California Proposition 28: Funding K-12 Art and Music Education

 

    On Tuesday, November 8th, Californians will receive the opportunity to cast their votes on seven different propositions. Proposition 28, one of the seven propositions, is an initiative to provide K-12 public schools more funding for art and music education. 

    In 2019, a survey organized by Ipsos, a company that specializes in public opinion and research, revealed that 90+ percent of Americans believe that the arts play a significant role in our education system. Students that receive education in the arts are shown to perform better in STEM subjects, develop out-of-the-box thinking, and have better rates of attendance and mental health. Yet, when school districts face deficiencies in their budgets, art and music programs are usually the first programs to get cut. Only one in five public schools in California have a full-time music or art teacher even though all California colleges within the UC and CSU systems require at least one year of a VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) course. Thousands of students, especially those in low-income and marginalized communities, are deprived of arts and music education, and are not guaranteed a well-rounded education as a result.

    Austin Beutner, the former superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District, authored Proposition 28 which will provide approximately one billion dollars per year for art and music programs in public schools. Because the funding for these programs would be secured through a legislative requirement, taxpayers don't have to worry about paying additional money for the proposition. If the proposition is passed, the funding given to the schools must be used to support art and music education. Schools can use their funding to pay for supplies, training, teachers, and art/music partnerships. Prop. 28 supports both traditional music and art classes such as theater, drawing, dance, choir, and band, along with contemporary art classes including video, film, graphic design, and computer graphics. Annual audits and reports of schools' fundings will be required to guarantee that the funds are being spent properly.

    So far, committees in support of Prop. 28 have received over 11 billion dollars. Supporters of the proposition include California's Democratic Party, local art organizations, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California, and local music/art educational groups. Additionally, famous musicians such as Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Graham Nash, Earth Wind & Fire, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have shown their support for Prop. 28 through social media endorsements. The creators of the popular 1996 sitcom, "Everyone Loves Raymond", even donated $1 million dollars to support the proposition! Although there aren't any organized opposing groups, critics of Prop. 28 believe that the money will come at the expense of other essential state-funded programs. However, based on the lack of opposing groups, it won't be surprising if Prop. 28 is passed.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/us/california-prop-28.html

https://abc7.com/california-proposition-28-election-performing-arts/12295529/

https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/propositions/prop-28-arts-education/

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/Americans-Believe-the-Arts-Are-an-Important-Part-of-Society-and-Education

Is Throwing Food at Famous Paintings an Effective Way to Raise Awareness Towards Climate Change?

    

Just Stop Oil activists after tossing tomato soup onto Van Gogh's 134 year old painting

"What's worth more, art or life?...Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?" (Phoebe Plummer, Just Stop Oil Activist).

    On October 14th, two protestors from Just Stop Oil, an environmental activist group, launched tomato soup onto Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". On October 23rd, members from the climate activist group, Last Generations, dumped mashed potatoes all over Claude Monet's "Les Meules". This past Friday, activists from Last Generation tossed pea soup onto Van Gogh's "The Sower". Although none of the paintings were damaged due to protective glass, the protests have sparked controversy and conversations internationally.

    A simple search of "soup protest climate change" brings up over 3 million results. Throughout the last month, these protests have made global headlines, increasing awareness and publicity towards climate change activist groups such as Just Stop Oil and Last Generation. Members of Just Stop Oil have protested against new gas and oil production by throwing paint onto the main office of a fossil fuel lobbying group and have blocked streets in London, causing over 570 members to get arrested. Similarly, members of Last Generation have blocked streets and sprayed fake oil on the Berlin chancellery. However, none of these protests have received as much international attention as the painting protests.

Members of Just Stop Oil blocking streets in London

    Even though the protests have gone viral, much of the media attention the groups have received has been negative. Many are afraid that the negative portrayal of the protests will cause individuals to develop negative associations with climate activism and advocacy. Others believe that the protests are a form of reckless vandalism. After conversing with people in my own life about the protests, I've realized that although many have heard of the activists' actions, a much smaller percentage realize that the paintings were not harmed. Additionally, the media has not emphasized the protestors' goal: to halt oil and gas production. The actions the activists took during the protests have overshadowed the message the protestors were trying to convey, making their protests less effective.

    Despite the backlash, the activists are glad that their protests have received media coverage and attention. Phoebe Plummer, one of the activists who threw soup onto Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", shares,"[W]e're not asking the question if everyone should be throwing soup on paintings. What we are doing is getting the conversation going so we can ask the questions that matter."

