San Francisco may be a bellwether for November’s midterms, and the future of the Democratic Party. Last November, when U.S. Representative and former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced her long-anticipated retirement, she vacated a seat held for nearly four decades, and gave San Franciscan voters a once-in-a-generation choice. As the growing shadow of […]
Tag: politics
Russia’s Human Assembly Line
Russia has never been busier — or more exhausted. After three years of war, the Kremlin boasts record-low unemployment and record-high labor shortages. Factories can’t find welders, farms can’t find drivers, and the defense industry is devouring what’s left of the civilian workforce. The result is an economy that runs without advancing — its motion […]
Living in Fear: The Human Cost of Trump’s Deportation Agenda
“My biggest fear is seeing her one morning and not knowing if she’ll come back.” This fear and daily uncertainty is a sentiment shared by the 5.8 million households in the United States that are home to at least one undocumented immigrant, amidst the second term of President Donald Trump. As of 2023, California had […]
Carceral Muscle Memory: How LA Has Failed Its Pursuits of Criminal Justice
The LA County Sheriff’s Department has over a decade of reported “gangs” that physically abuse inmates. In 2011, ACLU Southern California released a report that found deputy gangs “thrive” inside LA County jails. In 2023, the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission released a report making the same allegations, saying: “The Department currently contains several active groups […]
Your Party, Their Problems
Only two months after its founding, MP Zarah Sultana was already calling the UK’s newest political party a “sexist boys’ club.” Her antagonism was surprising given that, along with the well-known socialist Jeremy Corbyn, she was one of its founders. Their endeavor, currently known as “Your Party,” was founded earlier this year as a left-wing […]
The Beast The Right Built
At long last, MrBeast may have gone too far. His Sept. 27 video “Would You Risk Dying For $500,000?” poses the question to professional stuntman Eric, who is put through a variety of fire-related “death traps.” Eric begins the video in a burning building, tied to a chair, and must fight his way out, scooping […]
The Enlightenment Gone Dark
Liberalism is the tie that binds the nation. It is imperfect – it has frayed and nearly come undone numerous times throughout history. Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, centuries of spilled blood and enormous intellectual heft have to fulfill its essential pronouncement: that all men are created equal. It has taken generations […]
What Newsom Doesn’t Get, Mamdani Does
Zohran Mamdani’s recent primary win in New York wasn’t just a triumph of social media savvy and grassroots organizing. It marked something rarer: a progressive campaign built on substantive policy, not on reactive posturing against Republicans. In doing so, Mamdani has charted a path the Left has long struggled to find. Available for purchase at […]
The Same Old Corruption Story in Argentina
Corruption in South America is hardly breaking news, but the Milei scandal cuts differently because it was never supposed to happen here. Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, rose to power as a chainsaw-wielding outsider who promised to destroy the “political caste” and end decades of backroom deals. Now, leaked recordings point straight at his […]
The Palisades Fires: How Profit and Greed Ignite California’s “Natural” Disasters
California is home to occasional earthquakes, various landslides, longstanding droughts, and most of all, sweeping and devastating wildfires. This past January, the Palisades and Altadena fires, alongside many other smaller flare ups, brought complete destruction and turmoil to L.A. county. Up to 150,000 residents have been displaced, and those who aren’t fortunate enough to have […]
The Aesthetic of Authoritarianism: AI and the Trump Government
Donald Trump’s government hasn’t been shy about embracing generative AI. No later than his second day in office, the President announced the $500 billion Stargate project: a joint private venture aimed at constructing 20 AI datacenters in the US. Standing beside Trump when he made the announcement were the leaders of OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank […]
The Global Playbook: How Athletes Are Used to Sway Political Voters
Athletes set the tone in stadiums, not parliaments. However, in the era of political dependence on the intersection of technology and media, athletes have become unlikely but potent allies in politics. Once national icons, sports figures across the globe are now being redrafted into entirely new uniforms: those of political activists, cultural symbols, and even […]
Times of Change: What Should Starmer Do Next?
Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, came to power on the back of a single-word election slogan: ‘Change’. At its core, his Labour government committed itself to transforming Britain from an economically stagnant country with poor public services to a clean energy ‘superpower’ abundant with economic growth. And yet, he has […]
California Ballot Propositions: The Flaws of Direct Democracy
In 1911, California’s government was almost completely controlled by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Through bribery, this railroad company maintained a firm grip on the legislature. And then (at last!), the Progressive Movement swept the nation. The state amended its constitution to allow voters to decide directly on legislation and constitutional amendments. Political power had been […]
Nauru’s Citizenship for Sale: Golden Visas and the Price of Survival
Imagine lazing on a beach on an island in the South Pacific — the temperature is always 80 degrees, the water always perfect, a mimosa in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other. Life has never been better on the paradise of the Nauruan shores. This isn’t real. What won’t be noticeable […]
Flight to the Right: How Democrats Lost San Francisco Asian Americans
In a historically progressive city, San Francisco’s Asian American community showed up and showed out in support of right-wing candidates and policies down the ballot in the 2024 election. While Trump’s share of Black and Latino voters hardly shifted, Trump captured Asian Americans in tension with the Democratic Party. After President Donald Trump’s onslaught of […]
DOGE Doom and Gloom: The Gutting of the CFPB
The past weeks have generated national outrage in response to the mass federal employment cuts pursued by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). From Raleigh, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C., protestors are standing up to DOGE and DOGE-overseer Elon Musk after mass dismissals of federal workers. The Billionaire CEO has sought to reap the […]
Only Smokey the Bear Can Save National Parks–Except He’s Been Fired
It began with an email–or rather, a lack of one. Brian Gibbs was one of nearly a thousand workers whose livelihoods were compromised in the name of efficiency this February. About eight months into his role as an environmental educator at the Iowa Effigy Mounds National Monument, Gibbs was locked out of his government email […]
The Rhetoric of Too Much Testosterone—Transgender Youth in CA Politics
California has long been a leader in the United States when it comes to transgender legislation. Since 2004, the California Gender Non-Discrimination Act has protected transgender people from discrimination within public life, including employment, housing, and education. Until recently, California has served as a haven for transgender people. Republican Assemblymember Kate Sanchez has emerged as […]
Democracy Deferred: The Missing Democratic Primary
At the heart of the American experiment is the principle that our government’s authority and legitimacy are derived from the people that it governs. Primary elections are not formalities; they are tests by which candidates have to prove their fitness to lead, earn the voters’ trust, and establish their platforms before facing the general electorate. […]
Crime and No Punishment: The Death of the Political Scandal
The day after Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges, his campaign raked in a staggering $52.8 million in donations. Let that sink in. A former president became a convicted felon, and within 24 hours, millions of Americans opened their wallets to help put him back in the White House. Fifty years ago, this […]
Dismantling DEI: Trump’s New Constructed Crisis
A mid-air collision over the Potomac. Raging wildfires in Los Angeles. The catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. At first glance, these events seem completely disconnected from each other. However, they do share one underlying theme: they were all swiftly blamed on DEI. In a world where accountability often takes a back seat […]
Washington Exits: WHO Cares?
In recent years, the U.S. and the World Health Organization (WHO) have had a relationship that makes Hollywood breakups look tame. In 2020, President Donald Trump walked out, slamming the door on what he called a dysfunctional, China-biased bureaucracy. A year later, Biden rushed to patch things up, eager to restore American influence in global […]
Playing Defense: Why Transgender Athletes Have a Place in Women’s Sports
For once, Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump agree on something: transgender athletes. In the inaugural episode of his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” the California Governor called the debate over transgender athletes “an issue of fairness.” That should sound familiar: President Trump’s February 5th executive order refers to banning trans athletes from competing in women’s […]
A Tale of Two Slogans: Brexit Britain After Trump
During the 2017 United Kingdom general election, Prime Minister Theresa May ran on the slogan that she would provide ‘strong and stable leadership’. What followed was a weak electoral performance and two years of chaos as her government failed to pass a Brexit deal. Looking back at her premiership, one could hardly pick a more […]
Controlling Control: Addressing Husbands’ Tactics of Controlling Their Wives’ Vote
Just over a hundred years ago, women finally secured the right to vote–extending political autonomy not just to men, but everyone. Universal suffrage in the United States marked an important milestone in American history by establishing legal merit toward gender equality. While women have since gained more independence and opportunity (e.g. obtaining degrees in higher […]
We Laughed Into the Void—And it Laughed Back: Understanding Gen Z Humor
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” JFK’s inaugural address is an iconic rallying cry for civic duty and national pride. Today, young people are still asking what they can do—but the answers they’re finding are increasingly unsettling. The reason? They’re turning to the internet […]
Echoes of the Earth: A Battle for Sacred Lands
The coast of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, near the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve, is a picture of calm. Clouds rest on the horizon, and gentle waves turn the sand into a reflection of the blue sky. But this serenity faces a threat—one driven by the demands of a warming climate and an economy rooted in fossil […]
An Obscure, Harmful Foster Care Policy — And Professor Jill Berrick’s Fight to End It
Every year in the United States, roughly 250,000 children enter foster care. For these children, family separation is acutely traumatic and results in worse outcomes. They’re at higher risk of developing toxic stress, which increases the risk of disease and cognitive impairment well into adulthood. Compared with similarly situated children who are allowed to remain […]
A Deeper Shade of Blue: the Tories’ Leadership Woes
On the 5th of July 2024, members of the British Conservative Party, or Tory Party, woke up to their biggest-ever general election defeat. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the parliamentary party was reduced to a rump of 121 seats, merely a third of the 365 seats they earned in the 2019 election. […]
The Limits of Israel’s Wars
The Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz famously said “War is merely the continuation of policy with other means.” A state sets a definable list of objectives, and when diplomatic or conventional political means do not suffice, it turns to military means to achieve its goal. War may be accompanied by violence, destruction, and chaos. However, […]
From Abandoned to Essential: China’s Ban on International Adoptions Signals a New Era for Daughters
For decades, Chinese daughters were abandoned in favor of sons, leading to waves of international adoptions like Kate’s. This new restriction on international adoption seems to signal a change in how Chinese society views its daughters today.
