The Justice Department has announced that Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. intelligence analyst who was convicted of selling secrets to Israel, is eligible for mandatory parole in early November. This news comes at a time when US and Israel relations are tense: Israel has been very vocal about their dislike of the US’s recent nuclear deal with Iran. Would the US’s release of Pollard help improve its relationship with Israel?
Better shark attack escape video? Scene from Sharknado or Mick Fanning’s real life survival?
Which are you more impressed by? This famous chainsaw scene from Sharknado (warning for goriness) or surfer Mick Fanning’s shark attack which he escaped unscathed?
Who wins - John McCain's or Donald Trump's kids?
Both John McCain’s kids and Donald Trump’s kids have responded to the backlash Trump has received after commenting that McCain is “not a war hero.” In his comments on Saturday, Trump said, “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, told Megyn Kelly on Monday, “This is one of the grossest, most disgusting comments I’ve ever heard which is really saying something. I’m 30 years old. And it’s because it’s not just an attack on my father, it’s an attack on all veterans and it’s an attack on all POWs.” Her brother Jack was also asked his opinion on the matter. “Donald Trump has to understand he’s running to be the commander in chief of the United States military,” Jack said. “When you’re doing so, if an individual gets rolled up and becomes a prisoner of war, then is he going to abandon them simply because he doesn’t like people who are captured?"
In defense of their father, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump made a joint statement. “Our father, Donald J. Trump is a true visionary and a great mentor,” the Trumps said. “He is a brilliant negotiator with a proven track record of getting things done. Most importantly, he is an incredible dad and role model. He raised us to work hard and strive for excellence in all that we do.” Who wins this round of “Defending Our Fathers”?
Which woman should be on the 10 dollar bill?
US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced in June that a woman would be featured on the new 10 dollar bill, to be released in the year 2020. The woman that will be on the bill will be announced later this year. Who do you think it should be?
Dylann Roof has been indicted on federal hate crime charges. Should he get the death sentence?
Dylann Roof, the man accused of killing nine black people during their church worship at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, has been charged with committing a federal hate crime. Roof has posted racist remarks and a photo of him holding a Confederate flag on the internet, sparking nationwide debate over whether the Confederate flag is symbolic of racism. Roof has now been charged with a 33-count indictment under federal hate crime laws, convicting him of nine murders, three attempted murders, and illegal use of firearm in the shooting. Prosecutors have not said if they will punish Roof with the death sentence. Do you think they should?
Should the minimum wage be raised to $15?
Yesterday, New York approved the $15 minimum wage for its fast food workers and California announced the same raise for the state's university employees. Seattle, Los Angeles, and the state of New York have been moving towards the $15 minimum wage for a while. The current federal minimum wage still remains to be $7.25 an hour. Do you think the minimum wage should be raised to $15 nationwide?
Would restricting gun ownership to only women solve the US’s problem with gun deaths?
Do you support stricter or laxer gun laws? In an article on Ozy, Fiona Zublin has proposed an alternative: restrict gun ownership to only women. Zublin cites the statistic that “of the 70 US mass shootings committed since 1982, just one perpetrator was a woman.” She says that the FBI continues to show that “men commit about 90 percent of homicides, and that firearms are the murder weapon of choice.” Take into account that women are three times less likely to own a gun than men, and that leaves women still nine times less likely to kill than men. It’s possible, Zublin admits, that the issue of gun deaths is gender neutral, and switching the gender of gun owners will simply change the gender that commits the most gun crimes. But, do you agree with Zublin that restricting gun ownership to just women could very well solve the US's problem with gun deaths?
Do you agree with President Obama’s decision to create diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba?
Yesterday, for the first time in 50 years, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in each other’s capitals. The hostile relationship between the two nations was established when Fidel Castro rose to power during the Cold War and has been in place ever since. Now, restrictions on traveling to each other’s nations and banking have been removed. The US still has a trade embargo on Cuba and Guantanamo Bay remains operated by Washington. While some applaud Obama’s decision to relieve the enmity between the two nations, others are protesting the ties the White House is establishing with the communist Castro government. Many 2016 Republican candidates have stepped forward to voice their disapproval, with Marco Rubio commenting that “this notion that somehow being able to travel more to Cuba, to sell more consumer products, the idea that’s going to lead to some democratic opening is absurd.” Do you approve of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries?
A Norwegian mass murderer has been accepted to Oslo University. Should prisoners be permitted to enroll in colleges in the US?
In 2011, Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik killed 77 people in a bomb and shooting attack. He has now been accepted by Oslo University to study political science - from his prison cell. He will not be given any contact with his professors or classmates. The university’s rector, Ole Petter Ottersen, wrote an explanation for Breivik’s admittance: “All inmates in Norwegian prisons have a right to pursue higher education in Norway if they meet the admission requirements and are successful in competition with other applicants." He also wrote, "It is part of the universities’ mission to uphold democratic values, ideals and practices, also when these are challenged by heinous acts. We are on a slippery slope should we change the rules and adjust them to crimes committed.” Do you think that prisoners should be given the chance at college education while in prison?
Should President Obama revoke the medal of freedom from Bill Cosby despite there being no precedent to do so?
During a press conference yesterday, President Obama was asked whether he would revoke the medal of freedom from Bill Cosby. Cosby admitted in a 2005 prescription to giving a powerful sedative to women he wanted to have sex with. But, he has never been charged for the many sexual allegations made against him. Obama replied that “there’s no precedent for revoking a medal. We don’t have that mechanism.” He continued, “I’ll say this, if you give, or a man for that matter, without his or her knowledge, a drug. And then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape. And, I think this country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape.” There are currently petitions calling for the revoking of Bill Cosby’s medal and people such as executive director of the victims group PAVE, Angela Rose, have stepped forward to call for the award to be taken away. Do you think that President Obama should revoke the medal from Bill Cosby?