Several weeks ago, ISIS issued a threat against military members and their families, saying that their jihadist supporters would seek them out and kill them where they live. When asked about it during a recent Facebook town hall event, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, denied such a threat existed despite publicized warnings from the Army and the FBI.

The general went on to say that the U.S. military is bombing ISIS in the Middle East so that they can't attack Americans at home.

The possibility of renewed U.S.-Cuba relations makes one wonder something about history: has opening up a communist country's market led to more freedom for its citizens?

The Fiscal Times claims that new interaction with Cuba could result in over $4 billion worth of exports from the U.S. to Cuba. This is a large increase in products going into Cuba's economy.

I would like to propose a political movement titled the

American Reformation of 2016.

The Republican Party implemented a similar strategy in 1994 called the Contract With America. The success they achieved during that midterm election demonstrated the high level of frustration experienced by the U.S. electorate. Over the past 20 years, that frustration has greatly heightened, which may enable independents to step to the forefront of U.S. politics.

The 114th Congress is now in session and the environment is decidedly Republican. The GOP took control of both chambers of Congress after the midterm elections, in which only 36 percent of voters participated. With the new makeup of Congress, here are 5 senators to keep an eye on this session.

Malice never was his aim, He lash'd the vice but spar'd the name. No individual could resent, Where thousands equally were meant. His satyr points at no defect, But what all mortals may correct; For he abhorr'd that senseless tribe, Who call it humor when they jibe.

--Jonathan Swift, “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift”