According to cbsenews.com, Mitt Romney stated that is was "an honor" to be considered to be President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of State after the announcement that Rex Tillerson would be the next Secretary of State. The decision came after weeks of vetting various candidates for the job, including Romney, who met with Trump before Thanksgiving in New Jersey. Loyalists to Trump, including his own advisor, Kellyanna Conway, publicly discouraged Trump from choosing Romney for the position. There were reports that Trump faced clashes from his base over his possible decision to choose Romney, who railed against Trump during the GOP primary campaign. In a speech in March, Romney said, ""Let ,e put it plainly, if we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mitt-romney-says-it-was-an-honor-being-considered-for-secretary-of-state/

According to washingtontimes.com, Vice President Joe Biden walked back on his previous statements towards another White House run in 2020 by saying four years is a "lifetime in american politics". Mr. Biden, who is 74, said his age could be an issue if he decided to run again in 2020 and that the political landscape could shift dramatically before the next election. "Age could be very much an issue and it could not be. It depends on the state of my health and the health of whomever is running," he said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/11/biden-tamps-down-2020-speculation-four-years-is-a-/

According to foxnews.com, the House of Representatives has backed down on it's vote to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for his handling of congressional investigations into the tax agency. With a 342-72 vote, the House sent the issue back to the Judiciary Committee. Republicans have accused Koskinen of impeding inquiries into the Internal Revenue Service's extra scrutiny of conservative nonprofit groups, which occurred before his arrival in 2013. They say Koskinen did not alert Congress quickly enough after records were destroyed under his watch. The Obama administration has backed Koskinen. His defenders say the records' destruction was inadvertent and that he did not knowingly make false statements. They also state that the charges are not serious enough to make him the first official other than judges and presidents to be impeached since 1876.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/06/house-backs-away-from-vote-to-impeach-irs-commissioner.html

According to cbsnews.com, Republican Texas elector, Christopher Suprun, has said that he will not formally vote for Donald Trump when the Electoral College on December 19. In an op-ed published by The New York Times, Suprun argued that Trump has demonstrated that "he is not qualified for the office and wrote that he has failed to unite the country as President George W. Bush did after 9/11. Instead he has ranted and attacked the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live". The elector went on to say that Trump "lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief" and "urged violence against protesters at his rallies during the campaign. He speaks of retribution against his critics." Harvard University law professor Larry Lessig has announced that he will provide free counsel to electors who want to oppose Mr. Trump, according to Politico.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-gop-elector-announces-he-wont-vote-for-trump/

According to cnnnews.com, Joe Biden announces on Monday that he "might not be going anywhere yet", opening the possibility of a Presidential run in 2020. Biden told reporters that day how much he enjoyed working in his chamber. When cnn jokingly asked if he would run for office again, Biden replied "Yeah, I am. I'm going to run in 2020." When asked what position he would be running for, Biden replied, "For President. What the hell, man." Biden later clarified saying, "I'm not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/joe-biden-2020-run-election/index.html

According to cnn.com, President Jimmy Carter has told President Barack Obama to do one thing before he leaves office in January, recognize Palestinian statehood. President Carter is a proponent for Palestinian rights and a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and recently praised the Obama administration in a New York Times op-ed for its support for a "negotiated end to the conflict based on two states," but warned this work could be undone with the shift to a Republican administration. Carter wrote, "I am convinced that the United States can still shape the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before a change in presidents, but time is very short. The simple but vital step this administration must take before its term expires on January 20 is to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine." The former president also called for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution "laying out the parameters for resolving the conflict." Carter is one of Israel's most vocal American critics. In his book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," he compared Israel's military occupation in the West Bank to the apartheid system in South Africa. Obama has also been critical of Israel, calling in 2009 for a complete freeze on the building of Israeli settlements. President-elect Donald Trump's position, however, has thrilled many supporters of Israel, as well as Israel's political right wing. As a candidate, Trump promised to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capitol of Israel and re-negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, which has been criticized by Israel's leaders.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/29/politics/jimmy-carter-palestine-op-ed/index.html

The Senate has formal powers such as voting for VP if electoral votes are tied, ability to introduce laws and legislation revenue, advise and consent the president, holding impeachment trials, approve treaties with 2/3 vote, confirmation of high-level appointees, may determine the rules of their own proceedings, conduct investigations in Congress, and the power to be the judge of the "elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members.". They are formal powers because they are expressly stated in the Constitution. They also have informal powers such as filibustering and the power to cloture.

