romikgosai/squad_modified huggingface dataset:
With the continuing controversy that had surrounded the military service of George W. Bush since the 2000 Presidential election (when he was accused of having used his father's political influence to gain entrance to the Texas Air National Guard, thereby protecting himself from conscription into the United States Army, and possible service in the Vietnam War), John Kerry's contrasting status as a decorated Vietnam War veteran posed a problem for Bush's re-election campaign, which Republicans sought to counter by calling Kerry's war record into question. As the presidential campaign of 2004 developed, approximately 250 members of a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT, later renamed Swift Vets and POWs for Truth) opposed Kerry's campaign. The group held press conferences, ran ads and endorsed a book questioning Kerry's service record and his military awards. The group included several members of Kerry's unit, such as Larry Thurlow, who commanded a swift boat alongside of Kerry's, and Stephen Gardner, who served on Kerry's boat. The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative 'swiftboating', to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. Most of Kerry's former crewmates have stated that SBVT's allegations are false.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who kept George W. Bush out of Vietnam?
A: his father', '
Q: What military branch was George W. Bush in?
A: the Texas Air National Guard', "
Q: How did Republicans attack Kerry?
A: by calling Kerry's war record into question", '
Q: What did SBVT change its name to?
A: Swift Vets and POWs for Truth', '
Q: What term was inspired by the attacks on Kerry?
A: swiftboating']
After returning to the United States, Kerry joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Then numbering about 20,000, VVAW was considered by some (including the administration of President Richard Nixon) to be an effective, if controversial, component of the antiwar movement. Kerry participated in the "Winter Soldier Investigation" conducted by VVAW of U.S. atrocities in Vietnam, and he appears in a film by that name that documents the investigation. According to Nixon Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, "I didn't approve of what he did, but I understood the protesters quite well", and he declined two requests from the Navy to court martial Reserve Lieutenant Kerry over his antiwar activity.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: How many members did VVAW have when Kerry joined it?
A: about 20,000', '
Q: What VVAW investigation was Kerry involved in?
A: the "Winter Soldier Investigation"', '
Q: Who was Melvin Laird?
A: Nixon Secretary of Defense', '
Q: What did Laird refuse to court-martial Kerry for?
A: his antiwar activity']
On April 22, 1971, Kerry appeared before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to ending the war. The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with thousands of other veterans in which he and other Vietnam War veterans threw their medals and service ribbons over a fence erected at the front steps of the United States Capitol building to dramatize their opposition to the war. Jack Smith, a Marine, read a statement explaining why the veterans were returning their military awards to the government. For more than two hours, almost 1000 angry veterans tossed their medals, ribbons, hats, jackets, and military papers over the fence. Each veteran gave his or her name, hometown, branch of service and a statement. Kerry threw some of his own decorations and awards as well as some given to him by other veterans to throw. As Kerry threw his decorations over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all."

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What did Kerry do on Apr 22, 1971?
A: appeared before a U.S. Senate committee hearing', '
Q: What was the topic of the hearing Kerry testified on?
A: ending the war', '
Q: What did Kerry throw over a fence?
A: some of his own decorations and awards as well as some given to him by other veterans to throw', '
Q: Why did Kerry participate in the protest?
A: for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all', '
Q: How many vets participated in the protest?
A: almost 1000']
Kerry was arrested on May 30, 1971, during a VVAW march to honor American POWs held captive by North Vietnam. The march was planned as a multi-day event from Concord to Boston, and while in Lexington, participants tried to camp on the village green. At 2:30 a.m., local and state police arrested 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing. All were given the Miranda Warning and were hauled away on school buses to spend the night at the Lexington Public Works Garage. Kerry and the other protesters later paid a $5 fine, and were released. The mass arrests caused a community backlash and ended up giving positive coverage to the VVAW.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When was Kerry arrested for protesting?
A: May 30, 1971', '
Q: Who was being honored on May 30, 1971?
A: American POWs held captive by North Vietnam', '
Q: How many people were arrested with Kerry?
A: 441', '
Q: At what time was Kerry arrested?
A: 2:30 a.m.', '
Q: Why were the protesters arrested?
