How Biden's infrastructure plan could create a jobs boom — in fossil fuels

 Biden has made clear that he wants to move the country to more renewable sources, hence slowly removing the fossil fuels and coal industry which people thought would lead to a large loss in jobs however Biden has different plans. The white house is looking to hire hundreds of thousands of Americans to clean up the old sources of energy.

The American Jobs Plan looks to use 16 Billion dollar
s to help clean up old gas wells and abandoned coal mines. Biden looks to hire the skilled people who originally did work in those oil rigs and giving them their jobs back by cleaning up their old work place. This will not only make jobs but also will clean the pollution around these areas.

West Virginia will be one of the areas that benefits the most out of this plan as it has a great amount of uncapped wells. Plus, a lot of the people who lost their jobs were from West Virginia. People say that these jobs will help the people to find more jobs later however other people contest that by saying it doesn’t teach them how to code or live in the new world.

There are around 56,600 unplugged wells that can lead to many spills and can lead to groundwater contamination which takes even more money to clean up as these spills are 84 times more potent than CO2.

Connection to Economics:

Biden is killing two birds with one stone by not only encouraging innovation but also cleaning up the environment. This would save America a lot of money.

Article Link:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/31/business/jobs-infrastructure-oil-gas-coal-mines/index.html

Questions:

Is Biden doing the right thing or should he try to get people jobs that may have more value for people to get more jobs after?

What is something else Biden could do to transfer to renewable energy?

1st news media allowed inside overcrowded migrant facility under Biden

 Hoping for a change in scenery for these migrant camps there is finally knowledge on what the insides look like.

The camp meant to hold 250 migrants was found to hold more than 4,100 people inside. Which 3,400 of them were minors and 2,000 waited longer than the 72 hour limit. Families are packed in tight rooms with aluminum foil like blankets to keep them warm. There were kids outside playing soccer.

The camp is 184,000 square feet with 500 agents watching over it. The camp takes 16 million dollars a month to run. Children were allowed to call their family members at least once during every 48 hours in the camp.

The head of homeland security said, “a border patrol facility is no place for a child.” The new administration started to change a lot of the actions done by Trump. One of the big actions changed was Trump’s public health code known as “Title 42”.

This allowed for immigration authorities to quickly remove unaccompanied migrant children (Usually in their teens) and they were sent back to Mexico within hours of entering the camp. This health code was decided to be unnecessarily cruel. Biden has started to put more care into kids who come to the camps without parents.

Relating to economics: With the budget of US 16 million dollars a month to take care of these migrants is kind of harsh. Since America is the “Land of the free”, commonly known to accept all people, there should be more money going into helping people enter and succeed in this country.

Article Link:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/1st-news-media-allowed-inside-overcrowded-migrant-facility/story?id=76768789&cid=clicksource_4380645_5_three_posts_card_hed

Questions:

What else do you think can be done to help these migrants?

Is it wrong to coop these people up here or is America doing the best it can to help?

Ship stuck in Suez Canal freed

After almost an entire week of blocking traffic within the Suez Canal, the Ever Given was refloated and passage through the canal is available again. The Ever Given ship headed to the Great Bitter Lake, where it will be inspected for potential damage. An investigation will also be held into the cause of the ship getting stuck as well.  Meanwhile, the canal itself has a backlog of over 370 ships, with even more ships expected to arrive. Chairman of the Suez Canal, Osama Rabie, is expecting the backlog to be cleared within three days, though experts have claimed that it could take as long as ten days. With around a total of 9 billion dollars per day of delay in transit, workers rushed to get the ship freed as soon as possible, and after a few failed attempts, successfully did so on Monday. Though supply is still temporarily slowed as distribution of goods through ships are delayed, a much longer disruption predicted to increase the cost of shipping in fuel and time due to taking a different route, and as a result, the cost of goods to consumers, was averted. However, this incident reveals a critical flaw in the supply chain. According to William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, "This is a warning about how vulnerable our supply chains are and how the just-in-time inventory techniques that have been so popular have to be rethought," similar to how the covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the manufacturing of goods in China. 

Consider the following:

a. What are some other vulnerabilities within the supply chain?

b. How can companies or countries mitigate or avoid future incidents such as these (besides not getting stuck in a canal in the first place) in the future? 

c. How do incidents like these impact the average consumer or yourself? 