According to ladyfreethinker.org, a lawsuit was filed against a Wisconsin high school after the Kenosha School district told guidance counselors that trans students must wear bright green wristbands to watch their bathroom use. A young transgender student named Ash Whitaker, who was forced to wear one of these wristbands, was in the news earlier this year when he was denied the chance to run for homecoming king. Ash filed a discrimination lawsuit against Tremper High School previously and it was dropped just a week before the new lawsuit against the district was filed. The Transgender Law Center has filed the lawsuit against the school district on behalf of Ash. According to the lawsuit, "he felt his safety would be even more threatened if he had to wear this visible badge of his transgender status." The Kenosha School District denies all of Ash's allegations.
https://ladyfreethinker.org/transgender-students-forced-to-wear-wristbands-to-use-high-school-bathroom/

According to abcnews.com, current VP, Joe Biden and Vice President-elect, Mike Pence met for lunch today, the 16th of November at the Naval Observatory. Each of their wives were in attendance as well as Pence's youngest daughter, Charlotte. After the meeting, Pence appeared in front of the press attempting to avoid the question of if the Trump administration is ready to take over in January saying, "No administration is ready for day one." Biden also met with the press afterwards saying, "I told Mike, the vice president elect, that I am available to him 24/7. I plan on being available to Mike as a told Mike, the vice president elect, that I am available 24/7. I plan on being available to Mike as senior staff for him as he moves. Biden's office told abcnews that during Pence and Biden's first meeting, they "spoke about their time working together in Congress and their friendship dating back many years. Biden talked with Pence about the key duties of the vice president, and discussed a number of specific policy portfolios that have been a crucial focus for him during his time in office, including NATO end eastern Europe and expanding access to the middle class."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/joe-biden-mike-pence-meet-lunch-naval-observatory/story?id=43584766

According to cnnnews.com, protesters hit the streets on Sunday marking the fifth day of protest against Donald Trump's election in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. A group gathered in Manhattan on Sunday to protest against Trump's immigration policies. "The main purpose is to tell Donald Trump he can't just deport 11 million undocumented people. They're here to stay and we stand in solidarity with them.", said Noelle Yasso. Protesters against Trump have expressed outrage on a number of his positions such as healthcare, the environment, LGBT rights, and many others. They have also expressed concern over his victory due to the fact that he won the electoral vote, but not the popular vote over Hillary Clinton. Over the weekend, protesters in LA grew to over 8,000. In contrast, the protesters on New York marched two miles peacefully to the Trump Tower, where they chanted "Not my president." While the protests in New York and LA have been mostly peaceful, Portland, Oregon has been the site of many violent acts pertaining to the recent election. Saturday, demonstrations ended in Portland with a shooting and the arrest of 71 people. After the incident, emotions changed as protesters calmly gathered for a vigil on Portland's waterfront at the Salmon Street Springs Fountain.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/13/us/protests-elections-trump/index.html

According to latimes.com, many California citizens skipped out on voting for senators this election year. The race was between California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Representative of Orange County Loretta Sanchez. Californians cast 1.1 million fewer votes in the Senate race than they did for president, according to results Wednesday morning with 99.4% of precincts reporting statewide in both elections. In comparison, in 2012 the margin between the presidential election and the U.S. Senate race between longtime Democratic incumbent Diane Feinstein and GOP challenger Elizabeth Emken was fewer than 500,000 voters. The Harris-Sanchez race was a major test of the state's relatively new open primary system where the top-two finishers, regardless of political party, advance to the runoff. This year was the first time since 1914 that there wasn't a Republican in the runoff.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-election-aftermath-updates-trail-many-californians-skipped-voting-in-the-1478709262-htmlstory.html

