2010s Flashcards
1
Q
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
A
Tea Party candidate Scott Brown defeats Martha Coakley for Ted Kennedy’s seat in an upset.
2
Q
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010
A
A success of Pres. Obama’s presidency, repealed Clinton’s policy which effectively banned gays from the military.
3
Q
Citizens United v. FEC
A
(2010) Found that corporations have First Amendment rights and can’t be restricted in their political donations.
4
Q
Tea Party movement
A
In 2010, this rightist movement gained momentum and was able to exploit fears of Obamacare to drag the country to the right.
5
Q
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
A
Controversial 2010 legislation which increased the quality of health care in the United States. It was effective in increasing the number of insured Americans.
6
Q
Space policy of the Barack Obama administration
A
Laid out in 2010: includes increasing NASA funding, and a manned mission to Mars by the 2030s preceded by a manned asteroid mission in 2025.
7
Q
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
A
2010, worst environmental disaster ever. BP was found responsible but avoided paying heavy fines.
8
Q
Arizona SB 1070
A
The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. A 2010 Arizona law supported by Republican gov. Jan Brewer which required all immigrants to carry proof of documentation on them at all time. It was criticized as promoting racial profiling.
9
Q
2010 Times Square car bombing attempt
A
A failed car bombing attempt which was immediately connected to Pakistan by Sec. of state Clinton and the Obama administration.
10
Q
The Flash Crash
A
In May 2010, the stock market suddenly crashed, losing trillions of dollars (9%) and rebounding in the same day. The cause appears to have been scores of market manipulation.
11
Q
Texting while driving
A
A societal norm since 2000, in the late 2000s states began outlawing the practice although it continues to plague teen culture.
12
Q
Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
A
A 2010 law signed by Pres. Obama which was the most major overhaul of the US economic system since the Great Depression.
13
Q
Hollingsworth v. Perry
A
(2013) Since no governor of California agreed to defend Prop. 8, it remains unconstitutional.
14
Q
Terry Jones
A
A Florida pastor whose various Quran burning events in 2010 and 2011 led to over 50 deaths.
15
Q
2010 United States elections
A
The Republican Party sailed to widespread victory, as a result of many Independent-aligned Americans subscribing to Tea Party philosophy.
16
Q
Four Loko
A
Caffeinated malt liquor beverages which came under national scrutiny in 2010 as a public safety concern.
17
Q
United States Senate election in Alaska, 2010
A
Incumbent moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski was defeated in her primary by a Tea Party and Palin sponsored candidate, but went on to win the election through write-in votes.
18
Q
WikiLeaks scandal
A
In 2010, Julian Assange published a series of confidential documents to his website Wikileaks- creating a division in public opinion as to whether he is a patriot or villain.
19
Q
2010 Tax Relief Act
A
A compromise between Pres. Obama and GOPs in the House. Extended the Bush Tax Cuts while promoting stimulatory growth by strengthening unemployment benefits.
20
Q
DREAM Act
A
Legislation first proposed in 2010 for the purpose of granting conditional residency to illegal aliens that are pursuing an education or career.
21
Q
New START
A
Legislation signed in 2010 by President Obama and President Medvedev of Russia for the purpose of repairing US-Russian relations which had deteriorated since the Georgian War.
22
Q
2011 Tucson shooting
A
Democrat Gabrielle Giffords was shot by a deranged gunman in an attack which was at first believed to be political in nature. Led to widespread criticism of American partisanship.
23
Q
2011 Wisconsin protests
A
Protests led against Gov. Scott Walker in response to a proposed budget bill which would’ve limited the rights of unions. Occupation of the Wisconsin capital by over 100000 led to numerous recall elections.
24
Q
Snyder v. Phelps
A
(2011) Upheld the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest,
25
Birther Movement
Beginning in 2008, a sizable group of Americans accused Pres. Obama of being born in Kenya. These unfounded attacks were levied against him by many powerful individuals.
26
Death of Osama bin Laden
In 2011, Pres. Obama's administration oversaw the death and burial at sea of Osama bin Laden.
27
Weinergate
Refers to scandals in 2011 and 2013 in which US Rep. Anthony Weiner was embroiled in sexting accusations.
28
2011 military intervention in Libya
The UN obligated the USA to carpet bomb areas of Libya in response to Muammar Gaddafi's human rights abuses. Ten members of the House brought impeachment charges against Pres. Obama because the action was done without Congressional approval.
