Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Likely New Leader of Pakistan Could Jeopardize Peace Talks
Image result for imran khan
Imran Khan
















Imran Khan was a star cricketer who most likely be the next Prime minister of Pakistan. If Khan becomes the leader of Pakistan then peace talks could become a lot more difficult. In the past, Khan supported the 17 year conflict in Afghanistan and also accused the U.S. for reckless use of drone strikes to kill extremists. He wishes to develop a "mutually beneficial" relationship with United States. The tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have become greater because the Trump administration have suspended almost all American security aid to Islamabad. Without Pakistan the war in Afghanistan will become much harder because America needs them for supply routes and to create a lasting peace agreement with Afghanistan.If Trump continues to cut off aid to Pakistan and if he declares Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism our relations will worsen.

“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.” -Donald Trump

This was Donald Trumps Tweet about the U.S. helping Pakistan even though the U.S. got nothing out of it. And he also stated that they give shelter to terrorists that the U.S. hunts.

Discussion Questions:
Do you think the U.S should keep refusing aid to Pakistan?
What do you think would happen if Imran Khan becomes Prime Minister?
Will the U.S. and Pakistan relations better or worsen in 1 year?

 Sources:New York Times
http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/40560.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/world/asia/imran-khan-pakistan-election.html
The Future of US and Pakistan Relations
https://www.dawn.com/news/1380174













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Gun Homicides

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/26/health/common-methods-of-homicide-cdc/index.html

I chose this article because the rise in gun violence has been heavily debated recently, and there really is no clear answer on how to solve it. It's an interesting issue because the solution differs between states, communities, race, and many other different factors, you have to look at every side.

1. Should people be allowed to carry loaded and concealed guns if they have the proper permits?
2. In places such as Venezuela, did the ban on guns influence the rise of crime? Would this rise have happened anyways? If so, would it rise faster or slower than it is currently? 
3.Would the ban of guns have a negative, or positive effect on crime rates in the US?
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Koch Takes On Trump, Trump Takes On Koch

I chose the article "Charles Koch Takes on Trump. Trump Takes on Charles Koch" because it shows how not only does Trump have problems with other countries or governments, but how he also has problems with other people involved with politics in our country.

Link to Article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/us/politics/trump-koch-brothers.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FTrump%2C%20Donald%20J.&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection


Questions:
1. Do you think this could cause further problems for our government?
2. What are the possible reasons Koch and Trump are disagreeing?
3. Do you think the threats and disagreements between Koch and Trump will become worse, or will they resolve them? Why?



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Trump, Economic Crisis, and Nuclear Agreements

   
     On July 30th, 2018, President Trump stated that he would have a meeting with Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani, as soon as there was agreement between the two. Rouhani had said that there would be no meeting between them, much to Trump's distaste. Although this rejection seems simple, there were many layers of the past that defined why Rouhani said no to the meeting.
   
     A few years back, Iran had worked towards a nuclear agreement with President Obama, and had succeeded in 2015. This agreement between these two countries was beneficial for their relationships and stability. When Trump took office, all the hard work and persistence was thrown in the trash when Trump decided to end the agreement. The reason for him deciding to ditch the agreement? Iran was not going to be stopped from becoming a nuclear-armed state. Iran repeatedly stated they were not going to seek nuclear weaponry. The effects of this cancelled agreement with Iran were catastrophic. The two countries are now unable to get along, and Iran submerged into an economic crisis due to sanctions. This means Trump has negatively affected the lives of 80 million Iranian citizens. Their currency is losing its value, which is a huge problem that stems from the crisis.

     Looking back only a week ago, Trump had written a furious, all-caps statement on Twitter about threats made towards the U.S. by Iran. At this point, one can only imagine the hate brewed towards Trump by Iran, and especially by their President, Hassan Rouhani. So in retaliation, he declines an offer to meet with Trump. It will not be to any value of him anyways, as he also has a nuclear deal with Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China. These two countries have a lot of work to do before they can heal their relations.

