In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.

Input: Consider Input: (CNN) -- Attention white Anglo-Saxon Protestants: Your days of running things are over. You have jumped the shark. But there's no need to feel bad for WASPs. They've had an amazing run. Every single president in our nation's history, except for John F. Kennedy -- a Catholic -- and Barack Obama, has been a white Protestant. Except for a handful of exceptions, for over 200 years the presidential nominees of both major political parties have been WASPs. WASPs had almost as many victories in a row as The Harlem Globetrotters. But it's over. Look at this year's presidential tickets: A Mormon, an African-American, and two Catholics. Even some of the keynote speakers at the Democratic and Republican conventions were not WASPs. The GOP featured Italian-Irish Catholic Chris Christie and the Democrats tapped Latino-American, Julian Castro. Times are so bleak for WASPs that there's not a single one on the Supreme Court. Likewise, in Congress, the percentage of Protestants fell from 74 percent in 1961 to a slim majority of 55 percent today. Neither the current Speaker of the House (John Boehner: Catholic) nor the Senate majority leader (Harry Reid: Mormon) is WASP. I'm sincerely not gloating. And my jibes are in jest. But what I'm happy about is that our two major political parties are increasingly reflecting the new face of America. The demographics of our nation are changing and, by 2042, minorities are expected to become the majority in the U.S. Objectively, the delegates at this year's Democratic convention were far more diverse. The Republican convention looked more like the early bird dinner crowd at The Cracker Barrel. Opinion: In Ohio, candidates are salesmen trying to close the deal . However, in the GOP's defense, a party that is 90% white, they have started to slowly showcase minorities, such as Sen. Marco Rubio and Govs. Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal. They are well aware that if they don't, the GOP will go the way of the Whigs. There's little doubt that we will see more diverse presidential candidates. And we will likely see in the not too distant future a president who is Latino, Asian, Jewish, Sikh or Muslim. (That screaming sound you might have heard was Michele Bachmann shrieking in horror at the idea of a Muslim-American president.) This is a testament to our nation. We are by our very nature progressive. It may take years, or even decades, to see change, but we always march forward, not back. So, how did we get to where we are today where the white Protestant establishment seems to be losing power? Well, it's kind of complicated (as these things tend to be). There are tons of reasons. But one important factor that has contributed to today's political landscape is changing voting rights laws. Back in the days when our nation was founded, only white men who owned land could vote. That means rich white men with money get to control the political system. (I know some of you are thinking: How is that different than today?) In our first presidential election in 1789, no women, no blacks, no poor white men, and in many states neither Catholics nor Jews, were permitted to vote. Over time, some states abandoned the requirement of land ownership so that poor white men could vote. And the religious restrictions were also lifted so that non-Protestants were able to vote. Opinion: Democrats and Republicans need a plan to keep American dream alive . However, it wasn't until after 1870, when the 15th Amendment was ratified, that black American citizens were finally guaranteed the right to vote. (Although poll taxes, literacy laws and other measures were still employed in some states to disenfranchise black voters.) And it took all the way to 1920 -- more than 100 years after our first president was elected -- that women were finally given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment to our Constitution. Enfranchising voters of all backgrounds has led to the opening up of our democratic process. Minorities no longer just voted -- they became active in politics. And they didn't just show up at political meetings -- over time they sought elective offices. And some of them won. With each success, they inspire even more minorities of every race, ethnicity and religion to become active in our political system. So WASPs, you've had your great run. And there is no doubt that another white Protestant will rise up one day against the growing odds and win the White House. But until that day comes, you can console yourself knowing that a white Protestant male is one of the most exciting athletes in our nation today: Tim Tebow. (Of course, he is the back up to Mark Sanchez.) The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah.

Output: Every president except for JFK and Barack Obama has been a white Protestant .
Dean Obeidallah: WASPs have had an amazing run, but times have changed .
He says political parties are increasingly reflecting the new face of America .
Obeidallah: Changing voting rights laws have made our political system more democratic .