A: tried to camp on the village green']
In 1970, Kerry had considered running for Congress in the Democratic primary against hawkish Democrat Philip J. Philbin of Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district, but deferred in favour of Robert Drinan, a Jesuit priest and anti-war activist, who went on to defeat Philbin. In February 1972, Kerry's wife bought a house in Worcester, with Kerry intending to run against the 4th district's ageing thirteen-term incumbent Democrat, Harold Donohue. The couple never moved in. After Republican Congressman F. Bradford Morse of the neighbouring 5th district announced his retirement and then resignation to become Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at the United Nations. The couple instead rented an apartment in Lowell, so that Kerry could run to succeed him.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who had Kerry considered running against in 1970?
A: Democrat Philip J. Philbin', "
Q: In which district had Kerry considered running in 1970?
A: Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district", '
Q: Who ran against Philbin instead of Kerry?
A: Robert Drinan', '
Q: Why did Morse retire?
A: to become Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at the United Nations', '
Q: What political party was Morse in?
A: Republican']
Including Kerry, the Democratic primary race had 10 candidates, including attorney Paul J. Sheehy, State Representative Anthony R. DiFruscia, John J. Desmond and Robert B. Kennedy. Kerry ran a "very expensive, sophisticated campaign", financed by out-of-state backers and supported by many young volunteers. DiFruscia's campaign headquarters shared the same building as Kerry's. On the eve of the September 19 primary, police found Kerry's younger brother Cameron and campaign field director Thomas J. Vallely, breaking into where the building's telephone lines were located. They were arrested and charged with "breaking and entering with the intent to commit grand larceny", but the charges were dropped a year later. At the time of the incident, DiFruscia alleged that the two were trying to disrupt his get-out-the vote efforts. Vallely and Cameron Kerry maintained that they were only checking their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What was Paul Sheehy's job?
A: attorney", "
Q: What was DiFruscia's position?
A: State Representative", '
Q: Who did Kerry share a campaign headquarters with?
A: Anthony R. DiFruscia', "
Q: Why was Kerry's brother messing with phone lines?
A: they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut", "
Q: What is Kerry's younger brother's name?
A: Cameron"]
In the general election, Kerry was initially favored to defeat the Republican candidate, former State Representative Paul W. Cronin, and conservative Democrat Roger P. Durkin, who ran as an Independent. A week after the primary, one poll put Kerry 26-points ahead of Cronin. His campaign called for a national health insurance system, discounted prescription drugs for the unemployed, a jobs programme to clean up the Merrimack River and rent controls in Lowell and Lawrence. A major obstacle, however, was the district's leading newspaper, the conservative The Sun. The paper editorialized against him. It also ran critical news stories about his out-of-state contributions and his "carpetbagging", because he had only moved into the district in April. Subsequently released "Watergate" Oval Office tape recordings of the Nixon White House showed that defeating Kerry's candidacy had attracted the personal attention of President Nixon. Kerry himself asserts that Nixon sent operatives to Lowell to help derail his campaign.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What party did Durkin run as?
A: Independent', '
Q: How far ahead of Cronin did Kerry poll?
A: 26-points', '
Q: What slant did The Sun have?
A: conservative', '
Q: Who did Kerry say tried to stop his campaign?
A: President Nixon', '
Q: How did Kerry want to create jobs?
A: a jobs programme to clean up the Merrimack River']
The race was the most expensive for Congress in the country that year and four days before the general election, Durkin withdrew and endorsed Cronin, hoping to see Kerry defeated. The week before, a poll had put Kerry 10 points ahead of Cronin, with Dukin on 13%. In the final days of the campaign, Kerry sensed that it was "slipping away" and Cronin emerged victorious by 110,970 votes (53.45%) to Kerry's 92,847 (44.72%). After his defeat, Kerry lamented in a letter to supporters that "for two solid weeks, [The Sun] called me un-American, New Left antiwar agitator, unpatriotic, and labeled me every other 'un-' and 'anti-' that they could find. It's hard to believe that one newspaper could be so powerful, but they were." He later felt that his failure to respond directly to The Sun's attacks cost him the race.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: How many votes did Cronin get against Kerry?
A: 110,970', '
Q: What percent of votes did Cronin get against Kerry?
A: 53.45%', '
Q: How many votes did Kerry get against Cronin?
A: 92,847', '
Q: What percent of votes did Kerry get against Cronin?
A: 44.72%', "
Q: What did Kerry think cost him the race against Cronin?
A: his failure to respond directly to The Sun's attacks"]
After Kerry's 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in Belvidere, Lowell, entering a decade which his brother Cameron later called "the years in exile". He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian organization. In September 1973, he entered Boston College Law School. While studying, Kerry worked as a talk radio host on WBZ and, in July 1974, was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Where did Kerry move after the 1972 election?