AP article + image source

NPR

Indystar (also from the AP)

Forbes

Police in Belarus Capital Arrest More Than 100 Protesters- Tehjal Kumar

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More than 100 protesters who gathered to the march on Saturday to call for the impeachment of a country's oppressive president were detained by the police in the capital of Belarus.

The event in Minsk showed that political supporters of the opposition tried to rekindle the massive demonstrations which struck Belarus last year but slept during the winter. More than 200 protesters were arrested on Thursday during the first massive anti-government demonstrations in 2021.

In August, demonstrations came after a contentious referendum, which led to the sixth term of President Alexander Lukashenko. Opposition and independent media have been heavily repressed after 26 years in power by Lukashenko, who has been described as the last tyrant for Europe.

More than 33,000 protesters were arrested and hundreds were beaten by the police during the riots. 

This relates to economics because the government may need to start putting money in places where people may actually benefit to win them over.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think the protesters' reason for protesting was justifiable?

2. Was it justified that more than 200 protesters were arrested during this planned event? 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-27/police-in-belarus-capital-arrest-more-than-100-protesters 

Texas State Judge Upholds Austin's Mask Mandate- Tehjal Kumar

 

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A Texas judge permits the city of Austin in weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott finished his state mask requirement and the other COVID-19 security policies to continue to demand facial coverage for local enterprises.

In Texas, which was the largest state to reduce the COVID-19 requirements earlier this month, face covers have only been loosely applied. The decision is likely to be challenged by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The virus outbreak in Texas has increased according to Johns Hopkins University. The seven day average for new cases in the United States rose from 55,516 on 11 March to 58,617 on Thursday during the last two weeks. They also state that the seven-day rate for daily new deaths has dropped from 1,371 on 11 March to 967 on Wednesday over the past two weeks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 89,5 million people, or 27% of the population of the United States, received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine. Any 48.6 million people have finished their vaccine or 14.7 percent of the population.

The lowest number since October was about 3,400 COVID-19 patients in Texas. On Monday, all adults will begin to receive a coronavirus vaccine in Texas. Texas, as well as around other countries have set up plans to get people vaccinated and kids for example to go back to school using self-test kits in order to attend class when schools reopen. In order for things to go back to normal; i.e. before the pandemic, more people need to get vaccinated.

This relates to economics because many people who are against wearing masks may boycott these stores, however, in a place of ethics, the loss of money should not be as important as the potential lives saved.





Questions to consider: 

1. Do you believe that lifting the mask mandate in Texas is justifiable/ a good idea if not everyone has gotten the vaccine? 

2. What would be the best course of action for things to go “back to normal”; i.e. pre-pandemic? 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-26/the-latest-frances-macron-defends-no-lockdown-policy

Biden Invites Russia and China to First Global Climate Talks- Tehjal Kumar

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President Joe Biden international efforts towards reducing the climate-wrecked emissions of fossil fuel, including rival Vladimir Putin from Russia and Xi Jinping from China among the inviting parties to his government's first major climate talks.

The session will examine Biden's commitment to prioritize climate change among overlapping environmental, technological, political and pandemic issues.

U.S. officials and several others are offering some credit for setting the framework for the Paris Accord to the main economic talks of the Obama administration. During those negotiations, the United States and almost 200 other governments each set their fossil-fuel emission mitigation priorities and dedicated themselves to tracking and reporting their emissions. Another official of Biden's administration confirmed that the US also decides how far the government can go to meet a more aggressive U.S. pollution goal.

In the run-up to the global climate negotiations in Glasgow in November, it will also inspire other world leaders to use it as a forum to announce stronger goals or more promises for their own nations.

The international opening of Biden's climate negotiations, particularly his approach to China, was widely welcomed by climate scientists and climate policy experts. Biden committed $2,000 billion in investment to turn the US into a zero-emission economy by 2050. During early, one-on-one talks with world leaders Biden and other administrative officials emphasized US climate intentions, while Biden Climate Envoy, John Kerry, concentrated on foreign diplomacy in order to stimulate climate action.


In order to turn the US into a zero-emission economy by 2050, Biden pledged $2,000 billion in investments. During the early talks, the US Environment Envoy, John Kerry, focussed on international diplomacy to promote progress on the climate, emphasized Biden and other administrative officials on global warming intentions.

This relates to economics reason being that industries for renewable energy will boom. This will hopefully lead to innovation. More regulations may come up against the use of fossil fuels.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think Biden’s doing enough to create his goal of a “zero-emission” economy? 