Clashes in Leadership
As the election looms ever closer, Congressional Republicans found themselves between a rock and a hard place: a government shutdown, and the demands of their presidential nominee, Donald Trump. However, this conflict arose not just from Democrat-Republican relations, but internal party politics. Through the whole month of September, Republicans and Democrats debated amongst themselves on […]
TW: SVSH – People Are Dying: The Effect of Abortion Bans in Red States
“With sorrow … we dissent.” Those biting words were written two years ago by liberal Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan in response to the 2022 overturning of the 32-year-old precedent of Roe Vs. Wade, a landmark decision that constitutionalized the right to abortions. A woman’s right to choice and privacy […]
How to Ruin a Deal: Europe’s Farmer Protests, One Summer Later
Image Source: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images
The Danger in Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” In the weeks following the 2024 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the former president’s false claim—and now […]
Portugal Elections Mark Europe’s Surge Toward Radical Right
In April, Portugal was supposed to celebrate its 50-year anniversary of democracy, leadership, and stability since the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the right-wing dictatorship that had led the country for decades. However, in March, just one month before this great milestone in the country’s history, it is facing political turmoil and democratic decay. Populist right-wing […]
Dishonorable Killings: The Role of Police Brutality in Pakistan
Honor killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and political violence are just some of the words used to describe the police in Pakistan. These murders were not executed by some enraged mob but by the police—those responsible with enforcing the law and protecting the citizens of their country. The case is part of a broader pattern […]
JD Vance: Donald Trump’s Achilles Heel
On the debate stage, JD Vance pulled off a miracle: He made Trumpism sound polished, polite, and coherent. He delivered his lines with a glossy veneer that concealed their inanity. You could catch yourself believing him for a split second—that is, until you take a peek into his past. Vance is a master con artist […]
Congress, The Lifelong Career
Sitting high on Capitol Hill, the distant and seemingly elitist Congress has struggled to maintain Americans’ trust, with reports showing a measly 26% of the public trusts our legislative branch. Americans feel separated from Congress, and it’s a trend that has persisted over the last 20 years as politics become increasingly polarized among parties. Members […]
Scott Baugh would Serve Himself—not CA-47
In January, Republican congressional candidate Scott Baugh sat down with The Orange County Register’s Kaitlyn Schallhorn in preparation for this year’s primary election. She asked him a set of relatively standard questions—and Baugh gave a set of relatively standard replies: Baugh’s “common sense border policy” is that “we should have a tall fence and a […]
The Future of Alabama’s Reproductive Healthcare
Sitting in her daughter’s room, Alabama resident 35-year-old Kimberly expressed fears that time was running out for her to complete her family. In an ABC News interview, she lined up all of her medications and explained it was her fourth and final IVF treatment. Yet she was told to wait – a reality that many […]
2024 Elections: Redefining Global Politics
“I voted … I’m so happy … I’ve voted for the ANC, is that OK?” One woman, who had just cast her first vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections, asked Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, now the Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs, this question. This fundamental premise for the people to freely […]
On The Emerging Hunger Crisis in Sudan
In 2019, the number of people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan was 5.8 million. Today, that number has reached 20.3 million, nearly half of the population, and is continuing to rise. In April of 2023, conflict between rival sectors of Sudan’s military, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began […]
Star Wars and Politicized Media: A New Hope or The Dark Side?
Star Wars is a simple story. Light Side vs Dark Side. Luke Skywalker vs the evil Empire. I mean, have you seen Darth Vader’s menacing look? However, while Star Wars seems superficially simple, there are complex political undercurrents. This politicization was not a major problem in 1977, but recent Star Wars projects face boycotts and […]
Why Identity is Important: How Exploring Ethnicity Can Help Fight Racial Divides
It feels like every other day we hear about a young black person who was murdered by police. In 2023, 1,160 black people were shot to death by law enforcement. African Americans are 12% of the population, but they were 24% of those killed in police shootings, which is a stark contrast when one considers […]
Undocumented, Unstoppable, Undeniably Unafraid: The Battle for Opportunity For All
On January 23, 2024, three days before the UC Regents would break their promise to thousands of students, UC Berkeley undocumented students and allies marched across campus advocating for all University of California students’ right to work regardless of their immigration status. Representatives from every UC campus, including UCLA, flew and drove out to participate […]
Is Indonesia’s New President a “Cuddly Grandpa” or Cunning Dictator?
Thousands of young Indonesians cheer as Prabowo Subianto dances up onto the stage in Jakarta. Known by his mononym, Prabowo, the friendly figure has been a popular presidential candidate in the world’s third-largest democracy. Many of these Indonesians are too young to know that Prabowo was not always the dancing grandpa he appears to be […]
A Litmus Test Of Modi’s Political Tradecraft
In a matter of weeks, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will find himself awaiting poll results for the nation’s General Election, wondering whether he will be reelected to office for a third time. This time, however, will be very different from Modi’s previous runs—in 2014, the man was a fresh face to Indian national politics, […]
From Cricket to Corruption: How Imran Khan Won an Election from Prison
In the tumultuous landscape of Pakistani politics, Imran Khan’s journey from a cricket star to a prominent political figure has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. In the 1980s and 1990s, Khan served as an all-rounder on the Pakistan cricket team and was regarded as one of cricket’s best. However, in 2018, Khan was elected […]
Is China Dismantling Democracy in Latin America?
