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Mike Pompeo

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1. Advises the President on foreign policy issues.
2. Negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign countries.
3. Provides citizens with information pertaining to travel conditions when going abroad.

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1. Nuclear Weapon production in North Korea.
2. Crisis in Venezuela
3. Eliminating ISIS and other terrorist organizations that put America and its allies at risk.

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North Korea
Vox Article on North Korea Threatening to End Talks with the U.S. on its Nuclear Program

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North Korea threatened to end diplomatic talks with the US as well as its moratorium on missile and nuclear tests -a provocative statement that could end a months-long period of relative harmony between the two nations.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said her nation's leader, Kim Jong Un, was disappointed not to make a deal when he met President Donald Trump in Vietnam last month. That failure, according to many, occurred because of the Trump administration's hardline position that North Korea must give up all of its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons before it receives any sanctions relief.

Both leaders walked away from the negotiating table, and the summit ended hours early. And now, it seems, Kim has lost patience with the process altogether.

"We have no intention to yield to the US demands in any form, nor are we willing to engage in negotiations of this kind," Choe said. "On our way back to the homeland, our chairman of the state affairs commission [Kim] said, 'For what reason do we have to make this train trip again?'"

Choe also mentioned that Kim would make an official announcement as to his stance on negotiations and weapons testing very soon, and that his relationship with Trump remains "still good and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful."

North Korea has played hardball with the US since the Vietnam summit's collapse. Stephen Biegun, America's envoy for North Korea negotiations, traveled to the United Nations on Thursday to meet with Security Council representatives. He asked to meet with North Korea's ambassador to the world body while he was there, but the ambassador didn't respond to Biegun's request, according to two people familiar with the situation. The State Department didn't return a request for comment.

It seems that the talks are in a precarious position, and Choe's comments didn't improve matters. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, seems undeterred. "She left open the possibility that negotiations will continue for sure," he told reporters on Friday, referring to North Korea's vice minister. "It's the administration's desire that we continue to have conversations around this."

Still, North Korea's threat comes at a precarious time. Satellite images show that Pyongyang may be preparing to launch a space vehicle in the coming weeks. While not a missile or nuclear bomb, launching a space rocket could be seen as highly provocative by the United States.

But Trump has so far cited the lack of any testing as a major victory. "I just don't want testing. As long as there's no testing, we're happy," he said in February, days before his summit with Kim.

A space launch, though, could make Trump unhappy - thereby possibly putting both countries back on the path to war.

Why North Korea made this threat now

Mintaro Oba, a former State Department official who worked on North Korean affairs, told me there are two main reasons Kim would want his regime to make such a provocative statement.

First, North Korea wants to put the blame for the failure in Vietnam at America's feet. That makes Kim look better and could signal to his allies, mainly China, that he was willing to negotiate until the US made such a hardline demand.

"By floating a threat in a negative but circumspect way, North Korea is both testing the reaction to this type of messaging and putting pressure on Washington," Oba said.

And second, there are North Korean officials who are skeptical of holding diplomatic talks with the United States. While Kim commands much power in his country, he still faces some domestic political challenges. "It's possible that because of what happened in Hanoi ... hardliners in Pyongyang are feeling empowered and Kim is in a position where he has to demonstrate strength," Oba added.

The new North Korean stance comes just days after Biegun told a Washington audience that the Trump administration won't "do denuclearization incrementally," adding that "the foundation of US policy is denuclearization." That reversed the administration's pre-Hanoi stance that it would make reciprocal, smaller deals with North Korea until it finally parted with its nuclear arsenal.

It's unclear if US-North Korea talks are officially doomed, or if this is just old-school posturing by the Kim regime. But if neither side can find a way to get back on course, the result could be far worse than a few choice words.
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North Korea might end US talks and restart weapons tests

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North Korea may end diplomacy with US and Trump and restart nuclear and missile tests in big threat.

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Secretary Pompeo tweets support for the people of Venezuela.

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Click here to learn more about the state department.

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The U.S. Department of State leads America's foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity.

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You will be creating a Padlet column for one of the fifteen cabinet departments. Your column should include : 

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You will be creating a Padlet column for one of the fifteen cabinet departments. Your column should include : 

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1. Seal - A picture of the department's seal.
2. Leader- The name and photo of the secretary who heads the dept. and their name.
3.Duties-- A list  of their duties( At least 3 duties).
4. Major Issues--A brief list  of major issues that the department is working to either correct or improve upon (At least 2 issues ).
5. Media- This section should have links to the department's website and a link to a news article, video, or other appropriate media
(at least 1).

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The websites below are a great starting point but be sure to check other reliable sites as well.

Click here for a brief overview of your department on the official White House Executive Branch page.

Click here to find a direct link your department's website. :~)

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Reflection Prompt: Explain why the department you researched is so important to the American people.

Directions:
When you have finished your department's column, respond to the following prompt using the FlipGrid link below (click the picture).
* You will need to enter the Flipgrid code 747594b8 to access the grid.

Reflection Prompt: Explain why the department you researched is so important to the American people.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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Seal

# data[].attributes.body
Department Seal

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The United States Department of Education, also referred to as the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government

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Wilbur Ross

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The Department commerce works with businesses, universities, communities, and the Nation's workers to promote job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved standards of living for Americans.

