| A | B |
| deregulation | the act of cutting the restrictions and regulations that government places on business |
| supply-side economics | an economic theory that proposes tax cuts as a means of stimulating the economy to produce more goods and services |
| federal debt | the amount of money owed by the government |
| coalition | a group united for action |
| bankruptcy | the condition of being unable to pay one's debts; one's property is managed or sold to pay those to whom one owes money |
| downsize | the practice of companies laying off workers to become more efficient and to increase earnings |
| grassroots movement | people at the local level organizing for political action |
| deficit spending | the government spending more money than it takes in |
| budget deficit | the amount by which government spending exceeds revenue |
| gross domestic product | the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation during a one-year period |
| perjury | lying when one has sworn an oath to tell the truth |
| terrorism | the use of violence by groups against civilians to achieve a political goal |
| fundamentalist | a person who believes in the literal meaning of religious texts and follows strict obedience to religious laws |
| counterterrorism | military or political activities intended to combat terrorism |
| insurgent | a person who revolts against civil authority; rebel |
| levee | high walls or an embankment to prevent flooding in low-lying areas |
| interdependent | rely on one another |
| globalism | the idea that the world's economies and societies are all part of one big system |
| trade deficit | the situation when the value of a country's foreign imports exceeds the value of its exports |
| free trade | the absence of trade barriers so that goods flow freely among countries |
| urban sprawl | the spread of human settlements into natural areas |
| acid rain | rain containing high amounts of chemical pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels |
| global warming | a steady increase in average world temperatures |
| deport | to send out of a country aliens who are considered dangerous |
| amnesty | the granting of a pardon to a large number of persons; protection from prosecution for an illegal act |
| Sandra Day O'Connor | the first woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court |
| George H.W. Bush | Vice President of Ronald Reagan |
| Geraldine Ferraro | the first woman to run for vice president on a major political party ticket |
| Mikhail Gorbachev | Soviet leader who was committed to reforming the Soviet government |
| Tiananmen Square | where students and worker in China held protests calling for democracy |
| Saddam Hussein | Iraq's dictator who sent his army into Kuwait |
| Colin Powell | chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Norman Schwarzkopf | commanded the U.S. forces in Kuwait |
| Operation Desert Storm | name for the military operation launched by coalition forces in January, 1991 |
| Bill Clinton | Arkansas governor nominated by the Democrats in 1992 |
| Al Gore | Tennessee senator chosen as Clinton's running mate |
| George W. Bush | the son of former President George H.W. Bush |
| Richard Cheney | served as chief of staff to President Gerald Ford and defense secretary to former President Bush in 1989 |
| Condoleeza Rice | the first woman in history to hold the job of national security advisor |
| Osama bin Laden | a Saudi Arabian man who planned the September 11 attacks |
| USA Patriot Act | new measures to combat terrorism |
| Hurricane Katrina | a major natural disaster which raged from Florida to Louisiana in 2005 |
| Nancy Pelosi | the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| Barack Obama | first African American President of the United States |
| Mitt Romney | Republican nominee for president in 2012 |
| quote | to repeat the words of another |
| theme | a subject or topic of a work |
| retain | hold onto |
| site | location |
| adequate | enough |
| scope | range or area |
| prior | earlier or before |
| definite | precise or well-defined |
| decade | a period of ten years |
| aware | mindful; to have knowledge of |
| Donald Trump | 2016 Republican presidential candidate |
| Hillary Clinton | 2016 Democratic presidential candidate |