Author: Alanna Fichtel
This week was packed with drama and big news. Tuesday was basically another Super Tuesday in election primaries. Obama announced his Supreme Court nominee, only to receive hostility from a certain section of the Senate. Meanwhile, Cuba is open for business.
Election 2016
What you need to know: Tuesday’s primaries had many on the edge of their seats. Rubio lost his home state of Florida to Trump, and packed up his campaign as a result. Trump won Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri as well, but Kasich came out on top in Ohio.
The Hillz were alive Tuesday after Clinton swept in all five states. Missouri was a close one, but Sanders didn’t ask for a recount of votes. Looks like it could be Clinton vs. Trump, but it might not be that simple.
Why it matters: Kasich’s win could have negative effects for Trump–which might sound surprising, given that Kasich has looked pretty hopeless up until now. The thing is, if he continues to take some delegates away from Trump, no candidate might receive a majority. In that case, there would be a contested convention, where delegates from the party decide the nominee. And in case you missed it, Republicans don’t really like Trump.
Even with her big wins, Clinton isn’t completely in the clear. She lost among white men in all five states. States like Utah and Wisconsin, whose primaries are coming up, look like places Sanders could win.
Supreme Court Nominee
What you need to know: Obama has made a decision and the nominee is (drum roll please)…Judge Merrick Garland. Garland is an appeals court judge, and at age 63, is the oldest Supreme Court justice nominee since Nixon was President.
In his address introducing Garland, Obama urged the Senate to give him a fair hearing (cough cough, looking at you Republicans).
But it doesn’t look like they are going to play nice. After Obama’s speech, Senator Mitch McConnell said the nomination would be blocked. (Points for honesty?) He believes the people should have a voice–in other words, we should wait for the next President.
Why it matters: The fact that Garland is on the older side means he would have sort of a automatic term limit. In theory, this should be an enticement to accept the nomination, but it doesn’t seem like Republicans are looking at it this way. They believe that Garland joining the bench will shift the current balance of the Court to the liberal side, which (news flash), most Republicans don’t want. But a closer look at Garland’s judicial record shows he has disappointed some liberals in the past.
Keeping the court at 8 people for a while might not be the best thing. This could cause a 4-4 ruling on cases, meaning the lower court decision stands–something that could affect the Texas abortion case.
Cuba
What you need to know: This week, the Obama Administration said Americans can now travel to Cuba for educational trips, and lifted the limits on using American dollars there. The basis of the policy is “people to people” trips, to encourage interaction with Cuban people. Do Spring Break parties count?
Why it matters: Obama’s visit will be the first one by a President in 88 years. About time.
While the embargo on Cuba is still in effect, this policy is a big step in ending it. Americans as ambassadors in Cuba could be a strategic way to open more relations in the future.
By lifting the barriers on financial transactions, Cubans–especially small business owners–will now benefit from American tourism. But the Cuban government will also have to make some changes for this to work out.