Go to this link to view Trump speaking of this topic. 2Otur01

Sources:

  • https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/us/politics/trump-iran-rouhani.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FUnited%20States%20Politics%20and%20Government&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection
  • https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/30/donald-trump-iran-meeting-749866
Discussion Questions:
  1. What could Trump have done or done differently to make this ordeal better than what it turned out to be?
  2. What could Rouhani have done or done differently to make this ordeal better than what it turned out to be?
  3. Do you believe that Rouhani should have agreed to have a meeting? Why or why not? 
     The reason I decided to write about this current event is because I enjoy watching how other countries react to Trump. I wanted to write about something that some people might not have heard of, and do so in a way that they understand the gist of what's happening. This event in particular includes the Middle East, which is under lots of stress right now, so there is always something new to see happening. Also, another thing to note is the uncertainty principle, a.k.a. Trump. This article puts his actions on full display.


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What About the Animals?

The Trump administration has plans to roll back on the ESA (Endangered Species Act) regardless of the risks that this decision creates.  The Trump administration claims that they would be modernizing age old regulations during the roll back, however, many conservationists argue that there are species that may not survive without the help of these funds.  This act is responsible for protecting and rehabilitating thousands of plant and animal species that are on the verge of extinction due to human interference as well as natural cause. This includes our country’s national bird, the bald eagle.  

Species extinction will affect Americans and their daily life whether they realize it or not. Cutting back on ESA funds is a big issue because it is the difference between life and death for a species. If a species dies out then it will affect the ecosystems we depend on for food and clothing. These changes could also cause future endangered species to not get the help and protection their kind truly needs.  This roll back would shift the focus from saving plants and animals to how much will it cost to help them. The roll back would also affect accountability for killing plants and animals. Some motives of republican lawmakers who are trying to roll back on ESA are that it hurts businesses and are looking out for the country economically. But the businesses it hurts are mainly mining and drilling, as well as other environmentally damaging businesses.  These businesses are one of the main reasons animals are going extinct, and are the cause of oil spills as well as severe disruption of ecosystems. "In the past 500 years, we know of approximately 1,000 species that have gone extinct," according to the Center for Biological Diversity, and this is almost all at the hands of humans.  In 1972, President Nixon decided that U.S. conservation efforts could be improved and called on the 93rd Congress to fix that, thus the ESA was born.  But President Trump is trying to go back on what President Nixon created.  There are many questions regarding this issue but the true question is what is more important, the money or the plants and animals.
Discussion Questions
  1. What  example is President Trump setting by rolling back on ESA when it obviously very important to other leaders?
  2. Should spending money to protect plants and animals be a priority for the American government?
  3. Would rolling back on ESA be more beneficial or harmful to endangered and at risk species?
  4. If bringing back one extinct species was possible would you do it and what species would you bring back?


Sources

I chose to write about this topic because I consider plants and animals very important. Humans have hurt the Earth's ecosystems so we should be trying to fix it. The world depends on animals and with Trump's administration team trying to roll back on ESA some plants and animals may go extinct. Plants and animals are so important to our everyday life and with the advanced technology we have today we should be doing everything in our power to protect and rehabilitate them. The world flourished before human interference and we need to try and help the world get back to the way it once was. Even America's national bird is in danger but Trump's administration team still thinks it is wise to roll back on ESA. Someone needs to put their foot down and speak up for the plants and animals in trouble.
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President Trump's Hollywood Star Defaced

President Trump's Star vandalized
The president's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star was vandalized the morning of July 25. This isn't the first time it has been defaced. Due to people disagreeing with Trump, his star has become a target to be vandalized. According to the Chicago Tribune, someone was smashing the attraction with a pickax at around 3:30 in the morning. The man was taken into custody. In 2016 days before the presidential election, his Hollywood Boulevard star was destroyed by a man swinging a pickax and a sledgehammer. Many celebrities may have influenced people to do this and have joked around with it. The man who did this crime turned himself in to the police and is on $20,000 bail. The man who previously did this was sentenced to 3 years on probation. There are definitely more peaceful ways to protest against the president as vandalizing a California landmark is a crime and extremely disrespectful.
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Trump's Relations With Iran

