Three weeks after Kevin McCarthy became the first ever Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to be voted out of the Speaker’s chair, the House finally elected a new Speaker on 25 October, the fourth candidate to attempt election: Mike Johnson from Louisiana. Johnson was elected on his first try on Wednesday, with all … Continue reading “Found: Speaker”
On 3 October, Kevin McCarthy became the first ever Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to be voted out of his role. He had already made the news when had had to face 15 separate votes before being elected Speaker in January – most of the opposition coming from his own Republican Party. The … Continue reading “Wanted: Speaker”
After the Midterm elections in November, the 118th Congress has been sitting since 3 January. The Midterms were expected to result in a defeat for the Democrats and a lame-duck presidency for the next two years. But the Democrats have kept hold of the Senate and although the Republicans have a small majority in the … Continue reading “What’s Going On in the U.S. Congress?”
Maxwell Alejandro Frost is 25, the minimum age to be a candidate for the House of Representatives. And he just won a seat in Florida: he’ll be the first member of Gen Z to sit in the U.S. Congress. Frost was standing for Florida District 10, a safe Democrat seat in his native Orlando. He … Continue reading “At 25, He’s Heading to Congress”
The midterm elections will take place in the U.S. on 8 November. What are these elections held half-way through a presidential term, and what is at stake this year? The midterms are held two years into the 4-year presidential term. They can, and in fact often do, change the course of the Presidency. There are … Continue reading “What’s at Stake in the U.S. Midterm Elections?”
The midterm elections will take place in the U.S.A. on 8 November. Among thousands of candidates, Maxwell Alejandro Frost stands out as a lively and enthusiastic young activist, who’s been involved in politics and has organised political events since he was 15. Now 25, Frost is aiming to be the first member of Generation Z … Continue reading “A Youth Voice for Congress”
Political pundits were very guarded in their predictions for the U.S. midterm elections after the surprise victory of Donald Trump in 2016. Pundits and polling organisations also got their predictions wrong in the Brexit referendum and last U.K. election. So it was almost a surprise that the midterm results were pretty much as expected. The … Continue reading “Shock: an Election that Went as Predicted”
For several months, the news in the U.S.A. has been dominated by the midterm elections. Depending on which survey you look at, these could mean a major revival for the Democratic Party, or a small bump on President Trump’s path to re-election. What are the midterms, and how important are they? The midterms are an … Continue reading “American Midterm Elections”
If you’d like to discuss the American midterm elections with your classes, we have selected some great teaching resources. This 1’30” video from Voice of America News is short and to the point. It’s usable for written comprehension (there’s no voiceover or dialogue). Usable from A2. This BBC video is 2’25” and is a simple-ish … Continue reading “Talking About the U.S. Midterms”