According to mcclathydc.com, after Hillary Clinton's second presidential upset, it is not likely that she will return to the front lines of politics. "I'm glad the Clintons came along. They have contributed greatly to the country and the world. I think they will both be willing to help in the search for new leadership." said Dolanld Fowler, a former Democratic Ntional Committee chairman who's close to the Clinton's. On Wednesday after the upset of Donald Trump's victory, Hillary made a speech to her supporters saying, "Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it. It is worth it. And so we need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives." While Trump recieved the 270 electoral votes needed to win presidency, Clinton won the popular vote, a fact emphasized greatly by Democrats on Wednesday. Bill Clinton is one of the most naturally gifted politicians of his generation, creating a dynasty for him and his family. Hillary, like her husband, is persistant and well-versed in policy, but lacks his ease. Obama said about Hillary Clinton, "She lived an extraordinary life of public service. I'm proud of her. A lot of Americans look up to her. And I'm absolutely confident that she and President Clinton will continue to do great work for people here in the United States and around the world."
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article113778808.html

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According to local10.com, Incumbent Marco Rubio won back his seat in the Florida Senate with 52% of the vote versus his opponent's, Patrick Murphy's, 44%. After losing his home state in the Presidential primary to Donald Trump, Rubio said he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate,  but changed his mind early June. Murphy has criticized Rubio for endorsing Trump despite calling him a con man during the Presidential primary. Murphy received endorsements from both Hillary Clinton and President Obama, but it was not enough to overtake the incumbent.
http://www.local10.com/news/elections/marco-rubio-defeats-murphy-reelected-to-us-senate

According to foxnews.com, Lady Gaga turned to twitter to discus the upcoming election. Gaga has posted numerous tweets in the past about Donald Trump, but recently turned her attention to his wife calling her a hypocrite. "MELANIATRUMP to say u will stand for anti-bullying' is hypocrisy. Your husband is 1 of the most notorious bullies we have ever witnessed." The pop star recently changed her display name to #votehillary and urges her followers to vote for the Democratic candidate. "... I've been traveling the world. Our election is an international issue. If 'he' wins we will be in a weak position globally," Gaga write. "Young people listen up. We need to mobilize now, #VoteHillary and stop this dangerous man from continuing to divide and wreck our democracy.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/11/07/lady-gaga-goes-after-melania-trump-during-political-twitter-rant.html

According to CNBC.com, two former Chris Christie were convicted on Friday of conspiracy and fraud in the 2013 plot known as "Bridgegate" to use the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge as a means of political retribution. The two convicted were Chris Christie's former Chief of Staff, Bridget Kelly, and his former Port Authority official, Bill Baroni and could be face 20 years in prison. The two were also convicted of working with former Christie aide, David Wildstein to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing the Republican governor's re-election bid. Christie has denied having any knowledge of the 2013 plan to close lanes on the bridge, but some of the testimony in the case implied that Christie was in fact aware of the plot before it took place. In a statement, Christie said he is "saddened by this case and the choices made by Bill Baroni, Bridget Kelly, and David Wildstein. Today's verdict does not change this for me." He also added, "But let me be clear once again, I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them. No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact. Anything said to the contrary over the past six weeks in court is simply untrue." The sentencing for both Kelly and Baroni is set for February 21, 2017.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/04/two-ex-chris-christie-allies-found-guilty-on-all-charges-in-bridgegate-trial.html

According to foxnews, in at least four states in the U.S., it is possible for early absentee voters who have already voted to recast of cancel their ballots. Among these states are Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but the rules vary from state to state. In Wisconsin, for example, absentee voters can change their ballots as many as three times before election day. Wisconsin GOP Rep. Sean Duffy fears that after the re-opening of the Clinton email investigation, that many absentee voters will change their ballots from Democrat to Republican. Roughly 22 million Americans have already cast their vote through absentee ballots, mail, or at the polls. Pennsylvania allows its absentee voters to change their mind by voting in person on election day. "The really important one is Pennsylvania because that is one of the states that Donald Trump says is a must-win for him," says political analyst Erin McPike. "That is the real state to watch." The fourth state, Michigan has voted Democratic every presidential election since 1976 and allows its absentee voters to cancel their ballot, request a new mail-in ballot, and vote in person before 5 p.m. on November 7 or vote on election day.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/01/early-absentee-voters-can-still-change-ballots-in-at-least-four-states.html