2. How will zero-emission affect our economy?  

3. How do you think other leaders in the world will be inspired to Biden’s zero-emission efforts? 

 https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-03-27/biden-invites-russia-china-to-first-global-climate-talks  

How is the Suez Canal Blockage holding up 15% of the worlds container shipping?

 

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A blockage of the Suez Canal that began a couple days ago is forcing ships to consider an expensive trip around Africa’s cape. A normal trip from the Suez to Europe typically takes around 11 days but rerouting and going around could add an additional 26 days to the trip and could cost about $30,000 a day or $800,000 for the whole trip. The other option is just waiting out the jam in the Suez canal which could cost anywhere from $15,000-$30,000 per day depending on the ship and the company. 

One of the biggest container ships, the Ever Given, has been stuck horizontally in the canal because of high velocity winds that pushed the ship. (pictured above). This blockage of the canal has posed huge financial and safety concerns for the ships and the people transporting these goods. The Suez Canal is one of the main canals in the global shipping industry along with the Panama Canal, so this shutdown has shut down trade and has cost a lot of money for buyers, transporters and major companies. The canal’s shutdown has stopped almost 15% of the world's container shipping capacity. 

Some tankers may be holding 9.8 million barrels of oil which amounts to about a tenth of our daily global consumption. Many industries are relying on shipping parts and finished products and more than 200 ships are stuck in the canal and there is no estimated time of fixing the issue. An additional 80 ships are scheduled to arrive at the Canal within the next few days and more ships are still on route trying to decide whether or not they should wait out the shutdown or take the long trip around the continent. 

For some ships that are coming from Asia heading towards Europe the alternative route requires them to go through an area of Somalia known to be filled with piracy. For some ships this poses no threat, those are ones with extreme security teams but this route is not an option for smaller ships who are subject to robberies. Not going through Somalia adds another three days to the trip which could cost an additional $90-100,000. Africa’s southern tip has different weather and currents which if not made aware of the difference could lead to unpredictable outcomes. The cape is known as “the cape of storms.” 

        The blockage and the problems created by the stopped ships is an example of supply and demand. Companies have to chose how much time, money and resources they want to put into these ships and figure out how much they are willing to do supply their buyers with products. Each scenario has different inputs, all with the same output but how long that output takes is the question.

If you were put in this position, would you wait out the blockage or would you take the chance of going around? What other financial and safety implications could arise from either scenario? 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/26/suez-canal-ship-stuck-crisis-shipping-companies-rerouting-blocked-ships

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/business/suez-canal-blocked-ship.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/suez-canal-blocked-ship-cargo-b1822703.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56533250

Biden Expresses His Support for Reforming the Senate Filibuster

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On March 16th, in an ABC News interview with President Joe Biden, Biden expressed his support for changing the filibuster rules. While he doesn’t mention removing the action entirely, he does bring to light its need for reform. He explains, “I don’t think you have to eliminate the filibuster, you have to [make it] what it used to be… when you had to stand up and command the floor” (ABCNews). Biden contends the current filibuster rules are faulty because they too easily allow minority parties to block bills. So, to fix this, its rules should be altered to how they were a few decades ago, which he names, the “talking filibuster.”

A filibuster is a political strategy in which a senator advocates for hours on end to delay efforts to vote for a bill (history.com). Since its creation in the mid-1800’s its rules have varied, however, its unique leverage for minority parties in the Senate remains the same. In the mid-1900s (the time Biden refers to in his interview), senators had to continuously speak on the senate floor in order to sustain challenge to legislation. Additionally, only one bill could be under consideration during this time, as the senate floor was given full attention to whomever was speaking. However, in the early 1970s, the Senate changed the rules so that filibusters could be “silent” — parties could now debate multiple issues at once outside of the actual senate floor. According to a study conducted at UCLA, in the 1950s, there was an average of one filibuster per Congress. After the 70's, that number spiked, with 137 filibusters by 2010.

On Thursday, Biden held his first press conference as President where he also expressed his support for a filibuster reform. He stated, “I strongly support moving in that direction,” when asked if the U.S. should go back to “talking filibusters.” He explained that minority parties have far too much power and that the number of filibusters has gotten too high in the last few decades.

With strong Republican opposition to the filibuster and moderate Democrats backing Biden, he believes it won't be too difficult for him to conjure the support necessary to pass reform. Although Biden himself won’t get to vote on this, his influence as President will hopefully bring the caucus to a unified decision where Vice President Kamala Harris can then cast the final vote.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you believe the filibuster should be reformed?

