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For many voters, a candidate's’ religion is an important factor in deciding whether or not they will vote for them. Last week we looked at HIllary Clinton’s Methodist faith. This story looks at Trump’s faith. He was baptized in the Presbyterian church but does not claim to be devout. He later joined a Protestant church with a preacher who promotes the Prosperity Gospel. Governor Mike Pence calls himself a “born again evangelical Catholic” and brings his strong support from conservative Christians to this race. Listen to hear more about how these candidates’ religious beliefs shape their outlook.
Story Length: 6:24
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AIR DATE: 08/03/2016
August 29, 2016
6:54
The role religion plays in political candidates’ lives is an important topic during elections. Democratic Presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton has occasionally spoken about her growing up Methodist. Her running mate, Tim Kaine, is very open about his Catholic faith and brings it up frequently on the campaign trail. In this story, you will hear about Clinton and Kaine’s religion and how they present it to the public.
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The first votes in the 2016 presidential election will take place today in the Iowa caucus. As this important election event and other primaries approach, voters and candidates are expressing powerful emotions about the state of the country. Democrats are upset about the economic divide between the rich and poor, while Republicans fault President Obama’s policies on immigration and healthcare. Meanwhile, many voters feel anxious about terrorism and personal finances. Listen to this story to hear the feelings that are defining this election.
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3:32
Campaign contributions come in from many sources. There are limits to the amount of money a campaign committee can contribute to support a candidate, but there are no limits on how much money a Super PAC can contribute. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell would like to change the campaign finance law. These laws were put into place to prevent corruption, but both Republicans and Democrats have been working to dismantle campaign finance limits. Listen to this story with your students and debate this question: Should we set limits on campaign contributions?
Read MoreDecember 14, 2015
3:26
Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, recently called for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. In making this announcement, he cited polls as evidence that large segments of Muslims hate Americans. This has prompted very strong criticism, including from some of his fellow Republican candidates and state party leaders. Trump announced this a day after President Obama urged Americans to reject discrimination against Muslim Americans. Listen to hear about the reactions to Trump’s idea.
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