Sex-Trafficking Bill, Ensnared by Politics, Is Left in Limbo by a Senate Vote

Currently, there is disagreement in the Senate over a bill that would protect victims of sex trafficking. Mitch McConnell said he will not direct the Senate's attention towards confirming Loretta E. Lynch, the nominee to replace Attorney General Eric Holder, until the bill gets off the floor. The grid-locked measure would create a victims' fund collected from sex traffickers. In the bill is language banning the use of the funds on abortions. Some say this ban is simply an extension of the Hyde Amendment while others believe Republicans snuck the language into the bill. Should the nomination process be held up until this bill is passed?

House Republican Budget Overhauls Medicare and Repeals the Health Law

House Republicans have just unveiled a budget proposal for 2016. They have set the bar very high, promoting a goal of hitting $33 billion in surplus by 2025. Among the new budget provisions are a plan to privatize Medicare through a voucher program, repeal Obama Care, abide by strict military spending caps, and pull money away from k-12 education programs. Do you think achieving such a surplus is possible? Will the cap on military and domestic spending cause some Republicans to vote against the plan?

House Select Committee Demands Hillary Clinton's Emails

The House Select Committee on Benghazi has issued a subpoena asking for all of Hillary Clinton's emails that are related to Libya. The Committee is asking for all of Clinton's emails, as she used more than one personal email during her tenure as Secretary of State. Despite this, Clinton's lawyer says that her second email was not used until after she had left her post as Secretary of State. The Committee continues to demand both emails, saying that Clinton's use of personal emails raises issues on transparency.

US Ambassador Attacked

United States Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was recently attacked by an assailant by the name of "Kim." Lippert was attacked by a small razor blade  but is in stable condition. He was attacked prior to delivering a speech in Sejong Hall in Seoul, and the attacker was heard yelling about the reunification of South and North Korea before assaulting Lippert.

Netanyahu, in Speech to Congress, Criticizes ‘Bad Deal’ on Iran Nuclear Program

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke before Congress against the deal with Iran concerning nuclear weapons. He believes it will not be able to stop the violence and will instead "guarantee" it. Obama has said that Netanyahu didn't even present another option or way of dealing with the nuclear weapons in Iran. This article also writes about the possible ways to deal with this issue. What do you think of Netanyahu's speech? Do you support a certain way to deal with Iran's nuclear weapons?

Ending Uncertainty, House Approves Year’s Funding for Homeland Security

The House has passed a bill that will fund Homeland Security for the rest of the year. This comes after weeks of uncertainty and prevents the partial shut down of the agency. Conservative republicans are angered by this outcome but this decision prevents their political fallout because it does not threaten public safety. Boehner has received praise for what some consider a strategic move while others believe he just "caved in". Do you agree with the bill? What do you think of Boehner's actions?