The Death of the Leader of Hamas, and What Does This Mean for the U.S.?

     With elections right around the corner, something happened that may alter the war in Gaza. On October 16th, 2024 the leader of the group Hamas, who was elected Hamas political bureau in August 2024 was found dead. He was best known as the mastermind of Hamas’s October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel. He was thought to be undercover most of the time after the attack.

    What does this mean for the war in Gaza? Well, many articles said that the war isn’t over but it moved to a new phrase, what that phase is, many people are unsure, but many believe that the end of the war is near. Before his death, Sinwar seemed very opposed to the idea of compromise, so his death made a settlement more of a possibility. But at the same time, Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Singer's death “settled the score” but the war in Gaza would not stop until all the hostages were safely returned. There has been communication between the US and Israel, but mostly about the celebration of Singer's death, but Biden has a plan to convince Israel to focus on the conflict in Gaza. Biden will most likely further use Singer's death to push the Prime minister of Israel to end the war in Gaza. Still, the Prime Minister wants to wait for Biden’s term to be over, hoping there will be a better connection and relationship with either Trump or Harris.

    President Biden has said that the death of Sinwar is good news after two decades of Hamas’s rule over Gaza, "for Israel, for the United States, and for the world." Other U.S. officials also agree and say that it brings new hope for a suspension in the year-long war. American diplomats say it is definitely a great success but they see many challenges ahead. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a resident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative said, "Israel, Arab nations, and the United States should now offer mass amnesty for remaining Hamas members who lay down their arms and stop fighting," he added. "They should also offer financial rewards to those who either turn in Israeli hostages or provide information leading to the whereabouts of remaining abductees." To simplify this he said that the U.S. as an ally should help in whatever they can, in this case financially should help. The US, Israel's main weapon supplier, has actively supported Iran-supported groups like Hama, which they call terrorist groups, but tensions have been higher as the US officials push Israel to improve living circumstances in Gaza and cut back striking residential areas. The US is hoping for a change as this year-long war has gone on for too long. As U.S. elections are around the corner, Israel is trying to weaken Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They want to establish control over areas to create changes before a new president takes office. Israel wants to ensure that its enemies and their chief patron, Iran, don't regroup and threaten Israeli citizens again. But, Biden has taken this opportunity to tell the Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, that Sinwar had a lot of blood on his hands and it was a perfect opportunity to make peace. Biden and I think everyone wants to see this problem resolved. 

Sources:

- https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/after-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwars-death/story?id=114924572

- https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/after-sinwars-death-israel-aims-lock-strategic-gains-before-us-election-2024-10-18/

- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-yahya-sinwar-hamas-leader-killed-gaza-war-reaction-biden-netanyahu/

- https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-does-yahya-sinwars-death-mean

Donald Trump's and Kamala Harris’s Big Weekend Events

    With two weeks left before election day, Presidential Candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump had a busy weekend. On Saturday, in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump took off his suit jacket and put on his apron and handed french fries through a drive through where tons of people lined the restaurant to watch. Also In Pennsylvania, later in a rally, Donald Trump claimed that Harris was a liar for saying she worked at McDonalds, when he said that with no evidence whatsoever. 

This past Weekend, Kamala Harris had multiple events lined up for her, from talking in rallies with Usher and Lizzo, to interviews, and all while celebrating her birthday. Harris celebrated her 60th birthday in Atlanta where she visited and talked at two churches: New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, and Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro. In these services she talked about her religious upbringing as a child and how they influenced her political career. Harris in this service said, "Do we have leaders in place who understand that in the face of a stranger one should see a neighbor," which emphasizes the need for unity that Harris wants to bring for the American people. She also talked about the gospel of Luke where it talks about being a good samaritan which she said, "As the good Samaritan reminds us, it is not enough to preach the values of compassion and respect. We must live with them.” This is where she reminds the American people to not only say whatever comes to mind, but actually live by what you say. This shows how Harris is deeply connected to the community of all kinds. But before her birthday, American rapper and Singer Lizzo and American singer-songwriter Usher joined her. Usher spoke about the importance of voting and how the people can make a difference, he told the people, “Let’s vote for a future!” Haris also made an appearance in Detroit with Lizzo, where Lizzo said that Detroit is the last vote Harris needed in order to win it all, where she then said that she already had voted for Harris. Lizzo also said, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: It’s about damn time!” referring to one of her songs. 

