Uber Introduces Fuel Surcharge

 

Higher gas prices have affected everyone, and drivers have responded in a variety of ways. This week, users will pay up to $0.55 extra per Uber ride and up to $0.45 extra for Uber Eats, and this money will go solely to drivers. This will be in place for about two months, and although Uber acknowledges that it won't completely cover the cost of fuel, it will "cushion the blow". Since prices have been increasing all across the economy (shipping anything anywhere requires fuel, which is more expensive now, so all products will be more expensive as a byproduct). However, New York City is a notable exception, since drivers there won't benefit from the surcharge because they're already receiving a 5.3% pay raise due to a 2019 law. 

Uber is also doubling down on electric vehicle investment, incentivizing up to a $4,000 annual bonus, and a recent Hertz partnership makes 50,000 teslas available for drivers to rent by 2023.

This is all coming at a pivotal time for electric vehicles in general. Since drivers stand to profit far more off ridesharing with electric vehicles than gas vehicles, the choice for a new driver looking to enter the market is clear. Even then, for the average consumer, filling up a gas tank can cost easily cost over $60 dollars. Supercharging an electric vehicle ranges from $15 to $20. Gas cars require transmission maintenance, oil changes, engine repairs etc etc, an electric vehicles needs only tires, alignments, and (maybe) brakes. Electric vehicles have a significantly lower cost of operation than. gas vehicles, and the market reflects that characteristic. Passenger electric vehicle sales are projected to exceed 10.5 million this year, 4 million above last year. Anyone looking to purchase a Tesla Model Y (the hottest electric vehicle right now) has an estimated wait time of over 5 months. Although the bulk of these purchases are Chinese, the American government has incentivized EV purchases. does 

While increasing the prices of Ubers $0.55 likely won't make a huge difference in user numbers, since the average Uber user probably isn't the most price sensitive, however increasing them further to accommodate for higher gas prices in the future possibly could shift riders to public transport. While somewhat distant, the market could eventually push more users away from using cars and into other forms of transportation. For a certain demographic, where buying/leasing a car (specifically an electric vehicle) is either too expensive or inconvenient (like a resident of New York City or many urban metro areas), they may be left with public transport as the only option. For certain cities with well-developed systems, this won't be an issue. However, in other cities, this may become a problem for some. Lack of urban infrastructure and efficient transit systems (think cities like Houston or LA, car-dependent) is going to become a serious threat to productivity in the coming decades, and raising Uber prices may be an early (possibly very early) sign that it's time to think about improving them. 

Questions:

Is this Uber price increase going to affect your usage of the service?

Do you think EV sales will stall?

What do you think is next for transportation in America?

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/12/business/uber-gas-prices-surcharge/index.html

https://businessnewsanalysis.com/uber-is-rolling-out-a-fuel-surcharge/ 

https://www.axios.com/electric-vehicle-sales-expected-surge-2022-91bee1e9-6d82-4da8-b254-27a61eef17a4.html 

Wrongfully Imprisoned Man Finally Gains Freedom

 

84-year-old Isaiah Andrews has been wrongly jailed for 45 years after being found guilty of murdering his wife. Under the Ohio Innocence Project, which is meant to prevent innocent people from going to jail, Andrews was given a retrial in 2020 after the fact that evidence was hidden from his attorney during his initial trial. On October 27, 2021, he was unanimously found not guilty by the jury and he continued to file a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Cleveland. He said that “they stole decades of [his] life. It’s time for them to take responsibility” as he filed for wrongful imprisonment. As of now, he has moved on to receiving compensation due to his time in prison. 

The 45-year wrongful imprisonment brings light to the fact that many innocent people are wrongfully jailed for reasons that are out of their hands; for Andrews, it was because the evidence was withdrawn and “Cleveland detectives… manipulated witnesses to convict Isaiah Andrews,” according to his attorneys. There is a need for legal rights to prevent more innocent people from going to jail for crimes they didn’t commit. Personally, I believe that there is a need to be transparent with evidence to attorneys to allow for the defendant and plaintiff to be accurately defended and represented in court.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/us/isaiah-andrews-released-ohio.html?auth=login-email&login=email 

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/watch-live-man-who-spent-46-years-in-prison-for-murder-set-to-be-declared-wrongfully-imprisoned 

https://www.fox19.com/2022/02/15/cleveland-man-who-spent-decades-prison-crime-he-didnt-commit-files-federal-civil-rights-lawsuit/ 

https://law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/ohio-innocence-project-at-cincinnati-law.html 

1. Can money compensate for time lost? If so, how should it be calculated?
2. The main reason Andrews was wrongfully imprisoned was that his attorney was never given key evidence; is there a way to prevent such a thing from happening?

