being consumed. 70 percent of school meal programs have experienced a financial decrease since the new mandates went into effect according to The School Nutrition Association. Many students bring their own lunches or turn their noses up to the new meals that are lower in fat, calories, and sodium. Typical school lunches usually consist of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, streamed green beans, a potato wedge, canned peaches, and an apple. This school lunch is low-fat and low-sodium, but it is not very appetizing. Congress has been considering whether or not to reauthorize the legislation so that students will actually eat the school lunches.

New York Times: Why Students Hate School Lunches

Volkswagon Scandal to Hurt Its Financing Arm (3)

Many bonds issued by Volkswagon have been suspended from purchasing at the European Central Bank.

Last week, Volkswagon revealed that the company was able to dodge emissions standards due to the software that more than 11 million diesel cars consisted of. Germany's motor authority is giving Volkswagon until October 7 to fix the scandal. If Volkswagon fails to come up with a technological solution, the company may face a global recall. A global recall like this would have a major impact on the world. Volkswagon contributes to 12.6 million contracts, 15% of which are in North America. This scandal is hurting Volkswagon's financing arm. The company's bonds fell dramatically last week and they took a  €6.5 billion charge to cover the scandal's cost. 

The Wall Street Journal: VW Scandal to Hurt Its Financing Arm

FBI is confident that Clinton emails are being recovered (2)

Hillary Clinton                                                                                 bloomberg.com

The FBI has made a lot of progress on the investigation of recovering Hillary Clinton's secret emails. The FBI states that "shadows and ghosts" remained on the computer ever after it had been scrubbed. This has allowed the FBI to retrieve a lot of information. The FBI is also hoping to recover evidence that the server had been infriged by a foreign government, but Clinton denies this. 

Fox News: FBI confident Clinton emails being recovered: source

Pope Francis arrives at Capitol for historic address to Congress (1)

Pope Francis                                               wikipedia.org

Yesterday, Pope Francis arrived on Capitol Hill to deliver the papal address, which has never been done before. He will deliver the papal address to a Joint Meeting of Congress. Thousands of people crowded outside the Capitol to hear Pope Francis' or just to catch a glimpse of him. The pope appeals to many Americans through his views on abortion, immigration laws, and global warming. However, he is not here to cause significant action on social and political issues, instead he hopes "to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nation's future in fidelity to its founding principles".

Fox News: Pope Francis arrives at Capitol for historic address to Congress

California lawmakers send assisted-suicide bill to governor (5)

Assisted Suicide

The state Senate of California approved a bill allowing terminally ill people to obtain prescription drugs to accelerate their death. Governor Jerry Brown has yet to approve the bill for it to go into act. California modeled their bill after four other states, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont. The California legislation decided to enact this bill after resident Brittany Maynard, 29, was forced to move to Oregon so she could legally end her life. Brittany Maynard was suffering from terminal brain cancer.

CNN: California lawmakers send assisted-suicide bill to governor

Texas university professor amends his 'God bless you' ban (4)

The First Amendment of the US Constitution, freedom of religion                                             www.sodahead.com

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley professor gave his students a syllabus on the first day of school. This syllabus outlined certain behaviors that would be disruptive to the class, including using electronic devices and saying "God bless you". Students quickly posted pictures of their syllabus on social media, enraged about how their professor was limiting their religious freedom. I can understand why these students were mad because I don't think saying a simple "God bless you" after someone sneezes is distracting. I don't know what the professor was trying to accomplish by doing this.

Fox News: Texas university professor amends his 'God bless you' ban

Understanding our System: Federalism

Understanding our System: Federalism

1. Federalism: a method of government that allows two or more entities to share control over the same geographic region. Each person in the United States is subject to the laws of that city, county, state and our federal government.

2. There are approximately 193 nation-states in the world. 

3. 14 countries in the world have a federal system of government. These include the United States, Brazil, India, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Russia, Nigeria, Switzerland, Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, Austria, and Malaysia. 

4. One thing these countries all have in common is that they are all fairly large countries.

5. Unitary: system of government; a sovereign state governed as a single entity. The central government is supreme, and the administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government has delegated to them.

6. More than 150 countries have a Unitary system of government. The largest five are France, China, Japan, The United Kingdom, and Italy. 

7. The difference between a federal and a unitary system is that in a federal government, the upper level government gives the lower level government, the states, authority. In a Unitary government, the upper level government has all of the authority. An advantage for a federal system is that states have some authority in the way they want their citizens to live. A disadvantage of a federal system is that some states authorities are weaker than others. On the other hand, an advantage for a unitary system is that they are often very strong and confident systems. A disadvantage of a unitary system is that some states might want some authority over their citizens. 

8. The attitude that I identify in this cartoon is that states say "yes and no" to a federal system. States say yes to receiving federal benefits but say no to federal authority because they want to have all the authority. States want to have it both ways, they want federal benefits but not federal authority. 

9. I think this cartoon is showing that the federal government is not supportive in legalizing weed (assuming from their shirts), but this man lives in a state where medical weed is legalized. The federal government is interfering in the states' decisions. 

10.  The elephant represents the republican party. He is stating that he believes in federalism, that states should be allowed to set their own policies without the federal government interfering. However, when California proposes that she wants to "hold carmakers to stricter environmental standards", the elephant responds by rejecting that idea and completely disregarding what it believes in. The republicans' believe that states should have rights, but when they don't like the policies they're making, they get mad. 

11. This video describes federalism using a three layer cake, with the federal government on the bottom, the state government in the middle, and the local government on top. Each government has a different job- the federal government takes care of space exploration, foreign affairs, and national parks, the state government takes care of education, health care, and recreation, and the local government takes care of police, water and building permits.  

12. The three layered cake pieces were stacked on top of each other, showing the separation of the federal, state, and local government. However, this image shows by the mix of chocolate and vanilla cake that all the governments are mixed in one. This picture would represent a federal system because the powers of the federal, state, and local governments would be shared and overlapped.

Black Lives Matter leader lands Yale teaching gig (3)

Yale's Newest Professor, DeRay McKesson                                                                                                    nbcnews.com

DeRay McKesson will be joining U.S. Senator Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and the Rev. Nancy Taylor to teach a three-section course entitled "Transformational Leadership in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement". McKesson is a young activist in the Black Lives Matter Movement and will present case studies about the work of "organizing, public advocacy, civil disobedience, and social change, through both Leadership of Presence, and Leadership in the Social Media". McKesson has very little teaching experience- he has only served as a middle school math teacher for two years. It is clear that big universities like Yale want to promote the #BlackLivesMatter Movement.


Fox News: Black Lives Matter leader lands Yale teaching gig

Carson apologizes for questioning Trump's faith (2)

Carson (left) and Trump (right)                                                                                        www.westernjournalism.com

A few days ago, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said he had the impression that "humility and fear of the Lord" were not important to his competitor, Donald Trump. After Carson said this about Trump, he immediately apologized, stating that "I think I did slip, and that's why I apologized. There is no reason ever to question anybody's faith. That's something between them and God". Carson leads by example by apologizing for a mere slip-up, while Trump states that he has no immediate plans to ever apologize unless he's completely wrong. The funny thing is- Trump will never think he's wrong. He's shallow and always makes excuses for offensive things that he has said. Republicans in America need to realize that Trump is just a "non-serious carnival act". 

Fox News: Carson apologizes for questioning Trump's faith, says should't have 'taken that bait'

Polls show Clinton trailing Sanders in Iowa, NH (1)

Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton                                                                                                         www.foramerica.org

Clinton continues to have the majority lead in national surveys, but recently, a New Hampshire poll and an Iowa poll have shown Sanders leading the way. Clinton's campaign is worried but they have always expected a close race. Sander's campaign is super excited, considering that his percent went up from 33 percent in July to 41 percent recently. This will continue to be an interesting race to watch!

Fox News: Front-runner status challenged? Polls show Clinton trailing Sanders in Iowa, NH

CIA, Special Operations forces reportedly launch drone war against ISIS in Syria (5)

ISIS                                                                                       plusemedia.org

President Obama has shifted responsibility for drone missions from the CIA to the Pentagon. U.S. Special Operations forces have been targeting and wiping out senior members, the "highest-valued targets", of ISIS. Junaid Hussain, a computer hacker who inspired jihadists to commit terror attacks, was one of the most significant terrorists that was killed. Despite America's attempts to defeat ISIS, these drone missions have done very little to affect ISIS' manpower.

Fox News: CIA, Special Operations forces reportedly launch drone war against ISIS in Syria

Missouri Teenagers Protest a Transgender Student Use of the Girls' Bathroom (4)

Lila Perry, a transgender high school student in Missouri

Lila Perry, a 17-year-old transgender who identifies herself as a girl, has been facing cruel responses after using the girls' bathrooms and locker room. Her school, Hillsboro High School, gave her permission to continue using the girls' bathrooms and locker room because the district "accepts all students no matter race, nationality/ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation". This caused more than 100 students and their parents to walk out of school on Monday in protest. I can see why people would get upset over this situation. Some people do not want their children going to the bathroom in the same room as what they perceive as a boy.

New York Times: Missouri Teenagers Protest a Transgender Student's Use of the Girl's Bathroom

Kanye West for President (3)

Kanye West at VMA's 

Kanye West declared he is going to run for President in 2020 at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 30, 2015. It is not known if Kanye is joking about running for President or not, but it has become a popular topic for people on Twitter. Many people are showing their support through the hashtag "#Kanye2020". On the other hand, I believe Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in the White House will ruin America. 

IBT: Kanye West For President 2020