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