As a high school student, it can be hard to find the time to sift through endless news stories.  I have summarized some of the most pressing and sensitive issues facing the United States today.

The GOP Crisis

When the presidential race first began, most though of the now front-runner, Donald Trump, to be a joke.  No way could an outspoken, stubborn tv personality and business mogul still be standing in April. Wrong.  Trump has faced much adversity and opposition and yet he still remains.  The GOP party is now left scrambling to find another candidate whom the American people will love just as much as they do.  Paul Ryan, current Speaker of the House, first became popular in the 2012 presidential race when he accepted Mitt Romney’s offer to support his campaign and run for Vice President. He seemed like the perfect person for which the GOP would be comfortable backing.  Ryan, however, apparently does not want the job. In a press conference he said, “I do not want, nor will I accept, the nomination for our party.” But could he simply be saying those words? Could he be playing “hard to get?” If you recall, he successfully used similar strategy when former Speaker of the House John Boehner was stepping down and he eventually took his job. Who knows, Paul Ryan may eventually come around and accept a nomination from the Republican Party. Crazier things have happened in this cutthroat race to the oval office.

Brussels Attack

As I’m sure most of you know, more than 30 people were killed and many more injured in a heinous subway and airport bombing that struck Belgium in March 22.  ISIS claimed responsibility for the terrors attack, stating that the suicide bombings were the tactic they used to get revenge over Belgium’s role in Iraq and Syria fighting militants.  Since this attack, two arrested have been made. This case and the Paris attacks seem to have strong connections.  Several of the bombs used in Paris were apparently made in an apartment in Brussels. The trail for Mohamed Abrini, the main suspect in the Paris attacks, seemed to have gone cold until he was arrested on April 8th with connections to the Brussels attacks.  At this time it is unclear if he is the elusive “man in the white hat.”  As of now, Europe’s primary focus is keeping its citizens protected.

Russian Warplanes
A U.S. Navy ship in the Baltic Sea has recorded very close and aggressive flight patterns of Russian warplanes.  The crew onboard the ship radioed the fighter jets but they did not respond. It was noted that the planes appeared to be unarmed, raising questions as to why they flew so close. This incident caused greater tension between the two countries.  Over the past few years, Russian warplanes have been documented as flying much too close to US ships.  An agreement was passed in the 1970s to protect against incidents such as this; it is still unknown if  the U.S. will take political action for this infraction. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.