Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

Example Input: Paris lessons: US must revoke citizenship of Americans who join ISIS, Al Qaeda. Last week, France faced the threat that is arguably the toughest to defeat-- a threat from within, from its own terrorists . By now, the stories are familiar . France has a problem with homegrown radicals . At least 900 French citizens are among the 2,000 to 3,000 westerners who've left home for jihadist training or to fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq . In many ways, the western jihadist represents the worst threat . Able to speak the language fluently, completely familiar with their home countries, and possessing a key weapon -- an American, British, French, or German passport -- they can easily cross international boundaries . The training makes them deadly -- the Paris attacks were notable for their deadly precision and meticulous planning . Their citizenship makes them mobile . That's why any American strategy to defeat jihad has to include measures to not just deny passports to American terrorists, but also strip them of citizenship . This is basic common sense . Most Americans would be surprised to know that joining Al Qaeda or ISIS - the Islamic State - isn't grounds for losing citizenship . The law currently provides that Americans can lose citizenship when they enter or serve in the armed forces of an enemy foreign state . But ISIS and Al Qaeda are not "foreign states," so the law doesn't apply . It's time to close this loophole . In Congress, legislation was introduced last session to address those concerns . It was not approved . Now, in the new Congress - with Republicans in control of both the House and Senate - there's a renewed push to safeguard the homeland . Last week, Representative Ted Poe introduced a measure that revokes passports from Americans who join terrorist organizations . And ,  in the days ahead, Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Steve King are expected to introduce legislation that would strip citizenship from terrorist traitors . This is not an imaginary threat . Not only have Americans joined ISIS , some have even lost their lives fighting for jihadists . In fact ,  as many as 40 men from Minneapolis alone have joined Islamic groups abroad . And just last week in Chicago, A U.S  citizen was indicted by a federal grand jury - charged with attempting to travel overseas to fight alongside the ISIS operating in Iraq and Syria . These men aren't just threats to the United States ; they're also threats to our closest allies . For our allies, the American passport is a ticket of entry, no visa required . And ,  similarly, for British, French, and other allies, their passport is a ticket of entry into the United States . The door is wide open for terrorists to take advantage of centuries of friendship and trust . It is time we slam that door shut . Of course stripping citizenship and revoking passports represent just two small steps - but critical ones - towards a sane national security strategy . However ,  it's difficult to take even these small steps with the Obama administration steadfastly refuses to name our enemies (Mr  President, our enemies are Islamic radicals, not generic "extremists"), accurately describe their ideology(no, they are not "nihilists"), or even to acknowledge their obvious, widespread appeal in the Muslim world . It was sad and embarrassing for Americans to watch as even the leader of the Palestinian Authority marched in Paris against Islamic extremism , yet our president or vice president were nowhere to be found . Even liberal journalists called this absence "pathetic." Marches don't defeat terrorists , but when dozens of world leaders stand together , it makes a statement of determination that is critical for our citizens to see . When our President makes a stand, it signals our nation's resolve , and his absence signaled our government's weakness . In the days and weeks ahead, Congress can send a very different message by passing much needed legislation, putting it on the President's desk, and daring him to veto legislation that would prevent exactly the kind of attack France faced last week . After almost six full years in office, we fully understand the President's approach to combatting terrorism . A recipe that mixes drone strikes with appeasement-- that pulls troops from combat and sends captive terrorists back to the Middle-- is now a proven failure . In my bestselling book, "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore," I demonstrated the consequences of that failure . Jihad rages across the Middle East, Boko Harem rampages through Nigeria , and Afghanistan teeters on the brink of disaster . In the west, recent terror attacks in Canada, Australia, and Paris show jihadists ability to inspire even western Muslims with a message of pure hate and evil . Will the Obama administration change course? Will it finally acknowledge the true dimensions of the threat? It can start with a dose of common sense . It can start by protecting America from terrorist traitors .
