The United States economy unexpectedly shrank during the last quarter of 2012, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. Economic output during that quarter fell by 0.1 percent, marking the slowest rate of growth since the second quarter of 2009. In comparison, the economy experienced growth of 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2012. The contraction was somewhat expected because of weaker exports, a drop in military spending, and a slower buildup of inventories, but it was worse than economists had predicted. Before the announcement, the general consensus was that the fourth-quarter growth was 1.1 percent.
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The Boy Scouts of America is reportedly considering ending its ban gay members and leaders, a spokesman said on Monday. The about-face comes as somewhat of a shock since the Boy Scouts in July reaffirmed their ban on openly gay scouts and leaders, declaring it “absolutely the best policy.” If they do decide to change their policy, each local organization will decide whether to adopt it or not. Gay-rights groups applauded the decision, with Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, the founder of Scouts for Equality, calling it “an incredible step forward in the right direction.”
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After weeks of conflict between the government of Mali and Islamic extremists attempting to overtake the country, the Obama administration is looking to get involved. The State Department announced Friday that it was making a request to Congress to provide $32 million to train troops in the African nation. Despite a promise not to give money directly to the government—the current president took over in a coup over a democratically-elected one—the U.S. has already provided aid to the French effort to bolster Malian troops. French troops arrived in Mali on Jan. 11 to help bolster attempts to overthrow the government.
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A lip reader tells Inside Edition that the first lady’s epic eye roll during a brunch next to the Boehners may have been sparked by a joke about smoking. It looks as though Boehner asked the president if he had a cigarette before lunch, and then quipped, “Somebody won’t let you do it.” While this hasn’t been confirmed by other lip readers, a Boehner spokesman said it isn’t true.
President Obama officially took the oath of office in the Blue Room of the White House a few minutes before noon on Sunday. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath. Obama was sworn in using a Bible from his wife's family. After hugging various family members, he told his daughter Sasha, "I did it." The public inauguration ceremony will be held on Monday, but the Constitution states that the president must be sworn in on Jan. 20 and the inauguration ceremony is usually delayed if Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday. Vice President Joe Biden was also sworn in for a second term at his home at just after 8 o’clock this morning.
Pro-gun activists launched their pre-planned gun rallies at “high noon” in 49 states across the U.S. Saturday, a movement that they claim is in response to President Barack Obama’s proposals to reduce gun violence. Organized by a group called Guns Across America, the rallies are reportedly taking place at state capitals. Vice President Joe Biden has promised executive action on gun control as soon as possible.
A Pew poll released Wednesday found that not only do a majority of Americans want to keep abortion legal, but also that just 44 percent of those under 30 even knew the landmark Roe v. Wade case dealt with right to terminate a pregnancy. As the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that decriminalized abortion approaches, the poll found that 63 percent of respondents said they did not want the court to overturn the decision—a number unchanged from 10 or even 20 years ago, despite numerous efforts by many states to limit abortion rights. In fact, the poll found that a majority, 53 percent, of those surveyed said that “abortion is not that important compared to other issues.”
Discussion Questions
In the aftermath of the December 14 school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, many observers have wondered what would happen to the ill-fated Sandy Hook Elementary School. Over the weekend, citizens began a series of meetings to determine what to do with the building. Currently the school remains a crime scene, and its 400 students have been attending a formerly shuttered school in another town. Opinions varied sharply on whether to tear the school down, renovate and reopen it, or turn it into a shrine or a park. There has been research conducted on previous school tragedies. Alternative ideas on Sunday included turning the school into a planetarium or converting it into a center for peace education. One resident, who advocated the building’s destruction, said, “I cannot ask my son or any of the people at the school to ever walk back into that building, and he has asked to never go back.”
As the flu epidemic plagues the nation, hospitals are reportedly cracking down on staff who refuse to get flu shots. In the past two months alone, 15 nurses and other hospital staffers across four states have been fired for refusing to get one. “Where does it say that I am no longer a patient if I’m a nurse,” argued Carrie Calhoun, a Chicago critical-care nurse who was fired last month. According to federal data, about 63 percent of U.S. health care workers had flu shots in November.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the midst of creating one of the country's toughest gun control laws and announced many of the details yesterday. The new legislation would include restrictions of assault weapons, harsher penalties for gun crimes, as well as magazine limits. “It’s a very divisive topic,” Cuomo said this week. “There’s a lot of energy on both sides. Some people are vehemently against’ some people think we’re out of our minds for not passing it.”
Post-2014, Afghanistan could find itself without American troops. Earlier today, the White House announced that despite recommendations to keep approximately15,000 troops in Afghanistan, President Obama could decide to remove everyone, like he did in Iraq two years ago. The "zero-option" is one "we would consider," said Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, but the decision will be based off of two factors: denying al Qaeda a safe haven and fully training and equipping Afghan troops. There are currently 66,000 troops in the country, which will be slowly reduced through 2014, when the NATO combat mission ends.
President Barack Obama is expected to name former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to succeed Leon Panetta at the Pentagon on Monday morning. The choice of Hagel, who split from his party to oppose the war in Iraq, is expected to spark a confirmation battle. He’ll be the first enlisted soldier and Vietnam veteran to serve as Secretary of Defense. He is a history of making controversial comments--especially pertaining to Israel. Both Republicans and Democrats alike are expected to take issue with this decision.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie held a press conference Wednesday slamming Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans for what he called their “disappointing and disgusting” decision to pull the bill that would have provided billions in relief aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy. “Shame on you. Shame on Congress... last night, politics was placed before hosts to serve our citizens. For me, it was disappointing and disgusting to watch.” In an earlier joint statement with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Christie also slammed the GOP, saying its “failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented.”
The Senate voted before dawn on New Year's Day to pass a deal that would avert the fiscal cliff by a vote of 89-8. The deal prevents automatic tax increases on much of the country, but will put tax hikes in place for the richest Americans—a major concession for Republicans. The House is likely to vote on Tuesday, to avoid any market effects of the breach of the so-called fiscal cliff from happening on Wednesday. The reported dealmaker, Vice President Biden, will reportedly meet with House Democrats Tuesday afternoon to sell the deal.