2. Why is Biden so heavily against the "silent" filibuster that's practiced today?

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/history-of-the-filibuster 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/joe-biden-says-senate-filibuster-being-abused-must-be-changed-n1262079 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-supports-reforming-senate-filibuster-abc-news-exclusive/story?id=76499156 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-hold-first-press-conference-questions-loom-about-border-gun-n1262052 

Citizens Take Long-Overdue Action Against Asian American Hate Crimes

 

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Following the recent Atlanta spa attacks, protesters have taken to the streets to stand up against anti-Asian hate crimes. On March 24th, dozens of citizens combed the streets of New York City wearing identifying neon vests with the mission of looking out for any potential hate crimes. Composed of students, retail workers, and retirees, this volunteer group acted as a patrol, providing help by intervening harassment, escorting people away from potential danger, or calling the police. Similar volunteer groups have formed all across the nation, ranging from New York to Oakland, California. Acting as extra eyes in otherwise crowded and rampant cities, they provide many Asian American citizens with an added sense of security.

A study conducted at CSU San Bernardino found that hate crimes against Asians have increased nearly 150% between 2019 and 2020. With knowledge of coronavirus emerging in China, people have used this as justification for their disrespect, blaming innocent civilians for the outbreak of a global pandemic. Unfortunately, though, racism against Asian Americans is not a new concept. Tracing all the way back to the 1850’s when Chinese immigrants began living in the U.S, the public regarded them as “Asians coming to steal White jobs.” Though largely untrue, as Chinese immigrants commonly filled dangerous, lower-wage jobs, the Supreme Court validated these accusations in their ruling of People v. Hall (1854), which stated that those of Asian descent could not testify against a White person. The history of racism doesn’t end there. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, banning Chinese immigration for 20 years. In the 1940’s, Japanese citizens were placed in internment camps for the duration of WWII. These are just a few of many hate crimes made against Asian Americans, making it crucial to understand, and sympathize with, the historical lack of respect the U.S. has held towards Asians. 

Racism against Asian Americans stems all the way back to Court rulings from the 1800's, and the normalization of insensitive and inaccurate stereotypes only feeds this problem. As more citizens begin to stand up against hate and promote unity, the U.S. finds itself moving into a new era; an era hopefully filled with greater respect and inclusion.

Questions To Consider:

    1. If you were to personally witness a hate crime, what do you believe the best course of action would be to take?

    2. What are some ways organizations can take action against Asian American hate crimes?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/volunteers-take-to-streets-to-form-patrols-after-anti-asian-attacks-11616594481 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/03/18/history-anti-asian-violence-racism/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/nyregion/nyc-asian-hate-crimes.html 

Why are Covid-19 Cases Rising as Vaccines Become Widely Distributed?

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With thousands of students enjoying their spring break this month, it's easy to want to contribute to the rise in COVID-19 cases to reckless partying and travel. However, the answer to this is a little more complex. In the U.S., COVID restrictions have been lifted enormously, with currently 14 states no longer enforcing masks or social distancing (NY Times). Even in California, people are permitted to in-door dine and to soon attend school once again. Naturally, such relaxed restrictions have caused greater exposure to the virus, and having a school vacation occur at the same time only adds more fuel to this fire. So, although it seems somewhat paradoxical that COVID-19 cases are surging amidst the wide distribution of vaccines, the lack of restrictions seems to be the culprit for this phenomena.

Another contributing factor is the overall decrease in general concern. As people grow accustomed to “living with the virus,” people have become generally less anxious regarding the issue COVID, prompting them to go out more and avoid the measures necessary in protecting themselves. 

According to CNBC, approximately 2.5 million Americans are vaccinated every day. This equates to less than 1% of our population, meaning that although vaccinations are being distributed (and cases have declined as a whole), the dominant nature of COVID is still affecting many U.S. citizens. With this being said, in order to ensure that people stay as safe as possible during this time, experts contend that “masking and physical distancing will continue to be critical tools in preventing transmission” (Sutterhealth.org). Moreover, with such a large demand for COVID vaccinations, scientists and health organizations are working hard to distribute them as fast as possible. However, until the majority of the population can receive them, it's important to remember that COVID is still very prevalent and destructive.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you believe it is justifiable for states to lift mask mandates even as cases continue to rise? (visit the NY Times article linked below for more details)