“After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country to the benefit of its citizens?” After visiting Beijing in 2017, former President Trump made a statement that may accurately reflect China’s contemporary foreign policy. Deemed the “Chinese miracle,” China has lifted 850 million people out of poverty since […]
The Climate Crisis is Worsening Gender Inequality in Education
One in every five children currently not enrolled in school resides in Nigeria. Despite primary education being entirely free and compulsory, over 10.5 million children are currently out of school. Gender plays a significant role in this pattern of educational deprivation. The net attendance rate for young girls in Nigeria is around 47% percent, compared […]
Fervor Over a Liberal-Leaning Chatbot: How We Should Approach Political Bias in ChatGPT
ChatGPT, the infamous large language model that’s arguably blown up into as much of a “media sensation” as it has as a “technological innovation,” boasts no short list of controversies. From ChatGPT’s ability to trick human texters into replacing student-written essays, ChatGPT can be attributed to the general public’s heightened discussion over the perceived “dangers […]
Panda-Monium: The Love Story of Pandas and Washington
In 1972, two ambassadors left China for the U.S. They did not speak a word of English or Mandarin. In fact, they could hardly walk on two feet. These were not people, but pandas, China’s national animal. Since arriving in America, they have become an enduring symbol of the goodwill and cooperation between China and […]
Starbucks Union Busting and The Labor Movement
From an outsider’s perspective, Starbucks is the same corporate coffee giant that has dominated the market since its first store in Seattle opened in 1971. When Howard Schultz joined the company ten years later, he championed the story of community, quality coffee, and a workplace built on fairness. Now, as a multi-billion dollar industry titan, […]
Ditch Charity, Pick Mutual Aid
The ultra-wealthy present themselves as the solution for inequality, pledging millions and sometimes billions of dollars to philanthropic projects. Take Jeff Bezos, who gave $100 million to food banks during the pandemic, but did not provide adequate leave for Amazon workers who were sick during initial COVID outbreaks. Most billionaires’ charitable acts are more self-serving […]
Free Speech is Under Attack
The Problem: Censorship in higher education In March 2023, Kyle Duncan, a conservative federal judge, was invited to speak at Stanford Law School. He was met by hundreds of student protestors, who gathered outside the classroom where his talk was scheduled to brandish signs and hurl insults at Duncan. One student shouted: “We hope your […]
Playing Politics in America’s Pacific Territories
During the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) declared that America’s tax dollars should no longer be sent to “China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam – whatever, wherever.” However Guam, unlike the other places mentioned in her list, is fully American. For better or for worse, Guam’s American identity is […]
A Stain on California’s Progressivism
In a country plagued by a hurricane of partisan politics, California is often seen as the United States’ leader on progressive policy and action, the calm amidst the storm. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has held office since 2019, is often hailed as the masthead of this movement. His stances on climate change, gun control, […]
Care About Soccer—It Ends Wars and Starts Rebellions.
In 2005, the world was not sure whether Cote d’Ivoire could continue to exist. Home to over three million Ivorians of about 60 different ethnic groups, the coastal African nation was torn by a three-year-long civil war. Despite attempts by both France and the United Nations to de-escalate, tensions were reigniting between the Ivorian government […]
In Defense of SCOTUS
Biden vs. Nebraska, 303 Creative LLC vs. Elenis, and, of course, Dobbs vs. Jackson are just a few of the new Supreme Court’s landmark decisions that have fundamentally changed the nation’s political landscape. To the dismay of progressives, SCOTUS has demonstrated an increasing willingness to strike down prior decisions rooted in judicial activism, in the […]
Electricity Shortages Continue to Plague South Africans
Lloyd Albert, who owns two bakeries alongside his brother, is often forced to bake through the night in order to have products to sell during the day. He is in this position because he must plan around South Africa’s regular power outages, which exist as part of a load-shedding program. Like many other South African […]
Online to On-Campus: The Symbiotic Growth of the Alt-Right Pipeline
The rise of social media has revolutionized American politics. While some of those implications—increased activism, youth engagement, and misinformation—are well-documented, many of equal importance are often overlooked. In particular, while most are likely familiar with the radicalizing effect of social media (everyone has that Facebook-obsessed uncle), few grasp just how powerfully the magnets of indoctrination […]
A “Shattered” U.S. Democracy: Understanding the Dominating Forces of the Status Quo
“Shattered, washed-up has-been”—the title given to the American government by its foreign allies in a 2021 “Summit for Democracy.” Once a respected representative model, today’s American democracy is now characterized as a “washed-up” system in which the status quo is an environment where ideologies that are conveyed by powerful leaders have established a sharp socioeconomic […]
For someone who possibly had one of the easiest paths to the presidency set up for him, Ron DeSantis is doing all the things he needed to do right, wrong.