A: Belvidere, Lowell', '
Q: What did Kerry\'s brother call the decade after 1972?
A: "the years in exile"', '
Q: What did Kerry fundraise for?
A: the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere', '
Q: When did Kerry enter law school?
A: September 1973', '
Q: Where was Kerry a talk radio host?
A: WBZ']
In January 1977, Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney, essentially making Kerry his campaign and media surrogate because Droney was afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease). As First Assistant, Kerry tried cases, which included winning convictions in a high-profile rape case and a murder. He also played a role in administering the office, including initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities. It was in this role in 1978 that Kerry announced an investigation into possible criminal charges against then Senator Edward Brooke, regarding "misstatements" in his first divorce trial. The inquiry ended with no charges being brought after investigators and prosecutors determined that Brooke's misstatements were pertinent to the case, but were not material enough to have affected the outcome.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When did Kerry become an ADA?
A: January 1977', '
Q: What condition did Droney have?
A: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis', "
Q: What is ALS's nickname?
A: Lou Gehrig's Disease", '
Q: What senator did Kerry investigate in 1978?
A: Edward Brooke', '
Q: Why was Brooke being investigated?
A: "misstatements" in his first divorce trial']
Droney's health was poor and Kerry had decided to run for his position in the 1978 election should Droney drop out. However, Droney was re-elected and his health improved; he went on to re-assume many of the duties that he had delegated to Kerry. Kerry thus decided to leave, departing in 1979 with assistant DA Roanne Sragow to set up their own law firm. Kerry also worked as a commentator for WCVB-TV and co-founded a bakery, Kilvert & Forbes Ltd., with businessman and former Kennedy aide K. Dun Gifford.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: When did Kerry consider running for president if Droney didn't?
A: 1978", "
Q: When did Kerry leave the DA's office?
A: 1979", "
Q: Who left the DA's office with Kerry?
A: Roanne Sragow", '
Q: What bakery did Kerry co-found?
A: Kilvert & Forbes Ltd.', '
Q: Who did Kerry start a bakery with?
A: K. Dun Gifford']
The junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas, announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons. Kerry ran, and as in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive the endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention. Congressman James Shannon, a favorite of House Speaker Tip O'Neill, was the early favorite to win the nomination, and he "won broad establishment support and led in early polling." Again as in 1982, however, Kerry prevailed in a close primary.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What was Paul Tsongas's job in 1984?
A: junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts", '
Q: When did Kerry run for Senate?
A: 1984', '
Q: When did Kerry run for Lt Governor?
A: 1982', "
Q: What was James Shannon's job?
A: Congressman", "
Q: What was Tip O'Neill's job?
A: House Speaker"]
On April 18, 1985, a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa traveled to Nicaragua and met the country's president, Daniel Ortega. Though Ortega had won internationally certified elections, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his leftist Sandinista government had strong ties to Cuba and the USSR and were accused of human rights abuses. The Sandinista government was opposed by the right-wing CIA-backed rebels known as the Contras. While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the U.S. dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the Reagan administration as a "propaganda initiative" designed to influence a House vote on a $14 million Contra aid package, but Kerry said "I am willing..... to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas." The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to Moscow to accept a $200 million loan the next day, which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $27 million aid package six weeks later.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: When did Kerry visit Nicaragua?
A: April 18, 1985', '
Q: Who did Kerry visit Nicaragua with?
A: Senator Tom Harkin', '
Q: Where was Tom Harkin from?
A: Iowa', '
Q: Who did Kerry visit in Nicaragua?
A: Daniel Ortega', "
Q: What was criticized about Ortega's administration?
A: strong ties to Cuba and the USSR and were accused of human rights abuses"]
Meanwhile, Kerry's staff began their own investigations and, on October 14, issued a report that exposed illegal activities on the part of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who had set up a private network involving the National Security Council and the CIA to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President's administration were accused by Kerry's report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress. Kerry's staff investigation, based on a year-long inquiry and interviews with fifty unnamed sources, is said to raise "serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years."

Questions and answers:
["
Q: Who did Kerry's staff expose in an Oct 14 report?
A: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North", '
Q: Who had Oliver North been supporting?
A: right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras)', '
Q: What crime had Kerry said North committed?
A: illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress', '
Q: Who were the Contras?