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/opinion/just-stop-oil-soup-sunflowers-climate.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/learning/how-far-is-too-far-in-the-fight-against-climate-change.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/climate-protesters-throw-soup-van-goghs-sunflowers-91500234

https://time.com/6224760/climate-activists-throw-food-at-art/

https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/harrods-knightsbridge-store-just-stop-oil-1235395222/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers-painting-soup-protest-london/

Government warns threats of violence

          

                                (Security personnel wait for voters outside the Leon County Supervisor of Election Office in Tallahassee, Fla)

US security agencies have issued an advisory warning people of potential attacks on political candidates, politicians, and other election officials. This comes right after the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in their California home. The FBI, Homeland Security, and other agencies released a bulletin saying that more people will believe in election fraud because of the violence and that the risk of violence is due to increased extremism and ideological beliefs. These extremists attack specific election locations to "sway voting habits, undermine perceptions of the legitimacy of the voting process, or prompt a government reaction."  

In addition, election officials and federal agencies are on alert for hackers trying to breach systems that support elections. For example, in the past month, two unidentified hackers sent phishing emails to members of an election board. Also, in the past month, the FBI has noticed that Russian and Chinese organizations have been promoting misinformation about the integrity of American elections. This has become more common in recent years because, since the 2016 election, many foreign governments have been trying to shape US public opinion on elections. 

Since this is a huge issue and Russia, China, and Iran are all nations that have influenced elections, Jen Easterly, director of CISA, says that "it's so important that Americans realize that they need to build resilience against that ." In addition to the threats of violence and the information in the media, election officials have reached out to the CISA to do more to help them deal with this spread of misinformation and protect election officials. Easterly says that her agency will contact all state and local election officials who run and administer the elections to ensure they have the information they need to protect their voting system. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/midterms-cisa-jen-easterly-election-infrastructure-face-the-nation/

Top US cyber official says there's no 'specific' threat to elections, but is concerned about harassment and intimidation | CNN Politics

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/29/1132537240/government-warns-domestic-attacks-midterm-elections

Feds warn that domestic violent extremists pose heightened threat to midterm elections | CNN Politics

St. Louis School Shooting

Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on October 24. 2022 in St. Louis

On October 25th, a 19-year-old gunman went to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and killed two people, injuring many others. Authorities in St. Louis say that the suspect left a handwritten note in his car that shared with the world the reasoning for killing. He was killed in the shooting, but his message said, "I don't have any friends, I don't have any family, I've never had a girlfriend, I've never had a social life." Despite having a note from the suspect, the public has many unanswered questions. For example, authorities won't release how he entered the building or obtained a gun, but the doors were locked, and checkpoints were set up. In addition, the school had seven security guards during the shooting. 

Following the shooting, St. Louis Police urge parents to look out for people who show signs of mental health issues. In addition, interim Police Chief Michael Sack said, "It's important that all of us be engaged so that we can try and intervene as early as possible in a person's life to try and prevent a tragedy from occurring." Classes were also canceled on Tuesday, and SLPS provided virtual and in-person resources to students and staff members throughout the district. Finally, Davis, the district's director of safety and security, notes that students did exactly what they were told to do and that the police department had taken an active shooter training course in the prior month. 

School gunman had AR-15-style weapon, 600 rounds of ammo | AP News

St. Louis police urge vigilance around mental health following Monday's school shooting

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/us/st-louis-school-shooting

St. Louis school shooting suspect had AR-15-style rifle, 600 rounds of ammunition: Police - ABC News,

Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter

Musk is now facing the harsh realities of his new leadership position.

Billionaire Elon Musk became Twitter's new owner on Thursday after his $44 billion purchase. He claims the reason for his purchase is to end the divisiveness created by Twitter and promote free speech. Ironic, considering that Musk is a staunch union opponent and is infamous for firing employees who disagree with him. In fact, his first actions were to fire top executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal. 

Social media has become an incredibly powerful political tool in recent years. Donald Trump famously ran a campaign from his wildly popular Twitter account before getting banned. The algorithms used by social media platforms are able to present users with personalized ads and posts, allowing for a more convenient and entertaining site. However, these advertising algorithms often isolate people into bubbles by only showing them political content that aligns with their preexisting beliefs. It's how misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccination spread so quickly on so many sites. Musk's acquisition of Twitter and his unequivocal support for "free speech" brings up concerns about how this landscape will change in the coming months.

