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BACKGROUND The old saying that "any boy can grow up to be President" was never true for women or minorities [and rarely for non-Protestants). But in 2008, there's a chance […]

The presidential, campaigns are putting a Lot of energy into courting the youth vote. Links to online hangouts like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook are all over the candidates' home pages, […]

The article discusses the four-year drought in California and what needs to be done to keep the water flowing. Topics discussed include the extreme, record-breaking drought affecting nine U.S. Western states but hitting California the hardest as well as California Governor Jerry Brown imposing mandatory cutbacks in water use in April 2015. Also mentioned are the issue of climate change, high demand for water in California and the increasing water use in agriculture as making the drought worse. INSET: From Toilet to Tap?.

The article reports on the resurrection of the debate over guns in the U.S. following the attempted assassination of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Gun control advocates and many law enforcement officials maintain that regulation is important to keep the public safe. On the other hand, opponents of gun control argue about the guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

The article discusses the U.S. immigration debate on whether to tighten border security and deport illegal immigrants or to legalize them if they pay fines, learn English and wait for their consideration. It is stated that neither Democrats nor Republicans want to alienate the growing Hispanic constituencies in states like California and Texas, but many voters view immigrants as threats to their jobs and wage levels. There are reportedly thousands of families in the U.S. composed of a mix of persons with legal and illegal status.

This article focuses on the negative effects of U.S. President George W. Bush's low approval ratings on his second term as U.S. president. Several political analysts stated their views regarding the implications of such rating to the implementation of his political agendas. A series of socio-political crises which seem to have affected the president's popularity include his failure to nominate White Counsel Harriet E. Miers as associate justice in the U.S. Supreme Court, were discussed.

The article focuses on the early interest in the 2008 presidential election in the U.S. It cites some of the reasons for the earlier-than-usual hype surrounding the 2008 election, including the open and very competitive races for the nomination in both the Republican and Democratic parties, the emergence of several high-profile candidates and the dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. It also discusses the plan by several states to hold their primaries or caucuses on February 5, 2008.

The article explains the measles outbreak in the U.S. caused by rising opposition on vaccination of children. Topics covered include the outbreak occurred at Disneyland in California as measles infected eight visitors and spread to 17 states, the anti-vaccine movement has existed since 1998 due to a retracted paper alleging measles vaccines can cause autism, and measles has cost the lives of 146,000 people worldwide.

The article discusses whether U.S. President Barack Obama has the power to issue an executive order protecting undocumented immigrants. Topics covered include the number of undocumented immigrants in the country who are in constant fear of deportation, the reaction of many immigrant families to Obama's order, and the Republican Party's promise to fight Obama's action.

The author examines the U.S. government surveillance efforts to prevent terrorism. Some of the security and government scrutiny implemented since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks included body scanners and shoe searches at airports. An overview of the phone surveillance program and the Internet surveillance program, Prism is provided. The case of National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden who leaked details of the surveillance programs is discussed.

The article focuses on the midterm elections in the U.S. in November 2006. One third of the Senate and all members of the House of Representatives are up for election, and of those, 10 races in the Senate and 40 races in the House are considered close. The Democrats would have to win nearly every race that is close to retake the majority in the House or Senate. They see an opportunity to retake control of at least one house of Congress with President George W. Bush's approval rating at 37%.

Focuses on the capture of former Iraq president Saddam Hussein. Significance of the capture to the condition of the U.S. military forces in Iraq; Views of the citizens of Iraq on the capture; Impact of the imprisonment of Hussein on the reputation of the U.S. military; Comments from U.S. politician Howard Dean on the capture.