Obama Shares Historic Handshake with Iran Foreign Minister

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                                                             CNN-historical handshake

     
           This historical handshake between President Barack Obama and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York on Monday. The handshake is said to be "the highest level handshake between the two nations since 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to the Iranian side the handshake was not planned before the event, and took place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

CNN debate criteria would allow Joe Biden participate

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                                Joe Biden meets the requirements for running for president

            Vice President, Joe Biden will be invited to take part in the the first Democratic presidential primary debate, if he decides to do so by October 13 (the day of the debate). Though Joe Biden has been indecisive on whether or not he will join the primary, he would only need to file the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission or declare he wishes to attend according to the requirements. So far five have been invited to the first Democratic National Committee-sanctioned debate, they are: Lincoln Chafee, Hilary Clinton, Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Jim Webb.

























       

John Boehner, House Speaker, will resign from Congress

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                                                             John Boehner Resigns

                                               
                John Boehner made the decision to resign from congress in a meeting on Friday. He stated that almost no one knew of his decision before making it Friday and said at a news conference, "So before I went to sleep last night, I told my wife, I said, 'You know, I might just make an announcement tomorrow." Mr. Boehner's was trying to think of a solution to keep the government open the rest of the year, but as pressured the conservatives who would not vote for a bill that funded Planned Parenthood, the announcement weakened the chances of a government shutdown.

Yazidi woman raped by 'American jihadi' to testify to Congress

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                                                     Yazidi woman gets raped by ISIS


    A 20 year-old Yazidi woman claims to have been captured and held as a sex slave by ISIS, the woman is now in America to testify to Congress about her statements against the American who went by the name of Abu Abdullah Al Amirki (Abu Abdullah the American). The victim stated that man was "very white" and even had a family of his own back in the U.S. She also said that before and after he would rape her he would pray 15-30 minutes to cleanse himself the act.  

Pope Francis Poised to Deliver Historic Speech to Congress

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AP Gov Blog Post

                                                     Pope Francis Coming to America

      Pope Francis is visiting America for six days, for the first time, he is making history by becoming the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of congress in a speech that challenges issues in American Politics. It is predicted that many of his views will clash with the Republicans, but he could also put democrats on the spot if he discusses abortion and gay marriage.   Following Pope Francis' speech, he will join the lavish meal with lawmakers, but will instead eat lunch with homeless people.      

Introduction to Federalism

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AP Gov Homework


1. Federalism-  mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in such a way as to allow each to maintain its own fundamental political integrity. Federal systems do this by requiring that basic policies be made and implemented through negotiation in some form, so that all the members can share in making and executing decisions. The political principles that animate federal systems emphasize the primacy of bargaining and negotiated coordination among several power centres; they stress the virtues of dispersed power centres as a means for safeguarding individual and local liberties.
Definition of Federalism

2. There are 195 nation-states in the world.

3. Seven countries have a federal system of government, they include: Austria, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Switzerland, and Venezuela. 

4.   

5. Unitary System- a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government. It contrast with the federal system.

6. 132 countries have a unitary system, the largest countries include: China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Phillippines.

7. The Federalism systems is completely different from the unitary system. In a unitary government, the central government possesses much authority and decision-making power, local governing bodies simply serve as administrative arms of the central government. However, in a federalism government, power is split between a central government authority and its constituent states, usually involving a constitution which defines how power is shared between national, state, and local government. 

8. The image above gives the perspective on federal government involvement of a police officer. The sick patient is laying in his bed, clearly sick of cancer which makes us feel sympathy for him, while the "feds" are also just doing there job and are punishing the mad doing illegal things such as marijuana.

9. The image above gives the perspective on federal government involvement from a politician but more specifically from a Republican. The elephant, which is the symbol for the Republican party is expressing how the states should allowed to do set their own policies without the government interfering, which is a common argument the Republican party makes.  


10. In the video, it uses a three layer cake as a metaphor for federalism with local being the top layer, state being the middle, and federal being the bottom and biggest layer. It explains federalism as local taking care of local issues like the police force, water and building permit. State handles issues like education, healthcare, and recreation. Finally, federal covers issues like national issues like national parks, military, and space exploration.

11. It is a metaphor because the chocolate represents the federal government and the vanilla represents the local and state government.

11-year-old St. Louis boy left alone with sister kills teen

                                                 CNN 11 year-old boy shoots 16 year-old
                                   (Because this story is so new, there isn't a picture provided)


             An 11 year-old boy was left alone in his house in St. Louis-area with his 4-year-old little sister. Sgt. Brian Schellman made a statement that it was the third time the 16 year-old had attempted to break into the house. Contradictory to this, the neighbor said the 16 year-old boy never entered the house, but that they were both arguing loud. The 11 year-old shot the boy in the head, but neither of the siblings were injured.

Jessa Seewald Shares Criticism of her Brother Josh Duggar

CNN- Josh Duggar scandal

    Josh Duggar is popularly known for being the oldest child on TLC's show, 19 Kids and Counting. Josh Duggar was first found guilty for molesting girls as a teenager, including his sisters, he admitted that he "acted inexcusably." Months later Josh Duggars name was revealed along with millions of others on the website Ashley Madison, which is a dating website marketed to people who are married or in a committed relationship, their slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair." Josh then apologized and said he had "been the biggest hypocrite ever." Since then, Josh has entered rehab.

Lawrence Phillips, Ex-NFL RB, Charged with Murdering Prison Cellmate

                                      CNN- Lawrence Phillips accused of murdering cell mate

         Lawrence Phillips is a former NFL first-round pick, he played three seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers. Lawrence Phillip, is currently serving time for multiple assaults of his ex-girlfriend, as well as driving his vehicle into a group of teens. Before being charged of murder, Phillips was set to be released in 2032, however, now if proven guilty, Lawrence Phillip could be facing 25 to life, plus 15 years.

Missouri Teenagers Protest a Transgender Student's Use of the Bathroom

NYT-Transgender issue

        A transgender student at Hillsboro High School in Missouri is facing backlash from "her" fellow students, after requesting to use the girls' bathroom at school. Lisa Perry stated that she began feeling "more like a girl than a boy" when she was thirteen, Lisa is a senior and is allowed to use the girls facilities as the new school year begins. In my opinion a bathroom in general, especially for highschools, should be based on your physical parts, not on the gender you feel you should be.

Kentucky Clerk Denies Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Defying Court

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Same-sex marriage supports and opponents face off at the Rowan County Courthouse

              In a Morehead Kentucky, one couple, Mr. Ermold and Mr. Moore, were denied a marriage license by Ms. Davis. A statement of Mrs. Davis was released by her lawyers saying, "to issue a marriage license which conflicts with God's definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience... I have no animosity toward anyone and harbor no ill will. To me this has never been a gay or lesbian issue. It is about marriage and God;s word." Some are arguing that Ms. Davis is only acting on her First Amendment rights, others are arguing that it is her job as a clerk in a county government office, to issue license.