Trump Wants Flag Burners to Face Prison or Loss of Citizenship

President-elect Donald Trump says people who burn the American flag should be punished. He suggested that punishment could be up to a year in prison or a loss of citizenship.   ​ But it will not be easy for Trump to carry out his proposal. Supreme Court says burning flag is permitted form of protest In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. Changing a Supreme Court decision requires either amending the amendment or a new opinion by the High Court. Neither is easy to get done. The Supreme Court case involved a man named Gregory Lee Johnson. He was arrested in 1984 for burning an American flag at the Republican Party’s national convention in Texas. Johnson said he set the flag on fire to protest the nomination of Ronald Reagan for a second term as U.S. president. A lower court had ruled against Johnson. But the high court overturned the decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that a lot of Americans are offended by the burning of the American flag. But he noted that in the Texas case, Johnson burned the flag as an act of protest. As an act of protest, he said, flag burning is protected under free speech. “The hard fact is that sometimes we must make decisions we do not like,” Kennedy wrote. “We make them because they are right, right in the sense that the law and the Constitution, as we see them, compel the result.” Four Supreme Court justices agreed with Kennedy. Four others disagreed. Writing for the minority judges, Justice William Rehnquist noted that burning a flag is not really free speech. He said it is more like a person grunting, making sounds like an animal. Trump has not said why he is raising the flag burning issue now. Flag protests at Massachusetts college But his comments on Twitter came after a group of U.S. military veterans protested at a small Massachusetts college last weekend.  The veterans objected to the removal of an American flag at Hampshire College, a private school in the town of Amherst. The removal came after some students lowered the flag to half-staff on November 9th. That was the day after the U.S. presidential election, of which Trump has been declared the winner. Flags are flown at half-staff to recognize deaths of important people or to recognize sad events. Some Hampshire College students and teachers said they are fearful of what will happen under Trump’s presidency. The flag continued to be flown at half-staff until November 10th, when it was burned. The college says it does not know who burned the flag. A new flag was ordered flown at half-staff. But later, College President Jonathan Lash ordered the flag removed, saying some had seen it flying at half-staff as a comment on the presidential election. It was not, Lash said. He said it was part of an effort by the college to deal with divisions over the flag among members of the college community. “We’ve heard from members of our campus community that, for them and for many in our country, the flag is a powerful symbol of fear they’ve felt all their lives because they grew up in marginalized communities, never feeling safe,” Lash said. “For others, the flag is a symbol of their highest aspirations for the country.” On CNN television Tuesday, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said that the country’s next president believes flag burning should be illegal. “The president-elect is a very strong supporter of the First Amendment, but there’s a big difference between that and burning the American flag,” Miller said. I’m Ashley Thompson.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   compel - v. to force someone to do something grunting – v. top make a sound like a pig symbol - n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality marginalized - adj. putting someone in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group aspiration - n. something that a person wants very much to achieve  

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What Is a Charter School?

