current events recap: august 18-23, 2013
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Current Events Recap:August 18-23, 2013
Me…Keefer
President• Obama Schools on College Costs
- CNN• Thursday, August 22• Obama proposes plan to help
make college affordable• Bus Tour to several Colleges and
High Schools• Plan has 3 parts
– Fed rating system– Payments capped at 10% of
income– Students must earn certain # of
credits before more aid is given
President• Importance– Tuition has gone up
250% over last 3 decades• Income up only 16%• Avg student has $26,000
debt
• My Thoughts– College has never been
more expensive• Necessary to compete
internationally• Crippling debt is a
deterrent
• Connections:– President can set agenda
for nation• Only Congress can
legislate– Republicans against
most of Obama’s plan• Too much Gov’t
regulation
Congress• Clock is Ticking for a Deficit
Deal – NYTimes• Thursday, August 22• Obama & GOP Congress can’t
agree on Budget• Congress is on recess
– Summer talks have broken down
• Gov’t could shut down in October– GOP wants spending cuts– Dems want to raise taxes
Congress• Importance
– Gov’t could shut down– Gov’t could default
• If debt ceiling isn’t raised– Same crisis from last
December/January• My Thoughts
– We elect leaders to work for America
– Opposition is good, but only if it leads to statesmanship
• Connections– Federal Budget– National Deficit– Division of Powers– Beliefs of Political
Parties
War/Military• Aid to Egypt Evaluated on a
Daily Basis – USA Today• Tuesday, August 20• After “coup” removing
Morsi from power, US considering withdrawing aid
• $1 Billion package– $585 Million still not sent
• Cutting off aid would jeopardize US/Egypt relations
War/Military• Importance
– If revolution was a “coup”, US not allowed to send aid• Sending Aid looks like coups
allowed• Stopping Aid looks like we back
Morsi/Muslim Brotherhood
• My Thoughts– Rev was a “coup”– Power Vacuum in Egypt
• Scary for US• We could be aiding a potential
enemy– Coups can’t exist in a Democracy
• BUT – we need strong allies in the Arab World
• Connections– Treaties w/other nations
help build alliances– Democratic Ideals
• Can’t support overthrowing democratically-elected Prez
– Rule of Law– Politics
• Prez in charge of foreign policy
International/Foreign• Allegations of Deadly Gas
Attack in Syria – FoxNews• Wednesday, August 21• Rebels claim Assad Gov’t
used chemical weapons• Hundreds to Thousands killed
– Many women & children• Assad claims reports are
untrue• UN is trying to investigate
– Russia and China are blocking UN action
International/Foreign• Importance
– Over 100,000 killed in 2 years– Chemical Weapons are war
crime– Obama said US would intervene
if Chem weapons used• My Thoughts
– We intervened in Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Tunisia• Why not Syria?
– Are rebels any better than Assad though?• Osama Bin Laden
– US helped him fight Soviets in Afghanistan
• Connections– Prez is commander-in-
chief• Can authorize use of
troops– Should we help spread
of Democracy– Do Syrians see Assad’s
authority as legitimate?
Political• RNC votes to exclude CNN and
NBC from 2016 Primary – Washington Post
• Monday, August 19• CNN & NBC plan to air film about
Hillary Clinton– RNC object– Feel it is free campaigning
• RNC Chair threatened networks, but they refused to change plans
• RNC votes unanimously to not let them cover 2016 RNC debates
Political• Importance
– Election is 3 years away• Campaigning starts early
– Relationship b/w parties and media
• My Thoughts– FoxNews is incredibly biased
• RNC only hates “bias” against them
– Film is about Hillary as first-lady, not candidate
– RNC Chair is just bitter b/c his name is Reince Priebus
• Connections– Media and Politics– Campaigns– Party Organization– 1st Amendment
• Freedom of the Press
Economic• Obama Asks Regulators to Speed
Up Wall Street Reform – Reuters• Monday, August 19• Obama meets with Fed
regulators to push them to speed up Dodd-Frank
• Dodd-Frank is Wall Street reform passed in 2010– Only 40% of rules have been put
in place• Some warn that Wall Street is
doing same thing that led to 2008 crisis
Economic• Importance
– Dodd-Frank reforms not being done
– Economy recovering, but still fragile
– Only 1 Wall Street exec convicted of crimes
• My Thoughts– WTF!!!– These laws were passed in
2010…its 2013!!!– Vast majority of US wants Wall
Street reform
• Connections– Laws Passed by
Congress– Bureaucracy in charge of
carrying them out– Special Interest Groups– Money and Politics
My Choice• Antoinette Tuff Hailed as Hero for
Handling Georgia School Gunman – CNN
• Wednesday, August 21• 20 yr old brought AK-47 & 500
rounds of ammo to Georgia school– Planned to kill many– Prepared to die
• Front Office worker talked him into surrendering– Discussed her life– Told him she loved him– Stayed with him while he was
arrested• NO ONE KILLED
My Choice• Importance
– After Newtown, CT, school security is major issue
– Rise of trend in mass killings
• My Thoughts– Amazing– Truly a Hero– Who else would/could do
that under the circumstances?
• Connections– 2nd Amendment– Gun Debate– Guns and Background
Checks– Lobbyists: NRA
Bizarre News• Ted Cruz to Renounce Canadian
Citizenship – Huffington Post• Tuesday, August 20• Ted Cruz (R) – Texas
– Tea Party – Very popular right now– Probably running for Prez in
2016• Born in Canada
– Dual Citizen• Renounced his Canadian
Citizenship
Bizarre News
• Importance– Could be serious
Republican candidate– Is he eligible to be Prez?– Could a Prez be a citizen
of another country too?• My Thoughts
– Remember the “Obama” isn’t a citizen” thing?
– Where is Donald Trump?– Hypocrisy
• Connections– Requirements to be
President• Article II
– Natural Born Citizen
– Politics and Campaigning
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