Musk claims Twitter unfairly suspends accounts, pandering to the right-wing narrative that conservatives are persecuted by liberal tech executives. What he doesn't realize is that the minimal censorship that does occur on Twitter is to satisfy advertisers. Most companies seeking to advertise online recognize that sharing a platform with Kanye's white-supremacist "Jewish media" rhetoric does not paint their product in the best light. Simultaneously, Twitter is reluctant to permit openly anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist opinions because Twitter doesn't have a moral code, it has an allegiance with its advertisers. Elon Musk, the supposed tech genius and pundit of private property, should recognize this.

Musk has clearly bitten off more than he can chew. On one hand, he has made a promise to his fans that he will abolish Twitter's censorship measures. On the other hand, he has to keep the company successful by retaining its advertisers. Combined with the added buyout debt of $13 billion, Musk will have a substantial amount of trouble maintaining profitability while simultaneously pleasing his supporters. It's hard to imagine that he will get by without paying out of pocket. One of the ways in which he plans to ameliorate his debt is by callously firing even more employees, placing thousands of working-class livelihoods at risk.

Elon Musk's shortsighted Twitter purchase and his bumbling leadership is a consequence of the right's contempt for censorship and their incompatible worship of the free market. Musk, caught in the middle, will have to relinquish his dry, intelligent persona as well as a significant amount of capital to keep the company afloat. He may realize that running a social media corporation is not as easy as exploiting African child laborers. It's hard to say what effect users will feel, as Musk has kept his future plans largely secret. Either way, Twitter's new leadership may impact online political discussions and the algorithms that govern them.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/elon-musk-completes-44-bln-acquisition-twitter-2022-10-28/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-twitter-takeover-seen-swelling-the-companys-debt-11666609106?mod=series_musktwitter

https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-deal-live-updates-78d68790fb0b9971d6e65b76d97e3670

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/19/elon-musk-delay-trial-denied-twitter-takeover 

U.S. Imposes Tough Sanctions on Chinese Supply of Semiconductors

Xi Jinping Speaks Before the Chinese Congress

A recent wave of U.S sanctions has destroyed China's semiconductor supply in one night. The new sanctions, aimed at weakening Chinese control, was sent in response to the news that China was using supercomputers, and semiconductors to create weapons of mass destruction and commit human rights abuse. These news restrictions, are some of the toughest ever enacted, aimed at stopping China from producing advanced chips. Multiple U.S. companies have halted exports into China in order to freeze its technological progress. One provider, Applied Materials, estimates the new sanctions will prevent them from making roughly $400 million dollars in the fourth quarter. Some experts do believe however, that these restrictions could have some affects on the United States. Professor Willy Shih of Harvard Business School, says that stopping China from accessing these high end chips could force them into pumping out low end chips and driving down the price. Ultimately, driving up competition for western companies.

Another part of the restrictions is that the government has forced many companies into suspending trade with China. The U.S. government has barred any "U.S. persons," which includes green card holders or any Americans from supporting Chinese production or development of advanced chips. This is unless they were to receive an American license. 

The large part behind this wave of sanctions was that China was using a large number of semiconductors to develop stealth and hypersonic weapons. They were also decrypting U.S. messages, putting American security into jeopardy. Other countries were more hesitant to end commerce with China, as China is one of the most important technological markets. While these sanctions indeed do not stop foreign manufactures from selling semiconductors to China, not having U.S. chips will severely impede China's ability to produce advanced technology.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/us/politics/biden-china-technology-semiconductors.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-sanctions-china-semiconductors-industry-b2202941.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/17/export-controls-us-china-chips/

Why Am I Seeing That Political Ad? Voter scoring’s relationship with political ads

To help campaigns target ads, voter-profiling firms score millions of Americans on issues like guns, vaccines and QAnon. By: Tim Enthoven

Present for the upcoming election is a vast voter data-mining ecosystem that involves dozens of political consulting, analytics, media, marketing, and advertising software companies. Campaigns are tapping a host of scores and using them to create castes of their most desirable voters. Examples include "gun-owner," "pro-choice," and "Trump 2024" scores covering everyday politics. Campaign and media consultants say political issue scores make it easier for candidates to target messages and mobilize receptive voters.