2. Do you think most people will be vaccinated by summer? Why or why not?

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/22/covid-cases-rise-across-more-than-half-of-the-us-as-country-races-to-vaccinate.html   

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html 

https://www.sutterhealth.org/for-patients/health-alerts/covid-19-vaccine#w1612931391008 

https://whyy.org/articles/whos-getting-the-covid-19-vaccine-who-isnt-and-why/ 

Biden Promotes Ban on Assault Weapons after Colorado Shooting

 

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On Monday March 22, 2021 a supermarket in Boulder Colorado was targeted by an active shooter. 10 innocent people were killed at King Soopers including Police Officer Eric Talley who was the first Officer who responded to the call. Another victim among the 10 was a store manager who worked at the Supermarket, Ricky Olds and the other 8 passed were between the ages of 20-65. 

Officer Talley was with the Boulder Police Department since 2010 and was 51 years old at the time of his death. He was extremely respected in Boulder, the head of Boulder’s Police Department said Talley had a special way of connecting with people. Officer Talley is survived by his wife and seven children and will be remembered for his heroics. 

The man responsible for this crime is a 21 year old man and reports showed that he purchased the assault rifle he used in the attack earlier that week. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa is now in custody after getting into a shootout with police officers and was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries. Investigators have yet to find a motive for the shooting however they think it may be related to the gun ban that was just put in place. 

When police arrived on scene, they announced over a loudspeaker that the building was surrounded and there was nowhere for the suspect to go. As they entered the supermarket shots were exchanged between the suspect and police, the suspect was hit in the leg and taken to the hospital after he was detained. 

The shooting took place 10 days after a judge blocked a ban on Assault Rifles which was passed in Boulder in 2018. This ban was passed in 2018 after the Parkland Shooting earlier that year. The suspects family told police that they believe Alissa was struggling with some sort of mental illness including delusions which they said could have contributed to the violence. This attack was the 7th mass shooting in 2021, because of the pandemic 2020 had the fewest attacks in over a decade. 

Following this awful event on Tuesday March 23, 2021 President Biden called upon the senate to pass the two background check bills that have already been approved by the House and for Congress to reenact the assault weapons ban.

What are your thoughts on the ban for assault weapons that President Biden is promoting following the events in Boulder? 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/colorado-king-soopers-shooting/h_d97fb015748f2d53174cc11698a12cfb

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/23/boulder-shooting-live-updates/

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/03/22/police-active-shooter-shooting-king-soopers-boulder/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/us/boulder-shooting-what-we-know.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/us/victims-of-boulder-shooting/index.html

Florida in a State of Emergency over “Spring Breakers”

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For many years Miami has been a spring break destination for young adults to spend their time on the beach and this year Coronavirus has not stopped thousands of people from continuing this tradition. This year especially there has been an overwhelming amount of visitors to Florida, crowding the beaches, bars and restaurants. This has made Florida a hot spot for Coronavirus as the state of Florida surpasses two million cases.

 On Thursday night police were called to break up a fight in a bar, the next day food and beverage operations were shut down following safety concerns. Saturday, City Officials declared a state of emergency and imposed an 8pm curfew on the Entertainment District in hopes of slowing the spread and this curfew is now set to be kept in place until April 11th. A day after the curfew was put into place, reports showed Ocean Avenue still packed 30 minutes after the 8pm curfew resulting in SWAT being sent out to disperse the crowds. 

The Clevelander Hotel, a very popular vacation spot in Florida has shut down bar and restaurant operations in response to the Covid-19 concerns until at least next weekend. Mayor Gelber said he doesn't "blame them for wanting to close" because it feels like "like this city is under a level of siege."

Miami Beach Police have made over 900 arrests in February and March and said that they’ve called in reinforcements to Miami to add more police presence on the beach. Mayor Dan Gelber said one of the many reasons for the increase in population is due to the cheap flights, he noted that one could get a flight from Philadelphia to Florida for just $50. 

Do you think Florida’s State Officials are doing enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19? What other repercussions could the state take in order to prevent more cases throughout the rest of the month? 

Sources: 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/miami-beach-imposes-curfew-declares-state-of-emergency-over-spring-break-fervor

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/miami-beach-declares-state-emergency-over-spring-break-crowds-n1261673

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/21/miami-beach-state-of-emergency/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56476904

Why isn't the murder of 6 Asian-American women labeled a hate crime?