  Last week, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated Betsy DeVos to be the Secretary of Education in his administration. DeVos is an education activist. She supports school choice -- a term for policies that let students and their families choose between attending private or public schools. Devos has been a leading supporter of charter schools. So, what are charter schools? How are they different from traditional public schools in the United States? In today's Education report, we explore the charter school movement. What are charter schools? The American state of Minnesota passed the country’s first charter school law in the early 1990s. Since then, charter schools have spread from coast to coast. There are currently more than 6,700 charter schools, educating nearly 3 million students nationwide. Those numbers come from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a non-profit organization. Charter schools are a kind of public school that receives a special charter, or written rules, from a state government. A charter is a document, or series of documents, that gives rights to a person or group of individuals. Charter schools cannot require students to pay tuition for their education. The schools also cannot set admissions requirements. If too many young people asked to be admitted, the school must choose its students through a lottery system. Charter schools are different from public schools in many ways. They often have flexibility in the kinds of classes and programs that they can offer. They often do not have to follow the rules public schools do. Jon Valant is an education expert at the Brookings Institution, a public policy group. He says the charter school movement grew out of unhappiness with public schools.  Over time, different groups began supporting the charter cause. Civil rights groups wanted schools that broke down barriers based on race or wealth. Parents wanted greater ability to choose where their children went to school. Some Americans said that competition between schools could improve the quality of education. The main idea was that increased flexibility in an education program would let charter schools better serve their students. Why do Americans debate charter schools? Not all Americans like charter schools. For over 20 years, critics have argued that charter schools take money away from public schools, and may not serve students with special needs. Some civil rights groups have opposed charter schools. The NAACP and Black Lives Matter movement, for example, have released statements criticizing charter schools. They say that charter schools have exacerbated segregation, increasing racial barriers. The groups have also criticized the use of suspension as a punishment in charter schools. They point to studies that suggest that charter schools are more likely to suspend minority students. Some labor and union organizers disagree about whether charter schools are actually public schools. The National Labor Relations Board, for example, recently ruled in two cases teachers at charter schools operate under rules that govern private sector employees.* Traditionally, public school teachers are subject to laws for public employees. What does the evidence about charter schools say? In the United States, tests are often used to measure educational success. When opponents and supporters of charter schools talk about a school’s performance, they are often talking about state test results. Whether current state tests are the best way to measure success is a subject of debate. Valant, at Brookings, explains what the evidence shows about state tests and charter schools: "The best evidence we have now is that if you look across the country, kids in charter schools perform similarly on state tests to kids who are in similar schools. So it doesn't look like there are very large effects across the board on test scores." Valant goes on to explain that charter schools are not all the same. Some charter schools do a better job than others do. "Having said that, the effects on test scores are more positive in urban areas, which is where there is a lot of energy behind charter schools, so that's where you do tend to see charters outperforming some of the local traditional public schools on state tests." Another point, Valant adds, is that one of the hopes of charter school founders was to de-segregate American schools. This reality was one that the charter school movement hoped, but has not been able to change. Another hope of the founders is that charter schools would increase competition with public schools. The idea was that competition would lead all schools to improve. To date, there is no proof that the competition has improved public school quality. "That evidence just isn't there," Valant says. What does the debate over charter schools show you about America? Michael Hansen is an education expert at the Brookings Institution. He says he thinks the debates over charter schools show that some Americans are suspicious of the idea of public money going to private interests. The idea that charter schools have ties to private organizations, such as religious groups, is one common misconception. Valant, also at Brookings, adds that the charter movement has appealed to Americans with different beliefs. This appeal, which has not been true of other education reform ideas, helps to explain some of the growth of charter schools. Charter schools have not unified both political parties, Valant explains, but these schools have found enough support in the country’s two leading parties. "I think that support" he adds, "has been important in the sustained development of what is a pretty fundamental restructuring of the way that schools are governed." I'm John Russell. And I'm Phil Dierking. John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. *These cases involved unionization efforts at two charter schools. Read the Washington Post's story for more information.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   charter – n. a document issued by a government that gives rights to a person or group tuition – n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there flexibility – n. able to change or to do different things across the board  -- phrase adj. affecting everyone or everything in a group misconception – n. a wrong or mistaken idea exacerbate – v. to make more violent or severe lottery – n. a game or event in which the final result is decided by chance

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Withdrawals from International Criminal Court Raise Questions

  Recent withdrawals from the International Criminal Court have raised questions about the court’s future. Russia announced its withdrawal in the middle of November. Earlier, three African nations said they planned to leave. Observers expect difficult times for the court in the weeks to come. More nations will likely be leaving. Alex Whiting is a law professor at Harvard University in Massachusetts. He once supervised investigations and legal action against suspects for the International Criminal Court. He expects the court to survive. “I think there will be some difficulties, but that the court is not going to collapse,” Whiting told VOA. He said one reason is the court’s special power to bring action against the world’s worst kinds of crimes. The Court of Last Resort The International Criminal Court was founded in 2002. It is based in The Netherlands. It is considered the court of last resort – the place where criminal charges are brought after all other legal efforts have failed. Its aim is to bring to justice people responsible for horrible crimes when their own countries are unwilling or unable to take action. The court investigates and tries cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The most important criminal case yet is against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. He is accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He remains in office. The Sudanese leader has visited other countries in violation of an international ban on his travel. He was able to avoid arrest during visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The court is currently trying Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of the Ivory Coast. He faces charges related to thousands of murders and rapes while he was in power. Guilty of War Crimes Among those jailed by the court was former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba. He was found guilty of war crimes. In another case, the court ruled against Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, an Islamist rebel, for his part in the 2012 violence in Mali. He admitted guilt to destroying Muslim holy places in the historic city of Timbuktu. Darryl Robinson is an expert on international law at Queens University Law School in Kingston, Canada. He said the court has done a lot in its short 14-year history. But there are many serious problems in the world, Robinson said. As a result, the court faces demands to do more. “On one hand, the International Criminal Court has been active in far more situations than I think anyone would have predicted in its short history,” Robinson said. “But on the other hand, there are so many situations in the world that are clamoring for attention.” Russia, like the United States, has not accepted the treaty setting up the court’s right to exercise power. Therefore, neither country falls under its authority. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country’s withdrawal from the court earlier this month. His announcement came after the court’s chief prosecutor said that Russia’s takeover of Crimea amounted to an “ongoing state of occupation.” There have also been calls for the court to investigate suspected war crimes by Russian forces protecting the government in Syria. Russia’s foreign ministry said the court is not living up to its responsibility to be even-handed. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he might follow Russia out of the International Criminal Court. His comment came after the court warned Duterte over reports of the killing of thousands of people as part of his war on illegal drugs. Three African Nations Withdraw Before Russia announced its withdrawal, three African countries -- Burundi, South Africa and Gambia -- announced plans to withdraw from the court. Officials from the three countries said the court unfairly targets African leaders. All those convicted by the court have been Africans. South Africa says it was pressured to arrest and surrender the Sudanese president to the court when he visited the country last year. Whiting of Harvard University said it is regrettable a large percentage of the court’s cases relate to African countries. But he said court officials argue that they are targeting the world’s most serious cases of government-led abuse. The court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said she is disappointed at “any act that may undermine” the court’s authority to hold people responsible for horrible crimes. She called for more discussions with leaders of Burundi, South Africa and Gambia. Bensouda also said the court would put more importance on crimes against children. “It is unforgivable that children are assaulted, violated, murdered,” she said. Such crimes should trouble all good people, she said. I'm Dorothy Gundy.  And I'm John Russell.  Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story clamor - v. a loud or strong demand for something authority - n. the power to give orders or make decisions disappoint - v. to make someone unhappy by not being as good as expected or by not doing something that was hoped for or expected undermine - v. to make someone or something weaker or less effective assault - v. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically convicted – n. to be tried and found guilty of something    

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November 29, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Plane Carrying Football Team From Brazil Crashes in Colombia

  At least 76 people were killed when an airplane carrying a Brazilian football team crashed Monday night in Colombia. A Colombian police commander said five of the 81 people on the chartered plane survived. The aircraft was carrying 72 passengers and nine crew members. The team was on its way to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana football competition at the time of the crash. The sport is called soccer in the United States. The plane came down in a mountainous area near the city of Medellin. The flight had started in Bolivia. The aircraft’s owner was identified as LaMia, a small Venezuelan airline company. Officials said the plane, a British Aerospace 146, was designed for short flights. The crew reported an electrical failure and declared an emergency at 2200 hours local time (0300 GMT). Colombian officials are investigating what happened. The head of the country’s civil aviation agency said he cannot rule out the possibility that the plane used up all its fuel before the crash. The plane was carrying the Chapecoense football team, from the small city of Chapeco in southern Brazil. Chapecoense was to have played Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin. The mayor of Chapeco said he and other officials just missed joining the team and reporters on the flight to Colombia. They instead decided to take a commercial airline flight. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOANews.com and the Associated Press reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the information for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chartered – adj. hired for temporary use; a charter flight is one that is arranged for a specific use by a team or group and is not a regularly-scheduled flight. mayor – n. the top official of a city, town of village commercial – adj. of or related to business  

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Piano Player Redesigns His Favorite Instrument