29
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
(2011) S.C. struck down California law forbidding sale of video games to minors as video games are free speech.
30
Brown v. Plata
(2011) Demanded that California reduce its number of prisoners.
31
Caylee Anthony
Two year old girl whose mysterious 2011 death was a cause célèbre. It included character attacks against the mother and intense public influence.
32
Leal Garcia v. Texas
(2011) A Mexican citizen was executed in Texas in a possible violation of international law.
33
ATF gunwalking scandal
A series of operations from 2006-2011 in which the ATF placed tracking devices on guns then sold them to Mexican cartels. Damaged Mexican-US relations. Pres. Obama refused to release documents concerning Eric Holder's involvement.
34
Budget Control Act of 2011
Part of the Debt Ceiling crisis, signed by Pres. Obama to resolve said crisis.
35
United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2011
1) America's Standard & Poor's credit rating was lowered.
2) The Dow fell continuously in August.
36
Anonymous
An internet group which rose to prominence in the 21st century. They receive widespread attention for their various cyberattacks on particular organizations.
37
Wisconsin Senate recall elections, 2011
The largest recall election in US History resulted in Wisconsin Republicans retaining their majority and governance.
38
Solyndra
A solar power company which declared bankruptcy in 2011 two years after receiving 50 million from the Obama administration.
39
Occupy Wall Street
A national protest against income inequality which began in 2011. Opened a national dialogue about the 99%. In 2014, it was revealed that the FBI and CIA extensively infiltrated the movement.
40
American Jobs Act
Legislation proposed by Pres. Obama in a televised address in 2011. The Republicans balked, as did many Democrats facing tough reelections. Many of those Democrats would end up losing anyway. This legislation involved cutting payroll taxes for the poor, modernizing schools, and infrastructure.
41
Arizona v. United States
(2012) Overturned parts of a controversial state law by finding that Arizona could not create immigration law, but could inquire as to any person's residency status.
42
2012 Aurora shooting
A movie theater shooting which prompted an increase in theater security, as well as several copycat shootings in the years following.
43
Marvin Lee Wilson
A retarded man illegally executed in Texas in 2012.
44
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
A 2012 shooting which resulted in state gun control laws being passed, federal legislation was defeated in the Senate.
45
Trayvon Martin
A black 17 year-old shot to death in 2012 by a man named George Zimmerman, who was ultimately acquitted under Florida's Stand Your Ground Law, despite the fact that Zimmerman was told by law enforcement to not pursue Martin prior to the shooting.
46
The gay marriage turning point
March 9th-11th, 2012 during which it was found that 51% of Americans support gay marriage and numerous Democrats including Pres. Obama came out in support as well.
47
Joe the Plumber
A Republican who was used as a metaphor for small town, middle class, Americans by McCain during the 2008 election.
48
National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius
(2012) Upheld Congress's right to enact most provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Congress may withhold from states refusing to comply with the ACA's Medicaid expansion provision only the additional funding for Medicaid provided under the ACA.
49
Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting
In 2012, a white supremacist opened fire murdering six people worshipping at a mosque.
50
Chelsea Manning
Soldier convicted of violating the Espionage Act in 2013, after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly 750000 secure documents including a video that showed a U.S. helicopter crew firing on a group of people that included two Reuters employees. She was arrested and sought treatment for gender dysphoria, after a hunger strike, the US Army agreed to her request and supplied treatment including reassignment surgery. One of Pres. Obama's last acts as president was commuting her sentence to end in May 2017.
51
American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Signed on January 1st, 2013 by Pres. Obama to avoid the "fiscal cliff." A compromise measure, it gave permanence to the lower rate of much of the Bush tax cuts, while retaining the higher tax rate at upper income levels.
52
The fiscal cliff
A situation that came into existence in January 2013, whereby a series of previously enacted laws would come into effect simultaneously, increasing taxes while decreasing spending. The Bush tax cuts of 2001, which had been extended for two years by the 2010 Tax Relief Act, were due to expire on December 31, 2012. Planned spending cuts under the Budget Control Act of 2011 also came into play. That Act was passed as a compromise to resolve a dispute concerning the United States debt ceiling and address the failure of the 111th Congress to pass a federal budget. The United States technically went over the fiscal cliff for two hours on January 1st, 2013.