According to nbcnews.com, Hillary Clinton maintains a lead over Donald Trump in the polls despite recent discovery of emails that according to FBI Director James Comey, could be "pertinent" in the investigation of Clinton's use of private email servers. NBC News weekly election tracking poll shows Clinton with a 6 point lead over Trump taken days before the news of the emails were released. The poll was conducted online between October 24 through the 30th. After the release of the news, Clinton's lead over Trump remained mostly the same, 47% to Trump's 41%. On Friday, Director Comey sent a letter to Congress stating that the bureau would be reviewing emails that may be related to the investigation into Clinton's use of a private server during her time as Secretary of State. When asked whether she thought this news would effect the election, Clinton replied, "I think people made up their minds a long time ago." Another survey was conducted by nbcnews to ask people whether they thought the news of Clinton;s emails was an important topic to discuss, or whether it was more of a distraction from the campaign. 55% of survey-takers said it was an important issues while 44% said it was a distraction. 83% of Democrats said it was a distraction, 93% of Republicans, and 68% of Independents said it was an important issues to discuss.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-clinton-maintains-national-lead-over-trump-despite-fbi-letter-n675771

Jason Kander, the democratic candidate running for Senate in Missouri posted an ad, which features him assembling a rifle blindfolded while verbally criticizing his running mate, Roy Blunt. According to washingtonpost.com, this ad is the best to come out of the election so far. Kander states, "I also believe in background checks, so that terrorists can't get their hands on one of these." Passing background check legislation has not been popular recently, but the American public does not seem to agree with Washington on this issue. An estimated 85% of gun owners support universal background checks for buyers. Kander has a chance to take Blunt's seat because of this. Despite its GOP lean at the federal level, Missouri is ranked #10 for most likely to flip parties in "The Fix's most recent Senate rankings.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/15/this-campaign-ad-might-be-the-biggest-mic-drop-of-2016/

According to theblaze.com, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is pulling all of it's remaining ad reservations out of Florida. Because of this, Democratic candidate, Patrick Murphy will have to finish out his campaign for senator with the money he can raise by himself. Politico stated that the decision to pull the funding came prior to the debate, which Rubio was widely believed to have won. The DSCC has not admitted that they pulled the funding because of Murphy's performance in the debate Monday night, but rather claimed that it was a strategic decision designed to give Democrats the best possible chance to retake the Senate.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/10/18/democrats-pull-funding-from-florida-senate-race/

The Missouri senate race for 2016 features lead candidates, current secretary of state, Democrat Jason Kander (35), and current incumbent, Republican Senator Roy D. Blunt. Recently, Mr. Kander released a television ad that shows him putting an AR-15 rifle together blindfolded while reciting a script about gun rights and verbally attacking his opponent, Senator Blunt. Because of this, Mr. Kander's polls soared while Republicans worried about keeping their seat in the Senate. Many of Mr. Kander's ads have suggested, among other things, that Mr. Blunt took votes to enrich industries that his family represented. In Mr. Blunt's ads, however, he and his supporters have worked hard to cast Mr. Kander as a doormat to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who are both unpopular in Missouri. In one of the senator's ads, Mr. Kander's face is depicted morphing into Mrs. Clinton's and the president's face with the line, "Fresh face. Same old liberal thinking."
Roy Blunt, 66, studied history at Southwest Baptist University during which time he recieved three draft deferments from the Vietnam War. Later, he earned his masters degree in history from Missouri State University. He was elected secretary of state in 1984 and again in 1988. He was elected to be a representative in the house in 1998-2008.
     -Key issues:
        -Education: Voted in favor of school prayer and supports the No Child Left Behind Act.
        -Gun rights: Voted to reduce the waiting period to purchase a gun from 72 hours to 24.
        -Voted pro-life.
Jason Kander graduated from American University and after 9/11 enlisted in the Army National Guard. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2008 and won Missouri Secretary of State in 2012.
-Pro-gun rights with background checks
-Believes women should get equal pay for equal work, fighting for protection against financial fraud, pushing for open and honest government, wants to reduce business fees.
As of mid-October, Mr. Blunt led Mr. Kander 465 TO 445, a three percentage point drop since August.
Mr. Kander is now known as a gun-wielding Democrat, but is also a veteran and a Georgetown- educated lawyer.
Because of recent homogeneous growth outside of it's larger cities, Missouri has become more reliably Republican on the presidential level. Like Florida, however, Missouri tends to vote Democratic for statewide officials, such as senators.
Two weeks after Mr. Kander's now famous ad with the rifle, political action committees and other outside groups invested more than $8 million into the state on both Mr. Kander and Senator Blunt, quadruple what they had spent in the previous two weeks, according to the Federal Election Commission. 
Kander has "embraced" Clinton, but not endorsed her for the presidential candidate.
Kander has received $47,265 in donations
Kander edorsements: League of Conservative Voters
Missouri AFL-CIU
NARAL Pro-choice America
National Education Association
National Organization for Women