Western Countries Target Russian Oligarchs

As the war between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, western countries look to choke Russia. The US banned Russian oil and natural gas, and the EU (which heavily relies on Russian energy) said that it will switch completely before 2030. The effects of this are obvious, as seen with the skyrocketing gas prices. Western countries have also gone after Russian oligarchs, a select group of super-wealthy individuals who are very close to Putin. For example, billionaire Alisher Usmanov's yacht (the largest in the planet by gross tonnage), which boasts a pool that turns into a helipad, was seized by German authorities. Perhaps the most high-profile of these sanctions is on Roman Abramovich. Abramovich is a special case. Of all the oligarchs, he is known for being the "nice guy". He even received support from leaders of various cultural and medical institutions, including a chief rabbi, who all implored the US not to push sanctions onto him. However, soon after those pleas, Britain prevented Abramovich from entering or doing business, which meant that his soccer team (Chelsea football club) could no longer sell tickets or sign players. Canada followed suit soon after, but the US is yet to sanction Abramovich. 

When Putin rose to power and was inaugurated in 2000, he imprisoned the richest oligarch, but kept Abramovich free. Abramovich has remained loyal to Putin, even governing a northeastern region for seven years. Knowing how Putin can quickly sweep an oligarch's rug out from under them, he began to look elsewhere for business ventures, and tried to gain western credibility. That's where he settled on purchasing a soccer team (for $180 million dollars) and brought Chelsea its most successful spell in the history of the club. When Russia won the rights to host the 2018 World Cup, Putin publicly praised Abramovich for bringing sports to Russia. After buying the highest quality property and art around the world, Abramovich used his status as a Jew to to buy homes in tel Aviv. He then donated tens of millions to Universities in the region, and hundreds of millions to Israeli charities. He became a voice for antisemitism, but then after the British imposed sanctions, the Israeli Holocaust memorial (that he flew to London to help inaugurate) announced it was cutting ties with him. The reputation of these oligarchs, not just Abramovich, have been tarnished because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and hopefully this will be an effective method to slow the war.

Questions:

How do you think that punishing those close to Putin will play out?

How should we view oligarchs?

Are these sanctions too light/extreme or not forceful enough? 

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/03/12/russian-oligarch-yachts/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60125659 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/world/europe/roman-abramovich-russian-oligarch-sanctions.html

The Intensifying Literacy Crisis of America

It’s no secret that due to the pandemic, many students switched from in-person learning to online. While this didn't have much effect on those in middle and high school, many children spent their developmental years in front of a screen instead of having someone else to guide them face to face. While it’s fair to say that online learning had little actual learning, evidence shows that many children are missing benchmarks, specifically related to reading, because of it. While this doesn't affect us currently, it could affect the future of America since "poor readers are more likely to... become involved in the criminal justice system." This academic crisis isn't just due to the pandemic (although it's a big part of it now) since there is a lack of "educators trained in phonics and phonemic awareness [which are] the foundational skills" for literacy. Because of this, many students lack the skills to properly differentiate what different letters sound like, leaving many needing to review the kindergarten curriculum.

While this doesn’t seem like a huge issue at the moment, it could be a larger problem since almost a third of the students are behind the curve. According to the National Center for Education, statistics show that while the United States is above the international average for literacy in adults age 16 to 65, it’s still significantly behind nations like Japan and Finland. Not only that, but states such as California, New York, Texas, and Florida have literacy rates from ~76-80%.

Personally, I think that this can be a bigger crisis as time goes by, causing the literacy crisis to grow since many children aren’t on par with where they should be; although kids are required to attend school by the government, is it really effective if the student is unable to read? 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/us/pandemic-schools-reading-crisis.html 

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/us-literacy-rates-by-state 

1. Do you think these children should be held back a year/have to review kindergarten lessons in order to get on the curve? 
2. What effects do you think this could have on the literacy crisis and America's future?
3. Do you think this is something the government should intervene with or do you believe that this will only affect a few grades? 