Input: Consider Input: The mayor of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv underwent emergency surgery after being shot in the back, city officials and police said Monday, amid continuing unrest in the region. The attack on Mayor Gennady Kernes happened around noon local time, the Kharkiv city office official website said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the shooting. After a two-hour operation, Kernes was out of surgery but in critical condition, the city office said. "The surgery was successful. His life-threatening condition is expected to go on for several days," a statement said. "He was unconscious when brought to the hospital." The online statement also said a bullet casing was found at the scene. Police said an investigation unit was trying to determine the circumstances of the shooting. In a major challenge to Kiev's new leaders, armed rebels have captured towns and government buildings across eastern Ukraine and are holding a team of European monitors hostage. Western nations accuse Moscow of supporting the separatist gunmen who are occupying official buildings in cities across the region. Sanctions . The United States on Monday imposed sanctions against seven Russian government officials and 17 companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin in its latest action to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. The White House said the seven Russians, including two from Putin's inner circle, are now subject to a freeze on any assets they hold in the United States and a ban on U.S. travel. In addition, the United States will deny export license applications for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities. The Commerce and State departments will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions, the White House said in a statement. "The sanctions build on the ones that were already in place. We're moving forward with an expanded list of individuals," U.S. President Barack Obama earlier told reporters in Manila, Philippines. The move, Obama said, was to spur Putin to "walk the walk, not just talk the talk" in resolving the crisis in Ukraine. If the latest round of sanctions does not work, the next phase could target economic sectors like banking, Obama said. The European Union also announced Monday that it was imposing sanctions on 15 people who are "responsible for actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." A list of the people targeted by the latest sanctions will be published Tuesday and will go into effect at the same time, the Council of the European Union said. The sanctions will include asset freezes and travel bans. U.S. and Russian defense secretaries speak . U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke on the phone with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday. According to a Pentagon description of their conversation, Shoigu "reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine." Hagel, the Pengaton said, called for an end to what he described as "Russia's destabilizing influence inside Ukraine" and "warned that continued aggression would further isolate Russia and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure." The Russian government's description of the call said Shoigu "definitively denied the groundless allegations of the presence of Russian sabotage and military intelligence groups on Ukrainian territory" and criticized what he called "anti-Russian hysteria recently unleashed in the Western press." He also criticized what he said was an "unprecedented" increase in activity of U.S. and NATO troops in Eastern Europe near the Russian border, according to the Russian government's description of the call. Ukrainian soldier killed . A homemade bomb exploded near Ukrainian soldiers who were in the eastern Donetsk region Monday, killing one and injuring another, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said. The death came days after Ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-Russian militants in an operation to clear roadblocks near the city of Slavyansk last week. Police are investigating Monday's blast, the Defense Ministry said. A CNN team covering a pro-Ukraine rally in Donetsk watched violence unfold Monday as pro-Russian separatists wielding batons beat demonstrators who said they wanted to see a united Ukraine. Observer freed . Pro-Russian separatists holding a European military observer team in eastern Ukraine released one of the observers for medical reasons Sunday, shortly after parading them before cameras. At least seven of the inspectors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe appeared at a news conference staged by Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared mayor of Slavyansk, who referred to them as "prisoners of war." The freed observer was from Sweden and had been suffering from diabetes, Ponomarev spokeswoman Stella Khorosheva told CNN. Michael Bociurkiw, an OSCE spokesman in Kiev, called it "a welcome development." The monitors were seized Friday outside Slavyansk, one of the flashpoints in the standoff between Ukraine's interim government and pro-Russian factions challenging its authority in the east. They said that although they have diplomatic status, they went along with Sunday's news conference because the mayor asked them to. Germany strongly criticized the group's appearance before the media. The "parading of OSCE observers and Ukrainian security forces as prisoners is abhorrent and a flagrant violation of their human dignity," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement. He added that Russia had a duty to "influence" the separatists so that the other members of the mission could be freed as soon as possible. Putin has repeatedly criticized what he says is Kiev's use of force against Ukrainian civilians.

Output: The European Union announces it's imposing sanctions on 15 people .
Defense ministers from the United States and Russia discuss Ukraine .
U.S. imposes sanctions against 7 Russians, 17 companies linked to Putin .
The mayor of Kharkiv is in critical condition after emergency surgery .


Input: Consider Input: LOS ANGELES, California (CNN)  -- Actor Tim Roth is in an abandoned building near downtown Los Angeles, and he's about to mix things up. British actor Tim Roth plays a human lie detector on the hit series "Lie to Me." "This is a scene where the FBI is interrogating a suspect," Roth said. "I'm breaking into the interrogation to get information out of him using the sort of techniques that my character espouses as opposed to pressuring him." Roth, who plays Dr. Cal Lightman on the hit Fox series "Lie to Me," is shooting scenes for the season finale, which will air May 13. His character is an expert on body language and the detection of deception. "Our series is based on the idea that we can read what's going on across your face and if it's contradicting what you're actually saying," Roth said. Lightman and his colleague, Dr. Gillian Foster -- played by Kelli Williams -- run "The Lightman Group." They observe body language and interpret what it means in order to help law enforcement agencies see through the bull. His character is based on Dr. Paul Ekman, a specialist who reads clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth in criminal investigations. Ekman, who in 2001 was named as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century by the American Psychological Association, is a scientific consultant for the show. Roth says Ekman can be intimidating. "He makes me very, very nervous, Paul, you know," he said. "I mean, he's the sweetest man, as sweet as can be, but when he's around, you feel like your acting is really being judged." Roth is perhaps best known for his outings with famed director Quentin Tarantino. The British actor pulled off a convincing American accent in the cult classics "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction." He uses his true-Brit accent in "Lie to Me," which debuted in January and is one of the season's few successful new dramas. In a review for Entertainment Weekly, critic-at-large Ken Tucker wrote that "Like 'Monk' and 'Psych' and 'The Mentalist,' 'Lie' offers us an eccentric who's brought in by law enforcement to solve crimes." Though he gave the show a B-minus, Tucker praised Roth for "resist[ing] the cuddly/cranky." The show has quickly found its fan base, though ratings have declined slightly since the show was put in its 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot, ahead of "American Idol." (The first five episodes aired after "Idol.") "I got stopped because one of my lights was out and I was coming back from work and the guy, the cop that stopped me said 'Oh, we watch your show' and they seemed to enjoy it," said Roth. "ER" alum Mekhi Phifer is set to join the cast as an FBI agent for two episodes this season, starting Thursday. "I'm here to kick ass and take names, you know. So it's kind of different," Phifer said. "It's fun, you know. Obviously, I carry a gun and I'm in law enforcement rather than being a doctor." Phifer particularly likes acting in intense scenes with Roth. "I have my own way of doing it," he said. "It's a little different than the way Tim does it. It's a lot of fun, and we're having a great time." And will time spent on the show help Phifer better detect when people are lying to him in real life? "It's going to take a few more episodes, but I'm pretty perceptive," he said. Roth, however, makes no claims of special powers -- at least when he's away from the set. "I try not to know too much, because it actually is quite extraordinary," he says. "When you watch politicians on TV, you can use the stuff that Paul does to see if they're lying or not. I try not to take it home."


Output: British actor Tim Roth stars in the hit Fox series "Lie to Me"
Actor best known for his appearances in Quentin Tarantino films .
Roth plays a body language expert who can detect liars .
"ER" alum Mekhi Phifer is set to join the cast .