Logan Lann (make-up, full credit)

National

Teamsters for Obama

Summary

Obama went to Pennsylvania recently looking for votes. He wants the Teamsters Union to support him in his race with their votes. He believes he is the best candidate to appeal to blue-collar workers. Jim Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, says that he believes Obama can bring change that has been long awaited by the workers of Pennsylvania. Obama went to factories, farms, bars, and bowling alleys to meet the people of Reading, Pennsylvania. Many jobs in
factories are being sent to Mexico, which people believe Obama could change this, unlike Hillary.

Opinion

I don’t think Obama is a good candidate, and I don’t think he could bring the change everyone has been deceived into thinking he can. He promises change, but he is vague in all his promises. His promises of change is just a strategy to get elected. He is playing off the people being tired of the way things are. Obama would just bring us one step closer to socialism, and one step closer to the brink of self-destruction.

International

U.S. Troops Train Pakistani Troops

Summary

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed an order deploying troops to Pakistan to train the Frontier Corps. The number of troops would be about two dozen, and they would stay there through the spring of next year. The training would help Pakistani troops combat Taliban and al Qaeda. The first job of the troops would be to train Frontier Corps units to train their own troops, so the program could grow quickly. The Bush administration is expected to spend about $300 million on the cause.

Opinion

This is a good plan. I think it is a good idea to try to train the Pakistani troops to fight the extremists better. It is a good idea to try to make the Pakistani military more self sufficient. Some might say that this is not a good use of the country’s money, but helping to make Pakistan more stable will help America in the long run. America can use all the allies it can get in that region of the world.


National

McCain Gains in Polls

Summary

McCain used to be significantly behind both of the Democratic candidates in the polls; in fact, out of reach of either. However, recently, McCain has gained significantly on both of the candidates. One recent poll said that Obama and McCain are tied at forty-five percent, while Clinton was leading forty-eight to forty-five, making McCain within good reach of both. McCain’s gain is most likely due to the split in the Democratic party.

Opinion

This is good news for the people of America, at least, as good as can be expected. McCain is not the ideal candidate, but he beats out Hillary and Obama by a long shot. He is benefiting from the Democrats driving each others’ reputations into the ground, which is good news. Many supporters from either candidate in the Democratic side said they would support McCain if their candidate did not win, which is good stuff.

International

Food Truckers Shot

Summary

Assailants in southern Sudan shot and killed Hamid Dafaalla, a truck driver, and his assistant. The drivers were working for the U.N. world program delivering food to hungry people in Sudan. WFP Deputy Director Ebenezer Tagoe says that he is shocked by this. In Darfur, sixty trucks have been hijacked and twenty-nine drivers unaccounted for this year alone.

Opinion

This is terrible news. These people are trying to help the poor and hungry people of Sudan, and heartless killers stop the good that is trying to be done there. There has to be a better way of delivering the food. The drivers should be heavily trained in weaponry and then heavily armed with that weaponry. This would be a much more secure way of transporting food.