Blunt endorsed Trump for president
Roy Blunt endorsements: 
Airline Pilot Association
Eagle Forum
Missouri Farm Bureau Federation
Missouri Right to Life
National Federation of Independent Business
National Rifle Association

Missouri statistics: 
Population: 6.06 million
Economics: Industry; aerospace, transportation equipment, food products, chemicals.
Party Identification: 48.8% democratic lean, 37.9% republican lean.


https://showmeprogress.com/2009/01/30/party-identification-in-missouri-gallup/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/us/politics/senate-race-missouri.html

Roy Blunt

According to abcnews.com, two Americans were killed and three others were injured in an attack near a coalition base outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. According to a statement released by U.S Forces in Afghanistan, "They were conducting duties as part of a larger NATO mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan security services. An investigation is being conducted to determine the exact circumstances of the event. One U.S. service member and two U.S. civilians also sustained wounds and are currently stable. A spokesperson for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Dawlat Waziri, told abc news that the shooting occured during an insider attack and that the shooter was wearing an Afghan National Army uniform and was later killed in a gunfire exchange. General John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and Resolute Support stated after the event, "Our sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and the units of those involved in the incident. To those who continue to target coalition forces, ANDSF, and Afghan  civilians, RS and USFOR-A will continue to pursue our train, advise, and assist mission to help our partners create a better Afghanistan. 
http://abcnews.go.com/International/americans-killed-attack-kabul-afghanistan/story?id=42906237

According to americannews.com, wikileaks emails may prove that foul play was involved in the death of former U.S Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia died, supposedly in his sleep at the age of 79 either the night of February 12 or the morning of February 13 at the Cibolo Creek Ranch in Texas. The owner of the ranch, John Poindexter, commented, "We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled. He was lying there restfully. It looked like he had not quite awakened from a nap." Other suspicions arose recently when wikileaks released emails that were sent just three days before Scalia's death containing the word "networks", which is a term used in the military meaning assassination.
http://americannews.com/wikileaks-exposes-the-disturbing-truth-about-scalias-death-this-could-end-the-clinton-campaign-for-good/

According to nytimes.com, The Upshot's new senate election forecast gives Democrats a 60% chance of winning control of the chamber in the upcoming election. They also estimated that there is a 17% chance that the Senate will be split evenly with the Vice President providing the tie-breaking vote. The New York Times estimated that the Democrats will need to win 5 seats out of the 11 most competitive races with 10 of these seats currently being held by Republicans. This year, Republicans are defending only 10 seats, while the Republicans attempt to defend 24.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/24/upshot/democrats-have-a-60-percent-chance-to-retake-the-senate.html?_r=0

According to motherjones.com, a conspiracy radio host named Alex Jones made an announcement that both President Obama and Hillary Clinton are "abject, psychopathic" demons "from hell." The host of InfoWars has recently hosted Donald Trump on his show and has since become one of the candidates leading boosters in conservative media coverage. As for the comment, Obama responded at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday saying, "I was reading the other day, there's a guy on the radio who apparently, Trump's on his show frequently, he said me and Hillary are demons. Said we smell like sulfur, Ain't that something!" He then paused to smell his hand. Jones is a known conservative, but, in the past has been very critical of republican candidates. He claims the Sandy Hook massacre never happened and helped popularize the "Hillary for prison" t-shirts.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/barack-obama-alex-jones-sulfur-donald-trump