Example Output: Last week, France faced the threat that is arguably the toughest to defeat-- a threat from within, from its own terrorists At least 900 French citizens are among the 2,000 to 3,000 westerners who've left home for jihadist training or to fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq

Example Input: Madonna's cultural appropriation confirms what a cliche she has become. There' s only thing duller than a Twitterstorm , and that's an Instagramstorm . Particularly when said storms feature figures who like to think of themselves as controversial and as deliberately baiting us : Rihanna posing in a clingy burqa at a mosque, Mario Balotelli posting a racist image , and now Madonna doctoring pictures of African and African-American leaders to promote her new album . Really, the only dignified thing to do is to not dignify it with a response, and move on . Who cares if Madonna straps black ropes on the images of dead black rights icons? As Peter Robinson wrote in the Guardian:"It's slightly heartbreaking that Madonna, an artist who made her name through an intuitive grasp of almost every major trend and zeitgeist fluctuation, is so crap at social media." But sometimes a solely jaded response betrays our own complacency, like resigning yourself to the fact that there will always be people who think of racist slurs as banter , or those who think it is just fine to appropriate the symbols of others to give their own tepid existence some edge , or people who still wear bootcut jeans . It's not OK, no matter how persistent and ever- present it is . Even though Madonna has always been controversial , it also seems that as the world around her has got sharper, she has got duller and more derivative . The appropriation that she and others have carried out is nothing new ; we're just noticing it more . That's because those who are piggybacking on others' journeys do not only have more channels to flaunt their cluelessness and sense of entitlement (Iggy Azalea, walk away from Twitter) but they are also being called out on it more . Whether it is usurping religion - crucifixes and nun habits are passe now; it's niqabs on naked bodies  - keep up - homosexuality or now minority rights , Madonna is a manifestation of how privilege feeds off the authenticity of "struggle" . This is a double plundering that leads to further marginalisation : the dominant narrative will oppress you, then co-opt you, and then weave you into your own tiny little section of the tapestry . Some would argue that slavery and segregation ended long ago (well, segregation in the US in the 60s and apartheid in South African in the 90s, so not that long ago) . But that doesn't mean white people can now happily vandalise the cultural and historical totems of a minority's struggle as part of some universal poster for the white western narrative of overcoming and learning from our mistakes . Imagine a pop artist using the recent CIA torture as part of their campaign - perhaps showing dead Arab personalities being waterboarded . No? Too soon? Well , when it comes to certain issues , it will always too soon . Of course ,  the charitable position is that Madonna, or to a different extent, Iggy Azalea, are not doing this with any high degree of self-awareness or design - they might see all contemporary culture as equal-access human heritage that they can dip into and sample as a vehicle for their talent . They would be right to some extent , but the sad fact is that these modern iterations of minority culture that they are sampling all arose from suffering and oppression rather than from a series of tortured geniuses in drawing rooms across Europe . Yes, there are spaces where our common mix of religious, sexual and racial legacies intermingle - gloriously, sometimes . But that is usually an uncurated, spontaneous thing, not a cynical shopping list . To put it simply , edginess comes from just that : being on the edge . Ironically, all Madonna and her ilk's desperate antics to appear so only confirm that they are, in fact, utterly comfortable and mainstream . Cultural appropriation is now the standard default of the unoriginal . It is a common and predictable template , where one becomes a cliche in trying to avoid being a cliche because you have nothing new to offer - something Madonna would surely be mortified by .
Example Output: Who cares if Madonna straps black ropes on the images of dead black rights icons?