Russian Gymnast is Criticized After Wearing ‘Z’ Symbol Next to Ukrainian Athlete

    At a gymnastics World Cup event in Doha, Qatar that happened this past week, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) criticized Russian athlete Ivan Kuliak for wearing a ‘Z’ symbol taped to his leotard while standing next to Ukrainian athlete Illia Kovtun on the podium.

    For those who don’t know, the ‘Z’ symbol has been displayed on tanks and vehicles used by the Russian military during its invasion of Ukraine. The symbol is a sign of support for the invasion, and according to Galina Starovoitova Fello Kamil Galeez, "Some interpret "Z" as "Za pobedy" (for victory). Others - as "Zapad" (West).” For the past weeks, propaganda videos on social media have shown supporters of President Vladimir Putin wearing clothing featuring the ‘Z’ symbol

    Head of the Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia (FSGR) Vasily Titov told Russian publications that Kuliak has the governing body’s full support. “I don’t think Ivan wanted to make a special demonstration, but we will support him in any case,” Titov said. More has not been released, but Titov ended by saying, "It was a violation of the uniform approved by the FIG. I think that they can punish, they can also remove us from participation. But we were already removed.

    In a statement on Friday, the FIG announced that starting March 7, Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials would not be allowed to take part in any FIG-sanctioned competitions, following advice from the International Olympic Committee.    

Personally, I view Ivan’s action as a sign of disrespect. There is always a time and place to do certain things, but with what is going on in the world right now, what did he expect?

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/sport/ivan-kuliak-russian-gymnastics-ukraine-z-spt-intl/index.html 

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/explained-what-does-the-z-symbol-on-russian-military-vehicles-mean-2808239 

https://sportgymrus.ru/news/8022-fsgr-podderzhala-obninskogo-gimnasta-vyshedshego-na-nagrazhdenie-kubka-mira-s-bukvoj-z.html

1. What is your stance on athlete Ivan Kuliak wearing the ‘Z’ symbol?

2. How would you take action if you had the opportunity to create the consequences for Russia?

3. How could the US continue to spread awareness and support Ukraine?

The Changing Political Geography of COVID-19 Over the Last Two Years

Speaking from a high schoolers perspective, March is a very important time in our lives where just two years ago it was announced that we were going to have two weeks off from school, until COVID-19 settled down. Well, two weeks turned into one and a half years, and since then, COVID-19 has been nothing but a nightmare for everyone. The pandemic has rolled across the U.S. in waves, and today the death toll of the pandemic looks very different from how it looked in early 2020. Over the past two years, the official deaths in the United States, caused by the coronavirus, is now approaching 1 million lives. Before I get into it, if you have come in contact or know someone who has been hospitalized or died of the coronavirus, my deepest condolences. 

A new Pew Research Center analysis of official reports of COVID-19 related deaths across the country, reveals how the dynamics of the pandemic has shifted over the last two years. The first wave was geographically concentrated in the Northeast, particularly in the New York Region. In the summer of 2020, the largest share of about 80,0000 deaths occurred during the second wave of the pandemic, in the southern parts of the country. The transition from fall to winter, to the beginning of spring from 2020 into 2021 were known to be the deadliest months of the pandemic with over 370,000 deaths in the United States. By the spring and summer of 2021, the nationwide death rate had slowed significantly, and vaccines were widely available to adults who wanted them. During the third wave, the death rate among the 20% of Americans living in counties that supported Trump was about 170% of the death rate among the one-in-five Americans living in counties that supported Biden. Starting at the end of the summer, the fourth and fifth waves came in quickly and took over 300,00 lives. During the fourth wave of the pandemic, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were about four times what the were in the most pro-Biden counties. Since the pandemic began, counties representing the 20% of the population where Trump ran up his highest margins in 2020 have experienced nearly 70,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than have the counties representing the 20% of population where Biden performed best. Overall, the COVID-19 death rate in all counties Trump won in 2020 is substantially higher than it is in counties Biden won.

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/03/03/the-changing-political-geography-of-covid-19-over-the-last-two-years/  

1) How has COVID-19 impacted you and your loved ones over the past 2 years?

2) What would you recommend to others to keep a safe environment, and prevent the numbers of deaths from increasing?

3) What are your thoughts on the role of politics during COVID-19?

