Young undocumented immigrants seeking permanent status in the United States received an unexpected boost Thursday on Capitol Hill as a small group of House Republicans mounted a last-minute effort to bring up an immigration vote in Congress. The group of eight Republicans some freed from political considerations by upcoming retirements and others facing tough re-elections races defied their own party leadership, quickly persuading 10 more Republicans to sign on to a petition that would force debate on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. With all 193 Democrats expected to sign on, Republicans will have to persuade just seven more members of their own party to join the petition to trigger a vote on several immigration bills on the House floor. But Republican leadership said the effort would be wasted if the end result is a presidential veto. "I think it's important for us to come up with a solution that the president can support," House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Thursday. These types of petitions are rare and seen as a threat to leadership's ability to direct legislative action. "It's better to use the legislative process," Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Wednesday. But that argument appears to be losing sway with House members who see an opportunity for legislative action in a mid-term election year. The growing group of House Republicans are joining Democratic colleagues who have long criticized Ryan for not bringing immigration bills up for a vote. "This is about making sure we're not consolidating power in the White House," said Representative Mia Love, a Republican from Utah and one of the first lawmakers to sign petition. The immigration issue had all but died after an effort to pass a DACA fix collapsed in the U.S. Senate earlier this year. The program has been the focus of fierce negotiations on Capitol Hill since last September, when President Donald Trump announced he was ending the 2012 Obama-era program and called for a legislative fix. Question: Ryan probably believes that he should: Options: A. not enough information B. defeat the Republicans C. defeat the Democrats D. side with no one === The correct answer is
C

Hummyou don't categorize best as either fun or interesting so maybe I have one of each! Interesting one; while Clinton was still in office he was at a fund raising dinner at a restaurant I managed. I met his personal valet from the white house mess, Oscar, and he casually said, if you are ever in DC. To which I replied, I sure can be! My husband and I made the trip a month or so later, we met up with Oscar for dinner on our first night there. We had just started planning all we wanted to see as it was our first visit there. We had no idea that Oscar would invite us for not one but two private tours of the White House. We saw the oval office, the situation room, the rose garden, the mess, the press room and the OEOB. We even heard Buddy bark! It was a trip I knew I'd never be able to repeat and was very grateful to have had the chance to take. For the fun oneMy friend was turning 50 and she wanted a theme destination celebration. 18 of us went to Belize. She went all out. Two private villas that you could only access by boat, all the swag you can imagine. And plenty of booze. That alone is already a super special vacation but for me it had even more meaning. I'd never been invited to a group event like this before nor had I been to spring break, which this very much turned into. I know many people have plenty of over the top stories. And I've had some even more amazing trips than this. But those two had just enough special twists to make them really stand out. Thanks for asking. I too am a Disney fan! Question: Where did the author go for their friend's 50th birthday celebration? Options: A. Washington DC B. The White House C. Belize D. not enough information === The correct answer is
C

Q: He had apparently spaced out for a second or two. When he came to, a large, annoyed woman was leaning in toward him. "Mister? Mister, are you even listening to me?" He looked at the receding rows of fluorescent lights on the struts of the cavernous ceiling, the gleaming linoleum floors, the pallets of sale-priced plastic coolers and Special K and motor oil, and then he looked at the rack of merchandise at his back and understood that he was in a Wal-Mart, behind the returns counter. He heard his own voice saying, as if by reflex, "Do you have your receipt?" * At the first opportunity, he locked himself in a bathroom stall and dug out his wallet. His driver's license showed the right name, birthdate, and photo, but it had been issued by the State of North Carolina, and it listed an address he'd never heard of. He scrubbed his face at the sink. It was him in the mirror, a tanned and healthy 56, hair mostly gray but still all there. He felt groggy, as if he'd woken prematurely. It was only the numbness, he thought, that kept the panic at bay. If he didn't push, he found he knew the answers to some questions. He was due to clock out in an hour. When he left the parking lot he would go under the highway, turn left, and merge. * He found his way to a battered white Toyota pickup in the employee section. The key in his pocket started the engine. He forced himself not to think too hard as he drove, taking the turns that seemed to have a certain inevitability. He wound up on a dirt road near someplace called Pittsboro, in front of a small brick house surrounded by high yellow grass, pines, and live oaks. Question: Who asked him if he was okay Options: A. store manager B. co-worker C. not enough information D. annoyed woman === The correct answer is
A: D

Job offer many years ago. I had two, one for staff accountant and the other was as accounting manager for a holistic health clinic. The clinic job paid about 40% more and came with a "manager" title. I believed in myself and all that, but who offers someone just out of school with only 2 years of internship and no specialty in field manager level? That kept bugging me. Something just wasn't right. Acting on instinct, I took the other job. Good thing! A few months later, I read that the owner of the clinic (an MD) and his two partners (his wife and the CFO) had all been indicted for numerous counts of fraud. They were cheating the state, they were cheating the church they were affiliated with, they were cheating Medicare and private insurance companies. The IRS was after them it was supposed to be not-for-profit but it turns out they were living large. Not only that, but they hadn't been sending in w/h tax for non-church member paid employees. Then there was the allegation that they were abusing mentally handicapped workers who were related to church members. The church itself tried to distance themselves, but three elders were also on the clinic's Board of Directors. It was nasty and the entire management team ended up with at least some jail time. There was no way anyone who had any access to the records (medical or financial) could have claimed innocence. My job would have included filing false budget and financial statements with the Board, IRS and other agencies. I would have also probably known that they were withholding but not remitting tax from employee checks. Fact is, the poor kid who took the job got 2 years, so I found out. Those in on the medical fraud got even worse and the three principals all got 2-digit sentences. Question: When did the IRS come after the health clinic? Options: A. not enough information B. Before the narrator received the two job offers. C. Within a month that the health clinic received a new accounting manager. D. After the narrator had taken the staff accountant job. === The correct answer is
D