53
The debt ceiling
A legislative limit on the amount of national debt that can be issued by the US Treasury, thus limiting how much money the federal government may borrow. The Treasury may take "extraordinary measures" to prevent the debt ceiling from being crossed. It is frequently raised by Congress. Critics question its effectiveness, supporters argue that it imposes restraint.
54
United States presidential election, 2012
Incumbent Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney in a relatively close popular vote but decisive electoral victory. The slow economic recovery was a defining issue of the election.
55
Leon Panetta
Secretary of Defense under Pres. Obama who lifted the ban on women serving in combat in 2013.
56
2013 North Korea crisis
Jan-Aug.: There is extreme escalation of rhetoric by the new North Korean Kim Jong-un regime, and actions strongly implying imminent warfare against South Korea and the United States with nuclear weapons.
57
United States budget sequestration in 2013
On March 1st, 2013 blunt cuts went into effect which automatically lowered government spending by $1.1 trillion dollars. These cuts led to the dismissal of over a million federal employees, many furloughs, and had a controversial effect on the economy. Pres. Obama called them "destructive," and they may have contributed to the decreased rate of economic growth which occurred in 2013.
58
Boston Marathon bombing
A 2013 terrorist attack orchestrated by two lone wolves inspired by AQAP which left three dead and seriously injured hundreds.
59
AQAP
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen-based militant group formed in 2009 by the merger of radical networks. They are considered the most dangerous and active branch of al-Qaeda. They inspired the Boston Marathon bombing. Their attempts at terrorism were foiled three times by the US. In 2011, they came into control of a large swath of Yemeni territory. By mid-2012, with the aide of Pres. Obama, Yemeni forces retook most of that land.
60
April 2013 ricin letters
Pres. Obama and many Mississippi politicians received letters containing ricin in an isolated incident of terrorism with no fatalities or injuries.
61
West Fertilizer Company explosion
In 2013, an explosion occurred at a chemical manufacturing plant that left 15 dead in West, Texas. The plant had last been inspected by regulators in 1985, where they were fined and ticketed for improper storage. There had been a smell of pneumonia coming from the plant for over a year. The fire was deliberately set, it's unknown by whom. Hundreds of residents were seriously injured and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed.
62
2013 flash crash
The AP's twitter was hacked to say that Pres. Obama had been killed in April, 2013 causing the stock market to plunge by 1%, or $133 billion dollars.
63
Kermit Gosnell
A former abortion-provider accused of murdering three infants born alive during abortion procedures. There were dozens of other well-corroborated accusations of infanticide and infant torture made against Dr. Gosnell by his staff, including some photographic evidence. Pro-Lifers seized on the Gosnell case to make online propaganda. The mainstream media was reluctant to report on the case, according to nonpartisan analyses of news coverage. Some argued it was a local crime story, but many conservatives believed it was an example of "liberal" bias in the media not wanting to reflect poorly on the ethics of abortion.
64
The Rosen Affair
In May 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder came under scrutiny for subpoenaing phone records from the AP and citing the Espionage Act to access the personal emails of Fox News reporter James Rosen. The AP subpoenas were to investigate intel they had about an AQAP bombing foiled by the CIA. The Rosen investigation was led based on intelligence he had about North Korea. The Obama Administration was the first to ever use the Espionage Act against an established journalist. The administration fiercely punished leakers, though claimed to reward whistleblowers.
65
IRS targeting controversy
In May 2013 it was revealed that the IRS selected certain non-profit political groups for extensive scrutiny based on their names or political themes. They specifically targeted organizations with conservative terms such as "tea party" in their name. They also specifically targeted certain liberal groups and organizations with "occupy" in their name. Republicans argued the bulk of the scrutiny landed on conservative orgs, while Democrats argued they downplayed the scrutiny on liberal groups.
66
2013 Moore tornado
24 died in this costly Oklahoma crisis, Pres. Obama coordinated with Gov. Fallin during and after the disaster.
67
Shelby County v. Holder
(2013) The Supreme Court essentially nullifies the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by ruling that the standards established in 1965 to determine which regions are more susceptible to voter fraud were outdated.
68
United States v. Windsor
(2013) Finds that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it deprives same-sex couples of equal protection under the law in accordance with the 15th Amendment.