Gas Prices are Skyrocketing in the United States

    On Sunday, March 6, 2022 the average price for gas was raised $4 per gallon, the highest level since 2008. Prior to this increase, the average price per gallon a year ago was $2.76, as the market was still recovering from business shutdowns and the pandemic. Earlier this week, Head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan tweeted, "To make it implicitly clear, this is the cost of bipartisan sanctions on Russia for their war on Ukraine…[$4/gallon] was unlikely to have happened without Russian action." Russia is one of the world’s major oil exporters, with most of its output going to Europe and Asia. Its oil has made up 2% of US imports, according to Energy Department Data. Due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the sanctions on Russia’s economy have so far exempted oil exports. Because of this, traders have been reluctant to purchase Russian oil due to uncertainty about closing transactions, given the limits on the country’s banking sector.

    In his State of the Union speech, President Biden warned the country that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military would have an effect on every American. In response to Russia’s actions, Biden announced that the U.S. and 30 other countries were working together to release 60 million barrels of oil, 30 of which will come from America's own Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Biden explains how this action "will help blunt gas prices here at home."

Global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information, Tom Kloza explains how calls have been made for the United States to ban the import of Russian oil, but this would have limited impact on global and domestic prices since so little is being shipped to US markets. Currently, there are 18 states where the price is $4 or greater. A majority from the West Coast, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The highest prices are seen in California, where the statewide average is $5.29 a gallon. However, there are still portions of the country where this new average is still rare, with states between North Dakota to Texas who’s averages are no higher than $3.71 a gallon. 

In short, this definitely is not the end of the increase in gasoline price. Personally, I don’t like having to pay 20 cents more than what I was usually paying for gas a month ago. From what I know so far, as a solution I believe the United States should should cut their relations with Russia, and build stronger relationships with the big time gas countries like Dubai and Canada. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/06/energy/average-us-gas-price-hits-four-dollars/index.html 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39338671/us-gas-prices-skyrocketing-future/ 

Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the increase of gasoline cost?

2. How has the increase in cost affected you or someone you know?

Russia plans to block access to Facebook

 

    

    Recently, a statement by Russia's communications regulator plans to stop the access of Facebook to its millions of citizens. The statement was released stating, " In March 2022, a decision was made to block access to the Facebook network in the Russian Federation." According to Statista, there are around 66 million users in Russia. This ban comes from Russia claiming that the social media giant is "unfairly censoring media outlets within the country" (Forbes). This ban will cost Meta around 1.3 billion for the year while Meta's total revenue in 2021 was 117.9 billion. (Forbes) While this will certainly hurt Meta, the company likely has been following the trend of many other businesses to drop out of Russia like Apple, Disney, Ikea, Shell, Exxon, and many more. This comes with a world-wide outrage over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and companies are trying to distance themselves from Russia. While Facebook didn't exactly leave on their own, it comes from them shutting down Russian news platforms and trying to stop the misinformation about the war. Practically all of Russia's news platforms are all state-affiliated meaning they are working with the government and letting the government have almost total control over what is being said or published. By banning Facebook in Russia, the Russian government will practically have total control over its media with what people can see or hear. The ban seems rather ironic considering how such a huge problem Facebook has with monitoring misinformation and propaganda on its site especially in the US. The Washington Posts's Will Oremus had some interesting thoughts on the current situation, "Blocking Facebook, then, is less of a broadside against social media in Russia than it is a shot across the bow — a dramatic but largely symbolic act that serves as a warning and a threat. Because Facebook is so prominent in the West, the block stands to make big headlines outside Russia while provoking relatively little outcry from within. And now the censorship agency can point to its hard line against Facebook in its ongoing disputes with both Meta and other social media companies that have larger Russian user bases." Russia wants on taking more control over social media by scaring the big tech companies into listening to their demands and eventually be able to censor whatever the government what to get rid of or promote to their people.

Would it be better for big tech companies to simply leave Russia than to bend to Russia's likely new regulations?

With Russia already controlling most of its people's media will they be able to get reliable information?

Are sanctions across the world and companies leaving Russia enough pressure for them to stop the war? If not, what else should be done that does not escalate to war to involve NATO or the US.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/tech/russia-blocks-facebook/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/03/04/facebooks-russia-ban-will-cost-it-about-36-million-a-day/?sh=32c88e5a15d4

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/05/russia-facebook-block-putin-ban-roskomnadzor/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-corporations-that-have-pulled-out/

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Signs Executive Order Forbidding New York State From Doing Business with Russia

         On Sunday, February 27, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order forbidding New York from doing business with Russia. This order will remain in effect as long as the federal government’s sanctions on Russia remain. Hochul announced that the state of New York will not support Russia in any way as they continue to violate human rights and harm innocent lives as they invade Ukraine. 