Traditional conservative voters wanted to be excited about Ron DeSantis. Independents and fed-up Democrats wanted him to be tolerable. His recent tack to the hard right is pushing these crucial voters away. With about half the country identifying as Independent voters, the path to victory for any major candidate in a general election must involve […]
The Mahatma & The Politics of Pakistan
Clinging onto hope is a core tenet of the Quranic scripture, a book that Ulemas (Islamic Jurists)—who, as everybody knows, represent 100% of Pakistan’s population— believe form the basis of all institutional & civilian structures in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. But latching onto false hope for the coming of a Mahatma (Great Soul) like […]
Project 2025: Democratic Doomsday
Forget Trump. Project 2025 is the greatest threat to democracy we have seen in our country’s history. The 1000-page plan, written by Trump-era Republican groups, demonstrates once again the devastating effects partisan polarization can have on our country’s political stability. With the upcoming presidential election only a year away, voters aren’t the only groups mobilizing. […]
Is Biden’s Absence Proof of ASEAN’s Fall Into Vestigiality?
On September 5th, the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Jakarta, Indonesia, under the guidance of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. The Southeast Asian bloc’s 43rd meeting commenced under tense conditions, including Beijing’s release of China’s newly declared territory map and the marked absence of United States President Joe Biden. Of […]
Turmoil Before the Storm: Underlying Political Risk in Libya
Derna was a beautiful seaside town, built on the ruins of a Greek colony by Spanish Muslims in the late 15th century. It was home to Libya’s first movie theater, dozens of religious buildings, cafes, and bookstores. It was a town rich with culture and intellectual vitality. But the physical evidence of that is now […]
Good Riddance, Affirmative Action: What’s Next?
There’s no way around it: affirmative action was a failure. Affirmative action sought to help non-White Americans overcome systemic barriers to equal opportunity. Considering the racial imbalances in education–funding inequities in primary/secondary schools, advanced coursework inaccessibility, and various non-academic factors–a system like affirmative action is necessary for approaching equal opportunity. A system like affirmative action, […]
A Bookend to 20 Years of Turmoil? What Thailand’s New Government Means for the Country
After four months of political limbo, yet another dramatic episode of Thai politics drew to a close. The general elections in May offered a scathing rebuke of the military-backed government. The progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), led by Pita Limjaorenrat, pulled a huge upset that headed 151 out of 500 seats in the lower House […]
Silenced Voices and Empty Stages: The Impact of the SAG-AFTRA Strike
The year is 1920, and Hollywood is a brand new industry which nobody is quite familiar with yet. There is a boost in American income that flows toward the entertainment industry due to heightened prosperity. Next thing society knew, “the popularity of “moving pictures” grew in the early part of the decade [and] “movie palaces,” […]
How Gabon’s Coup Marks the End of an Era for France
On August 30, shortly after President Ali Bongo was reelected for his third term, a group of Gabonese military officers from the presidential unit seized Bongo, his son, and six other individuals and held them prisoner in his palace. The instigators of the coup justified this abduction on account of Bongo and his accomplices allegedly […]
16 Questions With “Queen Maker” Laphonza Butler
In light of Laphonza Butler’s recent appointment to the United States Senate, BPR is republishing Lindsey Anstead’s interview with her conducted in the Spring of 2022. This piece highlights her background as an organizer, her values, and her vision for the future of American politics. Since her ascension to the role of President in the […]
The Fight for Fair Maps Continues in California
The 2022 midterm elections have proven once more how much the California Citizens Redistricting Commission has failed to live up to its mission: drawing fair maps. In 2022, Democratic House candidates in California won 63% of the state’s popular vote but 77% of California’s House seats. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission, approved by voters in […]
Homeschooling: Fueling White Supremacy
The seventh most populous state of the union, Ohio, is so typical that it verges on the point of drab. But on the Buckeye State’s quiet streets teeming with suburban housing of seeming normalcy, there rests an underbelly of white supremacy. In the Winter of 2023, the Ohio Department of Education uncovered a bustling Neo-Nazi […]
America’s Potential Subsidy Race with Europe
“It should be a race against time, not a race against each other. It should be a race to the top, not a race to the bottom.” These were the words uttered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in response to the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While maintaining diplomatic poise, the E.U. […]
Why China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East Matters
Trailing behind the exit of the United States, China has taken an interest in the Middle East, brokering diplomatic deals between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This is a surprising role for China to take on, as the country has, in the past, shown relatively little interest in that region of the world. The spike in […]
Big Tech Is Quaking, And We Are Here For It!
Big Tech is in a crazed frenzy like we have never seen before —and there is not much they can do about it. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Open App Markets Act, marking the first piece of legislation and the latest attempt to limit the power of big tech companies. Not only is it a […]
CA Isn’t Ready to Close Its Last Nuclear Power Plant— But It Can’t Stay Open
On the first of February, 79 top energy experts signed an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to halt the decommission of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California’s very last operational source of nuclear power. The group behind this letter includes dozens of prominent energy executives, professors from Berkeley, MIT, Stanford and more, […]
Dear Supreme Court, Affirmative Action Needs To Go
He scored 1550 on the SAT, maintained a 3.9 unweighted GPA as an IB student, played two varsity sports, won state and national rewards for debate and international recognition for his start-up. Like thousands of other qualified applicants, he didn’t make it into Harvard. Why? Because he ticked “Asian” for ethnicity on his Common App. […]
Supervised Injection Sites Save Lives. Let’s Talk About It.
