question: Sen. Ted Cruz slammed the White House on Tuesday for a "failure of leadership" as President Barack Obama prepares to nominate his administration's fourth defense secretary.

The Texas Republican, who is considering a 2016 run in hopes of heading his own White House administration, called the unusually high turnover at the helm of the Defense Department emblematic of a White House that puts politics above U.S. national security.

"It seems what the administration is looking for is a defense secretary who will follow the orders of a political White House rather than focus on defending the national security interests of this country," Cruz said. "At a time when the threats are this grave, we shouldn't see turnover at the Defense Department than one has at a typical Burger King."

Cruz said he did not know Ashton Carter, the former No. 2 man at the Pentagon who is expected to be Obama's nominee to succeed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, but Cruz said he looks forward to learning more about Carter and his "good reputation."

But Cruz emphasized he was unsettled to see several potential picks pull their names out of the running to head the department, including former Pentagon official Michele Flournoy and Sen. Jack Reed.

"It says something that so many people are saying, 'No, thank you, I don't want to serve in an administration that overrides the Defense Department, that treats the defense secretary as subservient to political lackeys in the White House," Cruz said.

Cruz made the remarks Tuesday at an event cosponsored by Concerned Veterans of America and the conservative publication The Weekly Standard during which he bore out his hawkish foreign policy and staked out positions starkly in contrast to Obama.
1. Who thought there was a failure at the White House?
2. What position does he hold?
3. For what state?
4. What party?
5. When did Cruz make the comment?
6. Did he think the defense department was doing a good job?
7. What kind of establishment did he compare them to?
8. What event did he say these things at?
9. Who had decided not to run as the head of the department?
10. What did she do?
11. Does she still work there?
12. Who else had pulled out?
13. Who is he?
****
answer: 1. Ted Cruz
2. Senator
3. Texas
4. Republican
5. On Tuesday
6. No
7. Burger KIng
8. An event cosponsored by Concerned Veterans of America and The Weekly Standard
9. Michele Fluornoy
10. She was a Pentagon official
11. No
12. Jack Reed
13. A senator

question: (CNN) -- A Pakistani Taliban commander who had escaped in mass prison break two years ago was arrested again last week, Pakistani intelligence sources told CNN on Tuesday.

Adnan Rashid, a prominent Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander, was captured Friday, the sources said. He was injured, but authorities were questioning him, one source said. Sources told CNN he was taken into custody in South Waziristan province and had since been moved.

But the Pakistani Taliban told CNN the report was baseless and that Rashid is in a safe area.

Authorities have said Rashid is responsible for several large prison breaks in Pakistan. In 2004, he was sentenced to death for planning an attack on former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

He was incarcerated at Bannu prison in northwest Pakistan and was freed, as were 400 other inmates, when militants stormed the facility in 2012.

Rashid also wrote a controversial letter to Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head on her way home from school in 2012. He told her she was targeted not because she advocated education for girls, but rather for her criticism of the militant group.

In the letter, Rashid said he was writing -- not as a Taliban leader -- to say he was shocked by the shooting, and to express his regret that he did not warn Malala of the attack.

The letter went on to say that the Taliban supports the education of women, as long as it adheres to Islamic law.

The letter drew criticism from people who said the Taliban are known to target female students.
1. Who was arrested?
2. Where was he from?
3. Why was he arrested?
4. When?
5. What is his name?
6. When was he arrested?
7. Was he injured?
8. Where did this happen?
9. How did he escape?
10. What else was he known for?
11. To who?
12. Who is she?
13. Why did they shoot her?
14. What else did the letter include?
15. Were there caveats?
16. Like what?
17. What did others think about this?
18. Why?
****
answer: 1. Taliban commander
2. Pakistan
3. He escaped from prison
4. Two years ago
5. Adnan Rashid
6. Friday
7. Yes
8. South Waziristan Province
9. Militants stormed the facility
10. A letter
11. Malala Yousafzai
12. A Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head.
13. her criticism of the militant group
14. The Taliban supports the education of women.
15. Yes
16. As long as it adheres to Islamic law.
17. The letter drew criticism.
18. Taliban targets female students/

question: I'm Bolivia Williams, a students at Bard College. I was the only person in my family who was Facebook friends with my mom, Rynn, when she died four years ago. At that time, my brother and sister were still young. As soon as we got the news that she died, I thought it would be an easy way to let everyone know what happened. Right after I posted the news, so many people offered their help and shared stories about her. I like to visit my mom's page to tell her things that I'm doing and I like to look at her pictures there. I sing with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus ,and we did a concert for the tenth anniversary of 9/11,which was also my mom's birthday. It was an unforgettable day. I posted, "You will be proud of me--I will sing at the site of the World Trade Center tomorrow. I know you will be looking down, smiling. "When I'm writing to her, it feels like I'm still here. In the beginning, I wasn't sure how to face my mom's death. But I've grown up now. I haven't been on my mom's page for a month, but I would miss _ if it were gone. Her page allows me to think that she's still here. I used to go to my mom's page to look at her pictures, which would make me feel really sad, Now, when I visit it, I smile more often than cry. ,.
1. What does she like to visit?
2. Does it make her sad?
3. How does she react now?
4. What happened to her mother?
5. How did she let others know?
6. What was the response?
7. Is she an only child?
8. How many siblings does she has?
9. Are they older than her?
10. Where does she go to school?
11. How long has it been since her mother died?
12. What is her mom's birthday?
13. What did she do on that day to remember her mom?
****
answer:
1. Her mom's facebook page
2. Not anymore
3. She smiles more often than cry.
4. She died
5. Through Facebook.
6. People offered their help and shared stories
7. No
8. Two
9. No
10. Bard College
11. Four years
12. 9/11
13. Wrote to her on facebook