69
Hollingsworth v. Perry
(2013) Finds that in light of the California state government opting not to defend Proposition 8 against same-sex marriage, Prop 8 is nullified, because the petitioners in favor of Prop 8 cannot prove that enforcement of same-sex marriage causes them a "concrete injury."
70
2013 California prisoner hunger strike
Prisoners starved themselves for two weeks until state lawmakers agreed to hold public hearings about prison reform in the solitary unit of a state prison.
71
Detroit bankruptcy
In 2013, Detroit became the largest city in American history to file for bankruptcy with a debt of $19 billion. A federal judge allowed the city to file for bankruptcy in December and the proceedings were finished in December, 2014.
72
Whitey Bulger
Boston mob boss who had an inappropriately powerful influence on the Boston FBI. Following a 2010 raid in which the massive corruption was uncovered, he went into hiding until he was jailed in 2012.
73
Nina Davuluri
The first Indian Miss America, crowned in 2013. Was the target of unprecedented online bigotry and cyberattacks, where she was often incorrectly derided as an "arab" or "Muslim." Her victory was a cause célèbre in India, where her dark skin would mean she wouldn't have a chance to win.
74
2013 United States debt-ceiling crisis
Oct. 2013, The government shuts down for the first time since the Clinton administration because Republican House members refuse to fund the ACA or raise the debt ceiling. The government is "shut down" for 16 days before a resolution is agreed upon.
75
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission
(2014) A 2002 federal limit on aggregated political contributions is unconstitutional.
76
Cannabis in Colorado
The first state to legalize and tax the sale of recreational marijuana in the modern era. By public referendum, legalization began in 2012, and regulated sale began in 2014.
77
Marijuana tourism
A phenomenon beginning in the 2010s with lenient marijuana policies in California and Colorado, has been a substantial source of income to those states.
78
Federal responses to marijuana decriminalization (Obama, Trump)
The Obama Administration's policy was to look the other way. Pres. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have signaled they plan to take a more austere position.
79
The Fight for $15
An umbrella organization which attempted to harness the political energy spurred by a series of high-profile strikes by fast food workers from 2013-2016. Their primary goal was to raise the nationwide minimum wage to $15. They were successful in many big cities, New York, Washington, and Seattle, included. They also successfully pushed Hillary Clinton to support their position during a surprisingly tumultuous 2016 primary. From 2014-2017, minimum wages were raised in over twenty states.
80
The Polar Vortex
A strange January 2014 phenomenon in which every state experienced freezing temperatures.
81
2014 Military Budget
Obama caught a lot of flack for proposing to shrink the size of the army to "pre World War II levels," and asking for a half trillion dollar reduction in military spending.
82
Bill Nye–Ken Ham debate
A 2014 debate over whether evolution should be taught in the classroom.
83
Health insurance marketplace
Online organizations in each state through which people can purchase health insurance.
84
Donald Sterling
Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers until 2014 when tapes of him making virulently racist comments were released.
85
Heartbleed
A security bug which allowed hackers to access the personal information of up to 6% of Americans. The bug was revealed and deal with in 2014.
86
Bundy standoff
A 2014 armed confrontation between supporters of Nevada grazer Cliven Bundy and law enforcement following Bundy's failure to pay $1 million in grazing fees. Initially praised by Republicans, after his comments that "negroes were better under slavery than welfare," his mainstream support collapsed.
87
Overland Park Jewish Community Center shooting
In 2014, a white supremacist shot three Jewish people to death in an act of domestic terrorism.
88
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action
(2014) A Michigan constitutional referendum outlawing race based hiring/admissions by public institutions wasn't a violation of the equal protections clause.
89
Guns Everywhere Bill
Safe Carry Protection Act, Georgia 2014 state law that received bipartisan legislative support and allowed guns, pretty much, everywhere. Churches, schools, colleges, bars, government buildings, certain parts of airports...
90
Net neutrality
The principle that Internet service providers and governments regulating the Internet should treat all data on the Internet the same.
91
Net neutrality under Pres. Obama
ISP's had no federal legislation mandating net neutrality until 2015. In April 2014, the FCC announced they would reverse net neutrality. Following a swift public backlash, Pres. Obama pursued a strongly pro-net neutrality platform which became law in June 2015.
92
Net neutrality under Pres. Trump
In April 2017, newly appointed FCC chairman Ajit V. Pai began pursuing a policy to repeal the net neutrality which had been law since June 2015.