Our discourse on drug policy and addiction is often relegated to hyperbolized images of wayward teens, often racialized and targeted pictures of poor communities of color, dark alleys of anomy, shame, and fear, and the ever-present “Just Say No” platitude. At the heart of the discourse is the increasingly controversial subject of the creation of […]
The Future for Racial Justice in U.S. Courts
Nearly one year ago, President Biden’s ascension to office alongside a Democratically controlled Senate and House brought with it a cautiously optimistic hope for legislation that could address racial injustice in the United States. However, much racial justice legislation throughout the year has been unable to withstand the pressures of partisan and intra-party divisions in […]
The Indian Federation: The Saga of a Converted Oligarchy
Is the largest ‘democracy’ in the world under the threat of becoming an oligarchy? From telecommunications to steel, every sector in this nation is dominated by only a few businessmen. These names are repeatedly acclaimed in the news, as they acquire more assets and reach greater heights. But as the public rejoices in their success, […]
Can the Invisible Hand Guide Us to Racial Justice?
Daunte Wright was just a year older than me. He was a father, a recent graduate, a basketball fan, and most of all, beloved by his friends and family. On April 11, Wright was fatally shot by white police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop in which she claims she meant to taze him […]
What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Gun Violence
Only three years ago, mass shootings seemed to make national headlines nearly once a month. Gun control was at the center of the American political landscape as advocacy groups such as March for Our Lives (MFOL) emerged and sparked debates over gun control on the national level. However, as the coronavirus pandemic has consumed the […]
Sarah Edwards and Beyond: Building Cities That Are Safer For Women
3rd March 2021 was not a peculiar day for most living in South London. It was yet another day of lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic mandated by the Boris Johnson government. A woman was walking home at night from a friend’s house in Clapham Common. She went missing on the same night. Six days later, […]
Painful Memory of Sri Lankan Civil Not Forgotten: A Reckoning At Last?
On the fateful day of the 18th of May 2009, between 40,000 Tamils lost their lives in a Civil War that had embroiled the nation of Sri Lanka since the year 1983 in a long-fought insurrection between the majority-Buddhist Singhalese country and minority Tamils. This event has come to be known as the Mullivaikal Massacre. […]
The Alarming Violence Facing Bisexual Women
Throughout the past six months, I have watched five loved ones come out as bisexual and open up to the world in a confident, breathtaking way. In fact, more and more people of Generation Z than ever before are coming out, with 11.5 percent of them identifying as bisexual, according to Gallup. With heightened visibility […]
Imprisonment of controversial dissenter sparks protests across Russia
Russian politician and activist Alexei Navalny returned to Moscow on January 17, after five months spent recovering in a German hospital from a near fatal poisoning, which he blames on Vladimir Putin. Navalny was immediately arrested upon his return, as the government threatened would happen, and has since been sentenced to a penal colony for […]
GreenWashing: On How Neo-Liberal Capitalism Persists Amid The Climate Crisis
Are we truly in an era of green marketing and greenwashing today as our climate crisis continues to deteriorate? Does Fiji water truly justify their claim that ‘every drop is green’? Coined in the 1980s and beginning with the anti-nuclear campaign, “greenwashing” describes a business strategy of making claims about the environment to promote companies’ […]
Asian Values: A Political Narrative To Erode LGBTQ Rights Today?
The concept of Asian Values is by no means a new concept today, however, what does it really mean in today’s political contexts, particularly for the future of LGBTQ rights? ‘’What Asians value may not be the same as what Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and the values of the individual. As an Asian […]
Post-Charlie Hebdo: After the Nice Attacks in 2020, When Will France Address The True Elephant In The Room?
