Women's Rights and the Trump Presidency

           Women's Rights and the Trump Administration  

                     http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-women-politics-idUSKBN13Y1HL

Connection: In class we have been studying about court cases as well as there relevance in today's society. The Roe v. Wade case is a perfect example of a court case that is relevant.
Summary:
President-elect Donald Trump has been in the news a lot recently because of his stance on abortion and the court case Roe v. Wade. Donald Trump has said that he plans on placing an anti-abortion justice in the Supreme Court. These statements have worried many about the future of women's rights in the United States. Changes to laws regarding abortion have already been made. In Texas it is now required to burry the fetus remains from the abortion and in Ohio it is now illegal to have an abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. These changes to the law of abortion mark a shift in the view of the public and can lead to a shift in women's rights. Many people have already planned a march in protest of Trump's views the day after he takes office. 

      

Questions

1. What changes can Trump make that will most influence women's rights?
2. What can US citizens due to address these proposed changes?
3. Should people be worried about the future of women's rights? 

       

Trump Vows To Increase Defense Budget, Then Criticizes Excessive Military Spending

Link: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-military-spending-flip-flop-226705














Trump "firing" the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a new combat plane program for which defense contractor Lockheed Martin will charge an estimated $400 million (depending on order number and cost per unit. Photo source: Foxtrot Alpha - Data source: CBS News.)

Summary: President-Elect Donald J. Trump has recently flip-flopped on the subject of military funding. Though he has promised to make the United States' armed services "so big, so powerful, so strong, that nobody, absolutely nobody, is going to mess with us...", he has also strongly supported elimination of the federal debt. Given that increased expenditures are usually correlated in public opinion with a stronger military, his two goals might appear conflicting to his electorate. However, in stating his positions, Trump has also called for the reining-in of defense contractors, which he perceives as being corrupt and too influential on the federal government. With his lack of a specific position on current budget regulation laws, Republican critics have said his ideas may be dangerous to national security and American strength in foreign policy. His new approach seems to be to increase the overall efficiency of spending on defense programs, saying that we can "do it for a lot less." Interestingly, his position diverges from that of the Republican Party, which believes (and has historically believed) that the military budget should be increased without qualification.

Questions
1. Which is of a higher priority at this point: national defense or the reduction of federal debt? Why? Should more attention be paid to entitlement programs (Medicare/Medicaid, etc.) instead?
2. What do you think Trump will actually do once in the White House? What approach will he take to make sure both debt reduction and security are addressed? Could he attempt to dismantle military-related iron triangles (between contractors, various Congressional committees like the House Armed Services Committee, and the Department of Defense)? If so, how would he go about it?
3. Is the current defense budget too big? Too small? Why? Is the money being used efficiently? If not, what should be done? (CBO, GAO involvement?)

Meet Exxon’s Rex Tillerson, Trump’s Choice for Secretary of State

Summary:

Trump recently appointed Rex Tillerson, Exxon C.E.O., for secretary of state. The president-elect dismissed Tillerson’s relations with President Putin that many are concerned with due to their involvement in Ukraine and their friendly relations with Syria. Tillerson has worked with many leaders of many countries as the representative of Exxon. However, he does not have any experience in foreign policy not regarding business. Tillerson has acknowledged climate change. However, he will most likely support policies that will “not hurt fossil fuel industries.” The most evident example of his ability to protect human rights was when he pushed for Boy Scouts of America to end the ban on gay scouts in 2013.

Connection: We have studied the executive branch and roles of secretary of state.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think Tillerson is a good choice for secretary of state?

2. Do you think that Tillerson will be confirmed by the Senate?

3. Would Tillerson be able to improve or worsen relations with Russia?

Racial Segregation in New York Schools Starts With Pre-K

Elizabeth A. Harris, a writer for the New York Times, argues in her article that racial segregation in schools start with pre-kindergarten. Harris discusses how this is primarily based on the fact that many pre-kindergarten programs appear in areas where they can offer their services to the local community. However, in spite of this clear racial segregation, there is an understanding that “racial diversity needs to be built into the application process” of pre-kindergartens, where segregation in schools begins to stem from. Having diversity in schools not only improves the learning of nearly all students involved, but also exposes them at a young age “to be accepting and tolerant of each other.” This connects to our current studies on civil rights and the continued segregation in schools throughout the country.