 

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Last week, Robert Aaron Long, a white man drove to a local sporting goods store to get a gun. Passing the background test took a few minutes. He then took a short drive to "Young's Asian Massage" and shot and killed eight people - Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng and Paul Andre Michels - Six of them of Asian descent and seven of them women. 

Since then, demonstrations have started across the country. Activists linking the massacre to a surge in violence against Asian-Americans, that have started since the beginning of the current pandemic. This event highlights the need for more strict gun regulation to fight gun-violence, since they make it too easy for people to act on their hate. 

 A year ago Georgia was one of the only four states with no hate crime legislation. In February of 2020, when a young Black man, Ahmaud Arbery was stopped, detained and then shot to death by white residents in a South Georgia suburban neighborhood Georgia passed their legislation. Aaron Long has been charged with eight counts of murder, but shouldn't hate crime be added to the list?

Law enforcement and other legal figures have not wanted to label the murders as a hate crime because of lack of evidence for motivation. However, with 6 of the victims being women of Asian decent it seems to be clear what the intent was. President Biden and Vice-President Harris travelled to Georgia and called for the U.S. to unite against hate and speak out against violence targeting Asian Americans in an address in Atlanta on Friday. 

A spokesman for the Cherokee county, attributed Aaron Long's motivation to sex addiction and that he was having a "really bad day". Regardless of whether the attack was meant towards women or people of asian decent, both are protected under the hate crime legislation. The same spokesman was also seen with  a shirt that called COVID-19 an "IMPORTED VIRUS FROM CHYNA". 

Hate crimes against Asian Americans have surged roughly 150% in 2020. This crime should be called what it was, a hate crime. Adding it to Long's charges could give up to lifetime in prison without right to parole and even a death sentence, which is still an option in Georgia. Also quoting Representative Sam Park, a Democratic member of the Georgia House and the state’s only Korean-American legislator: “Regardless of the motive of the perpetrator, we very much feel like this is an attack on our community. Condolences are good. Words of sympathy are great — but actions are necessary.” 

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/us/politics/georgia-hate-crime-atlanta-shootings.html?searchResultPosition=16

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/20/atlanta-shooting-updates/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jay-baker-atlanta-spa-shooting-suspect-bad-day-racist-covid-19-shirt/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/asian-american-hate-crimes-up-150-percent-us/

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/19/biden-harris-to-meet-with-asian-american-leaders-in-atlanta-after-shooting-spree.html

https://www.voanews.com/usa/atlanta-shooting-suspect-says-sex-addiction-not-racial-hatred-spurred-attack

Will Governor Gavin Newsom be recalled?

 Republicans in California have been very unsatisfied with Newsom's lockdowns and opened a process to recall him in June of 2020. The last day to gather signatures was Wednesday (March 16th) and organizers of the recall say they have over 1.5 million signatures which is the amount needed for the recall to move forward. 

This recall has some very untrustworthy organizers; the chief organizer believes we should microchip immigrants, of the main sponsors, one is a proud member of three percenters (an all right militia group), others are conspiracy theorists who believe in QAnon. In an interview Newsom said that the reasons for this recall had to do with immigration, "the browning of California" and said that he will fight against this recall for all of us. He has started a fundraising event to fight the recall and has asked important figures to join him including Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. 

People in favor of the recall say they are supporting this because of the lockdown that is ruining businesses, the extended school and businesses-closures, the unemployment benefits scandal and they have brought up the hypocrisy of Newsom who was urging the population to stay at home but while he himself went to a party with friends and lobbyists at a restaurant in Napa. 

People who are not part of the far-left have also done some recent criticism of Newsom after he promised to replace state’s senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein, with a black woman when her term will only end in 2024. This could mean that this is a power play to make sure he will not be recalled and also looking at winning the next elections, instead of only wanting to promote diversity. He made this promise after he received criticism for replacing Harris with a Latino man. 

Even after the signature collection ended their authenticity still needs to be verified until April 29th, and if there are enough signatures there are still a lot of legal hoops to get through and it could take until September for a date to be set. Even if all this happens researchers say there is a small chance for Newsom to be removed, according to a poll done on Monday there is a 42 to 38 percent margin of support for Newsom to remain in office. 

Sources:

What to Know Now About the Newsom Recall Effort

As signature collection ends, California heads toward recall 

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, enlists progressive stars to fight an effort to recall him.

Replacing Feinstein, Recalling Newsom