Two men march into an office building at around midday. They were not extraordinary men, yet they were loaded with rifles and other weapons. Within the next few hours, they would take hostage and kill 12 people. The two suspects identified were Said and Cherif Kouachi. The date was 7th January 2015. This would be […]
The Politics of The Yeehaw Agenda
Old Town Road was not born into a void. Lil Nas X’s genre-shattering fusion of trap and country influence was just one of the manifestations of the rising use of cowboy imagery and style on the internet and in popular culture outside of its traditional contexts. The name for this movement, coined by a pop […]
American Hero vs the Blue Wave
By most accounts, 2020 is shaping up to be a blue wave of historic proportions. Polls put Biden within striking distance of 365 electoral college votes, which President Obama won in 2008. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been quoted as saying that Republicans should prepare for “a bloodbath of Watergate proportions.” And Republicans across the country […]
Affirmative Action: Failed Promises & The Brighter Future
During the time of Dr. King, when America boldly established that its original promise would live up to the meaning of its creed, that equality under the law must be the privilege of all Americans, this country began on a path of reimagined possibility for the victims of its oppressive past. And in 1965, President […]
On California’s Law and Order Initiative: Proposition 20, Featuring Eric A. Stanley
“This bill is being pushed through at the same time that the people across the United States are demanding the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It’s indicative of a culture war, which is to say a class war, around prisons and policing.” – Eric A. Stanley Walking on the streets of California after consuming […]
Affirmative Action: Back on the Ballot
This November, one line could change California dramatically. Proposition 16 reads simply “That Section 31 of Article 1 [of the California Constitution] thereof is repealed”. And yet on a ballot packed full of controversial issues, Proposition 16 could be the most controversial of them all. In this installment of On the Ballot, we discuss Affirmative […]
Against D.C. Statehood
Anyone who has spent time in Washington (D.C., The District, DMV, etc) has no doubt come across a license plate with the famous words of the American Revolution: No Taxation Without Representation. The slogan is proudly emblazoned on DC license plates on account of the peculiar status of the District as the only entity in […]
The Polarization of Late Night Comedy
It is 2017, and Former Press Secretary Sean Spicer rolls a podium out onto the bright lights of the Emmys Awards Show stage in the midst of Stephen Colbert’s monologue. Spicer cheekily proclaims “this will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys — period — both in person and around the world.” Colbert looked […]
Overprotective Parents and a New Generation of American Children
The beginning of the year 2014 was marked by a peculiar event. In an appellate court decision, a mother was found guilty of abuse and neglect for leaving her toddler in the car while she went into a store for five to ten minutes. Although the toddler was deemed to have been in no imminent […]
Poland’s Illiberal Trajectory Continues to Challenge the European Union
Every year in Poland, Narodowe Święto Niepodległości, or the Polish Independence Day, is celebrated in Warsaw, commemorating the anniversary of the restoration of a sovereign Poland after over a century of invasion and domination by the German, Russian and Austrian empires. In 2017, however, the tone of the festivities soured, making international headlines as it […]
2018’s October Surprise?: Hurricanes and What they Mean for the Midterm Elections
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the southern portion of the United States. The disaster resulted in thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in damage, leaving many to argue that the response by the Bush administration had been inadequate and ill-timed. As a result of the destruction of critical infrastructure, businesses, and homes, the unemployment […]
Lights, Camera, Deregulation! Big Banks Get Their Big Break
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tackling one of America’s most dire, pressing issues, Congress turned its attention in March away from passé, low-stakes issues like gun control and immigration to — you guessed it — banking reform. By May 22, the House passed the duplicitously-named Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (EGRRCPA), a law that will roll back aspects of the […]
Search Engine Politics: How Algorithms are Creating Political Controversy
With new and emerging technologies including social media platforms and search engines, old problems are being brought to the forefront once again. One of those issues is political bias and it is an issue that is now being discussed, investigated, and debated in the halls of Congress. Discussing political bias, Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter […]
The Political Side of Fútbol
The FIFA World Cup is the most watched event in the world, and this summer, it will be played in Russia. There are 32 teams competing for the title, with powerhouses such as Germany, France, Brazil, and Spain considered to be the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, the United States will not be represented […]
Legalizing Trafficking: Iran’s Unjust Organ Market and Why Legal Selling of Organs Should Not be The Resolve
Celeste Lee has been patiently waiting for a kidney for over 20 years. She was just 17 when an autoimmune disease wrecked her kidney Function, and since then has been relying on a transplanted kidney to keep her alive. Celeste’s story is not uncommon. Around 4,500 people die annually waiting for a kidney transplant. Along […]
Development: A Dam Problem
It seems odd to juxtapose “environment” with “refugee”. The environment is a set of conditions that cultivate the life of beings. By definition, it is suited to the livelihoods of certain humans, just as humans are suited to their environments. Both participate in a symbiotic relationship, so the term “environmental refugee” indicates a very […]
Why isn’t the United States Killing the Death Penalty?
At 2:19 pm on February 14th, I was basking under the pleasant skies on memorial glade, a common pastime of any Berkeley student on a sunny day. At 2:19 pm on February 14th, Nikolas Cruz had entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with the intention of committing murder. The current discourse surrounding the Parkland high school […]
Gill v. Whitford: A Case That Will Literally Map American Politics
Partisan gerrymandering has to be one of the least discussed but politically important topics in our generation. The notion that states can reapportion their districts with lines that can give the incumbent party a clear advantage in upcoming elections is what furthers the political divide and de-legitimizes the bedrock of our democratic republic. Several court […]
The Power in a Political Narrative
It may be a cliche, but the phrase “Trump means it seriously, but not literally” may be quite telling about the power of rhetoric that supports a particular worldview. Narratives, or larger stories about the way the world is, are essential to political candidates. When one thinks of former president Ronald Reagan, we not only […]
Divisive Indivisible: Will Democrats Decide to Divorce?
