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Welcome to Current Events !

 

Issue 17 News Updates

  • A week after the State of the Union address, Congress was close to approving the $150 billion economic stimulus package that President George W. Bush requested. Members of Congress have disagreed over where to draw the line when it comes to who receives tax rebates: Should disabled veterans and retirees receive the rebates? What about an income limit? Some members of Congress tried to slip other projects into the legislation that had little to do with stimulating the economy but a lot to do with increasing the package’s cost.

  • Employers cut 17,000 jobs across the country in January, largely in government, manufacturing and construction-related businesses, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. It was the first drop in the total number of jobs since August 2003. Economist Joel Naroff told The Associated Press: “It tells us the probability of a recession is rising, but we don't know if we are there yet." The unemployment rate in January was 4.9 percent. Click here for a graph showing how the rate has changed over the years.

  • What do the leading candidates running for president think about Bush’s top issues? Here's where they stood the day after the State of the Union address, according to The Associated Press:

    • On the economic stimulus package: Democrat Hillary Clinton suggested a $110 billion package that would include tax rebates of $250 for low- and middle-income taxpayers; Democrat Barack Obama also suggested $250 rebates plus $250 bonuses for retirees and others drawing Social Security; Republican John McCain suggested cutting the corporate tax rate; Republican Mike Huckabee supported the Bush plan but worried about whether the money would just go for products that were produced overseas; Republican Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race on February 7, suggested a $233 billion package with $400 tax rebates and a cut in the corporate tax rate.
    • On the war in Iraq: Clinton opposed any troop increase and did not support a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq; Obama proposed pulling combat troops out in 16 months; McCain opposed any timetable for pulling out the troops; Huckabee said Bush didn’t send enough troops to do the job at the start; Romney supported troop increases.

  • The Current Events Eyewitness to History Contest is under way! Have your students interview someone who personally witnessed a historic event. Then submit their stories in question-and-answer format to CE. Each interview can be up to 1,000 words and should include a paragraph in which the student explains what he or she learned from the process. All entries must be postmarked by March 7. Click here for all the instructions and some interviewing tips.
    • For more issue-related updates and web-only content, check out the CE News Blog.
    • The Issue 17 Teacher's Guide is now available online.
    • Click here for the latest Smart Stuff or click on "Resources" above.

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