Left- U.S President Donald Trump
Right- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
On May 8th, 2018, President Donald Trump chose to exit the United States from the Iran Nuclear Deal. Trump's thought process on this decision is that the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), commonly know as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was a one-sided deal that only encompasses Iran's nuclear arsenal, but not their ballistic missile programs. This historic decision was not supported by most countries, such as France. The French President Emmanuel Macron can be quoted saying on twitter,"France, Germany, and the U.K. regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA." So, even without support from other world leaders, Trump continued to exit the Iran Deal and create even more tension in the Middle East. The backlash of Trump's rash decision here is that he has tainted America's trust with other countries. This ruin in trust stems from the Obama making a deal with Iran that was supposed at least 10 years, but in actuality lasted 3 years. 

Within the month of July things escalated in the U.S. Iran relationship. Trump tweeted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that if Iran threatened the U.S then the country would suffer greatly. Despite this Rouhani responded that a war with Iran would be the mother of all wars. Trump, infuriated replied with this tweet.
This left the Iran relationship in heavy tension, yet 7 days later on July 30 Trump said in a press conference that he would meet with Rouhani anytime without preconditions. Here, Trump's unpredictable nature can be seen as he leaves the relationship on neither good or bad terms. These events lead America's future in the Middle East in a haze where almost anything could happen.

Sources:
I chose to write about this topic because it demonstrates Trump's unpredictability and how it leaves relations with countries uncertain. This uncertainty ruins the trust between world leaders. I believe that if Trump would like to run a better campaign he will need to have a better method of diplomacy. As tensions rise with claims of Trump colluding with Putin he will need to use better relations methods instead of his volatile outbursts.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What do you think will come of the relationship between Trump and Rouhani?
  2. Do you think Trump's unpredictability will become the new form of diplomacy in the U.S?
  3. Is there a disregard of trust between the U.S and other countries?




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The End of The United States?

On July 31st The POTUS, Donald Trump, Tweeted " I don't care what the political ramifications are, our immigration laws and border security have been a complete and total disaster for decades, and there is no way that the Democrats will allow it to be fixed without a Government Shutdown..." "...Border Security is National Security, and National Security is the long-term viability of our Country. A Government Shutdown is a very small price to pay for a safe and Prosperous America!"

 This post will be analyzing the two tweets, determining if what he said is correct, and what the consequences of the potential Government Shutdown.
First what are our borders like and immigration?
There were 11 million illegals immigrants in the country in 2016. This makes up around 3-4% of our country's population. All of these illegal immigrants came to the country between 1990 and 2007 going from 3.5 million to 12.2 to million at its peak. That number has been slowing dropping since 2007 dipping to 11.5 million in 2016. 5.6 million illegal immigrants came from our southern border in 2016. But that number has been dropping since 2007 too it was once a 6.4 million. two thirds of the illegal immigrants in this country have been here at least a decade. So its not like they are all coming right now. 8 million illegal immigrants are in the US labor force 5 million of which have jobs. The trends for this statistic follow the trend for the total amount of illegal immigrants in the country. 6 states have 59% of the illegal immigrants.
So Trump isn't entirely wrong when he says that the things are a mess.

What is Nation Security and does Border Security fall under that category?
Nation Security is the concept that a government should take measures to protect itself and the citizens of the state. Border Security does fall into National security because undocumented guns, and drugs can come into this country with illegal immigrants. The Foreign born also account for 57 out of 76 fugitive murderers most wanted by the FBI. And one fifth of the prison population from 1998 to 2007 seven were illegal immigrants and had been deported.

What happens during a Government Shutdown what causes it and how long does it last?
Its usually lasts a couple of days. It is caused the inability for Congress and the POTUS to sign into law a appropriation bill. During a Government Shutdown the Federal Government shuts down all nonessential services such as national parks monuments museums etc. This also means that those employees don't work its treated as paid leave but they don't get paid until a day or too after the Government is back. But the shutdown cost billions of dollars in lost economic activity.