This executive order is an example of the governor exercising her power found in the state constitution and the implied powers given to state chief executives. Because this issue is time sensitive, given the recent invasion of Ukraine, Hochul’s use of an executive order was strategic because she did not need approval from Congress or state legislatures. As we learned in class, executive orders are used when efficiency is crucial in emergencies. Although an executive order does not require other branches to weigh in, going against the checks and balances, it shows that sometimes having one person in power can create change more quickly. 

The executive order includes canceling investments in Russia, although it is unclear the direct impact that this will have on the Russian economy. Hochul pointed out that New York’s economy is larger than Russia’s. The US has already announced several new sanctions on Russia, covering about 80% of Russian banking assets. Additionally, the US, European Union, UK, and Canada all declared that some Russian banks would be expelled from SWIFT, a financial messaging service. Despite these attempts to hurt the Russian economy, along with Hochul’s order, Russia has made sure not to rely on other countries for the last few years; it relies heavily on domestic production of goods.  

Hochul has also announced that New York will welcome any Ukrainian refugees and has pointed out that New York has the largest Ukrainian population in the country. As people flee Ukraine to avoid the Russian invasion, Hochul hopes to make New York a safe place for these refugees. 

Personally, I support the governor’s executive order, and I think that it is important that the US, and the rest of the West, do everything we can not to support Russia economically. Although it is unclear the exact impact this will have on Russia’s economy, every small thing helps this ongoing battle. Additionally, I greatly admire Hochul’s efforts to welcome Ukrainian refugees as they try to find a safe place to live. 

Questions:

1. Do you think other governors should follow Hochul’s lead?

2. How do you think this executive order may impact the daily lives of Russian citizens?

3. Do you think the US should be more aggressive with sanctions on Russia and its allies?

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/hochul-orders-new-york-halt-business-with-russia-invites-ukrainian-refugees/3574152/ 

https://abc7ny.com/new-york-state-russia-executive-order-russian-business-entities/11606061/ 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/business/russia-economy-sanctions/index.html 

https://www.nga.org/governors/powers-and-authority/

photo: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/andrew-cuomo-resign-kathy-hochul-08-11-21/index.html

Arizona Starbucks becomes first outside New York to unionize

This past Friday, workers at a Starbucks outside of Phoenix voted on unionization, resulting in a 25-3 confirmation of the motion. This made them the only Starbucks in the U.S. outside of New York to do so, and a spokesperson for Starbucks responded to the news by stating that the company "will respect the process and bargain in good faith," highlighting an apparent willingness to cooperate. The goals of the union include creating a stronger front through which to negotiate terms including benefits, safety protocols, pensions, pay, and others, and workers at this store expressed the difficulties associated with effects of the pandemic, especially the issue of being understaffed. 

The election for the decision of whether or not to unionize was intended to occur a week before its actual date, delayed by a request by Starbucks for a review with the National Labor Relations Board in Washington D.C. Starbucks contested whether it was permitted for a single store to hold this type of election, stating rather that if a desire to unionize was present, that all branches in the store's district should vote. The decision of the Labor Relations board was to deny this request by Starbucks, seeing no issues at hand with the actions being carried out by the branch store in Mesa Arizona. The union organizers in Arizona believed this to be an example of "union busting," also claiming other tactics employed by Starbucks such as having upper level management shadow workers in order to ensure they aren't planning to unionize. 

After the first two Starbucks stores in Buffalo New York recently motioned to unionize and successfully elected to do so, multiple other stores across the country are beginning to file petitions to the Labor Relations Board, wanting to similarly conduct their own elections. The actions of these stores and the growing interest in unionization within the company has solicited a response from executives, which have claimed that "the company functions best when it can work directly with its employees," clearly suggesting that they are opposed to the action of unionizing. This issue has led to certain recent conflicts including the firing of seven employees who drove a unionizing campaign, with Starbucks defending the firing by stating how they had opened a company store after the time it was supposed to close. Despite the historic decline in unions, it appears that within younger age groups they are becoming increasingly sought after. A second store in the area of Mesa has filed to conduct its elections, with results being confirmed on March 18th, and over a hundred stores (out of the 9000 nationwide) have already submitted their petitions to the Labor Relations Board. There are economic implications to this process too, as Starbucks shares have declined roughly 11% in the past year, harming its market value. 