The parts of a traditional piano have changed very little for hundreds of years. The keys are black and white in color, just like when classical musical greats like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach were alive.  But now an electronic, piano-like musical instrument replaces those keys with surfaces that react to touch. A start-up company called ROLI began selling the electronic keyboard in 2013. The keyboard is known as Seaboard. It does not have the same white and black keys as a piano. Instead it is made from soft, rubbery materials. Roland Lamb is the inventor of Seaboard and a jazz piano player. He says he invented Seaboard so he could create different kinds of sounds with the instrument. "I wanted to be able to express more from the keyboard and create the kinds of sounds and modulations that people could create on a bass or a guitar or a saxophone. And I was sitting at the piano and thinking why can’t I strike a note and then slide it and move it." The way a person touches the keys on a Seaboard affects the instrument’s sound. This new technology enables the player to create sounds that traditional pianos cannot make. Marco Parisi is a classical pianist. He likes Seaboard very much and says he is always learning something new he can do with it. "This is the most expressive instrument I ever played. And to be able to use my piano technique and make that expressive changed my world." Roland Lamb notes it would be harder for him to go back to playing a traditional piano. But Seaboard is not Lamb’s only interesting musical invention. His latest creation is called Blocks. It is a small, black box with a screen like a smartphone. When a person presses on the box in different places, Blocks produces different sounds. Pressing harder or softer changes the intensity of the musical notes. Lamb says the best thing about Blocks is that it is easy to use. Colored images on the screen represent different kinds of sounds. Blocks can record combinations of sounds. And people can buy and combine other devices to use with the small box. Lamb says he designed Blocks so that almost anyone can make top quality music. "Now I know the possibilities that one can access through new technologies and new sounds." Several world-famous music artists use Blocks. They include Grimes, Steve Aoki and RZA. RZA helped demonstrate how to use Blocks at a special event ROLI held in New York in November. The performer had high praise for the device. “Music is something that you feel," he said. “Whether you know how to make music or not, or play music traditionally, when you start playing with this, you will find your voice." I’m Pete Musto.   VOA’s Deborah Block reported on this story. Pete Musto adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Have you ever wanted to learn how to play an instrument? What kind of music would you make if you could? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story piano – n. a large musical instrument with a keyboard that you play by pressing black and white keys and that produces sound when small hammers inside the piano hit steel wires jazz – n. a type of American music with lively rhythms and melodies that are often made up by musicians as they play modulation(s) – n. gradual movement from one system of musical tones based on a scale to another classical – adj. relating to music in a European tradition that includes opera and symphony and that is generally considered more serious than other kinds of music technique – n. the way that a person performs basic physical movements or skills screen – n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text

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Trump Calls Millions of Votes 'Illegal'

  This is What’s Trending Today... President-elect Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had their last debate before the presidential election on October 19. The moderator of the debate, Chris Matthews, asked Trump if he would accept the results of the election. In response, Trump said, “I will look at it at the time.” Later in the conversation, he said, “I’ll keep you in suspense, OK?” We now know that Trump is the likely winner of the election. He is expected to become president in January. But officials have announced they will re-count the votes in at least one state. In response, Trump used Twitter to claim “millions” of people voted illegally for his opponent. Almost 50,000 people forwarded the tweet, and close to 150,000 more “liked” it. News organizations and political analysts say no evidence supports Trump’s claim.  One reason people are still disputing the results is because of how presidents are elected in the United States. States – not voters – choose the president. The system is called the Electoral College. In the 2016 election, Trump won enough states under the Electoral College system to beat Hillary Clinton, but he did not win the most votes overall. In addition, the results were very close in three of the states Trump won. Those states are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Activists are raising money to request the votes there be re-counted. If the results change, Trump risks losing the Electoral College and therefore the election. This weekend, Trump asserted that he won the Electoral College. He would have won the popular vote, too, he said, “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” Trump also claimed there were illegal votes in three of the states Clinton won: Virginia, New Hampshire and California. Trump asked, “Why isn’t the media reporting on this?”  Alex Padilla is the secretary of state in California. He said Trump did not have evidence for his claim of illegal votes in California. And, Padilla said, Trump’s tweets were “reckless” and “unbecoming” of a president-elect. Others warned news organizations not to report Trump’s comments without considering first whether they were true. One social media user brought some humor into the debate, saying: “Trump won the popular vote 100-percent if you deduct the millions and millions of people who did not vote for him.”  And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. What do you think of Donald Trump’s election comments? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story moderator – n. someone who leads a discussion in a group and tells each person when to speak suspense –n. a feeling or state of nervousness or excitement caused by wondering what will happen assert – v. to state (something) in a strong and definite way deduct –v. to take away (something, especially an amount of money) from a total inappropriate –adj. not right or suited for some purpose or situation unbecoming –adj. not appropriate or acceptable for a person in a particular job or position