In a rally at Lakewood Amphitheater, Harris talked about abortion laws, which she further talked about Amber Turner. Amber Turner, a 28 year old mother, with a 6 year old child died in 2022. This was due to a delay in care for a complication that occurred when she took an abortion pill. This is all due to abortion bans which Harris say, “are preventing doctors from providing basic medical care,” Harris also says, "Women are bleeding out in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms, losing their ability to ever have children again... and now women are dying," Harris keep going back to this issue as she talked about this in September and talked about it again in her october Georgia rally. In her rally this past weekend she said that, “Donald Trump still refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused," She specifically said his name because Trump overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 which was the year that Amber Turner died. Harris is trying to fox all the mistakes that were had in the past, she made that clear in all the events she had this past weekend. 

Sources:

- https://theatlantavoice.com/pastor-jamal-braynts-mesage-to-vp-kamala-harris-you-were-born-for-such-a-time-as-this/

- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-recruits-pop-stars-usher-lizzo-swing-state-pushes-tight-race

- https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/kamala-harris-lizzo-detroit-1235805990/

- https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/kamala-harris-lakewood-amphitheatre-atlanta-rally/85-c950bb65-0556-44f4-ac8f-12115b59514f

- https://www.11alive.com/article/news/state/kamala-harris-statement-amber-thurman-georgia-death-abortion-ban-propublica-report/85-c57d3147-2b40-4683-8695-2ef258869d90

Harris makes surprise appearance on SNL, violating FCC “Equal Time” rule.

In the days leading up to the election tomorrow night, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been campaigning non-stop in efforts to sway any remaining undecided voters in their favor. Harris took a break from the campaign trail this past weekend to make a special appearance on popular late night television show, Saturday Night Live. Not only has the skit that she participated in angered the Trump campaign, poking fun at his actions earlier in the week, such as working at a McDonalds, but Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulator Brendan Carr, has come forward on social media platform “X” claiming that by appearing on the show, Harris was making “a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”

As we learned earlier in the year, the Equal Time rule was put into place many decades ago with the rise of radio and television to limit any partisanship from the broadcasting companies. The rule is supposed to enforce that broadcasters must give all candidates the same amount of coverage and interview opportunities, in order to not unfairly influence the results of an election. However, despite Carr’s statement, the FCC has yet to take action in light of the accusation, with a spokesperson stating that “The FCC has not made any determination regarding political programming rules, nor have we received a complaint from any interested parties.”

While the Trump campaign may not have complained about the unfairness yet, it doesn’t change the fact that Harris’s appearance was technically in violation of the rule in the eyes of the FCC. In order to correct this, NBC, the same network that SNL airs on, gave Trump a spot airing after coverage of a NASCAR race Sunday. In an effort to give equal time after Harris’s SNL appearance, Trump gave a “Special Message” to viewers while posing in front of American flags. Yet this doesn’t completely fix the problem, as differing viewership of each program may mean that Trump needs to receive more time in order for the equal time rule to be met. This is a prime example of how the media has changed the way that candidates campaign. Rules like the equal time rule are in place to try and maintain the democratic nature of our elections, but they also may add more complexities and draw focus from the actual issues at hand.