According to usanews.com, Gov. Jerry Brown of California sparked controversy once more when he signed a bill  on today stating that all single-stall bathrooms in California must be gender neutral. The bill also requires that the signs outside of these restrooms must have gender neutral signs outside by March 1, 2017. The bill was sent to Brown in August just after president Obama required that students at public schools use bathrooms that "correlate with their gender identity". Supporters of the bill said that 19 states considered restricting access to bathrooms and other facilities based on the biological sex of a person. Randy Thomasson, the president of a conservative organization called savecalifornia.com, argued the bill saying, "What woman wants a man poking his head in the restroom door that somehow didn't shut or lock? How many women want to use a urine-stained toilet seat?" Opponents of the bill have also stated that they failed to get the required number of signatures to advance and proposed ballot that would have asked people to use the restrooms that correspond to their biological gender.
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-09-29/california-governor-approves-gender-neutral-restrooms

According to dailycal.org, Democrats at Cal Berkeley hosted 17 Latin American political delegates on monday afternoon to share strategies for engaging voters as part of a U.S State Deepartment-sponsored program. The International Visitor Leadership Program provides non-American political figures with information about American society and politics. The delegation met in California to specifically address accountability and transparency in the government. The Latin American delegation consisted of representatives, politicians, journalists, activists, and attorneys from The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Ecuador. The international delegates asked the students about their strategies to encourage voter engagement. The students then asked the delegates about the cost of public education and the current presidential election. Towards the end of the debate, the topic shifted to education once more where Ricardo Corona Real, general attorney for a Mexican think tank, recommended that students keep accountability as their "core issue" with political elections.
http://www.dailycal.org/2016/09/26/cal-berkeley-democrats-host-latin-american-political-delegates/

According to usatoday, President Obama was given a Native American hat and blanket at his eighth and final White House Tribal Nations Conference. One tribal leaders calls Obama the first "American Indian president." Before wrapping president Obama in the blanket, National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby says, "To blanket it to remember those we honor, those we lost,  and those who are going to build our futures rhythm of the land."  Obama smiled as he called the ceremony "an amazing honor." The annual Tribal Nations Conference became a hallmark of Obama's Native American policy, bringing tribal leaders with administration officials beyond the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Indian leaders lined up to celebrate Obama's presidency with Marilynn Malerba, chief of the Mohegan tribe of Connecticut saying, "This president has walked down the path with us. He has left his footprints for many administrations to follow."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/theoval/2016/09/26/blanket-ceremony-american-indians-give-obama-warm-embrace/91132146/

According to abcnews.com, the mother of Keith Lamont Scott, found out her 43 year old son had been shot by police tuesday while watching the news on her tv. Keith Scott was waiting outside for his 9 year old son to be dropped off from school outside of an apartment complex in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police said Scott had a handgun, which they later recovered from the scene, and was ignoring their verbal commands to not exit his car and to drop his gun. The police then shot him where he was later pronounced dead. Scott's mother, Vernita Walker explained that her son was suffering from brain damage from a motorcycle accident a few years ago and that he was carrying a book, not a gun. The officer responsible for the shooting, Brentley Vinson has been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 2014, is now on leave pending investigation of the shooting. The shooting has been the center of protests and riots in Charlotte as angry demonstrators demand justice against police brutality.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-keith-lamont-scott-opens-shooting-son-charlotte/story?id=42284822

According to telegraph.com, former US Congressman Anthony Weiner, has been exposed for exchanging sexting messages between a 15 year old girl. Weiner made a statement saying he was sorry for the incident, but that he was the "subject of a hoax." Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo also made a statement about it saying, "I've read the reports and let me say this- if the reports are true, it's possibly criminal and it is sick." Weiner's wife, a close aid to Hillary Clinton, announced her separation from her husband on accounts of a different sexting scandal. The former Congressman had his first sexting scandal exposed in 2011 for sending explicit photographs of himself to a woman on twitter. He soon after resigned from his position in Congress.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/21/disgraced-anthony-weiner-sorry-for-texts-to-15-year-old-girl/

According to foxnews.com, controversy is spreading over a history teacher that stomped on the American flag during a lesson in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The incident occurred Monday at Massey Hill Classical High School, situated in one of the most patriotic towns in the nation. One parent of students in the teachers class respond by saying, "What that teacher did was a gut punch to all military kids at that school," A spokesperson for Cumberland County Superintendent Frank Till Jr. told fox news that they are investigating the incident and will not be commenting further until the investigation is complete.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/20/history-teachers-lesson-includes-stomping-american-flag-in-classroom.html?intcmp=ob_article_sidebar_video&intcmp=obnetwork

