SUMMARY

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, specifically the looming government shutdown the war in Ukraine.

Time marker: For the sake of time, you may want to choose one of the following pieces. Watch the video from the start to 4m:45s to learn about the government shutdown. Watch the video from 4m:45s to 8m:20s learn about the situation in Ukraine.

For a transcript of this story, click here.

News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM UP QUESTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN:

1. Who are the individuals and groups involved in the government shutdown story?
2. What are the reasons for the government shutdown?
3. How could the government shutdown situation get resolved?
4. When is the shutdown expected to happen?
5. Why do you think both Brooks and Capehart were so focused on the actions of Speaker Kevin McCarthy?

WARM UP QUESTIONS FOR UKRAINE:

1. Who is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
2. What concerns were raised regarding the U.S. support for Ukraine by Republican lawmakers?
3. How do different political parties view the idea of admitting Ukraine into NATO?
4. When did Russia launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine? (Feb. 2022) How much has the U.S. spent on the war? (answer here)
5. Why did House Speaker Kevin McCarthy decline to be photographed with President Zelenskyy?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What do government shutdowns say about the state of American politics? How do you think shutdowns affect Americans' views of Congress?

Why did President Zelenskyy visit the U.S. and what was his message?

News analysis: Brooks and Capehart went into some depth discussing why Republicans are less and less in favor of the war in Ukraine but did not give details about why the Democrats support the war. How could you find out more about the partisan divide involved in support for the war in Ukraine?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?

FOR MORE

What students can do: Discuss with a friend, neighbor or classmate — why do government shutdown keep happening? Who gets affected? Are shutdown fair to do to the American public? Why is funding the government important? Take a look at this video for some background into why the government always seems to be shutting down:

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