Outside of the FCC debate, the choice to appear on a live television show was a risky one for the Harris campaign. There’s no going back if anything goes wrong, no editing out jokes that are too offensive after the fact. But it was a risk that the Harris campaign chose to take, just as several previous presidential candidates have done, including Trump himself in 2015. So while the Harris campaign is going from campaign event to event, one must question if going on SNL was worth it. With polls in key battleground states as close as ever, one can argue that the appearance had very little impact on Harris’s success. Not even official polls can agree on who is ahead in the race, with an ABC poll putting Harris at 49% of the vote to Trump's 46%, yet another NBC news poll having the candidates tied at 49%. In the end, the choice to go on SNL may have only reached a marginal amount of voters who weren’t already planning on supporting Harris, and this late in the game, there isn’t much impact that her appearance may have had. Whether or not Harris wins on Election Day tomorrow (or in the days that follow), the truth is that there is no way to know whether or not this appearance, or any of the other last minute campaign events are going to have an impact on the results.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/us/politics/kamala-harris-snl.html 

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/kamala-harris-snl-fcc-rule-violated-trump-commissioner-1236198975/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/03/harris-appearance-snl-equal-time-rule

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/11/03/trump-vs-harris-2024-polls-trump-up-in-3-new-surveys-harris-leads-in-2-others/ 

Shifting Tides in Iowa: Harris Gains Unexpected Lead in Key Swing State

 Shocking results came out from the final Iowa Poll before Election Day from the Des Moines Register and Mediacom. The poll concluded that Vice President Harris now holds 47% to former president Trump’s 44% among likely voters in Iowa.The results indicate a shift toward Harris, compared to the previous Iowa Poll in September, which showed Trump with a slight lead. In that poll, 47% of likely voters supported Trump, while 43% favored Harris. 

Iowa has a mixed history in the last four presidential elections. In 2008 and 2012, Barack Obama won the state, while Trump won the state in both the 2016 and the 2020 election. This mixed voting pattern is reflective of Iowa’s swing state status, where voter’s preference depends on the election cycle and candidate, and can shift the state’s voting outcome. The state’s blend of urban, suburban and rural voters is one of the factors contributing to the diverse political leanings. 

As well as its mixed demographics, Iowa is also a state where the first caucus is hosted. The Iowa caucus is significant in the U.S. presidential election process as it is the first major electoral event of the primary season. Held in January or February of election years, the Iowa caucuses kick off the selection of each party’s nominee, giving Iowa an out sized influence in shaping the race. This focus can intensify the competition in the state, as candidates see it as an opportunity to gain early momentum, making it a battleground where outcomes are less predictable.

This result from the Des Moines Register poll came as a complete surprise to political observers, as almost no analysts predicted Harris will be leading against Trump. Neither candidate had campaigned in the state, since Trump has easily won the state for the last two elections. 

The shift in Iowa’s favored candidate can be traced to the voter's gender and age. The new poll finds women in the state largely favor Harris over Trump, 56% to 36%, while male support Trump by a narrower margin, 52% to 38%. The survey also suggests that older voters are firmly in Harris’ support, with 55% of likely voters ages 65 or older backing her, to 36% for Trump, while likely voters younger than 35 split almost evenly, 46% Harris to 44% Trump.

Harris’s lead in the poll is fueled by substantial support from female voters, particularly older women in Iowa, who may feel a personal resonance with her platform or identity. If this trend of voters with sympathetic connections to Harris grows in swing states such as Iowa, the current tight race could widen, giving Harris a possible advantage. This presidential election appears too close to call, leaving the final decision up to the people of the country.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/02/politics/iowa-poll-harris-trump/index.html  

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/02/harris-leading-trump-iowa-poll-presidential-election-.html 

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/iowa-poll/2024/11/02/iowa-poll-kamala-harris-leads-donald-trump-2024-presidential-race/75354033007/ 

https://history.iowa.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/caucuses-and-elections 

https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/state/iowa/party-affiliation/ 

 

Empowering Young Voices:The 'Cancel Out' Trend Among Young Voters

 

With election day just around the corner, a new movement on social media is catching voter’s attention. Voting to “cancel out” someone’s vote on the opposite political spectrum is becoming an increasingly popular topic within the young voters this election season. 

While votes does not necessarily “cancel” eachother out, this trend has made a often tension filled and stressful topic feel more, lighthearted and approachable. First-time voter McKenzie Owens, 19, told NBC News, the trend can make others realize “that people can co-exist even though nowadays politics can also drive people apart.”

