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?