C12-1: Trump’s Approval Ratings Are Down. How Much Does It Mean? (Presidency Subject Post)

On the New York Times, an article was recently published detailing Mr. Trump's presidency. He currently has an approval rate of 38%, meaning 56% of America disapproves of Trump at this moment in his presidency. It was said that most president's have a very high rating at the beginning of their term, the rating drops to about sixty percent in the middle, and varies from there. Barack Obama had an approval rate of around 50% as he was reelected for a second term, however Mr. Trump has already been well below that rate, for a president who is just beginning his term. The article compared Trump's approval ratings to Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, all president's with a low approval rating at the end of their term. Though the article explains, Trump's ratings are different across outlets of social media. The research found that telephone and online polls showed different approval rates, so the information can't be taken as seriously. While Trump's approval rating isn't great, it could also be due to the differing aspects of social media and polling.

C11-4 Judge rejects Anthem's $54 billion takeover of Cigna

On Politico, an article was just released detailing a decision on a case involving Anthem and Cigna, two giant insurance companies. Anthem wanted to subdue Cigna, however U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson declined the bid, claiming that it would reduce competition, and national accounts. Anthem and Cigna are allowed to appeal the decision in April, which is predicted to happen. The opinion of Amy Berman was one of the people, as she said, "it will eliminate the two firms’ vigorous competition against each other for national accounts, reduce the number of national carriers available to respond to solicitations in the future, and diminish the prospects for innovation in the market" in the court's summary, which makes a good point. Anthem and Cigna are two major insurers and without the other, Anthem would have too much of a monopoly on the public.

C11-3: Jeff Sessions confirmed to be the next attorney general

Tonight on CNN, an article and a video were released discussing Senator Jeff Sessions vote for Attorney General. A close ally of Trump during his campaign, Jeff Sessions is the Senator of Alabama. There was a lot of debate whether Sessions deserved to be Attorney General in the moments before they decided to put it to a vote, which eventually led to Senator Elizabeth Warren being forced to sit down after "impungning Sessions." Sessions, like most others in Trump's cabinet is a white Republican male, which in itself has received backlash and debate. Not everyone agrees with Trump's decision to appoint Sessions, but he will be sworn in Thursday morning, tomorrow.

C11-2: "Rogue" Federal Twitter Accounts

Wynne Davis wrote an article concerning social media in politics on Janurary 27th. The article explains that employees of national parks and services have been creating Twitter accounts since Trump's inauguration. The accounts are claimed to be ran by activists who post comments opposing the Trump administration. People have said that the accounts were made as a result of Trump's gag order on federal agencies and the hiring freeze. Tweets have inspired other scientists and activists to get involved and create a Scientists march on D.C., as well as others to post real facts on climate change and EPA statistics. Trump hasn't responded to any of the tweets, and it was said to be just "fun" that wouldn't be recognized by the government, but it has been an outlet for the public to seek new information on climate change and become aware.

C11-1: Revenge of the Bureaucrats

On POLITICO, an article was released discussing Trump's freeze on federal hiring. The article exclaimed that he's receiving backlash for his actions, but he's also trying to make it so it's easier to fire federal workers. Currently, if you're a federal worker, you are basically set for life, however, Trump and House Republicans are trying to reinstate a law used in 1876 that allows them to reduce the salary of federal employees. This would make it so a federal employee is more likely to quit or leave their job because of their reduced salary. It's creating competition within the government, as well as fear that America will go back to how it was during the Reagan or Carter administration, where hiring freeze's and the Republicans dominated. The article claimed that if you're a Democrat in D.C. right now, you should be vigilant, because by 2018 almost two-thirds of federal employees will be on the verge of retirement, meaning the administration will most likely fill the jobs with a majority of Republican employees.

C10-4: Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Reflection

Today I read an article on the judiciary in Utah. Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant delivered a speech to a colleague who's retiring, while he reflected on life in the Supreme Court twenty years ago. He exclaimed that twenty years ago the court had just begun looking at people's underlying problems and situations instead of just looking at the court case itself. Drug courts were just being introduced, and now they are required to be in every judicial district. Judges focus more on data and accountability than just deciding on a whim. It's important to see how the judiciary has changed on a small scale in Utah, and a much larger scale around the country, in just twenty years. There is no telling what more will change in the next twenty years, but Durrant says he will be on the bench to see it unfold.

C10-3: Georgia's Top Judge Calls

On WSB-TV2 Atlanta, I read an article on the judiciary. The Court Chief Justice P. Harris Hines noted that Georgia has added two more members to the court, making it nine instead of seven. He also added that there will be more representation in the superior court judges. Georgia is looking to improve their legal representation at the working-class level and make it so that Georgia can focus on high-level offenders instead of those on low-level probation. Hines wants to create a more socialized and safe Georgia and he's starting with reliability and stability in the new, younger judges so they can carry on the legacy. Other states should take into consideration Georgia's change of judiciary in the new year and learn from Georgia's example.