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Researchers: Driverless Scooter Provides Safe and Easy Ride

  Driverless technology is quickly progressing, with many cars being tested on roads around the world. Now, researchers in Singapore are testing a different kind of self-driving vehicle - a scooter.  The scooter has four wheels and a single seat. It can move at speeds of up to six kilometers an hour. It is equipped with sensors to help it avoid people and objects. The scooter was developed at the National University of Singapore. Researchers with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also took part in the project. This experimental vehicle was designed for people who cannot, should not or do not want to drive a car. It could help older adults, the disabled or people who are too young to drive. The scooter can be used outside or inside buildings. Marcelo Ang is with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He says the scooter can be especially useful for people who use wireless devices while walking on city streets.   “I'm sure you have experienced people, just using their handphone while walking, and almost running into you. Would be so nice if you are just sitting down and checking your emails, and doing some things.” Ang demonstrated the technology and said the scooter has completed many successful tests at the university. He said the first model was built with “off-the-shelf” materials that did not cost a lot of money. The researchers hope the scooter will decrease the need for automobiles, which can lower pollution and reduce accidents.   Earlier this year, Singapore became one of the first cities in the world to launch driverless taxi service. Developers of the scooter say it can work together with ride-sharing services to make trips completely seamless. Kevin Xiangyu Hui, a university student, tested the scooter and said he found the ride was very smooth and safe. “When you sit on this machine, you feel really relaxed and it’s really cool.” The scooter has yet to complete a series of road tests so it is not available to buy… yet. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English. His story was based on reports from VOANews.com and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. How do you feel about driverless technology? Would you be willing to give this scooter a try? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story scooter – n. small vehicle with a motor used for transportation sensor – n. a device that can sense light, heat, sound, motion and provide information about it off-the-shelf - adj. available from existing materials seamless - adj. moving from one thing to another easily and without problems relaxed - adj. feeling satisfied and comfortable    

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Castro's Death, Trump Presidency Raise Questions About US-Cuba Ties

During his life, Fidel Castro blamed Cuba’s economic problems on the United States and its restrictions on trade with Cuba. Now, after Castro’s death, many people are wondering what will happen to the economic relationship between the two countries. The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president will likely make the situation even more complex. The U.S. trade restrictions on Cuba – or, the embargo – remain in place. But President Barack Obama recently eased some of those limits. Obama reestablished diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States. The two sides opened embassies in each other’s capitals in 2015. And the improved relations have led to an increase in the number of U.S. visitors to Cuba. Yet many U.S. companies say the government in Cuba makes it hard for foreigners to do business there.   U.S. Senator Bob Menendez says economic links remain firmly connected to Castro's family. "Do you want to do business in Cuba, do you want to be a part of the hotel tourism industry? You have to see Raul's (Cuban President Raul Castro) son. You want to go ahead and do agriculture business in Cuba? You have to do it with his son-in-law, both high-ranking officials of the Cuban military." Jose Azel is an expert on Cuba at the University of Miami in Florida. He agrees that the Cuban government has too many restrictions on foreign businesses. Azel said that foreign investors must share control of their business interests with the Cuban military. And, he adds, the foreigners cannot control who works for their company in Cuba.  But Azel does not believe the country will change its central planning system soon. Another issue for U.S.-Cuba relations is the election of businessman Donald Trump. During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized President Obama's moves to ease tensions with between the two countries. Trump said he will undo Obama’s actions unless Cuba gives more religious and political freedom to its people. He also wants Cuba to release political prisoners. I'm Ashley Thompson. Ken Bredemeier and Jim Randle reported this story for VOA. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted their story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   embargo – n. a government order that limits trade in some way high-ranking – adj. having a high rank or position central planning – adj. In a centrally planned economy, the government makes most economic decisions

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Will Death of Fidel Castro Improve Human Rights in Cuba?