I think that there are challenges behind the unionization of individual stores across the nation, making it difficult for the overall company to regulate its employees and have separate dealings with the separate unions. Keeping in mind as well that a collective bargaining agreement is not a requirement, negotiations could be dragged out and cause decreased support and enthusiasm amongst union members. Given the store based nature of the current unions I do not see there being a large free rider problem, and instead to believe that early on there will be very active participation within the unions, and motions to conduct negotiations with the company management. Yet again however, with minimal success there could become a decentralization of the union or even a disbandment altogether. It is tough to say anything now, so it will be interesting to see how the situation evolves and how negotiations between the unions and Starbucks as a corporation go, as this could have significant implications for other major companies. 

Sources: 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/starbucks-restaurant-in-mesa-arizona-votes-to-unionize.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arizona-starbucks-becomes-first-new-york-unionize-rcna17809

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/business/starbucks-union-vote-mesa-arizona/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/02/25/arizona-starbucks-votes-to-unionize-in-first-such-victory-outside-new-york/?sh=2ad9e5df33ca

Questions:

Do you think that the newly formed unions can have successful negotiations with Starbucks?

Is it advantageous for stores to unionize? 

Will employees in other companies potentially consider this more?

3 Former Officers Also Found Guilty for Violating George Floyd's Civil Rights

 

        On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd lost his life due to irresponsible police officers that held him down due to suspicion that he used a counterfeit $20 bill. Even though Floyd stated that he couldn’t breathe, Derek Chauvin had held his knee on his neck and inevitably killed him. 

Almost 2 years later, on February 24th, 2022, a verdict was determined for the three officers that were responsible for George Floyd’s death. While Chauvin was found guilty of murder and some other murder/manslaughter charges, there were three others that have been on trial since May 25th; Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane were responsible for helping Chauvin restrain Floyd while Tou Thao had prevented bystanders from interfering.

In an article by Daniella Silva from NBC news, she said that “severe punishment is unlikely” though the actual prison sentencing is still to be decided as of writing this. Silva, along with Rochelle Olson and Andy Mannix of the Star Tribute, comments about how the “federal sentencing guidelines recommend three to four years in prison” though they can face up to a lifetime sentence. 

While Chauvin is currently serving a state sentence of over 22 years, it’s said to be harder to place a sentence on Keung, Lane, and Thao due to their circumstances being so unique; in the words of Christy Lopez, a law professor and former deputy chief, “[there’s no] case where they were prosecuting officers [for] failing to intervene against a superior officer.” The sentences are yet to be announced. 

We’ve learned that the Supreme Court sets the precedents for how similar cases should be ruled, often using the ones that have gone through the court of appeals. I personally do not see this case going to the Supreme Court due to the officers seeming unlikely to appeal the decision. I believe that it’s unlikely that the three will receive sentences that are longer than Chauvin’s, though Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, mentions that their punishment “can never be justice,” and rather that it’s “just accountability.”

Questions:

1. Would you give Thao, Lane, and Keung life sentences? If not, why?

2. Many people disagree about what the actual job of the police is; I’ve heard some people say that it’s their job to prove someone of crimes, to uphold the law, and to protect citizens. What do you believe the inherent job of the police is? Is there a priority (ex. Protect the people before upholding the law)?

3. Chauvin’s sentence was announced on June 25th, 2021 (roughly a little over a year after the murder of Floyd) and another year has passed before the other three officers were found guilty. Should the 3 of them have been tried at the same time as Chauvin? Should their sentences also take into consideration what Chauvin’s was?

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/us/jurors-have-reached-a-verdict-in-the-trial-of-3-officers-over-george-floyds-death.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/24/us/george-floyd-trial-verdict 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jury-reaches-verdict-federal-trial-3-officers-george-floyds-killing-rcna17237 

https://www.startribune.com/after-guilty-verdict-for-ex-minneapolis-officers-prison-sentences-state-trials-fate-hangs-in-balance/600150660/#:~:text=For%20Thao%2C%20Kueng%20and%20Lane,of%20St.%20Thomas%20School%20of 

Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson as Supreme Court Justice

    

    On Friday, February 25, 2022, President Biden announced his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the next Supreme Court Justice. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court Justice. Justice Stephen Breyer announced his plan to retire in late January, opening a spot for Biden to choose a liberal judge in a conservative court. Justice Breyer was nominated by President Bill Clinton and was generally considered a more liberal judge known to be the “most pragmatic justice on the bench.”