Example Input: Obama in the 'Fourth Quarter': President goes on offense, looks to legacy. U.S  President Barack Obama departs at the conclusion of his end of the year press conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, December 19, 2014 . Obama and his family plan to depart Washington later in the day to spend the holidays in Hawaii . REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4IQRC . U.S  President Barack Obama speaks on the phone with Jordan's King Abdullah at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 8, 2014 . REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR41Q8N . Editor's note: The following article originally appeared in The Hill and on TheHill.com website . Dan Pfeiffer's office is next to the Oval Office . The cheek-by-jowl location reflects the importance of his job as senior adviser guiding President Obama's image and message going into his final two years in the White House . At the moment, the president and Pfeiffer are on a hot streak . Polls show Obama's approval numbers climbing . "It's an 18-point gap [better than] Bush and the same as Reagan's," Pfeiffer said, comparing Obama's current approval rating to that of President George W  Bush and President Reagan at the equivalent point in their second terms . Strong public support is central to the president's strategy of keeping the loyalty of Senate Democrats . If large numbers of Democrats in Congress run away from a president with bad poll numbers , Republicans can put the president on the defensive for the remainder of his time in office . Major defections by Senate Democrats will also allow the Republican majority in the Senate to stop filibusters and potentially override Obama's vetoes . The issues at stake range from construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to efforts to change and repeal Obamacare, as well as undo immigration reform, financial regulation, the opening of new relations with Cuba and new limits on greenhouse gases . Pfeiffer does not see any issue where Republicans can expect to undo a presidential veto: "Not one," he emphasized . The Keystone XL pipeline is the one instance in which Pfeiffer acknowledges that veto may have to be used in the first place . But he does not expect such a move to hurt the president's revival in the polls . It is an issue, Pfeiffer argued, often cited by Republicans who don't like the president anyway . But most "people don't have super-strong feelings about it," he said . "They are not energized about it, especially at a time of low gas prices.[Polls show] people generally prefer it but this is not a huge issue in their lives." Pfeiffer also expects constant fights with Republicans on Capitol Hill over the Environmental Protection Agency's use of the Clean Air Act to better regulate greenhouse gas emissions . "The Republican policy is wrong," he said."I feel good about our chances [because] people feel strongly about clean air and clean water." With his current good poll numbers, the president is able to go on a political offensive despite taking a beating in last fall's midterms and ceding control of the Senate, as well as the House, to Republicans . Pfeiffer ties the president's rising popularity to the success of his economic policies but also to the Republican Party's difficulties with any voter not in the Koch brothers' tax bracket . "The GOP has huge trouble on cultural affinity," said Pfeiffer . "Republican tax policies, opposition to regulating pollution, their effort to repeal Dodd- Frank - it all favors the rich... We need to engage them on all that." "Engage them" is the idea at the heart of the president's plan for his last two years . The GOP is on defense as it responds to proposals increasing access to community college as well as increased tax breaks for families in need of childcare and with two working spouses . Pfeiffer starts looking around his office for a card recently given to senior staff that reminds them they are in "the Fourth Quarter." The quote comes from Obama . Pfeiffer tells the story of the president looking at Green Bay Packers' player Randall Cobb during a rally in Wisconsin and making the case that fourth quarter football is"when big things happen." In a moment of off-script pique during last week's State of the Union address, the president reminded Republicans he cannot run for election again because he already beat them in two presidential elections . That confidence leads him to conclude that losing control of the Senate in the midterms is only a momentary set back in the big picture -- the total game and the legacy of the Obama presidency . As Pfeiffer told the New York Times in advance of the State of the Union speech, the nation's economic resurgence under President Obama creates "a Chicken Little problem [for Republicans]-- all the doom and gloom they predicted did not come to pass." The president crowed about "good news, people" in the State of the Union speech : He listed 11 million jobs created by American business in the last five years; more people with health insurance; cuts in the deficit; record stock prices; higher high school graduation rates and lower gas prices, as evidence of his success . "At every step, we were told our goals were misguided or too ambitious; that we would crush jobs and explode deficits," the president said . ".... So the verdict is clear. Middle class economics works... and these polices will continue to work as long as politics don't get in the way." Pfeiffer and other top administration officials think they can further improve their poll numbers by getting Republicans to debate the president's new proposals for increasing wages for working Americans . Good news in foreign policy is also possible but , unlike most second-term presidents, Obama is not abandoning the domestic agenda . Obama's poll numbers will not decide the 2016 race for the White House, Pfeiffer said, because the "biggest factor is the popularity of the nominee." But good polls will prevent Democrats from"distancing" themselves from Hillary Clinton, Sen  Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) or another other nominee, and lead to better turnout . That is also part of the Obama team's fourth quarter plan to end the game as winners .
Example Output:
Major defections by Senate Democrats will also allow the Republican majority in the Senate to stop filibusters and potentially override Obama's vetoes U.S  President Barack Obama speaks on the phone with Jordan's King Abdullah at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 8, 2014