# data[].attributes.body
Rick Perry

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Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos

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It was founded in October 17, 1979 with 3,627 employees

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Secretary of Transportation-Elaine Chao

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Leader
Steven Terner Mnuchin

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The Secretary of Homeland Security leads the third largest Department of the U.S. government, with a workforce of 229,000 employees and 22 components including TSA, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, the National Protection and Programs Directorate, and the Science and Technology Directorate.

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Tom Vilsack

# data[].attributes.body
Alexander Acosta

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Duties
.Responsible for promoting economic prosperity
. Ensuring the financial security of the United States
.Strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system

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Department Seal

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Administrative
Inspection
Regulation

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1. Trade with China
2. Free speech
3.health care
4. Taxes
5.immigration

# data[].attributes.body
Alex M. Azar

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energy conservation
the nuclear weapons program
energy regulatory programs

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1. Cyber Security
2. Border Security
3. Immigrant ion

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Agriculture trade
Tax cuts

# data[].attributes.body
Justice

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https://www.usda.gov/

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The Department of Housing and Urban Development is the principal Federal agency responsible for programs concerned with the Nation's housing needs, fair housingopportunities, and improvement and development of the Nation's communities.

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3 Duties

1)advancing healthcare reform
2)research
3)innovation.

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https://www.dhs.gov/

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Serves as principal adviser to the president in all matters relating to federal transportation programs. The Office of the Secretary oversees the formulation of national transportation policy and promotes intermodal transportation.

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Some of the issues that this department is facing 

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Some of the issues that this department is facing 

# data[].attributes.body
Are Homelessness and also they don’t have enough houses to keep the people.

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Climate Change Funding and Management.

Climate Change Response.

Disposal of High-Level Nuclear Waste.

Federal Oversight of Commercial Nuclear Power.

Federal Oversight of Electricity Markets and Infrastructure.

Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands.

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Major Issues

Advancing its emergency preparedness and response capabilities as well as its global health affairs activities; and helping oversee the rollout of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program

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Improving Federal Aviation Administration oversight

Figuring out NextGen.

Strengthening highway, transit and pipeline safety

Improving oversight of surface transportation spending

Implementing expanded Federal Railroad Administration responsibilities

Saving taxpayers money

Modernizing and securing IT infrastructure.

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Trade war with China

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"Everything's going up in price, but also the cost of labor is going up," says Taylor Brooks, a salesperson at Boyd's local equipment dealer, James River Equipment in Tappahannock. For now, Boyd, who is the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, has decided to spend about $2,600 on parts and fix the combine himself. If he were to pay someone else to do it, he estimates that it would cost him about $8,000.
Read: American farmers are worried about Trump's trade war
Some large equipment manufacturers, including John Deere and Caterpillar, announced almost immediately after the tariffs were implemented last summer that they would raise their prices to adjust for the higher price of steel and aluminum imports. It's not just large manufacturers, though-small, locally based equipment manufacturers have also had to raise prices or look elsewhere for steel. In Montana, a horse-trailer manufacturer was forced to hike prices by about 20 percent last summer because of the tariffs. Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded John Deere's stock in February, citing "a real risk to farm equipment demand" if the trade war continues.

Many farmers are precluded from buying new agricultural equipment because of a combination of higher prices and lower profits. But that puts them in a catch-22. Farmers replace their equipment only every five to seven years. Those who were going to replace it this year and now can't afford to are forced to repair it instead. And because steel costs are up, so too are the costs of replacement parts.

"When commodities aren't being sold, farmers don't have cash," says Vernon Schmidt, the executive vice president of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. Schmidt works with specialized-equipment manufacturers, not tractor and combine producers. And, he said, the tariffs are affecting the manufacturers he works with in much the same way.
Michael Wolraich: Tariffs could turn rural voters against Trump
Though there isn't comprehensive data on how much higher farm-equipment costs are this season, both farmers and equipment dealers around the country told me that tariffs have been driving up prices significantly. That's borne out by the Federal Reserve's most recent "Beige Book," an anecdotal survey of current national economic conditions in each of the Federal Reserve's 12 districts. In the report, released earlier this month, farmers in the St. Louis district told their local Federal Reserve Bank that they're seeing "low commodity prices and rising input costs strain farm incomes." The Reserve also found that manufacturers were still concerned about "higher costs due to tariffs, and ongoing trade policy uncertainty."

Though in many places the price of steel has steadied and even dropped, farmers are still seeing high prices on equipment that's already been made. In anticipation of tariffs rising after the latest round of trade negotiations, in January, many manufacturers told the Reserve that they're importing more materials now. That could mean prices will continue to be passed to consumers even if the trade war ends.

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The Unexpected Side Effects of Trump's Trade War

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"Everything's going up in price, but also the cost of labor is going up," says Taylor Brooks, a salesperson at Boyd's local equipment dealer, James River Equipment in Tappahannock. For now, Boyd, who is the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, has decided to spend about $2,600 on parts and fix the combine himself.

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Tax cuts
Economic policy

# data[].attributes.body
Media

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Front page | U.S. Department of the Treasury

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Steven Terner Mnuchin was sworn in as the 77th Secretary of the Treasury on February 13, 2017. As Secretary, Mr. Mnuchin is responsible for the U.S. Treasury, whose mission is to maintain a strong economy, foster economic growth, and create job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable prosperity at home and abroad.

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Responsibilities