Is a Government Shutdown worth the funding for Border Security?

Works Cited
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/27/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/

https://cis.org/Report/Immigration-and-Crime?gclid=CjwKCAjwkYDbBRB6EiwAR0T_-jqSH-bHF7To_ORAE8z2vQf5mXj2S4vSVY77pY3jF6m1t-QobesCYxoCFGUQAvD_BwE

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/09/what-happens-during-government-shutdown-7-things-should-know.html

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North Korea working on missiles?

        During the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un, the two of them worked on starting the complete denuclearization of the Korean Penisula. Both signed and shook hands on this. The 2 seemed to be building a good relationship and have made plans for more meetings.

        Recently a satellite image shows that there is still building of missiles in Sanumdong, North Korea. This means 1 of 2 things, either Kim Jong Un deceived Trump or he is not the person in charge of weapons. It appears that the missiles being built are liquid-fueled, which makes it harder to store and move because the fuel is more volatile. The volatility causes a higher chance of launch failure and it takes a lot longer to get ready due to having to keep the fuel stored away from the missile.

        In a video, Trump is telling the world things about the deal that has yet to happen, and people are believing him. For example, Trump said that they were destroying their engine sites and have already begun the process but,  it is unclear that North Korea has begun to do anything yet. Trump also claims that it will be a total denuclearization, but the problem isn't solved yet, he makes it seem like its already fixed.

 Websites/Links

        Questions:
  1. Do you think that North Korea is deceiving Trump
  2. Is this a good thing for the US to be doing right now? 
  3. Should the US trust North Korea?






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China Enforces Their Policies on American Companies

Chinese President Xi Jinping
Since 1949, when China established themselves as a communist state, the United States has had many quarrels with them to this day regarding their extent of their policy.  Communism is defined as a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
In other means, the government is in control of all businesses and aspects of daily life for the citizens.  Therefore, China has every right to censor their own country.  However, questions arise to whether the extent of that censorship stretches beyond their own borders.  Last week, the three major U.S. airline companies, United, American and Delta, all gave way to Beijing’s order that they change their websites to portray Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China.  For decades China has claimed that Taiwan is a part of their republic while Taiwan declares itself as a separate entity.  The Chinese enforced their censorship policy to companies not under their area of jurisdiction.  These companies were threatened by China to comply and played right into their game.  The Chinese Communist Party has been firmly increasing pressure on foreign companies to do its political demands inside China and around the world.  This has caused the United States and other foreign powers to debate how they can protect their private companies from the constricting Chinese administration.  The White House demands that this "safe space" that China is attempting to create must stop, but are unsure how to take action against it.



Image result for China and american flag   

Link to Website
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/china-takes-its-political-censorship-global/2018/07/26/898d40dc-90f6-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4637188db784

Questions for Discussion
1. What do you think should be done to prevent China from doing this again?

2. How does this showing of China's power challenge other countries?

3. What can Taiwan and China do to resolve the issue between them?

4. Does China have the right to extend their censorship? Why or why not?


I chose to write about this article because currently many folks are focused on the tension between the United States and Russia, with President Trump and President Putin meeting last week to defuse this.  However, this article reminds us that many other power countries exist beyond these two, such as China.  We are notified that China will continue to be prominent in our world and have an important place in political scheme of things.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and democratic socialism

When democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decided to run for Congress in New York's 14th district, no one expected her to win the nomination. Only one year prior, she was a bartender at her local bar. With little political experience under her belt, she has big plans and a vision for a "better, Socialist future." What exactly is democratic socialism? Well according to the Democratic Socialists of America, they are a non profit organization who, "reject an economic order based on private profit, alienated labor, gross inequalities of wealth and power." The DSA have their own constitution that they abide by, along with 14 articles ranging from their purpose to their amendments. Image result for democratic socialism

 Ocasio-Cortez has been under fire from both the Democratic and Republican party. She has made comments seen by many as absurd or down right disrespectful. In an interview with PBS's "Firing Line," Ocasio-Cortez has denounced Israel for its "occupation of Palestine." She has also called Israel's killing of members of the terrorist groups Hamas a "massacre". Another reason why she is controversial is the fact that on the same interview with PBS was when she was asked about the low unemployment rate, her response was that, "because everyone has two jobs," even though having multiple jobs does not affect the unemployment rate. She has faced backlash from both sides of the political spectrum, but many younger voters see a future in democratic socialism.