Consumers are subject to predictive scoring systems that include hidden rankings based on demographic profile, socioeconomic status, online activities, and offline interests. Ad tech firms use these scores to help political campaigns target audiences on video services, podcasts, websites, and apps. Political party committees and advocacy groups use scores to create lists of specific voters to call or text. A mirrored example of this strategy can be seen in Darrin Camilleri's campaign for the upcoming 2022 primaries. 

Digital consultants working for representative Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat in Michigan House running for State Senate, targeted 64,000 moderate female voters, likely pro-choice, with an ad promoting reproductive rights. Similarly, he also ran a general video ad directed at over 77,000 democrats and independent voters with messages for his campaign on streaming platforms like Lifetime, Vice, and other ad-supported services. The agency behind Camilleri's ad campaign pulled from the voter database to match them on various platforms to run streaming ads on behalf of Camilleri's campaign.

Camilleri's campaigning strategy is part of a trend growing faster than ever. Political ads on streaming services are expected to generate $1.44 billion, or 15% of the projected $9.7 billion ad spending on the 2022 election cycle. The boom in ad streaming ads underscores the shift in how candidates, party committees, and issue groups target voters. Campaigns now employ advanced consumer profiling and automated ad-buying services to deliver different streaming video messages tailored to specific voters.

The support of large corporations in providing insight into political campaigns fuels this trend. Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, plan to give outside researchers detailed information on how political ads are targeted across its platform. They plan to provide insight into how political campaigns, operatives, and strategists buy and use ads ahead of the November midterms. The company wants to make advertiser targeting criteria available for analysis and reporting on ads about social issues, elections, and politics to help people better understand the practices used to reach potential voters on their platforms. The new data from Meta will cover the period from August 2020, three months before the last U.S. presidential election, to the present day.

Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/23/technology/voter-targeting-trump-score.html 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/business/custom-political-ads.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/technology/meta-political-ad-targeting.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article 

Which States Have Abortion on The Ballot?

 

Abortion-rights supporters chant their objections at the Kentucky Capitol on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, in Frankfort, Ky., Kentucky is one of at least six states where voters will weigh on on abortion-related ballot measures in 2022.

How are states handling the matter of ballot questions now that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe v. Wade and abortion rights are a state-by-state decision? The most abortion-related ballot proposals to emerge in a single year since 1986 are on the ballot in six states as of 2022, with amendments and measures affecting abortion rights. These six states have added initiatives to their ballots for the upcoming midterm elections in November.

In the August primaries, Kansas was one of the states that removed abortion from the ballot. Voters in Kansas soundly rejected initiatives allowing politicians to enact stricter or outright bans on abortion. 

Voters in Kentucky will decide whether to change the state constitution to exclude abortion from its protection. Since the GOP took over the state's legislature in 2016, Kentucky has had a history of tightening abortion laws.

Voters in Montana were asked whether they wanted to mandate medical attention and treatment for children "born alive" following an unsuccessful abortion. A failed abortion or a C-section birth would disqualify a newborn from personhood under the "born-alive" amendment, which would also mandate that they get medical attention.

Access to abortions and other reproductive healthcare services would increase in California. Their ballot's language does not forbid abortion after embryonic viability, so if it passes, pregnant women would have more alternatives on the road, if necessary.

Vermont has added the simple statement of adding a line to the states constitution stating that "[A]n individual's right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one's life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means."

A proposal creating a "new individual right to reproductive freedom" has finally received approval from the Michigan Supreme Court. The state includes infertility treatment, contraception, and abortion on its November ballot. A ballot proposition to add the Michigan constitution's protection for abortion was backed by 64% of voters.

Sources:

• https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-10-22/explainer-which-states-have-abortion-on-the-ballot 
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/11/us-midterms-abortion-initiatives-california-michigan-kentucky-vermont-montana 
• https://www.businessinsider.com/which-states-have-abortion-ballot-measures-in-2022-2022-5 

America Plans Newest Invasion of Haiti

(Haitian citizens riot against Prime Minister's request for armed intervention)

Last week, the United States drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution that would send armed forces to Haiti, a country already ravaged by American intervention. The excuse used by the Biden administration is the recent uptick in gang power that has put many citizens in danger. The violence enacted by these gangs is brutal and often specifically targets women and girls. As a result, hospitals have shut down and the price of basic necessities have skyrocketed. But Biden's plan to invade Haiti with UN troops will only further destabilize it and tighten America's imperial grip.