According to nbcnews.com, the longtime head of Baltimore's library system will become the new lead of the Library of Congress. Carla Hayden will become the first woman and the first African-American Librarian of Congress in American history. Obama nominated Hayden to be the 14th Librarian of Congress in it's 214 year history. She won the position with a 74-18 vote on Wednesday. Obama also recently signed a law giving Librarians of Congress a 10 year tenure with an option of reappointment. Hayden, who is 63, has let the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore since 1993, and will be just the third professional librarian to serve this position.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/baltimore-library-chief-tapped-lead-library-congress-n609236

According to oann.com, President Obama "paints Trump as no friend of the working class." Obama has recently stepped up to fight against Trump's campaign with Hillary Clinton in the background fighting pneumonia. Obama begins by saying, "This is a guy who spent 70 years on this earth showing no concern for the working people. He spent most of his life trying to stay far away from the working people. He wasn't going to let you on his golf course." This campaign appearance was Obama's first as a solo act on behalf of Clinton to ensure that the Democrats retain office. However, Clinton's spokesperson, Nick Merrill, stated that Hillary will be back on the campaign trail by Thursday.
http://www.oann.com/protester-hit-at-rally-as-trump-decries-deplorables-comment/

According to nationalinterst.org, Hillary Clinton broke an unwritten law at an LGBT fundraiser in New York Friday night. In is known supposedly instinctively among politicians that you can criticize and attack your political opponent, but not their constituency. Clinton did just this at the fundraiser by saying what she calculates as half of Trumps followers could be put in a "basket of deplorables." Going on to then say, "The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic-you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up." This is in and of itself very controversial now-a-days. Clinton then goes on to speak about the "other basket, who feel that the government has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they are just desperate for change. It doesn't really matter where it comes from.
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/hillary-clinton-broke-unwritten-rule-american-politics-it-17667

Accroding to cbsnews.com, Republican vice-presidential candidate, Mike Pence, speaks out on Thursday defending Donald Trump's remark about Vladimir Putin being a stronger leader than President Obama. Trump initially made the remark at a security reform sponsored by NBC on Wednesday saying that Putin has "been a leader, farm more than our president has been a leader." Although, afterwards, he did state that Russia has a "very different system" and that he doesn't "like the system. Hillary Clinton took little time to respond to this remark saying, "What would Ronald Reagan say about a Republican nominee who attacks America's generals and heaps praise on Russia's president?"
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-pence-inarguable-that-putin-is-a-stronger-leader-than-president-obama/

According to USAtoday.com, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo signed a piece of legislation into law today requiring New York's nearly 700 districts to test their waters for lead contamination by October 31. The law also requires schools to report the findings to the public as well as the state and local governments. Many schools across the state have tested positive for lead poisoning already. The state Health Department states that if the water at any particular tap contains lead levels higher than 15 parts per billion, the school must stop using that faucet and find a new source of water until the contamination can be fixed.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/09/06/ny-governor-signs-law-mandating-lead-testing-schools/89942448/

According to telegraph.com, protesters outside of a lack community church in Detroit, Michigan charged at police officers as Donald Trump spoke inside about "building on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln." He visited the Great Faith Ministries International church, being greeted with a prayer shawl as he joined the others clapping and swaying. Here, he promised a "civil rights agenda of our time", but outside, 150 protesters were struggling against cops yelling "Dump Trump". Trump's support from black American's is very low, while 80% of Detroit is black, but he was invited to the service by a the church pastor, Wayne Jackson, who is a supporter.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/03/donald-trump-claims-ill-build-on-abraham-lincolns-legacy-as-he-v/

According to Politico.com a federal appeals court met Wednesday August 31 in San Francisco, California to discuss a ban on the sale of guns to marijuana card holders. It was ruled by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and applies to the nine western states under its jurisdiction. This issue first came up when a woman in Nevada filed a lawsuit after being told she could not buy a gun while obtaining a medical marijuana card. The court, with a 3-0 unanimous vote, decided that marijuana and other drug use "raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated."raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated." 
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/gun-ban-medical-marijuana-court-227603#ixzz4IyG9VN2P 