93
The Ukrainian Crisis
In February 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine to claim land in western Ukraine where there were some pro-Russian sentiments among the people. Pres. Obama and the international community to penalized Russia, passing sanctions, and declaring it a violation of law and an act of war.
94
Town of Greece v. Galloway
(2014) A town meeting opening with a prayer delivered by a local religious leader isn't a violation of the establishment clause because the establishment clause was "never meant to prohibit legislative prayer."
95
Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014
An investigation into dozens of veterans who died while waiting for care led to a wider revelation that over 120,000 veterans had their medical histories falsified and had their health put at risk in an effort to cope with limited budgets. Led to resignations and ongoing federal investigations.
96
Eric Shinseki
An extremely well decorated Hawaiian-Japanese war general who led the Department of Veterans Affairs until he resigned in 2014 following his failure to appear before Congress to testify in response to the VHA Scandal and his personal acceptance of responsibility for the scandal.
97
2014 Isla Vista killings
A young man named Elliot Rodger murdered several young women and his roommates after posting a misogynistic and racist diatribe online. A revelation of the toxic and pervasive mindset of "alt-right" pseudo-philosophy.
98
Bowe Bergdahl
A US Army soldier held captive by the Taliban until 2014 when he was traded for five Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay. His release was the subject of much controversy over whether the Obama administration had begun negotiating with terrorists. Obama's rose garden announcement of the trade proved embarrassing when it was revealed Bergdahl probably went AWOL when he was captured. Pres. Trump has frequently referred to him as a "dirty rotten traitor."
99
Taliban Five
Long term Guantanamo Bay Afghan detainees. High ranking Taliban officials released in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl, thought to be the last remaining American prisoner of war from the Afghanistan War.
100
Child sex trafficking
Sex traffickers target children who are very rarely even reported missing, and have managed to kidnap thousands of Americans from areas of Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit, and Brooklyn. Particular spikes in the Summers of 2014 and 2016. Social media spread many tales of young women lured to areas through fake job offers for the purpose of kidnapping them.
101
Riley v. California
(2014) Unwarranted searches of individual's cell phones are only legal under extraordinary circumstances. Also ruled that information accessible via a phone that is stored using "cloud computing" is not technically on the arrestee's person.
102
American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo, Inc.
(2014) A subscription streaming service which rebroadcasted public access New York City television to New York City residents violated the copyrights of the channels they rebroadcasted. The conservative justices dissented, and compared the situation to VHS copyright litigation in the 1980s.
103
"The Interview"
A 2014 comedy film starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as stoners enlisted by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-il. The outraged North Korean government orchestrated cyberattacks against Sony and threatened terrorism against any movie theater which agreed to show the film. Many theaters refused to show the film, outraging Americans who saw the situation as a freedom of expression issue.
104
Sony Pictures hack
The Guardians of Peace, hackers associated with the North Korean government, leaked a slew of personal information, emails, and copyrighted materials from Sony Pictures in response to the production of the film The Interview. The emails revealed major payment discrepancies along gender lines.
105
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning
(2014) Pres. Obama could not appoint people to the NLRB without congressional approval during a three-day long break in meetings.
106
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores
(2014) Held that private businesses with an established Christian identity can deny birth control to female employees, infringing sections of the Affordable Care Act.
107
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014-present)
In June 2014, Pres. Obama sends 300 military advisors to help the Shiite government in Baghdad from the heavily armed Sunni militia group ISIS. Targeted airstrikes began in August.
108
Crime in Chicago
During the 2010s, while violent crime generally decreased nationwide, Chicago stood out as the exception, responsible for half of all homicides in 2016.
109
James Foley
American photojournalist beheaded in 2014 by ISIS in response to targeted American airstrikes against ISIS militants.
110
Ferguson
Protests and riots in August 2014 in Missouri in response to the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer who wasn't indicted for a crime. Inflamed racial tensions nationwide, bolstered notoriety of the Black Lives Matter movement, which in turn sparked snarky response "movements", such as Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter.
111
The Fappening
In August 2014 leaked photos of over 100 A-List female celebrities were made public. Led to public debates over the security of cloud storage, the misogynistic motives behind the attacks, and the legal/ethical repercussions of leaking or accessing an individual's private photos. Actress Jennifer Lawrence said the incident was tantamount to sexual assault.
