The World of Politics

KYL REPLACES MCCAIN

Former Republican senator Jon Kyl was sworn in on Sept. 5 as John McCain’s successor in Arizona’s newly vacant Senate seat. For now, he has only committed to serving until the next Congress begins in January 2019. Appointed by state Governor Doug Ducey, Kyl has decades of experience under his belt in both law and politics and was the second-ranking Republican senator when he left his post in 2013.

WHITE HOUSE SEARCH

An infuriated President Donald Trump has ordered Attorney General Jeff Sessions to launch an investigation into the author of the scathing op-ed piece written by an anonymous senior White House administration official for The New York Times, which relayed that members of Trump’s own inner circle deliberately undermine his orders. One after another, potential candidates have taken to the press and social media to declare their innocence or condemn the article.

KAVANAUGH GRILLED

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was placed in the spotlight during two days of public confirmation hearings last week, in which he provided answers to questions on landmark decisions that appeased Republicans and frustrated Democrats. The release of thousands of once-confidential emails from 2001 to 2003 revealed a stance on Roe v. Wade that contradicts what he presently claims to believe.

TUG-OF-WAR ON STUDENT LOANS

When several states and the District of Columbia attempted to implement protections against fraud for borrowers of student loans, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos struck back. Last year, the Department of Education reduced regulations on servicers of federal student loans. In response to the states’ plans, Devos argued that federal commodities should remain under federal regulation, and that differing state policies would make the loan process confusing.