While technically a single vote doesn’t "cancel out" another in the literal sense, the movement seems to have succeeded in encouraging voter participation by giving people an accessible, lighthearted angle to engage with the voting process. In many cases, social media users keep their political leanings private, but some have voiced support for Kamala Harris, playfully citing a goal to "cancel out" a loved one’s vote for Donald Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s 20-point lead over former President Trump between voters ages of 18 to 34 strongly indicates her popularity amongst young voters.The “cancel out” trend gaining attention on Social media platforms that are also mainly occupied by younger audiences, could be a beneficial move for the democratic nominee. Harris’s campaign has the opportunity to increase young voter turnouts as well as increasing competition in swing state youth demographics. 

According to a poll conducted by Pew Research, on average 85% of parents who identify as Republican/ Democrat have a teenager who identifies with the same political party as them. Since following the political beliefs of their parents is a typical occurrence amongst young Americans, this trend of embracing individual’s political beliefs and voting for the opposite political party highlights a growing willingness among young people to question inherited perspectives, forming opinions based on their own values and beliefs. 

As polls remain closely split, this trend could offer Harris’s team an opportunity to connect with swing-state youth by highlighting how every vote can truly make a difference. With so much at stake in these highly contested states, emphasizing how close elections can come down to individual choices may change voter outcomes for this election. The “cancel out” approach adds a competitive yet playful spin, appealing to a younger demographic that may otherwise feel distanced from politics and bringing them into the fold as active participants.

https://nypost.com/2024/10/26/lifestyle/gen-z-vows-to-cancel-out-their-parents-votes-in-new-presidential-election-tiktok-trend/  

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/tiktok-cancel-out-vote-joke-videos-election-rcna177147 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/10/most-us-parents-pass-along-their-religion-and-politics-to-their-children/ 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/22/harris-trump-young-voters-cnbc-generation-lab-election.html

Concerns grow as ballot boxes are set on fire in Portland and Vancouver

 With the presidential election coming up soon, tension in the United States is only rising. In the weeks leading up to the election there have been multiple reports of ballot boxes being set on fire. In these ballot boxes, hundreds of ballots were affected, some destroyed completely and others are not legible to read as reported by the Portland Police Bureau.

What was the cause of these fires? An incendiary device placed onto the ballot boxes, in both Portland and Vancouver. The smoke that rose from these devices alerted the public and the police, who ensured the device was deactivated safely and removed by the local bomb squad. Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner, says the design of the device reveals an expertise in metalworking and welding, hunting the person behind the crime spent more than minimum effort in devising their plan. Luckily, the ballot box in Portland has already been replaced, 15 miles from the other ballot box that was affected in Vancouver, in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. The person behind this act was a thirty five year old man, called Dieter B. Klofkorn, who admitted to starting the fires himself. The Phoenix Police Department stated he claimed that he had no political motive in placing these devices, and another source claims he did it in order to be arrested, and the crime was on purpose. Furthermore, it has been ruled that Klorfkorn has been charged with arson.

In response to this crime, the police responded by increasing security around ballot boxes and sending a message: “Make no mistake, an attack on a ballot box is an attack on our democracy and completely unacceptable,” said Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. Although the attack on the ballot boxes may not have been political, the message it sent reflected the tension the whole country is feeling. The election determines the future of the country, and these moments highlight the overall anxiety of this election. Despite these events, state leaders are still encouraging people to submit their votes, with a new promise of increased security, attempting to reassure fears.

Overall, this event serves as an example of the response to setbacks in the electoral process. It fortunately motivated leaders to reinforce security measures around ballot boxes, reflecting the country’s commitment to the safety of the American people and the democratic process. In increasing security measures, leaders might have also reassured the people’s trust revolving around public safety

Sources:

• https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/us/ballot-box-fires-oregon-washington/index.html

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/28/ballot-drop-boxes-fires-portland-oregon-washington/

• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gm3rnjwk4o

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/28/ballot-box-on-fire-washington-oregon

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe faces major public backlash after making racist Puerto Rican joke at Trump Rally

 A “floating island of garbage”. These were the words the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe used to describe Puerto Rico. At former president Donald Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden the comedian attempted to land a joke, however is receiving major backlash due to its racist content.

