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- On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence gave his first interview since taking office with PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff.
- While polls show that Americans who voted for President Donald Trump are happy with the tone set by the new administration so far, polls also show that many Americans are upset with the decisions put forth by Trump. Pence said he is optimistic that as time goes on it will be more apparent that Trump will be a president to all Americans.
- Pence said he is "hopeful" that the Senate can avoid the "nuclear option," which would allow the Senate to change the rules for the number of senators needed to approve U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
- Pence said he feels confident that the President's executive order suspending visits and migration from seven Muslim-majority countries will not lead to a religious test targeting Muslims.
- NewsHour's Judy Woodruff reports that since 9/11, 82 percent of the fatal attacks by Islamic extremists in this country were committed by either legal permanent residents or citizens. The rest were committed by people who were not from the seven countries that the ban applies to.
Class discussion questions
- Essential question : What does the vice president of the United States do?
- Vice President Pence remains hopeful that Americans will become more united over time under President Trump. What are some ways this could happen?
- Do you think Democrats should give Neil Gorsuch a chance despite Republicans refusing to vote on former President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court?
- Why does Pence believe that Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries was the right decision? Do you agree? Why or why not?