Could democratic socialism bring a breath of fresh air into American politics if done correctly? Many see it as a nuisance and a threat to American life and wealth. With midterm elections coming up, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Would you support a democratic socialist candidate? Why?
2. Would you become a democratic socialist yourself?
3. Do you think that there will be a new socialist political movement in America?
4.  What are some other arguments against democratic socialism and socialism as a whole?

Sources:
https://www.dailywire.com/news/33478/watch-crtv-host-trolls-ocasio-cortez-fake-james-barrett
https://www.dsausa.org/constitution
https://reason.com/blog/2018/07/17/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-unemployment
https://www.jta.org/2018/07/16/news-opinion/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-criticizes-israel-occupation-palestine
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Ginsburg: Retirement?

Ginsburg: Retirement?

An important topic in politics right now is the appointment of Supreme Court Justices. As many of you know Judge Gorsuch was nominated in 2017 by current President Donald Trump, and appointed not long afterward. Recently Judge Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, and President Trump jumped at the chance for another GOP seat in the house, picking heavily conservative Brett Kavanaugh to fill it, thus swaying the vote 5-4, 5 conservative, and 4 liberal Justices, (if Kavanaugh is appointed). Whilst all of this is stirring in the conservative world, Democrats have had enough, and do not want another conservative Judge.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who is known for her moderately liberal perspectives is has been a member of the Court for over 25 years and is speaking out against President Trump’s ultra conservative choices. As the oldest Justice on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg is frequently asked the question “when will you retire?” a question that is probably more relevant now than ever, since President Trump is on his way to appointing two conservative Justices on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg recently told the press she hopes to stay on the Supreme Court for “at least five more years” (CNN). Five years ahead will put us in 2023 where, if Trump is elected for a second term, he’ll be on his last year, but Ginsburg said she’d hope to stay at least five more years, so possibly until Trump is out of the White House. If Ginsburg is successful in staying until 2024 (keeping in mind she is 85 years old)  she may witness another liberal Justice take her seat in the Supreme Court.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 85, said she intends to stay on the court for at least five more years. If President Trump is re-elected will she make it six or seven?



Discussion Questions:

  1. Should President Trump be looking for more of a centrist/wild card Judge (similar to Kennedy), rather than another moderate conservative?
  2. Do you think Ginsburg will be successful in lasting five more years? (considering she’s 85)
  3. Do you agree that there should be more conservative Justices? Liberal? Why?

Sources:




I chose to write about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s possible retirement because I enjoy learning about the Supreme Court. I am excited to see what happens next with Kavanaugh and whether or not he will be appointed. I am also eager to find out who will replace Ginsburg when she retires.


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How Record Heat Wreaked Havoc on Four Continents

How Record Heat Wreaked Havoc on Four Continents
By Somini Sengupta, Tiffany May and Zia ur-Rehman
Climate change is becoming a serious threat day by day. Lately, many countries have had record high temperatures. Global green house gases are responsible for these intense heat waves. The climate in Oslo has evolved so much that a barbecue can turn into a disaster if one spark touches the grass. Japan suffered from triple-digit temperatures that resulted in 86 deaths.
I chose this article because unlike other conflicts going on today, this issue has consequences globally. Also it is important to recognize climate change, because many people deny its existence even though there is data and statistics to back it up.
Discussion questions:
1. How do you think climate change will affect the productivity of different countries?
2. What are some ways to stop climate change before it gets out of control?
3. Do you believe climate change is real or fake? Explain.
4. Should the U.S. Government have a role in preventing climate change, considering they are a world power?




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Monday, July 30, 2018

Mars; Can It Be Terraformed to Fit Our Needs?
























Image result for mars

Recently scientists have discovered that there could potentially be water on the planet of Mars, which raises the question, is Mars one day going to be our new home? With all the natural disasters like wildfires, monsoons, tsunamis, and overall rapid climate changes occurring on the Earth, many people are beginning to panic and wonder what is going to become of the human population hundreds of years down the road. Terraforming is the process of deliberately modifying a planet's atmosphere to resemble Earth's and allow for that planet to support Earth's life. Unfortunately, many scientists do not believe this is not going to be happening anytime soon.

Science has developed greatly over the past hundred years, however, many scientists that have been analyzing our future occupation of Mars say it's just not possible. To make Mars habitable, scientists would have to find a way to raise both the temperature and pressure. To do so they would have to add atmosphere made of heat trapping greenhouse gases, and the only one present on the planet is carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide, however, is trapped deep beneath the surface, and frozen. Chris McKay, a leading researcher at NASA's Ames Research Center explained "If there is enough carbon dioxide, we could warm up Mars in 100 years once we start... The fundamental question is, is there enough stuff?" And as of right now, the signs point to no, there just isn't enough available for us to immediately start terraforming the planet, and we do not currently have technology advanced enough to remove the carbon dioxide from the polar ice caps and hidden reservoirs hidden deep within the planets surface.

Scientists Bruce Jakosky and Christopher Edwards have both looked deeper into the issue, and determined that Mars indeed used to have enough carbon dioxide to support life, however “The bulk has been lost to space, a small amount to polar ice and shallow carbon-bearing minerals, and an unknown amount to deep carbonates.” The majority of it was just lost in the atmosphere of space, which can not be restored, and the small remaining amount is nearly impossible to get to. Chris Edwards said "with current technology, we just don't see that there are any viable options." So this means that we will not be moving to Mars anytime soon. Not until technology advances even more, which can take hundreds of more years for all we know. But someday, generations down the line, humans might be able to call Mars their permanent home.

Image result for mars atmosphere
Earth's Atmosphere compared to Mars

Questions For Discussion

What are your thoughts on the potential move to Mars?
Do you think scientists will be able to create advanced technology allowing us to terraform Mars?
Do you think there could be possibly another planet that could support human life?
Would you rather live on Mars, or the Earth if you had the option?

Sources


I chose to write about this current event because I thought it was extremely interesting that one day we might be able to colonize another planet. Mars is a very popular science fiction topic, and there is a possibilty that this all might become real, despite all of the struggles happening with the process right now. This is a huge deal in the future of  us, as well as Earth, and people should be aware that with all the changes happening on Earth, one day we will have a backup in case all else fails.


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The Big Tweet

   Image result for image of trump tweeting   

     Many of you woke up last Monday only to find the internet flooded with what has now become a very well-known tweet from our President of the United States, Donald Trump.  While tweeting is nothing new to President Trump and Twitter's goal is to provide an environment where people can feel free to express themselves, there is concern that he may have pushed the limit and took tweeting to an all-time extreme.
     The following order of events basically outlines what transpired that gave rise to President Trump's explosive tweet on Sunday night, July 22, 2018:
  • May 8, 2018: President Trump signed a presidential memorandum which allowed the United States to pull out of a nuclear deal that the United States and several other countries had made with Iran during President Obama's administration in 2015. President Trump gave several warnings prior to this date that the deal either had to be renegotiated or terminated, and since successful renegotiating did not happen he withdrew the United States from the deal causing  tensions between the two countries to grow even more. The deal was that Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities and even allow in international inspectors to make sure they were following the terms of the deal as agreed upon.  In return, as part of the deal, crippling economic sanctions on Iran would be lifted. President Trump, however, found fault with a sunset clause in the deal which makes restrictions on Iran to be only temporary so he pulled out of the deal saying that due to its "decaying and rotten structure....the Iran deal is defective at its core".  As a result of withdrawing from the deal, sanctions on Iran are expected to be put back in place starting as early as August 6, 2018.
  • July 21, 2018: Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian diplomats in Tehran, the capital of Iran, that "we cannot trust in the words of the United States and even in their signature, so negotiations with the United States are useless".
  • July 22, 2018: Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, gave a televised, extremely provocative speech against the United States warning the United States about being hostile toward Iran.  
  • July 22, 2018: Soon after Iranian President Rouhani gave his speech, Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary, gave a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. His speech spoke poorly about the Iranian government. The Iranian regime was compared to the mafia whereby leaders of the country are known to get rich and fund terrorism all at the expense of Iranian citizens. He also stressed that corruption among the leaders of Iran is to be blamed not only for the suffering the people of Iran are facing but also for their lack of political freedom.
  • July 22, 2018: Later that night, President Trump returned to the White House from a weekend trip and learned about the televised speech given by President Rouhani. President Rouhani's words used in his speech infuriated Trump so he immediately took to Twitter at 11:24 p.m. and tweeted to President Rouhani what is now known as his threatening, all-caps tweet as seen below: 
Image result for explosive trump tweet to iran

