Donald Trump shocked the nation on Saturday with his comments about Senator John McCain’s war service. McCain, who served in the Vietnam war, was captured and repeatedly tortured in the Hoa Lo Prison sarcastically known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Trump received five deferments during the war, meaning that he did not have to join the service. In his remarks about McCain, Trump said “He is not a war hero.” The host of the session responded, “He is war hero,” before Trump cut him off by saying “He is a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He is a war hero because he was captured. OK you can have — I believe perhaps he is a war hero.” Trump later went on Twitter to clear up the anger he received for his comment, tweeting “Captured or not, all our soldiers are heroes!” Many of his Republican opponents, who have stayed quiet on their opinions of Trump’s previous inflammatory comments, showed their disapproval of what Trump said on Saturday. Do you think Trump’s statement is going to make him less popular on the polls?
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?
Overall, do you agree with Bernie Sanders’ stance on the #BlackLivesMatter movement?
During Bernie Sanders’ appearance at Netroots Nation on Saturday, #BlackLivesMatter confronted the candidate about racial injustice in the US. The #BlackLivesMatter began as a response to the deaths of black men and women at the hands of police officers. The activists were also chanting #SayHerName, in response to the suspicious deaths of black women while in police custody (including Sandra Band, an educated woman with no criminal record). They asked Sanders what he would do to stop racial inequality in America, to which Sanders replied, “Black lives of course matter. But I’ve spent 50 years of my life fighting for civil rights. If you don’t want me to be here, that’s okay.”
The activists continued to chant while Sanders attempted to continue his prepared speech, leading the candidate to raise his voice over the crowd at times. Sanders, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr., has a history of fighting for civil rights. But, he is criticized by the #BlackLivesMatter activists for believing that racial inequality is a symptom of economic inequality, and fixing the latter will fix the former as well. Sanders later skipped his meeting with the #BlackLivesMatter activists. He did go on Twitter later and tweet about #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName, as you can see below. Overall, do you think agree with Sanders’ stance on the movement?
The US and Cuba have reopened embassies in each other’s capitals. Will this help end the 5 decades of enmity?
The US and Cuba reestablished their diplomatic ties yesterday by reopening embassies in each other’s capitals. This is the first time both countries have done so since they ended their diplomatic relationship in 1961. Officials from both nations have acknowledged that it will take work to put aside the five decades of hostility. Cuban President Raul Castro commented in a address to Cuban people last week, “A new stage will begin, long and complex, on the road toward normalization.” A US state department spokesman said that there are “still issues we don’t see eye to eye on.” The embargo the US has on Cuba remains for now, and Washington still controls Guantanamo Bay. Despite the many issues that remain between unsolved between the two nations, is this a sign that the relationship is mending?
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?
Do you think commuting sentences of non-violent drug offenders is the right first step to take in criminal justice reform?
President Obama is about to be the first ever sitting president to visit a federal prison. During his visit to the El Reno prison in Oklahoma next week, he will take part in Vice’s documentary on the American criminal justice system. Obama has said that his next move in his agenda is to tackle criminal justice reform. The New York Times has reported that the president plans to commute the sentence of dozens of federal prisoners in jail for non-violent drug offenses next week. Do you agree with Obama's decision to reduce these sentences as the first part of his criminal justice reform?
Do you support the Iran Nuclear Deal?
According to President Obama, the Iran nuclear deal is “not built on trust, it is built on verification.” “Because of this deal," he said in his announcement that an agreement had finally been reached, “the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.” He made it clear that he would “veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagreed, calling the deal a “sure path to nuclear weapons” and a "bad mistake of historic proportions" Do you support the deal?
In light of his rising popularity, has your opinion on Bernie Sanders’ chances changed?
Back when Bernie Sanders first announced that he was running for president, we asked you if you thought that he was capable of beating Hillary Clinton. Now, with Sanders rising in polls and drawing crowds to his speeches, we ask you if your opinion has changed. While Clinton has been targeted for her dislike of the press, Sanders has attracted some big crowds recently in Wisconsin, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Maine. According to NowThis, Sanders has also managed to raise $15 million for his campaign without the help of “big money,” with 87% of donations being under $250. Bernie is regarded as a breath of fresh air by many. With Sanders’ increasing popularity amongst voters, do you think he now has a chance of winning the Democratic nomination?
Jeb Bush said Americans need to “work longer hours” but later clarified what he meant. Was his comment out of touch?
In an interview with the editors of the New Hampshire Union Leader, Jeb Bush talked about his goals for a 4% US economic growth. The interview was broadcasted above, causing Bush to go under fire for his comment that “We have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours, and through their productivity, gain more income for their families. That’s the only way we’re going to get out of this rut that we’re in.” The Democratic Party was quick to release a statement condemning Bush for telling Americans to “work longer hours,” calling the line “easily one of the most out-of-touch comments we’ve heard so far this cycle.” Bush quickly clarified what he meant on Wednesday. He said his comments were referring to part-time and underemployed workers. These workers, Bush said, were looking for full-time work but could not find any. “Only Washington Democrats could be out-of-touch enough to criticize giving more Americans the ability to work, earn a paycheque, and make ends meet."
Donald Trump claims that he will win the Latino vote. How likely is this to happen?
Donald Trump says that he will win the Republican Latino vote, despite having made controversial remarks about Mexican immigration recently. In his announcement for candidacy, Trump commented, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people that have a lot of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Despite these inflammatory remarks, Trump says that he was only criticizing illegal immigrants. In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Trump declared, “I have a great relationship with the Mexican people.” He explained, “I have many legal immigrants working for me. And many of them come from Mexico.” He then continued, “They love me, I love them. And I’ll tell you something, if I get the nomination, I”ll win the Latino vote.” Do you think he will?