Emmanuel Macron: From political novice to president

Emmanuel Macron, an independent who has never held office, was elected president of France on Sunday, defeating Marine Le Pen. Macron is a 39 year old former investment banker who has been labeled by critics as inexperienced. Macron promises to reform France's welfare and pension system, to fight terrorism by increasing defense spending, and to "put France back at the heart of the EU." What is your opinion of the outcome of the French election?

FBI Cheif James Comey Fired by Trump

Donald Trump fired the director of the FBI, James Comey, over his handling of the inquiry into Clinton's emails, according to the administration. This came after it emerged that the former director gave "inaccurate information to congress" about the emails. This is only the second time that the head of the FBI has been fired. What do you think of the situation? What are the implications of this? Do you believe, as some democrats have suggested, that it was a "cover up" or an attempt to subvert the ongoing investigations into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign?

Stephen Colbert investigated over 'homophobic' anti-Trump joke

Last week, Stephen Colbert's CBS program, The Late Show, included a clip in which Colbert joked about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Colbert's monologue has been critically described as crude, sexual, and even homophobic. The response to his jokes has triggered an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Colbert and CBS could be fined if the clip is determined to be "indecent." The investigation has caused an outcry by free speech advocates over government censorship. Do think that the FCC should be investigating Stephen Colbert for his comments? Why or why not? What do you predict the outcome of the investigation to be?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39828336

Pope Francis angered by America's 'mother of all bombs' name

Last month, the United States dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) in Afghanistan. The target of the bombing was a network of tunnels used by ISIS militants. The powerful MOAB has become popularly known in the military and by the public as the "Mother of All Bombs." Recently, Pope Francis criticized this name, stating that "A mother gives life and this one gives death." The opinion of the Pope is historically a powerful political factor, even beyond the Catholic world. Do you think the Pope's criticism of the bomb's nickname is justified or simply an overreaction? What is your opinion on America's use of this bomb, as well as America's general military involvement in the fight against ISIS?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39830311

Trump's Sweden Comment Raises Questions

Just about a week or so ago, Trump, during a rally in Florida discussing immigration, stated that Sweden is having major issues in general, currently with immigration. “We've got to keep our country safe… look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden.” While this was occurring, over in Sweden, everyone was wondering what was going on. Until the Embassy of Sweden stated that they were “unclear to what the president was referring to,” Trump justified that he heard it from a source on Fox News that was proven to be inaccurate. This is definitely not the first time Trump or other members of his administration have randomly blurted out inaccurate information. Do you think it is from lack of knowledge or lack of honesty? How could this future of untruthful statements affect how other countries view us?

Bush Weighs In On Trump Presidency, Calling Press 'Indispensable To Democracy'

Ever since Trump has become president, he has stated that, "the media is the enemy of the American people." It was stated on an interview with NBC that George Bush strongly disagrees with Trump on this matter and believes that the media is “indispensable to a Democracy." This was recorded to be one of the first times George Bush has spoken at length about the current occupant in the Oval Office. Do you agree with George Bush on the issue regarding the media? What valid reasons would you give Trump if you had to persuade him not to try to ban the media and to have a kinder view of it?  

Trump to Seek $54 Billion Increase in Military Spending

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/us/politics/trump-budget-military.html?ref=politics

I assure you that this article from the New York Times is NOT fake news. Trump plans on increasing military spending by $54 billion at the expense of programs like Social Sceurtiy and agencies like the EPA. This amount of spending is absolutely absurd, even if it is there to "protect United Sates citizens".
Where do you think money should be spent? Is a $54 billion increase for the military too big, too small, or just right. Should congress approve this budget? When will the military be big enough?

‘Stand together against this bigotry’: Another Jewish cemetery vandalized and again Muslims reach out to help

<a href="http://https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/02/27/stand-together-against-this-bigotry-another-jewish-cemetery-vandalized-and-again-muslims-reach-out-to-help/?utm_term=.d1520ef63422"></a>


In the past year the number of hate groups has increased from 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016. This article deals with the vandalization of the Jewish Mount Carmel Cemetery just miles away from us in Philadelphia. On Sunday night, many Jewish tombstones were knocked over, leaving the cemetery in ruins. I'm not typically one to jump to conclusions, but it doesn't seem like a stretch that over the past year the number of hate crimes has increased because we elected someone who inspires hate. You may be thinking "Abby, this is absurd! He hasn't even been in office for a year!". However, over the past year he has been in the spotlight saying inflammatory, hate-inspiring things against just about everyone. The video embedded, however, shows Donald denouncing these hate crimes. He isn't taking action, but at least he isn't staying quiet.

During this time I believe that we need to pay close attention to ALL targeted/minority groups. Do not ignore some and focus solely on others. Elie Wiesel wrote "to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time." I urge you and everyone not to forget.

Does Donald Trump inspire hate crimes? Should he be doing more to stop them or bring them to light? Is this looking more and more like the Holocaust? What are YOU doing to fix our world. Yes, I know it's broad. But please, someone, anyone, tell me something that they're doing to help.

People From 7 Travel-Ban Nations Pose No Increased Terror Risk, Report Says

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/politics/travel-ban-nations-terror-risk.html?ref=politics&_r=0

Last month Trump signed an executive order banning visitors from 7 predominantly Muslim countries.  This order has been suspended, but they plan to be redone so they will “withstand legal scrutiny”.  The Department of Homeland Security found that only a small number of people from the seven countries have been involved in terrorist’s activities.  What do you think of this travel ban? Is it unreasonable? What do you think of Trump’s plan to build the wall? 

Trump's call for US nuclear supremacy raises questions

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/25/politics/trump-nuclear-arsenal/index.html

In 2010 the US and Russia signed the New START Treaty which aimed to lower the amount of nuclear warheads by 2018.  Trump has recently said that the treaty is “a one-sided deal” and wants to be at the “top” and possess the most nuclear weapons.  However, many experts argue that the US is already at the top when it come to nuclear weapons, and that the government is already spending money in the coming years to modernize the nuclear arsenal.  Do you think the US is at the “top” when it comes to nuclear weaponry? What do you think would be some of the consequences if Trump went against the START Treaty? How would other countries react?

Out of power, state Dems frustrated with national committee

Out of power, state Dems frustrated with national committee

Over the past 8 years, the Democratic National Committee has deteriorated, following the expiration of Howard Dean's "50 state strategy." Despite Democratic control of the executive branch, the party's state branches have dwindled down to almost nothing because of their lack of funding; they now struggle to pay staff members at all. According to DNC spokesman Adam Hodge, "state parties are the lifeblood of the DNC," because people are unlikely to vote for a party in the general election if they never see candidates from that party even contesting for local elections. This poses an interesting question: would a better functioning DNC have allowed Clinton to win the presidential race? It is hard to say; however, Democrats nationwide seem committed to rebuilding their party at the state level.

Obama calls for seamless transition for US military to Trump

Obama calls for seamless transition for US military to Trump

As the the presidential cycle begins anew, Barack Obama is gracefully stepping down from his position as commander in chief (not that he had a choice), and trying to make sure that the integrity of the military remains uncompromised despite Trump's questionable military objectives. Earlier in his campaign, Trump mentioned wanting to reinstate the practice of waterboarding, in addition to other torture and interrogation techniques. Furthermore, Obama "pointed to a handful of conflicts that Trump will inherit when he takes office...including the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and in the Iraqi city of Mosul"; these conflicts are obviously very delicate situations that would be difficult for any president to deal with correctly. It is clear that Obama wants the best for his country and is trying his hardest to achieve it. However, will Trump be able to handle the massive responsibility of the military, even with Obama doing his best to make the transition smooth?