Headlines from Around the World: 11/10/14

Election Day was November 4 and the Republicans were the big winners. 62% of elected Governors in the US are now Republicans, 56% of the elected House of Representatives are Republicans, and 52% of the elected Senate is Republicans (CNN). Republicans swept state legislative races by winning control of more than 68 legislative chambers, largest since 1920 (CNN). In addition, Ms. Mia Love narrowly won election to a House seat for Utah, becoming the first black woman to represent the Republican Party in Congress. For Colorado in the Senate, Cory Gardner (Republican) defeated Mark Udall (Democrat) by 48.5% to 46.0%. Governor John Hickenlooper (Democrat) was re-elected as governor defeating Bob Beauprez (Republican) 49% to 46%. The governor became the only Democrat to win the statewide contest and one of the few bright spots for the Democrats. “This is a moment and an opportunity to seize the day and to move forward,” Hickenlooper said, “Not to dwell on the wedge issues that too often divide us.” Hickenlooper’s opponent, Beauprez acknowledged, “There just aren’t enough options to get us across the finish line.” Beauprez said that he failed to capture the energy and could not offer a “fresh face” for voters.

US president Barack Obama is sending 1500 more soldiers into Iraq to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight the ISIS. This would double the original number of American troops that already have stationed there. Congress has agreed to fund $6 billion to fight against ISIS. “The President took these decisions at the request of the Iraqi Government and upon the recommendation of Secretary Hagel and his military commanders based upon the assessed needs of the Iraqi Security Forces,” the statement said.

Robert O’Neil, former Navy SEAL and the killer of Osama Bin Laden, recently was in an interview where he finally revealed the secret of who actually killed the mass murderer. However, he does not care if people believe him. “The most important thing that I’ve learned in the last two years is to me it doesn’t matter anymore if I am ‘The Shooter.’ The team got him,” Robert O’Neill said in an audio interview. O’Neil’s action to go public is actually quite controversial because it violates an “unspoken” military rule that military personnel should not seek attention for their service. Whatever the case may be, at the end of the day, the mission was accomplished.

After a month has passed and 43 college students still have not been found in Mexico City, the Mexican government has declared them dead. Tens of thousands of demonstrators protested for more action from federal authorities to find the students who have been missing since late September. Although the case has not been fully investigated, investigators are saying kidnapping is likely the case. The missing students were training to be teachers in the southwest Mexican state of Guerrero when they vanished under mysterious circumstances. “It’s shocking because there are 43 students missing and they still haven’t found them,” said Ana Maria Salazar, a former policy advisor for President Clinton who also worked at the Pentagon as a deputy assistant secretary of defense. “And as they are looking for these students they are finding more mass graves and nobody knows who these people are.”