After Haiti led the world's first successful slave rebellion, the West implemented policy after policy to punish its people. Most notably, America occupied the country from 1915 to 1934 via a puppet government that turned a blind eye to America's enslavement, torture, and mass killings of civilians. Ironically, the reason cited by then-president Woodrow Wilson was to defend against tyranny. America still has the unrestricted and frequently-utilized ability to interfere with Haiti's government and economy, a strategy that prevents against, as US ambassador Janet Sanderson says, "resurgent populist and anti-market economy political forces." More recently, occupying UN peacekeepers were found to have raped hundreds of Haitians between 2011 and 2017, including girls as young as 11.

The underlying assumption of both the new and old invasions is that the Haitian people are unfit to govern themselves. That the West must still act as a purveyor of democracy and capitalism, despite the evidence of human rights abuses. Many Western media sites repeat the claim that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has asked for foreign invasion, ignoring the fact that Henry appointed himself after the previous PM was assassinated by US-trained mercenaries and thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets to demand his resignation.

If Biden continues to militarily support Henry's illegitimate government, the people of Haiti may be thrown further into turmoil. And if the past is any indication of what is to come, the gangs might be held back but civilians will continue to suffer. Perhaps the most ethical path forward is to support legitimately democratic elections and allow for the Haitian government to raise the minimum wage. Ultimately, America must reconsider its tendency to jump to intervention before promoting national autonomy.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/14/americas/haiti-gangs-sexual-violence-intl-latam

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti#:~:text=Following%20the%20assassination%20of%20the,This%20occupation%20continued%20until%201934.

https://truthout.org/articles/haitis-humanitarian-crisis-reveals-the-human-costs-of-us-interventionism/

https://haitiantimes.com/2022/10/12/to-some-haitians-another-foreign-military-force-would-be-greatest-humiliation/

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/20/1129747505/haiti-un-security-council-intervention-armed-force-aid-us-mexico

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/19/us-backed-foreign-intervention-disaster-haiti-un

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-haiti-women-peacekeepers/haitians-say-underaged-girls-were-abused-by-u-n-peacekeepers-idUSKBN1YM27W

Heated debates in Indiana

                Young on the far left, Sceniak on the middle and McDermott on the right (source U.S. news)

   On Sunday night, Indiana Republican U.S. Senator Todd Young debated his Democratic and Libertarian challengers on a broadcast. Democrat Thomas McDermott attacked Young's positions on abortion, federal spending, and marijuana legalization. As Young rebutted back, he stated that with President Joe Biden and a Democrat controlled Congress in place, there has been higher inflation and gas prices. This can span back to the idea that as the topic of abortion has gone down, more and more people are becoming aggravated at the "new" topic such as gas prices and the cost of many goods. The media wants to capture the "golden" issues at the time. Young takes this opportunity to side with people's frustrations and relays his message through the broadcast media.

Young was seen to be critical to the Biden administation and the Democrats as he believed they were the ones spending a lot of the government's money. The sketchy thing is that Young actually worked with Joe Biden to pass the CHIPS act which was another addition to the nation's debt. Even though Young wa seen to try and address the inflation issue, throughout the night he found himself defending his own spending. McDermott even address Young as, "the most liberal Republican I've ever met." Young can be seen as someone who isn't in the far right of the political spectrum and follows the point that he does want to appeal to the middle spectrum of the overall population of Indiana.

It should also be evident that both Libertarian Sceniak and Democrat McDermott were on the same page when it came to abortions. McDermott attacked Young saying how Young had confirmed the 3 Republican Supreme Court nominees that would later overturn Roe v. Wade. For many, it can be hard to understand Young's motives because he is all over the place. Young does think that the Supreme Court decision was the best move for the country and that the decision should be left to the states. On the flip side in a post interview he stated that he isn't on board with South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham's national 15-week abortion ban. I was thinking that Young wasn't too keen in his own political party's beliefs.

Overall, because of the elections coming up soon, there have been key differeneces between these parties and the main aim for McDermott is to get on the offense and turn the seat in Congress blue. It seemed that on the broacast, there were three parties but it felt like a two versus one. As we have discussed in class, America is usually based on a two party system. Sceniak and McDermott seemed to be on the same page which symbolizes their commonality. 