It was revealed that Hinchcliffe had rehearsed the material Sunday night, the day prior, at a local comedy club. Not only was this joke rehearsed before its release at the Trump rally, but it was reported that multiple times during his routine Hinchcliffe claimed he would get a better reaction “tomorrow at the rally”. However, by the reaction of the internet, it received far worse backlash. Even more controversial, the comedian's response to the internet was that the joke was “taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there.” This goes to highlight that Hinchcliffe seems to believe he has done nothing wrong and has done nothing to apologize for his words. 

The deputy director of Hispanic communications for the Republican National Committee and Trump campaign said “they don’t have absolute control” over what the speakers were saying. The response to this claim were questions based on the fact that Hinchcliffe read his routine from a teleprompter. Not only does this exemplify the carelessness of Trump’s campaign, but the blatant disrespect for a territory of the United States.

Furthermore, senior advisor Danielle Alvarez reported to NBC News “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign”. As for Donald Trump, he has stayed silent so far, showing no personal support or disapproval regarding the joke. However, many celebrities have been vocal in showing their distaste and disapproval regarding Hinchcliffe’s racist joke. Aubrey Plaza, an actress, announces that her abuelita would say “Tony Hinchcliffe, go f— yourself”. Additionally, the Puerto Rican reggaeton star, Bad Bunny, shared a video of Kamala’s Harris and her response to advocate his support of her to his 45 million followers on Instagram. Rafael Collazo, executive director of UndiosUS Action Fund, a Latino advocacy organization reported on Monday morning that Puerto Ricans were volunteering to knock on doors in Philadelphia and Reading with the intent of showing support for Kamala Harris’s campaign. Unfortunately for Hinchcliffe, it appears that his words did more support for the Harris campaign than for Trump.This uproar of support for Puerto Rico is an uplifting reminder that America is a country that is based on unity and equality.

Sources:

• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj7689v757o

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/tony-hinchcliffe-trump-rally-racist-puerto-rico-remarks-rcna177587

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/28/trump-rally-attacks-puerto-rico-harris/

• https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/2024-election-updates-harris-counters-racist-remarks-puerto/?id=115211934

• https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/30/politics/video/donald-trump-nyc-rally-puerto-rico-joke-tony-hinchcliffe-digvid

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/racist-joke-puerto-ricans-created-aftershocks-may-shake-election-rcna177855

• https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/aubrey-plaza-tony-hinchcliffe-19874205.php

Notable Moments From the Harris Campaign, From Megan Thee Stallion to Bruce Springsteen

Safe to say Kamala Harris’s campaign has been nothing short of entertaining. From her riveting and lively rallies to her numerous amount of celebrity endorsements, her campaign is one for the books. 

June 27th marked the date of Biden and Trump's first and last debate of this election, serving as a historic day that would end up leading to the endorsement of Kamala Harris as president. Harris announced her campaign for president on July 21st, 2024.  And so the campaign began. 

On July 30th, Megan Thee Stallion performed at Harris’s rally in Atlanta. Sporting the phrase, “Hotties for Harris,”  Megan Thee Stallion led a lively performance, singing and dancing, all while encouraging voter support in between her sets. Following Megan was rapper Quavo from the Migos, hoping to spread awareness on issues like gun violence, and quoted for saying, “One thing I learned about working with Vice President Harris is she always stands on business.” Endorsements like these from celebrities popular among the youth are not only very interesting to watch, but extremely smart for urging young voters to vote blue! The use of silly phrases targeted at our generation's lingo and captivating performances are a great way to enhance voter turnout among young people, especially those who just gained the ability to vote. 

