*Question*
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis promised Thursday the Pentagon will "notify" Congress before any possible military action in Syria, where the U.S. is considering responding to a suspected chemical weapons attack. "There will be notification to leadership, of course, prior to the attack," Mattis said in his testimony at the House Armed Services Committee. "We will report to Congress. We will keep open lines of communication." But notably, Mattis did not indicate the Trump administration would seek congressional approval before the strike, which presumably would target the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Trump says the U.S. will soon launch "nice and new and smart" missiles in response to last week's suspected poison gas attack, which left scores dead in a rebel-held area. Trump blames Assad for the attack. A U.S. attack is likely to upset a small but growing number of U.S. lawmakers who demand President Donald Trump first ask Congress to authorize any hostilities, citing the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a federal law intended to check the president's ability to wage war. U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat, have long argued they have legal authority to order airstrikes and other short-term military campaigns if those engagements fall short of the "hostilities" mentioned in the War Powers Resolution. Additionally, U.S. presidents have cited a pair of authorizations by Congress following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks as justification for the near-constant U.S. strikes on Islamic militants around the world. The Trump administration has used those authorizations as justification for its current war in Syria. The U.S. has 2,000 troops in Syria, and helps lead an international coalition against Islamic State in Syria and neighboring Iraq. The overwhelming majority of U.S. lawmakers have not publicly objected to the administration's legal rationale for those missions. But as Trump considers expanding the U.S. war to include attacks on Syrian government targets, some in Congress are... When will the Pentagon tell Congress about military action in Syria? - after action occurs for 2 hours - before any action occurs - not enough information - after action occurs for 1 day
**Answer**
before any action occurs

*Question*
U.S. President Donald Trump is not expected to meet the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela when he attends the Summit of the Americas next week, according to White House officials. However, there will still be opportunities for interactions between Trump and his Latin and North American counterparts at the two-day summit that begins April 13 in Lima, Peru. The gathering takes place as Trump finalizes plans to send the military to the U.S. border with Mexico and threatens to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. In addition, Trump's recently imposed steel and aluminum tariffs have sparked criticism from many of the attendees at the summit, though some countries have received temporary exemptions. Despite all the turbulence, White House officials outlined a fairly traditional agenda for the summit. "A win for this president at this summit will be a strong speech focused on regional governance, leadership on Venezuela and promoting reciprocal trade," a senior administration official said. The official would not say whether Trump will continue to "speak his mind" during the summit on sensitive issues such as immigration. Trump has repeatedly portrayed immigration from South and Central America as both a national security and economic threat. During his presidential campaign, Trump accused Mexico of sending rapists, drug dealers and criminals across the border. Trump has also clashed with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto over the funding of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The president has long insisted that Mexico will pay for the wall. The disagreement become so heated earlier this year that Pena Nieto canceled plans to visit the White House. It is not clear whether Trump will hold a one-on-one meeting with Pena Nieto during the summit, U.S. officials said. But Trump will not meet with Cuban leader Raul Castro or anyone from the Venezuelan delegation, White House officials said. "Obviously the Cubans will be participating in the summit, so there will be a mixing of regional... What does Nieto believe? - The US is mostly a good partner - not enough information - The US is a good partner - The US is unreasonable
**Answer**
The US is unreasonable

*Question*
Some years ago a woman on our staff came into my office to, basically, tell me off and complain to me about others and about myself. This woman had not been very supportive of me in my role ever since I began working there. I couldn't figure out if she was arrogant or lacking in self esteem. During this meeting / confrontation, she told me, in no uncertain terms, just what she didn't like about some recent decisions I had made. I listened to her speak for about 30 minutes. She, quite methodically, tore me apart. Initially, I had planned to hear her out, make a few vague remarks, and send her on her way, thinking that maybe she just needed to be heard. But about 20 minutes into her harangue, I had a change of heart. I decided that, if she asked for a response for me, if she asked my advice, I was going to tell her exactly what I thought. She did, in fact, ask me for a response. I asked her if she was a happy person, and said that I suspected that she was not, as she came across as a bully and was acting like a horrible person. She sat and looked at me, then burst into tears. I waited. Looking up, she said, "Yes, you are correct. I am a horrible person. And I am miserable. What can I do?" We spent some time discussing what she could do, and (even though I didn't want to take the time to do it) I asked her if she would like a mentor me? She said that she would like such a thing. This woman and I ended up becoming fairly, no, very good friends and she has been one of my strongest supporters. I didn't expect that. After her breakdown, the meeting probably lasted: - several more hours - 30 more minutes - a couple of minutes - not enough information
**Answer**
30 more minutes

*Question*
"Hey, guy." "No, this is Ray." He smiled, leaned back in his chair. It was, of course, Pete. Pete was the night shift guy at Crossroads Detox across town. Ray called it the Jesus Shop because it was wholly supported by a contingent of local churches who saw addicts as a potential ministry. Apparently Jesus saved--not only from sin and hell, but also from Dark Eyed Jim Beam. Pete was a relatively innocuous born again fundie who volunteered his time two or three nights a week. When he was not saving the world, his Clark Kent was actually a steady CPA job with the local H&R Block. He'd been pulling shifts for about six months, knew nothing about drugs beyond that bad people used them to escape their problems and that they were tools of Satan, and he always needed Ray's advice about one thing or another. This arrangement was not problematic as Pete had long ago given up trying to convert him. Pete was also the only guy in the city who was, as Ray figured it, making less money than he was at such an hour. In return for Ray's magnanimity, Pete had done Ray's taxes for free last year. They had never actually met, though Ray had faxed him the tax forms and Pete had faxed back a photo of his two pre-teen daughters and his geriatric Lab. "What's the problem?" Ray asked. "I have a recalcitrant." That's what he called them, the drunk and definitely disorderly. Pete's vocabulary did not include the word shithead either in its singular or plural. "Pete, they're all like that. Alcohol is bad medicine. That's why places like ours are in business. To make them calcitrant." "I know that." Pete sounded a little annoyed. There was some commotion in the background, a knocking on doors. Who did Ray's taxes? - Crark - Pete - Jim - not enough information
**Answer**
Pete