Sources: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fODzCIAC5pA

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2022/10/17/indiana-senate-debate-todd-young-tho

mas-mcdermott-go-head-to-head/69561308007/

https://fox59.com/indiana-news/indiana-us-senate-candidates-to-debate-rep-todd-young/

https://dailyjournal.net/2022/10/17/in-senate-debate-mcdermott-goes-on-offensive-against-incumbent-young/

Biden Pardons Thousands Convicted of Federal Marijuana Possession Crimes

Marijuana being rolled up

 On October 6th 2022, President Biden issued a historic pardon to all of those convicted of possession of marijuana under federal law. This pardon did not extend to those convicted of selling or distributing marijuana. The pardon would extend to about 6,500 people serving time in federal prison. 

The pardon has been seen as a very positive first step by many cannabis enthusiasts, and Biden’s plan to look into the rescheduling of marijuana has also been seen as a great first step into changing the stigma around the drug. Since 1970, with the passing of the Controlled Substance Act, marijuana has been labeled as a schedule 1 drug, the same category has others such as heroin and lsd. While all cannabis supporters have been encouraged by the action taken, many see this as just the first step in decriminalizing the drug and reducing the negative stigma surrounding the drug in our culture. Patrice Willoughby, vice president policy and legislative affairs at the NAACP, the famed equal rights organization, spoke on the pardon; “The failed policies on drug criminalization have ensnared many on nonviolent, marijuana offenses, And this has derailed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people for conduct which is legal and which is disproportionately applied to the African-American community."

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/us/politics/biden-marijuana-pardon.html

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/federal-report-details-whos-impacted-by-bidens-marijuana-pardon-action-state-by-state/

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127708285/marijuana-pardon-biden-black-people-war-on-drugs-harm

Landmark trial begins over Arkansas’ ban on trans youth care

 

FILE - Dylan Brandt speaks at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Little Rock, Ark., July 21, 2021. Brandt, a teenager, is among several transgender youth and families who are plaintiffs challenging a state law banning gender confirming care for trans minors. The nation’s first trial over a state’s ban on gender-confirming care for children begins in Arkansas on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, the latest fight over restrictions on transgender youth championed by Republican leaders and widely condemned by medical experts. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

In Arkansas, on October 17th, the first trial on a state-wide ban proposed by Republican Leaders on gender-conforming care starts. The US District Judge had blocked the Arkansas law banning treatments for transgender youth, the Arkansas House Bill 1570, and a West Virginia ban on trans athletes in women’s sports last year.  These were a few of the laws that were enacted last year by Republicans. The West Virginia law was signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice and was criticized by the Justice Department as unconstitutional. This ban was also supported by many major medical groups and the state Chamber of Commerce. 

Lawmakers had overridden Gov. Asa Hutchinson's veto of the legislation. Hutchison who had also signed many laws that provided restrictions on transgender youth had argued this law went too far. Proponents of the law, such as republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. argue that it is within a state's right to regulate medical practices within the state and argues it protects people under 18 from making "life-altering, permanent decisions" 

Last year Hutchinson also was quoted as saying “The act was too extreme and did not provide any relief for those young people currently undergoing hormone treatment with the consent of their parents and under the care of a physician. If the act would have been more limited, such as prohibiting sex reassignment surgery for those under 18, then I suspect the outcome would have been different.” This implies that these laws are possible and can target transgender people but just through different wording.

Similar laws have been blocked in Alabama and Texas and A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August upheld Moody’s preliminary injunction blocking the ban’s enforcement. But the state has asked the full 8th Circuit appeals court to review the case. This law may serve as a precedent for either side if it is upheld or declared unconstitutional and will have major effects wether or not it is declared unconstitutional. 

https://apnews.com/article/health-arkansas-e56522c378fee681f155eb775566ea39

https://apnews.com/article/business-health-government-and-politics-arkansas-eb81755d293622d71ff832d8cbbea97d

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/arkansas-transgender-ban-hb1570-trans-b1827552.html

Supreme Court Will End the Era of College Diversity

At the end of the month, the Supreme Court is poised to make a decision on race-based admissions, also known as affirmative action. They are expected to overturn the 1978 case that allowed race to be a factor in college admissions. The case known as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke served as a precedent that has been further solidified with later Supreme Court cases.  This will have major ramifications on the college admissions process as almost all major colleges consider race as one factor. This was meant to enroll classes are more proportional to the US population 

Rob Duston, an attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in Washington, D.C., predicted we'll see the court reject some major precedents this fall. "They are rolling back a number of long-standing provisions and principles they have been skeptical of for a long time," he said. "Precedent doesn't mean as much to this court." When Affirmative Action was first implemented, the goal was to remedy the effects of slavery and segregation. The Supreme Court case in 1978 was narrowly upheld. In 2003, the court was also divided, with the result being a 5 to 4 vote. In 2016, also with a 5 to 4 affirmative action was again upheld. This issue has been extremely contentious within the courts in the past 60 years. On the current Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, there are more than enough votes to achieve that goal. Chief Justice John Roberts, the conservative who balked at overturning Roe, has rejected affirmative action before, writing in 2007 that “the way to get past racial discrimination is to get past racial discrimination.” 