Sources tell CBS news that the FBI is planning to release some of the information that was provided to Congress regarding Hillary Clinton's private email that she used as secretary of state. These emails include portions of interview notes, although we are unsure which interviews and they might be abridged versions. The campaign has asked that the interviews between Clinton and the FBI made this past summer be released to the public. The interview lasted three and a half hours and shortly after, FBI director James Comey recommended to the Justice Department that no charges be filed against Clinton. Comey announces, "Our judgement is that no reasonable prosecute would bring such a case."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-hillary-clinton-interview-notes-email-investigation/

According to usanewstoday.com the United States will be accepting its 10,000th refugee from Syria as part of Obama's policy to increase the number of humanitarian admissions from the country. Officials suggest that this number will increase even more next year. Congress remains concerned that the administration does not have the capacity to aid the refugees. It is also a controversial topic among both presidential candidates with Trump saying the refugee program is a "Trojan horse" for terrorist groups to enter the country, whereas Clinton argues that the ceiling for Syrian refugees should be pushed to 65,000. The U.S accepted fewer than 1,700 Syrian refugees in the 2015 fiscal year.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/29/us-has-reached-10000th-syrian-refugee-white-house-says/89541072/

According to CNN.com Maine Governor Paul LePage readdresses an issue in his state that "90 plus percent" of drug dealers arrested in Maine are either black or Hispanic and from states such as New York and Connecticut. The governor initially made these remarks at an event in January, but addressed the issue again on Wednesday's town hall meeting, claiming to have evidence this time. The Maine Department of Public Safety does not publish statistics on drug arrests so CNN was not able to find evidence that LePage is correct about the race and percentage of those races of drug dealers in Maine.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/25/politics/lepage-controversy-drug-dealer-remarks/index.html

According to abcnews.com, Donald Trump mentions a "softening" of his controversial immigration policies during a fox news interview. Trump emphasized the fact that his immigration policies would follow the laws of the country. Trump states: "If we follow the laws of the country, we can do what we need to do. What people don't realize, we have very, very strong laws. Both Trump and Pence mention an "openness" to changing their strict stance on immigration laws at a round table meeting with Hispanic leaders.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-suggests-softening-immigration-policies/story?id=41602349

News blog: http://www.oann.com/obama-biden-meet-costa-ricas-president-discuss-steps-to-protect-migrants-white-house/

According to oann.com, President Obama and Vice President Biden met with Costa Rica president, Luis Guillermo Solis on monday to consider new steps to improve security in Central America and how to protect migrants. Both Obama and Biden applauded Costa Rica for providing a "protective transfer arrangement" in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization to provide temporary safe houses for up to 200 immigrants at a time.

News blog:

According to CNN news, Friday in New Delhi, 40 knives were surgically removed from a man's stomach. The head doctor on the surgery said it took him and his team two days to diagnose and come up with a surgical plan and that he had never seen anything like it. The man who swallowed both folded and non-folded knives said he had an overwhelming urge to ingest metal. The knives were removed and the patient is now out of danger, but is being evaluated for his mental state. The doctors told the man if he ever got the urge to ingest metal again, that he should try spinach to receive the iron from that.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/22/health/india-man-with-knives-stomach/index.html

News  blog:

According to BBC news, a suicide bomber in Turkey targeted a wedding in a very populated city today, killing 51 people and injuring 69. The bomber is believed to be between the ages of 12 and 14 and is also believed to be a part of Iraq or the "Islamic state". There are theories that the bombing was an act of revenge due to the jihadist's loss of territory in Syria.  The couple responsible for the wedding were not killed, but were sent to the hospital due to injuries.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37147717

The article on religiosity in all 50 states on talks about the ways that the researchers determined how religious these states are. First, they analyzed worship attendance, prayer frequency, belief in God, and importance of religion in one's life. Alabama, Mississippi, and other southern states rank highest on the list 77% of adults saying they are very religious. Vermont, Maine, and other north-eastern states rank lowest on the list with around 33% of the state saying they are highly religious. This kind of data would be very useful and interesting for political scientists especially during presidential elections to possibly help predict which states would vote for a certain Democratic or Republican candidate based on their religious standpoint.

http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/
http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/group/bd324384/

So far, we have taken two quizzes on the PewResearchCenter website. One we took to determine how much we know about common news, which I got 8/12 on. The second quiz was to determine our political standpoint, which I got next-generation left on. Next, we answered questions and addressed trends on different graphs having to do with government and political issues.