A: right-wing Nicaraguan rebels', '
Q: What government agencies worked with North?
A: the National Security Council and the CIA']
The Kerry Committee report found that "the Contra drug links included..... payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies." The U.S. State Department paid over $806,000 to known drug traffickers to carry humanitarian assistance to the Contras. Kerry's findings provoked little reaction in the media and official Washington.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who was the State Department giving money to?
A: drug traffickers', '
Q: How much money did the State Department give the traffickers?
A: over $806,000', '
Q: Where had the money given to drug traffickers come from?
A: funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras', "
Q: What was the response to Kerry's accusation of funding traffickers?
A: little reaction in the media and official Washington"]
During their investigation of Noriega, Kerry's staff found reason to believe that the Pakistan-based Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) had facilitated Noriega's drug trafficking and money laundering. This led to a separate inquiry into BCCI, and as a result, banking regulators shut down BCCI in 1991. In December 1992, Kerry and Senator Hank Brown, a Republican from Colorado, released The BCCI Affair, a report on the BCCI scandal. The report showed that the bank was crooked and was working with terrorists, including Abu Nidal. It blasted the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, the Customs Service, the Federal Reserve Bank, as well as influential lobbyists and the CIA.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Where is the BCCI based?
A: Pakistan', '
Q: What bank helped Noriega?
A: Bank of Credit and Commerce International', '
Q: When was BCCI shut down?
A: 1991', '
Q: Who collaborated in the report about BCCI?
A: Kerry and Senator Hank Brown', '
Q: What was the BCCI report called?
A: The BCCI Affair']
In 1996, Kerry faced a difficult re-election fight against Governor William Weld, a popular Republican incumbent who had been re-elected in 1994 with 71% of the vote. The race was covered nationwide as one of the most closely watched Senate races that year. Kerry and Weld held several debates and negotiated a campaign spending cap of $6.9 million at Kerry's Beacon Hill townhouse. Both candidates spent more than the cap, with each camp accusing the other of being first to break the agreement. During the campaign, Kerry spoke briefly at the 1996 Democratic National Convention. Kerry won re-election with 53 percent to Weld's 45 percent.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who ran against Kerry in 1996?
A: William Weld', '
Q: When Weld was re-elected governor, how much of the vote did he get?
A: 71%', '
Q: When was Weld re-elected governor?
A: 1994', '
Q: What did Kerry and Weld agree to limit their campaign spending to?
A: $6.9 million', '
Q: Who broke the agreed-upon spending cap?
A: Both candidates']
Kerry said that he had intended the remark as a jab at President Bush, and described the remarks as a "botched joke", having inadvertently left out the key word "us" (which would have been, "If you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq"), as well as leaving the phrase "just ask President Bush" off of the end of the sentence. In Kerry's prepared remarks, which he released during the ensuing media frenzy, the corresponding line was "... you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush." He also said that from the context of the speech which, prior to the "stuck in Iraq" line, made several specific references to Bush and elements of his biography, that Kerry was referring to President Bush and not American troops in general.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What was Kerry supposed to say when he \'botched a joke\'?
A: "... you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."', '
Q: Who was Kerry saying was stuck in Iraq?
A: President Bush and not American troops in general', '
Q: What mistake did Kerry make in the joke?
A: inadvertently left out the key word "us"']
Kerry "has emerged in the past few years as an important envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan during times of crisis," a Washington Post report stated in May 2011, as Kerry undertook another trip to the two countries. The killing of Osama bin Laden "has generated perhaps the most important crossroads yet," the report continued, as the senator spoke at a press conference and prepared to fly from Kabul to Pakistan. Among matters discussed during the May visit to Pakistan, under the general rubric of "recalibrating" the bilateral relationship, Kerry sought and retrieved from the Pakistanis the tail-section of the U.S. helicopter which had had to be abandoned at Abbottabad during the bin Laden strike. In 2013, Kerry met with Pakistan's army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the peace process with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who did the Washington Post say Kerry was an envoy for?
A: Afghanistan and Pakistan', '
Q: When did the Washington Post say Kerry was important envoy?
A: May 2011', "
Q: How, in May 2011, did the WaPo describe Bin Laden's killing?
A: perhaps the most important crossroads yet", '
Q: What did Kerry get from the Pakistanis?
A: the tail-section of the U.S. helicopter which had had to be abandoned at Abbottabad during the bin Laden strike', "
Q: Who was Pakistan's army chief in 2013?
A: Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani"]