Congratulations to the 44th President, Barack Obama! Last week, Obama won his second presidential election, defeating Mitt Romney (and those various other candidates who were on the ballot and had never heard of). The Democratic incumbent succeeded yet again while the Senate remained in Democratic control and the House under the Republicans. It’s hard to tell what the election will mean for the United States, but we can all just hope that the people in charge can push aside their differences and accomplish goals for the good of our nation.
           Obama’s tweet and picture attachment, “Four more years,” following his victory is now marked as number one in the world of retweets breaking Justin Bieber’s previous record. The status has now been retweeted around 650,000 times, with 226,249 retweets in the first twenty minutes alone.
           In addition to the newly elected leaders and legislators, many states had other initiatives on the ballot that would potentially make headway for American society. Washington, Maine and Maryland voted to extend the right of marriage to same-sex couples within their state and are now among the 9 states that legalized these marriage rights. Both Washington and Colorado also legalized the recreational use of marijuana. These new laws are yet to be seen in the borders of these two states, but with less than a week since the election, it’s only time before changes begin to happen.
           In other political news, CNN commentator, political pundit, and Tulane professor, James Carville will be hosting his election year Beyond the Ballot Bipartisan Convention in our very own LBC. Carville and his wife Mary Matalin, a Democrat and a Republican respectively, bring in Washington’s top leaders to discuss current politics and the ways the two parties can work together in order to accomplish for the greater good of our nation. The event is free and has different activities and lectures all day! Be sure to stop by on Thursday, November 15th from 10am-4pm and see what you can learn and how even us college students can make a difference.
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           In terms of celebrity news, not too much has been happening these past few weeks. You know it’s kind of dull when the biggest questioning we’re all left wondering is if Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are no longer an item. On Friday night, multiple celebrity news sources confirmed the split between Hollywood’s young couple. We know everyone is devastated or maybe trying to get themselves noticed as the next possible candidate for either of these talent stars.
           Meanwhile in Hollywood, the auction house Julien’s Auctions sold the dress that Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz for a mere 480,000 dollars! The blue and white checked pinafore that we see come to life in color in Oz was bid on the highest in an event this past Saturday of famous Hollywood and memorabilia from around the world. Pieces of cake from the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton sold for only $7,500… what a steal!
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