If race-based admissions become prohibited, selective universities will focus on who is a first-generation college student, and other similar factors. Universities will start to struggle to admit as many Black and Latino students as they currently do. In the near to medium term, then, we are likely to see a full-on oppositional struggle between at least some elite universities and the federal courts on the question of diversity in admissions. This will lead to major changes in the short term to the makeup of students.  A landmark 2023 affirmative action decision will have far-reaching consequences similar to the reversal of Roe vs Wade for higher education as a whole.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-16/supreme-court-will-end-college-diversity-with-harvard-unc-lawsuits?leadSource=uverify%20wall

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/supreme-court-preview.aspx

https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/20-1199.html

Biden's Program to grant legal pathways for Venezuelan migrants

A migrant family from Venezuela walks to Border Patrol after turning themselves in for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

On Wednesday, October 12th, the Biden administration decided upon a joint agreement with Mexico that overlooked how the US regularly accepts immigrants from Venezuela. This agreement gives humanitarian parole to almost "24,000" migrants but on the flip side has consequences for migrants crossing the country unlawfully.

This program is similar to Biden's "Uniting for Ukraine" and Venezuelans can apply for this program under various conditions. Some of the conditions include having a financial sponsor, not having crossed the border illegally before, and passing a National Security background check. This plan seeks to discourage Venezuelans from making dangerous journeys from Central America and Mexico to the US and instead provides reliable and safe routes. The controversial side comes in because this program expands the public health policy, "Title 42", which was set under the Trump administration and waived migrants' rights to seek asylum.

Even though the Biden administration has worked to expel this policy, the funny thing is that the new program relies on it. Before this announcement, Venezuelan Nationals were actually processed and admitted into the United States while being able to seek asylum. One of the reasons why this program was enacted was to a response to the large number of Venezuelans trying to cross the border this year. The U.S. border authorities encountered up to 153,905 Venezuelans this year which is the most ever encountered nationality at the border.

Graph depicting the increase of Venezuelan migrants in 2022 (source at bottom)

While many say that this new program was enacted to make sure Venezuelans crossed the border safely, it is a thumbs down to the fact that many illegal migrants will be sent back. The Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas even stated, "These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way." Although the US is trying to protect the Venezuelans from dangerous journeys, they are also enacting expedited expulsion to the same population.

As we have seen political campaigns, the party in government can promise one thing but ultimately forget about it. Biden ran to take out Title 42 which was enacted by his predecessor, Donald Trump, but in the end only expanded it even with the dismay of many democrats. In Biden's own party, there has been mixed opinions where on one side, democrats and immigration advocates are happy that the US instilled a narrow and safe passageway but are still angry that Title 42 is in effect. This program can be seen by many as something to appease the middle spectrum of the political scale.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO4as94k1Y

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/venezuelan-migrants-legal-entry/

https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2022/10/13/23402600/biden-program-legal-path-venezuelan-migrants

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/world/americas/venezuelan-migrants-us-border.html

https://www.news10.com/news/politics/ap-us-mulls-ukrainian-type-parole-for-venezuelan-migrants/

https://www.wola.org/2022/10/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update-title-42-for-venezuelans-darien-gap-foreign-ministers-mexico-militarization-texas/

Trump's Request to Review Mar-A-Lago Documents Denied

Donald Trump and Melania Trump with the Supreme Court 

The Supreme Court has rejected Trump's request to review the seized documents from the August 8th Mar-A-Lago raid. Trump proposed that a special master would review the documents to check if any confiscated material falls under attorney-client privilege. Attorney-client privilege is a legal privilege that allows confidentially to be kept between an attorney and a client. 