Questions to consider:

1. How can you relate this article to the topic of affirmative action?

2. Why is fixing racial segregation in pre kindergarten programs possibly considered more important than in high school or college environments?

3. What does having a universal application process do? Why is that significant/important, especially for early learning centers?

Trump Administration Tones Down Skepticism on Russia Hacking Evidence

Trump Administration Tones Down Skepticism on Russia Hacking Evidence

Summary:
Fresh signs emerged Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump could embrace the intelligence community’s view that the Russians were behind a computer-hacking operation aimed at influencing the November election. Reince Priebus stated that the president-elect “would accept the conclusion if these intelligence professionals would get together, put out a report, show the American people that they are actually on the same page.” His statement follows an intensifying bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to launch a separate investigation into the matter. Mr. Trump has called for opening up new lines of cooperation with Russia, and some of his critics in both parties have said his refusal so far to say Russia tried to interfere in the election was a sign that he doesn’t believe that Moscow is a U.S. adversary.

A number of Republicans have advised Mr. Trump to proceed cautiously with Russia, saying the nation’s president, Vladimir Putin, is looking to expand his influence in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and threaten American alliances.

On Sunday, four senators—including Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham—sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a temporary select committee “on Cyber” to probe the alleged Russian hacks, among other things. They said that allowing existing congressional committees to look into the hacks is difficult because there are too many committees that have claimed oversight.

Questions:
How will Trump's presidency influence Russian policy incentives?
How aggressive will Trump be in dealing with Russia?
Will Trump set a new precedent for American foreign policy?

Trump Calling for Change

Trump’s Taiwan phone call was long planned, say people who were involved



Summary:

Trump made the decision as president-elect to restore communications with Taiwan which have been dismantled since 1979. While some may consider it a “thoughtless blundering of a foreign policy novice,” others see it as a way to initiate better communication with China. As members of Trump’s team, many GOP conservatives have begun to play a role in reinstating Taiwanese relations. America’s relationship with the Chinese has since been rattled, which has only made Taiwan more of a forefront for diplomatic correspondences. To clarify, both Trump’s team and Taiwan’s leaders had planned the call much beforehand, and both sides were ready to salute each other as proponents of democracy, able to support each other in their endeavors. Perhaps what is most important to note is the looseness of this phone call, how little it actually determines about America’s, Taiwan’s, and China’s relationship with each other. But it is of utmost importance to recognize that this has been the first official relation between the two countries in over 30 years.

Questions:

What effect will this phone call have on Trump’s presidency? On US and Chinese relationships?

Did Trump make the right call? (pun intended)

How much is Trump adhering to “typical Washington rules”?

Only about 1 in 4 want Donald Trump to repeal Obamacare

Only about 1 in 4 want Donald Trump to repeal Obamacare

Summary:

It was clear among Trump’s issues that he stigmatized the Afford Care Act as a “disaster”, with a promise that he would completely repeal it during day one of his administration. However, as the election came to an end, Mr. Trump started to tone down and agreed that he’d like to keep parts of the law. In addition, among Trump’s supporters, the percentage in wanting the law repealed dropped to 52% from a previous 69% while during the election. This poll has created skepticism in that the view against Obamacare is actually inflated due to protest votes, which makes for political risk in attempting to ensure a quick repeal and replacement. In effect, this plan by Republican leaders “could result in the loss of 20 million people’s insurance coverage”, which calls for the necessity in simply revamping the health care system. Georgia Rep. Tom Price is already working on a plan to replace the ACA, but as they begin to start making changes to health care, they realize they are actually just inheriting the problem.

Connection:

As we have experienced and seen before, polls can be misleading or plain wrong. In addition, the act of voting entirely based on party alignment has related to Presidential coattails, in which voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because they support the president.

Questions:

1. As Trump beings to change his tone on Obamacare, will he still follow through with his bold claim to completely repeal the ACA?

2. Will the Republican leaders be successful in creating a better replacement for ObamaCare? Or will they simply inherit the problems from it?

3. How will the repeal of Obamacare affect the 20 million people who are covered? How are the Republicans planning to deal with this problem?