  Some Cuban-Americans believe the death of Fidel Castro means human rights abuses in Cuba will end. Jose Sanchez is one of them. “We had a bad dictator that had Cuba under oppression and repression for almost six decades is no longer with us, and that will give an opportunity to the Cuban people to start the journey towards freedom and democracy.” Sanchez lives in Little Havana, an area of Miami, Florida, where many Cuban-Americans live. Lissette Calderon lives there, too. She says the death of Fidel Castro is the beginning of a new Cuba.  “The people of Cuba do not have free elections and there’s no democracy. And I think those of us aren’t gonna rest until we see the freedom for the people of Cuba.” Fidel Castro began ruling the country in 1959. In 2008, he gave the presidency to his younger brother, Raul. For almost 58 years, the Cuban people have had few civil and political freedoms. Thousands of activists have been punished or imprisoned. In 2014, relations between the United States and Cuba were reestablished. But that change did not decrease limits on freedoms in Cuba. Few people have access to the Internet; journalists and human rights activists are still regularly detained. Guadalupe Correa is a professor of government affairs and security studies at the University of Texas. She told VOA on Skype that Raul Castro, who has slowly taken control of Cuba, must now decide if his brother’s death will bring major changes to the country. “He needs to change his approach to his own country and allow the country to be more open.” Some American lawmakers made similar statements on Twitter. Congressman Carlos Curbelo said Castro’s death is an opportunity for opposition leaders in Cuba to become stronger. But Brian Fonseca, the director of the Public Policy Institute at Florida International University, is not as optimistic. He told VOA on Skype that human rights activists will see things get worse in Cuba before they get better. He says that is because people in power want to keep power. So, he says, current political leaders might react to Castro’s death by limiting any opposition -- at least in the short term.    I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.      VOA National Correspondent Katherine Gypson reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   decade – n. a ten year period approach – n. a way of dealing with something; a way of doing or thinking about something optimistic – adj. having or showing hope for the future;  expecting good things to happen short term – adj. a short period of time at the beginning of something

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Obama, Trump React Very Differently to Death of Fidel Castro

  The death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro has produced a mix of reactions in the United States. The death confirms sharp differences in the thinking of President Barack Obama and his replacement, President-elect Donald Trump. It has also led to discussions about how the U.S. government will deal with Cuba when Trump becomes president in January. President Obama considers reestablishing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of tensions one of his greatest foreign policy successes. Obama, who visited the country in March, became the first sitting U.S. president to do so since 1928. Obama told the Cuban people: “I have come here to bury the last remnants of the Cold War in the Americas.” In September 2015, Trump supported Obama’s decision to open up relations with Cuba. “I think it's fine,” he told The Daily Caller website. “We should have made a better deal (but) the concept of opening with Cuba -- 50 years is enough.” However, during the election campaign, Trump began to strongly criticize the decision to normalize relations. Now, he is almost always critical of the move. In a statement released soon after Castro’s death last Friday, Obama said: “History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and the world around him.” He added that the United States offers “a hand of friendship to the Cuban people.” Some U.S. lawmakers immediately criticized the statement. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, called it “pathetic.” He noted that the statement did not talk about the thousands of people Castro killed and imprisoned. Rubio’s parents lived in Cuba, and moved to the United States in the 1950s. Another Republican, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, told ABC News that he hopes “we don’t see any U.S. government officials going to Fidel Castro’s funeral.” Cruz’s father was born in Cuba and now, like Rubio’s parents, is a Cuban-American. Trump released a statement after Castro’s death. He called the former leader “a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades.” He blamed Castro for “firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and the denial of fundamental human rights.” Trump promised that, as president, he will do all he can “to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.” It is not known how relations between the two countries will change when Trump takes office. Kellyanne Conway is a top aide to the president-elect. She told ABC News that Trump will demand that Cuba make changes. Conway said the release of political prisoners would have an important effect on relations. She also said the president-elect is “absolutely” willing to change the Obama policy on Cuba. Some lawmakers hope Castro’s death will lead to improved relations between the two countries. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and some Republicans support a bill that would end the 50-year-old ban on U.S. trade with Cuba. I’m Alice Bryant.     VOA’s Cindy Saine and Fern Robinson reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the reports for Learning English. He also used information from VOANews.com. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sitting - adj. In this context, sitting means currently having a political office or job remnant - n. the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone concept - n. an idea of what something is or how it works enormous - adj. very great in size or amount singular - adj. better or greater than what is usual or normal pathetic - adj. very bad, poor, weak, etc. funeral - n. a ceremony held for a dead person firing squad - n. a group of soldiers whose job is to shoot a prisoner who has been sentenced to death prosperity - n. the state of being successful -- usually by making a lot of money

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