Kamala Harris was officially nominated by the Democratic Party on August 5th. She continued to host engaging rallies, and began utilizing social media like TikTok to reach out to her younger viewers and continue to gain support among our generation. On September 10th, Harris debated against Trump. Through her points, manner of speaking, strong responses to the questions, and overall respect and maturity, Harris put up a great performance. After the debate she continued to campaign and connect with the youth, and on top of that raised millions of dollars towards her campaign, raising $997.2 million by October 16th compared to Trump’s campaign committee, which raised $388 million. 

On October 20th three Harris campaign officials and three White House officials disclosed that “Harris has no current plans to campaign with Biden before Election Day,” even though she was set to campaign with Obama. Harsh. Or is it? According to Harris and Biden aides, this is the best strategy for the campaign as it comes to a close; Biden can focus on being president while Harris focuses on the campaign. And it probably is for the best. I mean come on, the man is 81 he needs a break. This is also an important decision to emphasize how Harris isn’t Biden. She isn’t trying to represent a Biden second-term, and is making sure people see this as her own presidency.

As the campaign comes to a close, Harris continues to pull out all the stops. On October 24th former president Obama joined Harris on stage at a rally in Atlanta in hopes of energizing the room and creating full support for Harris. And it worked, as millions of Americans were reportedly “energized and inspired not only by Barack Obama’s message but by how he leads,” according to Harris. The two were also joined by Bruce Springsteen on stage, who not only endorsed Harris but openly criticized Trump, calling him an “American tyrant.” Now that’s how you do a rally!

With Election Day fast approaching all we can do is hope and see how much of an impact Harris’s campaign really had. If it all ends up being for nothing, at least her campaign efforts will go down in history. 

Sources:

• https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/kamala-harris-no-current-plans-campaign-biden-election-day-rcna176254  

• https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/07/30/megan-thee-stallion-kamala-harris-campaign-rally/74599637007/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/us/politics/obama-harris-bruce-springsteen-georgia.html 

• https://www.npr.org/2024/08/21/g-s1-18188/democratic-national-convention-roll-call-music-state 

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/10/25/trump-vs-harris-fundraising-race-harris-outraised-trump-3-to-1-with-last-pre-election-report/ 

Third-Party Candidates: Who Are They and How do They Influence This Year’s Election?

In every swing state in this year’s election there is at least one third-party candidate present on the ballot. But who are these third-party candidates and what impact are they having on the presidential race?  In the 2024 election the most prominent candidates are Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver, and Independent Cornel West, a progressive theologian. Another notable mention is Independent Robert F. Kennedy, who ended up dropping out of the race, supporting former president Trump instead. However, his name is still present on ballots in over 20 states, including Wisconsin and Michigan, two swing states that are crucial to the election. 

In the previous week’s lesson we focused on political parties, and how in America the two-party system has remained dominant for many years. However, this doesn’t mean third parties can just be disregarded. Especially in election years, third parties can have a surprisingly large impact. In tight presidential elections like this one, third-party and independent candidates act as “spoilers”, meaning they take votes away from the main two candidates that have the best chance at winning, in this case Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Let’s take a look at the most prominent third party candidates and what a vote for them really means. 

Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, is currently polling at about 1% nationwide, according to polls conducted by the New York Times, and is present on ballots in 38 states. Stein has been in the game for a long time, being the Green Party candidate in both the 2012 and 2016 elections. Obviously the woman is not a quitter. She is back again in this year’s election, in support of things such as a more aggressive climate policy, a withdrawal of US support for Israel and Ukraine, and free public education from pre-kindergarten through college. Individuals who agree with her opinions and outlooks may be drawn to vote for her in the upcoming election. But as a third-party candidate with little national support, in reality, “A vote for Stein is really a vote for Trump,” says the Democratic National Committee. According to them, voting for Stein only takes votes away from Kamala Harris, putting the democratic party at a disadvantage while advantaging Trump and the republican party.   

Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party candidate, has the same polling stats as Jill Stein. Oliver is a 39 year old male (nice to see someone young for a change) from Nashville, Tennessee, who has criticized Trump and Vance in the past when they tried to garner Libertarian votes earlier in the year. Oliver believes in “simplifying the pathway to citizenship for immigrants and expanding work visas,” as well as withdrawing the US from international conflicts and federally decriminalizing marijuana use. Sounds like a cool dude! Except, in reality, any votes for Oliver don’t really count as they don’t end up going to one of the main candidates (and depending on how you look at it just end up being votes for Trump). How unfortunate. 

