Across
- 2. A political party needs at least __________ have control of the chamber of the U.S. Senate.
- 5. The Executive Branch of the government is currently controlled by which political party?
- 7. President Obama chose confrontation over conciliation on Nov. 20 as he asserted the powers of the Oval Office to reshape the nation’s ___________________ and all but dared members of next year’s Republican-controlled Congress to reverse his actions. His directive will shield up to 5 million people from deportation and allow many to work legally, although it offers no path to citizenship.
- 8. From October to November, the U.S. unemployment rate remained at what percentage?
- 9. Dec. 7, 2014 marked the 73rd anniversary of _________, which led the United States to enter World War II.
- 11. On Nov. 24, a St. Louis County grand jury announced that it had brought no criminal charges against Darren Wilson, a white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, more than three months ago in nearby _________________.
- 12. In order to override a presidential veto, what fraction of both chambers of Congress must vote to do so?
- 14. Drones are changing our relationship with war, surveillance, and _______ _______
- 17. On Nov. 4, resurgent Republicans took control of the _________, expanded their hold on the _________, and defended some of the most closely contested _________ races, in a repudiation of President Obama that will reorder the political map in his final years in office.
- 20. In a technological feat that gives scientists their first opportunity to dig into a remnant of the early solar system, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission successfully placed a small spacecraft on the surface of a speeding ____________ on Nov. 12.
- 21. What two-word term describes a political session between an election and the time when the newly elected leaders take office?
- 23. Drones can fly, sense, and ______.
Down
- 1. If the president and vice president can no longer serve, what position in the U.S. government is next in line for the presidency?
- 3. At colleges and high schools, outside police stations, courthouses, city halls and federal buildings, a series of nationwide protests on Dec. 1 maintained the momentum of those seeking justice for the unarmed black teenager who was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., almost four months ago. The same day, President Obama said that he would tighten standards on the provision of _________ to local police departments.
- 4. From the article, “Kicking the Habit”: _____________________ is credited with spreading tobacco use around the world when he took it back to Europe from the Americas.
- 6. What term describes a presidential change in policy that is made without the consent of Congress?
- 10. What U.S. government agency sent officials to question several NFL teams after former players accused the league of illegally handing out painkillers?
- 13. An unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond line of sight.
- 15. What U.S. mountain range has seen hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard warnings as a result of a storm hitting the West Coast in early-mid December 2014?
- 16. On the eve of a long-awaited Senate report on the use of _________ by the United States government — a detailed account that will shed an unsparing light on the Central Intelligence Agency’s darkest practices after the September 2001 terrorist attacks — the Obama administration and its Republican critics clashed on Dec. 8 over the wisdom of making it public, and the risk that it will set off a backlash overseas.
- 18. From the article, “Kicking the Habit”: In 1964, the ____________________ released a study about smoking which helped change American’s attitudes about smoking.
- 19. From the article, “Kicking the Habit”: You can assume that ___________________ of e-cigs believe e-cigs are ________ addictive than regular cigarettes. (no space between words on crossword)
- 22. What country is grappling with protests and corruption following the disappearance of 43 students in late September 2014?