According to Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University, "If federal investigators saw many privileged records, it could result in the current investigative team being disqualified and a new one being brought in." However, the rejection of his request "marked an additional setback in Trump’s efforts to slow down and delay the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into his potential mishandling of government documents" according to Time. Trump's original hopes were to try and control the court based on the fact that he had appointed 3 Supreme Court judges.

The Department of Justice will conduct a review on the documents and determine if there are other documents that were not found during the raid. However, former president Donald Trump has a long history of getting out of criminal allegations and prolonging investigations. 

Sources:

https://time.com/6222281/trump-supreme-court-rejection-fbi-raid/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-will-attorney-client-privilege-affect-trump-records-probe-2022-09-05/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/us/politics/trump-supreme-court.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/supreme-court-denies-trump-bid-to-void-ruling-in-mar-a-lago-raid-documents-case.html

Trump Subpoenaed by Jan. 6 Committee

Trump's January 6th speech that marked the beginning of the insurrection

The Capitol attack on January 6, 2021 will forever go down as one of the most devastating attacks on a modern-United States government institution. Following former president Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, nearly 10,000 people entered Capitol grounds and around 2,000 successfully managed to enter the Capitol building. 

Ever since the insurrection former president Trump has been accused of inciting violence that resulted in 5 deaths and over 100 injuries. A select committee referred to as the January 6th committee has been responsible for the investigation into the attack and the former president’s role in the attacks. Despite consistent evidence backed allegations, Trump has repeatedly denied any form of insurrection and incited violence. 

If Trump were to be indicted he could possibly be charged with obstruction of Congress’s official business, conspiracy to defraud the United States or both. According to CNN, on October 13, 2022 the January 6th committee voted to “subpoena him after laying bare his depraved efforts to overthrow the 2020 elections and his dereliction of duty as his mob invaded the US capitol.” A subpoena would force Trump to testify in front of court regarding his case. Trump has responded to this subpoena by writing a “14-page” letter to Committee Chairman Rep. Beanie Thompson. This letter contained no evidence that he would  “comply with the subpoena” but repeatedly mentioned “rigged” election claims. Throughout his letter he mentioned various instances where he believed voter fraud occurred. Places such as Pennsylvania, Maricopa County (AZ), Antrim Country (MI), and Fulton Country (GA).

Biden's Student Loan Plan

(President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness at the White House on Wednesday, with U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona by his side. Source: Evan Vucci, NPR.org)

In August 2022, President Biden announced his plan for Student Loan Relief. It is a three-part compact that achieves Biden’s promise to cancel $10,000 of student debt for low- and middle-income borrowers. 

During his campaign in his pre-President days, he claimed that he would provide any sort of aid in helping low- and middle-income families to tranquilize their struggles in pursuing education. 

However, last month, six Republican-led states filed a lawsuit to a federal court in Missouri questioning this relief plan's legality and proposing the court allow a preliminary injunction, which delays the delivery of the student loan plan and puts it on hold until after the final judgment. The states claimed that the Biden Administration wasn't legally authorized to grant broad student loan forgiveness. In addition, this plan would also further cause detrimental effects on the state's financial situation based on their individual states’ policies, for example, it would lower the revenues of MOHELA, a student loan servicer based in Missouri. Because Biden’s student loan forgiveness program would drive more borrowers to shift their loaner from a state-owned program to a federally-funded project, the Missouri government, in this case, would lose a significant portion of its funding. And in return, attorneys for the Federal government argued that Congress permits the secretary of education to discharge debts as previously they did in the HEROES Act. Their statements also included that plaintiffs don’t hold the position to ask for an injunction. 

Aside from the case in Missouri, Biden’s Administration is also facing a few other lawsuits over the same topic. The Missouri court’s verdict isn’t finalized; nonetheless, the plan’s specific details, such as its application process, have already been published this Tuesday, Oct 11th.

In the unit on learning the different powers the Federal and States government could hold, it didn’t explicitly mention what the circumstances would be when a certain Federal deal would affect the States’ operations’ well-being. Student Loan Forgiveness is indeed beneficial to the people, especially us, the students; it eliminates the possibility of families living in regions that don’t dispense as much financial assistance as this plan would. As a potential beneficiary, the program is only helping me and my family more, but the states may have much more negative views on this procedure. 

Sources:

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/

• https://www.npr.org/2022/10/11/1128046324/biden-student-loans-debt-forgiveness-application

• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/bidens-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-faces-challenge-in-federal-court

• https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/12/politics/biden-student-loan-debt-forgiveness-ruling/index.html