Republicans Oppose Obama’s Immigration policy—On Jan. 14 the House of Representatives made moves in opposition of President Obama’s immigration policies. This decision will affect millions of persons residing in the United States and expose younger immigrants to the threat of expulsion. The U.S. Republicans won the vote 236-191.
The quarrel on the hill was met with strong emotion. A portion of Republicans were divided and some left the proceedings for fear of further damage of the party’s national reputation. Republicans have received much heat in regards to their position on immigration. The controversial movement fronted by a Republican lead house will meet pushback from the executive branch. The most extreme parts of the bill are expected to be fleshed out in the senate, but President Obama intends to exercise the power of veto if such a case happened.
“In the House, 26 Republicans voted against an amendment to effectively undo Mr. Obama’s 2012 executive action that allowed immigrants who had entered the United States illegally as children to stay,” The New York Times reported. “The amendment just barely passed with 218 votes, a few more than it needed. No Democrats voted yes.”
Boyhood Wins at golden globes—Richard Linklater’s film Boy- hood had great success at the Golden Globes on Sunday. His film was a 12 year project—a documentary film spanning the life of its main male actor from early youth into adulthood. Taking home top honors for best drama, the recognition continued with awards for best director and best supporting actress.
Boyhood premiered in select theaters across the country. One such theater was the Northwest Film Forum located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Spanning over a decade, the film chronicles the life and times of a family centered on a young boy’s growing up. Boyhood’s odyssey reflects the strug- gles and achievements experienced in real life.
“Bottom line is we’re all flawed in this world. No one’s perfect,” Linklater said. “I want to dedicate this to parents that are evolving everywhere and fam- ilies that are just passing through this world and doing their best.”
Supreme Court to Rule on Marriage—On Friday, the Supreme Court announced it will hear evidence to make a final ruling on same-sex marriage. This decision will affect the future of LGBT couples. The court will hear two and a half hour arguments in April with a result scheduled for late June. This case will answer major questions regarding the validity of marriages across the country.
Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky are four of the 14 states in the United States that ban same sex marriage. The Supreme Court judges will re- view an appellate court’s decision to uphold the ban. These hearings will pro- duce findings that will support the future of marriages in the nation.
A case from Michigan involves April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, a lesbian couple.
“We are now that much closer to being fully recognized as a family, and we are thrilled,” DeBoer said. “This opportunity for our case to be heard by the Supreme Court gives us and families like ours so much reason to be hopeful.”
This action has been highly anticipated by the LGBT community and allies of the cause. Much opposition and criticism still flares from conservative par- ties. Tense dialogues are expected to continue over the next several months.
European Security Boosted After Paris Attack—On Saturday, Belgium and France joined military forces in an effort to fortify efforts against terror threats, an action that resulted from the terror attack on Paris last week. European powers are on high alert after the attacks. This is the first time the military has been deployed in the streets of Belgium in 30 years.
In the wake of the greatest show of terror to hit Paris in 50 years, much of Europe is scrambling to monitor the increasing number of threats. Last year, an attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels left four people dead. Jewish sites as well as U.S. embassies, Israel and Britain are all under protection in Brussels.
European Union and Middle Eastern intelligence received evidence pertaining to an imminent threat on Belgium, with strong links to a threat to the Netherlands.
“That means there is a realistic threat, but no concrete or specific information of an attack in the Netherlands,” said Netherlands government spokes- man Edmond Messchaert.
The Netherlands continue to maintain its second highest security level. The rest of Europe stays on strong alert, but an effort to remain collected continues.
One of the gunmen from the Charlie Hebdo Magazine shooting was buried in Reims, France this past week in an unmarked grave.