112
degrade and destroy
Pres. Obama's ISIS containment policy 2014-2017.
113
Minecraft
A sandbox video game which become one of the most popular of all-time in the mid 2010s.
114
American-led intervention in Syria
Part of Pres. Obama's strategy to degrade and destroy ISIS, in Sept. 2014 an international coalition began to attack ISIS in Syria. In April 2017, Pres. Trump began deliberate direct American action against the government of Syria.
115
Julia Pierson
First woman to head the secret service, resigned following a series of publicized security lapses in 2014.
116
Steven Sotloff
An Israeli-American journalist beheaded by ISIS hours before Pres. Obama announced his policy of "degrading and destroying" the Islamic State.
117
Ebola
A viral fever with a high risk of death, there were 11 cases reported in the United States, Pres. Obama took the threat very seriously, appointing a federal Ebola response czar.
118
University of North Carolina academic-athletic scandal
Revealed in 2014, for years UNC has been inventing classes for their student athletes to excel in. Sparked debate about college athletics.
119
Texas public school history curriculum
Controversy in the 2010s over approved state curriculums which negatively portray Muslims, downplay slavery, and exaggerate the influence of Moses in American democracy.
120
Obama Immigration Executive Orders
In November 2014, Pres. Obama bypassed Congress to introduce a "middle-of-the-line" immigration system which deported criminals and granted immunity to over five million undocumented residents. Sparked controversy over appropriateness of executive order.
121
"A Rape on Campus"
A now-retracted Rolling Stone story from 2014 where a University of Virginia student claimed to be gangraped as part of a fraternity initiation. Mass criticism of Rolling Stone for publishing unverified, later proven false, claims.
122
Bill Cosby sexual assault accusations
Dozens of women accused comedian Bill Cosby of drugging and raping them over a series of decades, claims were publicized in 2014.
123
Eric Garner
A black man choked to death in 2014 in Staten Island by a white cop who wasn't indicted. There were massive nationwide protests in response to Garner's death, often unified by the Black Lives Matter movement.
124
Parwan Detention Facility
A CIA black site shut down in December 2014 after Senate Democrats released The Torture Report. Pres. Obama more than doubled the amount of prisoners kept in the Afghani prison under Pres. Bush.
125
Black jail
A black site wing of the Parwan Detention Facility. When Pres. Obama signed an executive order ending the use of black sites in Jan. 2010, the black jail was excluded.
126
The Cuban Thaw
The warming of Cuba-US relations which began in December 2014. In June 2017, Pres. Trump announced he was "cancelling" Pres. Obama's deals with the Cuban government.
127
2014 killings of NYPD officers
Apparently in response to the killing of Eric Garner, a man shot two NYPD officers and then himself.
128
affirmative consent
Became the law in California in 2015, necessitates explicit, informed, and voluntary agreement to participate in a sexual act.
129
2015 State of the Union Address
Pres. Obama announces the country must "turn the page" on the past 15 years of history, muddled in recession and perpetual war, announcing a free community college plan, and becoming the first president to say "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender" during a SotU.
130
Deflategate
A 2015 scandal in which Patriots QB Tom Brady was suspended for deflating a football. Involved federal court rulings to reinstate Brady.
131
2015 Chapel Hill shooting
A Muslim family of three is shot to death over "a parking dispute." American Muslims were outraged over the lack of coverage for what many considered a brutal hate crime.
132
Culture of American Muslims
American Muslims are unique from Muslims in the World writ large because they trend as very socially progressive.
133
Kate Brown
Dem. Gov of Oregon, entered office in 2015, elected in 2016, bisexual, she is the first openly LGBT governor elected in American history.
134
Netanyahu Address
In March 2015, Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a speech to Congress encouraging them to deter the Obama Administration's attempts to negotiate a nuclear program with Iran.
135
David Petraeus
US Army General who led operations in Iraq from 2007-2008 and leader of the CIA from 2011-2012, forced to resign in disgrace in 2012 when it was revealed he had carried on an affair with an Army Reserve officer named Paula Broadwell, in charge of writing his biography, and giving her his journals with top secret information to write her book.
136
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Signed by then-Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana in 2015, expanded the religious rights of businesses. Widely protested as enabling discrimination against LGBT people, led to a partial repeal, and the defeat of similar measures in other states.
