On Wednesday, February 18, President Obama announced a plan that will provide federal funding to help people who face foreclosure. (Foreclosure occurs when a homeowner can no longer make mortgage payments on her or his property, so the property is sold by the mortgage holder to pay off the homeowners’ debts.) Opponents of the plan [...]

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On Thursday, Jan. 29, President Obama signed a gender pay equity law that will make it easier for women to sue companies for pay discrimination. Pay discrimination occurs when female workers who perform the same job functions as men earn less than their male counterparts. The bill is named for Lilly Ledbetter, a Goodyear Tire [...]

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President Obama will be the twelfth U.S. president to try to bring peace to the Middle East. Since Israel was created in 1948 from land the Palestinians claim as their own, there have been multiple wars and bloodshed. Read USA TODAY’s coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict currently occurring in Gaza. (If possible, read several days [...]

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During an interview on Thursday, January 15, USA TODAY asked President-elect Barack Obama to talk about his inaugural speech. Obama stated, “My job in this speech and in my presidency is just to remind people of the road we’ve traveled and the extraordinary odds that we’ve already overcome.” He also stated that he believes the [...]

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An adage that many politicians cite says, “to govern is to choose.” With a partner, scan the articles in today’s USA TODAY and list five significant choices that President-elect Barack Obama will have to make (e.g., whether to end the war in Iraq). Briefly describe the importance of each choice in writing. Then, adopt the [...]

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When he takes office on January 20, President-elect Obama will have to deal with the war in Afghanistan and the controversial conflict in Iraq. In Afghanistan, the plan is to send in 20,000 additional troops to fight the Taliban. In Iraq, Obama will work toward bringing all U.S. combat troops home within 16 months. In [...]

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Last week, President-elect Obama chose controversial pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January. The selection of Warren, who opposes gay marriage and abortion rights, has disappointed gay rights advocates and some liberal and religious groups. Obama however, defended his decision, saying, “We’re not going to agree on every single issue, [...]

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President-elect Obama knows that his plans to stimulate the economy, cut the country’s dependence on foreign oil, bring closure to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reform the health care system and make other important changes will not succeed without the approval of Congress. Consequently, Obama has taken the unprecedented step of personally calling both [...]

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During the Great Depression, when so many people were unemployed, President Franklin Roosevelt moved to create jobs through public works programs that built dams, schools and roads. Today, the country is also facing an increase in unemployment. President-elect Barack Obama has stated that he will “put people back to work” by creating jobs dedicated to [...]

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At a news conference on Wednesday, Nov. 26, President-elect Barack Obama said, “At this defining moment in our nation’s history, the old ways of thinking and the old ways of acting just won’t do.” In small groups, identify and list the reasons for the nation’s critical condition. Then, describe two “old ways of thinking” that [...]

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