Ketanji Brown Jackson is a highly-respected Federal Appeals Court Judge who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996. Jackson started as a public defender, was a federal judge for nine years, and just last year, Biden appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. This position is viewed as the first step toward a Supreme Court nomination, and after Biden appointed her to this position, many speculated that she would later be his official nomination. Throughout her time as a trial judge on the Federal District Court in Washington D.C., she helped block Trump’s attempts to fast-track deportations and rejected the claim that Presidents have “absolute immunity” from congressional subpoenas by making Trump’s former White House counsel, Donald F. McGhan II, testify on Trump’s obstruction of justice. Most of her past opinions indicate that she would be as liberal as Justice Breyer if confirmed as a Justice. 

Throughout her career, Jackson had to be confirmed by the Senate three times, the most recent being for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Although the Senate is extremely divided at the moment, she was able to win the votes of three Republicans: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina. With this past support from Senate Republicans, there is hope that the Senate will confirm Jackson as Supreme Court Justice. However, some conservative congressmen criticize Jackson’s education and her past rulings, claiming that they are “too liberal.” Additionally, Lindsey Graham has made it apparent that he wants J. Michelle Childs to replace Justice Breyer. Although he does not have the power to nominate a justice, he is a major player in the confirmation process. Without his vote, it could be difficult to get the support of other Republicans and, therefore, the confirmation.

As we learned in class, to be a Supreme Court Justice, the President must nominate someone and earn the Senate’s confirmation with a simple majority. The next step in this process is for Jackson to go to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she will be questioned on her past rulings and judicial philosophy. Democrat Dick Durbin will lead this Committee, and almost all members of this Committee have worked on a Supreme Court nomination before. Although this is usually a complicated process, Jackson’s recent nomination indicates that it should go smoothly and efficiently. After the questioning, the Senate must consider the nomination in an “executive session” and then vote on whether they think she is suitable to be a Supreme Court Justice. 

Personally, I think that the Supreme Court would greatly benefit from having Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Court. Because currently the Supreme Court mostly consists of white men, I think that it is important to make the Court more diverse. I hope that the Senate does confirm Jackson, but I am concerned that the Republican Senators may make this difficult. I also think it is crucial that Jackson starts her confirmation process and the questioning as soon as possible as the White Houses’ resources and energy will be directed toward Ukraine and Russia in the near future. 

1. Do you think that Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice? 

2. How do you think having Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Court will affect the Supreme Court decisions?

3. Do you think that the recent events in Ukraine will affect this confirmation process? 

Sources:

https://www.oyez.org/justices/stephen_g_breyer 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/us/politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-supreme-court.html?name=styln-scotus-nominations&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=0_Control&is_new=false 

https://theconversation.com/four-steps-to-appointing-a-supreme-court-justice-54715 

California Begins Removing Mask Mandate

 

LA County no longer requires people to wear masks indoors if they are vaccinated. Around the country, mask mandates are beginning to expire, and since both the daily averages for new cases and hospitalizations, many are seeing little need to continue the mandates. After seeing the lack of mask-wearing at the Super Bowl, Janice Hahn (County Board of Supervisors) tweeted that "Keeping mandates in place that aren't followed just erodes the credibility the public has in our ability to make good, sound decisions". The people essentially made a decision for themselves: if they didn't want to wear masks, they weren't. Also at the Super Bowl, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti was heavily criticized for not wearing a mask. Celebrities like Ellen Degeneres, Lebron James, and Antonio Brown also rarely wore masks during the event - all sending a message that California is moving past masks. California also recently switched to an "endemic" approach that focuses on bringing back a pre-COVID lifestyle. 

Some school districts, however, have heavily relaxed their mask mandates. According to Tim Taylor from the California Small School Districts' Association, some schools "have decided to stop disciplining or excluding students from school if they don't comply with requests to wear masks". Even larger school districts, like El Dorado Union High School District released a statement saying that they wouldn't exclude students who refuse to wear masks from campus. Students and parents are both siding against mask mandates, for example students at Oak Ridge High School staged a walkout protesting mask-wearing last week. Although the El Dorado Hills mask culture is a far cry from Bay Area mask culture, the sentiment could be similar. 

