We analyzed the the role of the president , political parties, and lobbyists in influencing Congress. Olivia noted how the president can influence public opinion through press conferences, rallies and speeches. We discussed how even the president's daily briefing on the Coronavirus impacts public opinion and the actions of lawmakers. Olivia then interpreted a graph illustrating how often members of the House vote along party lines. We examined why lawmakers perhaps vote along "the party line' more now than in the 1950s and 1960s. Last, I began an examination of lobbyists and PACs and how they influence legislation. We discussed the role of lobbyists and the function of PACs in the election process. Last, I shared some statistics relating to the amount of money lobbyists contribute to Congress. For homework, I assigned reading a summary of the Citizens Untied Supreme Court decision.