Marriages are messy. Every couple shares some common ground that forms the basis of their relationship, but, humans being humans, each will have disagreements that create tension. Sometimes, the spouses come together and talk about these differences like adults. But if they come to view the other as detrimental to their wellbeing and fail to […]
Of Miscreants and Malignancy
Something is rotten in the state of the Union. Our leaders are more concerned about making the other side look bad than they are about effective governance, and have forgotten that they were elected to make mature decisions about the nation’s future. Politicians use underhanded methods and baiting tactics to produce “gotcha” moments for the […]
Hillary Clinton’s Brand of Nationalism
In the February of 1942, a mere two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 127,000 people of Japanese descent were rounded up from all along the west coast, and were subsequently marched into American internment camps. Though these individuals included fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, from a myriad of backgrounds, they shared one […]
Why The Golden State Didn’t Bern
Senator Sanders’ rallies, like this one in Oakland, CA drew thousands of enthusiastic supporters. (Getty) Despite the hype, California didn’t swing for Bernie on June 7, 2016. While national polls predominantly aligned with Clinton, a Sanders victory was still a real possibility leading up to the California primary, especially coming on the heels of a well-won Midwest […]
Religion and Politics: The Limitations of Secularism and Liberal Discourse in the Non-West
This past weekend, Europa Laica (Secular Europe), a non-profit organization committed to the promotion of secularism, the secular state, and the separation of church and State in Europe, launched its first conference after 15 years of initiation. The conference took place in Madrid, same city where the organization’s headquarters are located, and it culminated with […]
Gun Violence and the American Mind
“Reform the mental health care system.” Time and time again, this has been the right-wing response to mass shootings. From three years ago, when 26 lives were lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School, to more recently, when ten people were killed at Umpqua Community College, right-wing politicians have consistently shifted blame onto the American system of […]
“Leapfrogging”: Can developing countries truly skip over fossil fuel reliance in favor of renewable energies?
There is a popular argument that progress and growth are not possible without reliance on fossil fuel-powered energy. Examples abide to support this claim: almost every industrialized country is (relatively and subjectively) thriving today because of their rampant abuse of coal, oil, and gas. The 1.3 billion people without electricity access are largely concentrated in […]
A Coded Political Mantra
According to Malcolm X, “Racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.” Since the outlaw of slavery, racial discrimination taken on many different forms, from physical abuse, to legal segregation, to dog whistle politics, with the last yet to be prohibited. Today, dog whistle politics, a type of political speech […]
After Roe: The New Wave of Abortion Restrictions
Ann Richards, the late Democratic governor of Texas, once stated, “We’re not going to have the America that we want until we elect leaders who are going to tell the truth – not most days, but every day.” For Ms. Richards’ daughter, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, September 29th was not a good day for […]
The Exceptions and the Norm
While women represent half of California’s population, they make up only one-fourth of the California State Legislature. Source: Dishary Hossain California Attorney General Kamala Harris and United States Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez—both are in the lead for the 2016 election to the U.S. Senate as representative of the state of California. Senator Dianne Feinstein and […]
Lessons from the School of Trumpian Politics along the Venezuelan-Colombian Border
Xenophobic ideology is not new to politics. It is, however, relatively new to Venezuela, which has been one of the more welcoming South American countries to immigrants throughout the second half of the 20th century. On August 19, 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced “Operation Liberation of the People” (OLP). Since then, over 1,500 Colombians have […]
#VaiaDilma: President Rousseff’s Trust Deficit
Less than five months after voting President Dilma Rousseff into office last October, the Brazilian people have demanded her impeachment. On March 15th, 2015, approximately one million Brazilians, wearing the national colors of green and yellow, took to the streets in a series of nationwide demonstrations and chanted “Out Dilma.” Sao Paulo witnessed the largest […]
The Fall of John Kitzhaber
On February 18th, amid allegations that his wife was inappropriately paid by clean energy companies, Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon resigned. The entire affair was a bizarre series of events which took down Oregon’s most experienced politician. At the inaugural address of his 4th term, Kitzhaber stated “[t]his will complete the arc of my […]
What’s Up Their Sleeves?
There was a recent New York article written by Vanessa Friedman discussing Michelle Obama’s fashion choices when she toured Asia to promote the “Let Girls Learn” education campaign. In the article, Friedman expresses her surprise that the First Lady chose to wear more traditionally feminine outfits such as a bright yellow patterned dress unlike the […]
Don’t Snooze, S-News!
While one might not see applications like Facebook, Twitter, or even Snapchat as anything more than entertainment, that perception is changing as more and more of these companies creatively combine knowledge of current events alongside the entertainment options they offer. Popular applications such as Facebook and Twitter incorporate news and current events headlines into their […]
Jon Stewart: The End of an Era
Almost sixteen years ago, Jon Stewart replaced Craig Kilborn on The Daily Show, while Kilborn stole his way onto The Late Late Show. Yet that failure seems to have been his last, for there is no doubt that Jon Stewart is the founder of the late night fake news show genre, and that his show’s […]
The Hyde Amendment: Disproportionately Affecting Minority Women Since 1976
In 1976, just three years after the Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision in Roe v. Wade, Republican congressman Henry Hyde attached a little-known amendment to a Health and Human Services appropriations bill that would shift the course of reproductive justice in the United States for decades to come. The Hyde Amendment banned the use of federal […]