Student Blog 8

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/15/politics/mitch-mcconnell-loretta-lynch-confirmation/index.html

McConnell Holds off Lynch Confirmation until Democrats Relent on Bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday said he plans to hold up attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch's confirmation until the Senate passes a now-controversial human trafficking bill. "This will have an impact on the timing of considering a new attorney general," McConnell told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." "I had hoped to turn to her next week, but if we can't finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again."  "We have to finish the human trafficking bill," McConnell said. "The Loretta Lynch nomination comes next."

This has to do with what we are learning in class because it is involved with the different parts of Congress and the passing of bills. 

I agree with the Senate's decision.  It is their right to use their powers to make a difference and that is what they are doing.  This is another example of Democrats struggling to pass bills, and the Republicans have jumped on the bandwagon with the Attorney General confirmation.

 

Student Blog 7

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating another incident of misconduct by senior Secret Service agents, White House officials said Wednesday night.  Two senior Secret Service agents, including a top member of President Barack Obama's protective detail, crashed a car into a White House barricade following a late-night party for retiring spokesman Ed Donovan and it's suspected they had been drinking.

This is related to our class because it involves the President, the White House, and protecting our President.

I think that it is a serious issue because protecting our president is very important and this is a breach in our security from an inside person who is supposed to be protecting our president.  I think there should be punishment but no dismissal of their roles in the Secret Service.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/11/politics/drunk-secret-service-agents-white-house/index.html

Student Blog 6

Benghazi Committee Going after Clinton Emails

     The chairman of the House committee investigating Benghazi said Tuesday revelations that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used multiple personal email accounts to conduct government business are troubling.  House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy said his committee knew that Clinton used personal email to conduct government business last summer, but only recently learned that she did not also use an official government account.  The committee, which is investigating the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans, plans to request the emails from Clinton and the email service providers she used, Gowdy said. He added that Clinton's use of personal email accounts makes it harder for the committee to gather the facts.
     This is related to AP Gov because it is involved with the actions of the government, specifically the Benghazi situation.  Also, Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State at the time which is involved with the different branches of the government.
     I believe that Hillary Clinton should give up her emails to help speed up the operation because I think she will eventually have to give them up.  It is important for the government to get these emails so that they can try and get to the bottom of this investigation.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/hillary-clinton-email-congressional-democrat-reaction/index.html

Student Blog 5

     http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/25/senior-state-dept-official-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-sex-from-minor/

     A senior State Department official in charge of federal counterterrorism programs was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor, Fox News has reported.  Fairfax County Police officials say Daniel Rosen was arrested by a county detective about noon at his Washington, D.C. home after he allegedly sought to arrange sex with a minor. The detective, a female officer working in the county's Child Exploitation Unit, had been posing as the minor in online exchanges with Rosen, police said.

     This relates to our class because it involves the justice system and one of our government officials being involved on the wrong side of it.

     I agree with the choice of the police to arrest this man due to the evidence piled up against him.

Student Blog 4

Justice Dept. could sue Ferguson for racial discrimination

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/18/politics/ferguson-justice-department-lawsuit/

     The Justice Department is preparing to bring a lawsuit against the Ferguson, Missouri, police department over a pattern of racially discriminatory tactics used by officers, if the police department does not agree to make changes on its own.  Attorney General Eric Holder said this week he expects to announce the results of the department's investigation of the shooting death of Michael Brown and a broader probe of the Ferguson Police Department before he leaves office in the coming weeks.

     This relates to our curriculum because it involves federal government dealing with the actions of a local government.  Also, it involves an inner-government lawsuit.

     I disagree with the actions of theJustice Dept. because I feel that the police brutality in Ferguson was blown out of proportion.  Yes, a white cop killed a black male but evidence shows that there was still a physical struggle between the two.  

Student Blog 3

NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams is being suspended for six months without pay.

      Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's top-rated "Nightly News" program, has been suspended without pay for six months after admitting last week that a story he told about coming under fire on a helicopter during the Iraq war was not true, the network said on Tuesday.  "By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News," NBC Universal Chief Executive Officer Steve Burke said in a statement from the network. "His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate."  His suspension comes after he voluntarily took himself off the air on Saturday and five days after NBC News launched an inquiry into his story of the event.

     This relates to our course curriculum because Brian Williams is apart of the media that reports the news from the White House and other political sources.  His lie included a story about the war that was the biggest topic among most politicians and his story may have changed people's views on the war.  The media and war aspects of this article relate it to the course curriculum.

     I agree with the punishment that was handed down to Brian Williams.  Falsifying information is unfair to the general public because news is the one of the only ways we have to look into the actions going on around the world.  His crude actions deserved the stiff punsihment that he was eventually given.  

Live Link

Student Blog 2

Mitt Romney Drops Out of Republican Candidate Race

     Three weeks to the day since he informed a group of Republican financiers in New York that he was serious about a third presidential bid, Romney has decided to end his political career.  He has officially told supporters that he would not attempt a third bid for the nomination.  Romney's decision to forgo a run, made over the weekend in consultation with his family, came on the heels of what associates described as "frank" and "clinical" strategy session with his closest advisers in Boston last Friday at the offices of Solamere Capital.

     This article is relatable to our curriculum because it involves aspect of the government such as political campaigns, the actions of a candidate, and the process of becoming the president.  

     I feel that Romney made the correct decision dropping out of the race.  He was never a strong republican candidate and he has cleared a path for better candidates to make a run at the White House.  His failed attempt to become president last year against a weak opponent show that he would have a harder time winning this year.  This is why I agree with his decision to forgo the Republican candidate race.

Live Link (CNN)