There has been mixed reaction to President Trump's tweet. While some shrug it off as Donald Trump just being his impulsive self, others perceive it as a serious threat of a nuclear attack by the United States on Iran.

Below are articles and videos which will shed more light on the situation from when President Trump withdrew from the Iran deal in May 2018, several reactions to it then and now, including some of  Iranian President Rouhani's words which led up to President Trump's recent tweet as well as other related articles.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/08/here-are-iran-sanctions-returning-after-trump-leaves-nuclear-deal.html

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/22/world/iran-rouhani-mother-wars/index.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-iranian-president-threats-20180722-story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-latest-iranian-state-media-say-trumps-tweet-passive/2018/07/23/d486e22e-8e43-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d_story.html?utm_term=.13ecd95a3186

Additional interesting links:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/cheat-sheet-executive-orders-memorandums-proclamations
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/328996
http://www.personalitypathways.com/article/trump-mbti-type.html

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you feel the use of Twitter is a proper way for Presidents of different countries and people in politics to communicate with each other?
2. Do you feel President Trump's tweet was made on impulse or was it well thought out by him?
3. Does President Trump's tweet appear to be a threat of a nuclear attack by the United States on Iran?
4.  Can the "war on words" between Iran and the United States end up hurting other countries, too?







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 Trump Threatens to Shutdown Government



President Donald Trump revives battle for border wall, immigration curbs.
                                    President Donald Trump revises battle for border wall, immigration curbs


Sunday President Trump threatened to put the government into a shutdown if he is not funded for his border wall and if the nation's immigration laws are not changed. But, Paul Ryan said that "The president's willing to be paient to make sure that we get what we need so that we can get that done." Trump says if this action is not done then he will think about closing the country for a while. But, Trump has always has a grudge on congress. Back in March Trump was going to veto a spending bill that funded the government through September but ultimately signed it. He then expressed his displeasure toward congress by saying he will never sign a bill like that again. Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed in June that he was cancelling much of Senate's August recess for the chamber to spend more time on Trump's nominees and pass appropriations bills. Going off of Trump saying the government might shutdown two Republican lawmakers are saying the government should or would not shutdown. Many people disagree with what Trump said. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin said "it would be unhelpful to shut the government down just before elections so lets try and avoid it." Also Ohio representative Steve Stivers said "I don't think we are going to shutdown the government...but we are going to get better policies on immigration." Trump has pledged that he will start to campaign aggressively after Labor Day so Republicans can retain the house and the senate. Trumps idea may back fire though because building his wall is the deter illegal immigrants and that Mexico will pay for it but they have refused. Trump is now getting money from Congress but is short the $25 billion. He will keep collecting but most of the funding won't come until after midterms. But the money will have to come from U.S. taxpayers to construct the wall but Trump says he will get the money from Mexico through other means. overall he wants this bill passed to stop illegal immigration and help make this a better and safe place to live.

                                     
   Discussion Questions
How do you think the country would react if the government was shutdown?

Do you think that President Trump is overacting or is he doing what is best?

Is there anyway you would handle this differently?

Will this help the Democrats in the next election?
                                                                                                            
Sources










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