Finally, the two Independents: Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy. West is a political activist and scholar, and formerly a professor at Union Theological Seminary. West has said he aims to pressure Israel into a permanent ceasefire from Gaza and to cut off all US aid to Ukraine. Those angered with moderate left politics could be inclined to vote for West, but this would only draw votes away from Harris, and as a result advantage Trump’s campaign. I’m starting to notice a pattern… Now lastly, when it comes to Kennedy, even though he has dropped from the race, his name is still present on ballots in many different states, including two important swing states. However, since Kennedy has formally endorsed Trump, any votes for him would actually take votes away from Trump, benefiting Harris’s campaign. 

In the end, votes for almost all third-party candidates, in reality, are pointless (because in this case, they usually just end up being votes for Trump). Maybe there’s a reason that America has had a two-party system for decades! 

Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/us/politics/presidential-election-third-party-candidates.html 

• https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/politics/presidential-candidates-dg/ 

• https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2024-10-22/if-you-vote-for-a-third-party-or-independent-presidential-candidate-will-your-vote-hurt-or-help-trump-and-harris

• https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-25/if-youre-progressive-or-muslim-dont-waste-your-vote-on-jill-stein 

Everything comes full circle: Donald Trump goes from serving Mcdonalds to working at Mcdonalds

    On January 14th, 2019, Donald Trump served fast food to the Clemson Tigers, who were the national college football champions at the time. When you think of the U.S. government’s State Dining Room, you would imagine that they would have the best chefs and food available, not fish sandwiches. However, there was a reason behind this; The longest partial-government shutdown in American history was happening, and funnily enough was because of Trump’s refusal to support a bill not including his 5 billion dollar wall on the Mexican Border. Usually a president is supposed to be the leader of the people, not the pitfall, but hey we all have our petty tantrums sometimes! After this fiasco, everything went back to normal, and the fast food stopped being served in the White House.

   However, you can take the man out of the fast food, but you can't take the fast food out of the man. He created a photo-op, and to do so he had the McDonald’s franchise in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, closed for himself and had pre-selected customers beforehand. During this publicity stunt, he cooked two batches of French Fries, though he forgot to drain all of the oil and added too much salt. Funnily enough, he marveled at the fry packaging, which if you ask me is the last thing you would compliment McDonalds about. Furthermore, after he spent 2 minutes making some fries, he said he “like(s) this job” and would “do it again”. I don’t think he understands that each of these fast food workers have to do this over and over EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Even more blasphemous, he avoided all questions about federal minimum wage… The true definition of a stuck-up celebrity. Take the fame, get a good image and leave everyone else suffering. Not exactly president material.

   Anyhow, his pettiness seems to be something of a habit, as NBC news states that this was designed to troll Harris. One of the big appeals about Candidate Harris, who’s shared her experiences as working the fry machine over 40 years ago. This experience has been instrumental to her appeal of the middle class, and Trump continually tries to take this away from her; There are multiple reports of him trying to accuse her of never working, which lets be honest is sort of getting repetitive at this point. False accusations are a staple of his, and I'm not exactly sure this stunt helped a ton for his image and appeal. Pennsylvania is a keystone state, and by doing so he hopes to sow doubt that Kamala never worked at McDonalds, which he hopes will help cause the vote to sway in his favor.

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-tries-troll-harris-serving-french-fries-mcdonalds-rcna176294 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwWDCh8O9WE 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/15/18183617/trump-clemson-mcdonalds-burger-king-wendys-dominos 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/20/politics/mcdonalds-donald-trump-pennsylvania/index.html 

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-harris-mcdonalds-fry-cook-economy-election-2024-10 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/10/20/trump-works-fryer-at-mcdonalds-and-accuses-harris-without-evidence-of-lying-about-summer-job/