In California specifically, according to the LA Times around 78% of residents have at least one vaccine, and recently less than 2% of individuals who've contracted the virus have died. It appears that spikes are beginning to die down after the most recent wave of Omicron. However, if the virus continues to spread at all, mutation is a serious risk. There are currently 10 variants being monitored, and 2 variants of concern (Delta and Omicron), but vaccination rates are high enough that further spread shouldn't be major cause for concern, especially since booster shots are shown to heavily improve protection against the disease. In a school situation though, students who contract the virus could spread it to their (possibly aging) parents or even grandparents. Even if states are ready to relax mask wearing in public areas, should schools follow suit? 

Questions:

If mask wearing rules are loosened outside of schools, would it make a difference if students wore masks in school?

What would it take for schools to go maskless?

What are the political implications of Gavin Newsom easing restrictions quickly? Could this be to appease disgruntled Californians and not because he thinks it's right for public health?

How should we learn from other countries' models (on both sides of the spectrum) for fighting the pandemic?

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/23/world/covid-19-tests-cases-vaccine

https://edsource.org/2022/some-california-school-districts-are-defying-state-law-and-making-masking-optional/667805 

https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant-classifications.html 

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2022-02-24/los-angeles-county-eases-covid-19-indoor-mask-mandate

Russian Invades Ukraine

 

                                                                                                                 Ukrainian Soldiers holding flag after recapturing Kyiv Airport

    On February 24th, Russia officially invaded Ukraine with this war only just beginning. Escalation has been going on for weeks with Russian troops and military vehicles building up right outside the border. On early Thursday morning, Russia sent air strikes into Ukraine as an act of unjustified attacks on Ukraine prompting the start of the full war. Ukraine has been able to hold off Russian troops from getting further into the country all while Russia has shelled cities and even towns all across Ukraine. Russia had started invading all across Ukraine from the north and the east side of the country that shares a border with Russia. Ukraine's capital of Kyiv has been targeted by Russia as its main objective while shelling all militarily advantageous locations. 

According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces have taken over the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl which was the source of the world's largest nuclear disaster. All across the country,  Ukrainian people are trying to flee the country and escape to bordering countries to the west like Poland which has a buildup of NATO and American troops. While the US has not entered the war directly they have been helping from afar with the "Biden administration will also be sending $200 million worth of anti-armor missiles, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine" (Politico). Surrounding countries and other NATO countries have not declared war knowing the risks involved in the huge escalation of this war which has been the first real war as part of the 21st century. With both countries having advanced weaponry and as fully standing governments this is one of the first huge conflicts in an extremely long time.

As stated in a New York Times article, this war is different with the goal to expand the country and its influence back to the previous power of the USSR. "A Russian invasion of Ukraine would look like the kind of war that has been largely absent in the past 80 years and that was once common. It would involve a powerful nation setting out to expand its regional dominance by taking over a neighbor. A war like this — a voluntary war of aggression — would be a sign that Putin believed that Pax Americana was over and that the U.S., the European Union and their allies had become too weak to exact painful consequences"(New York Times). With some more context, "Pax Americana" refers to a time after WWII when most of the world was at relative peace from the influence of America. This seems to have disappeared and now Putin is trying to take advantage of the current situation of political disarray especially, in the United States. Putin is trying to change the course of the world's government as stated by Larry Diamond of Stanford University as a trend of "democratic recession"(New York Times). This could possibly be a violent takeover of an autocracy taking control over a democratic country. But the costs for Russia have been huge with the US promising huge sanctions against the war with other countries following suit. Russia's economy has greatly fallen as a result from sanctions and the negative light of its attacks on Ukraine.

This kind of event has not happened to the world in such a long and it feels helpless to simply just watch as even though we are in the 21st century, full country-on-country war can still happen. Losing Ukraine to Russia would be a huge issue to the rest of the Democratic world and to other nearby countries while only showing the rise of an autocratic takeover. 

What should the US or NATO's actions be?

Should what should be the punishment for Russia's attack on Ukraine and why do you think Putin wanted this?

What overall thoughts do you have on the Ukraine-Russian conflict?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-invasion-scrambles-prospects-for-global-economy-11645699066

https://www.the-sun.com/news/4768049/ukraine-russia-news-kyiv-airport-capture/ (just image)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/world/europe/ukraine-maps.html

https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/russias-war-on-ukraine-in-context

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/briefing/ukraine-russia-war-pax-americana.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/us-allies-ukraine-weapons-russia-invasion-527375