Sunday, October 15, 2023

The World Is Once More Divided As Tension Increases In Gaza


    Throughout the tragic events of the past week in Gaza, many prayed for the safety and security of those who faced deadly attacks from Hamas. In contrast, many are now speaking up for a different reason. All across the US, there has been a division between who to support in the war in Gaza. 


    Party lines have recently classified the US division between support for Palestine vs Israel. Previously Republicans have been known to side with Israel rather than Palestine. Evangelical Christians which make up a large population within the Republican Party are quite supportive of Israel for theological and religious reasons. Most Democrats don’t associate with one religion and therefore experience a disconnect with Israeli policy, turning their support to Palestine. These divisions have increased as pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protests have sparked controversy across the US. 



    Many people have lost their families, friends, and loved ones; thousands have died, and thousands are still missing in Gaza from both sides. Biden defined Hamas’s attacks as “terrorism” in his address to the white house earlier this week, demonstrating his shock and anger towards Hamas, as well as choosing to side with Israel. Despite the president's decision to aid Israel many still argue on behalf of Palestine. In New York, many Israelis and pro-Israel supporters gathered to mourn the deaths of those lost to Hamas, a pro-Palestine group formed to celebrate the deadly terror attacks. The group began chanting things such as “Resistance is justified,” “Globalize the intifada,” and “Smash the settler Zionist state”. As well as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.



    Sources claim tensions began to run high as each group began chanting antagonizing messages at each other. Pro-Isreal groups unified in chanting names such as “murderers” while pro-Palistine groups taunted them with mock crying gestures. One pro-Palistine speaker stated that “The oppressed people of Palestine broke out of the open-air prison,”, asking the crowd to rejoice. “The White House is telling all of its mouthpieces to tell us a false story, but we know that the real terrorist is the Israeli state”. 


    This feeling has been seen across colleges nationwide. At Columbia University on Thursday, two groups of hundreds of students tensely faced each other in dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. This has similarly boiled onto other campuses. Jewish students now are fearful of what might happen as a result of this war. Many students now question their safety. Many assume that the tension on college campuses and across the globe will only increase as the war in Gaza continues. 


- Abbey Tidwell 


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Race for Speaker of the House

    Following the historical removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House in our U.S. congress just several weeks ago, which was the first time anyone has ever been removed from the role before, several other politicians are already racing to claim the seat left by McCarthy in his absence. Initially, Steve Scalise from Louisiana seemed like a likely bid for the position, however he abandoned running when several hard right republicans refused to “ever” vote for him.  Now, Republican Jim Jordan from Ohio has been selected to run for the position, but is also likely to face difficulties because of similar issues as Steve Scalise. (NBC News)


One important thing to consider is that without a speaker, the House is unable to “consider any legislation to aid Israel in its war against Hamas,” or pass any bills to avoid a looming government shutdown in November (Washington Post). These circumstances have led to calls from bi-partisan groups to expand the powers of the temporary speaker in order to both avoid a government shutdown but also hopefully have the ability to pass or deliberate any bills. 


This being said, even with efforts to empower the sitting speaker of the house, much of the house seems set on finding a new speaker as soon as possible. However, as mentioned earlier, this intent to find a speaker is incredibly difficult as even the front runner, Jim Jordan, who was endorsed by Trump saying “He will be a GREAT SPEAKER of the House,” is still heavily criticized by democrats and is struggling to win his caucus from far right hold out (Time.)



Personally, I believe that although we need a speaker much sooner rather than later, our congress should still do their best to ensure the speaker of the House is a fit candidate, as otherwise they could potentially heavily influence parliamentary agenda and floor debate to prioritize one caucuses legislative priority over another. (PBS). Ultimately, I think all we can hope as citizens is that whoever the speaker is, they do their best to actually serve the American people.


-Luke Phillips


Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/live-blog/house-speaker-live-updates-scalise-jordan-mccarthy-rcna120243

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/13/house-speaker-vote/

https://time.com/6322160/house-speaker-candidates-jordan-scalise/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-what-the-speaker-of-the-house-actually-does


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Saturday, October 14, 2023

NHL Bans Pride Tape

         On October 11, 2023, the National Hockey League banned players from using rainbow-colored tape on their hockey sticks. This decision came after multiple players opted out of wearing Pride jerseys in the month of June. Many claim that this act is a direct infringement of the First Amendment and suppression of free speech. One such person is Brian Burke, who is a former NHL vice president and director of hockey operations. Burke claims "This is not inclusion or progress...this directive closes a door that's been open for the last decade"(NHL). Pride Tape as a brand was founded in 2015 as a way to get LGBTQ youth involved and interested in team sports. With that being said, some people still found it offensive and did not want to use it.


This is not the first controversial decision the NHL has made surrounding dress codes, however, over the summer, the league banned players from wearing special jerseys during warmups for "theme nights", which are an attempt to show support for a certain topic. Past theme nights have included the LGBTQ community, indigenous groups, the military, and cancer awareness. The reason why all of this is an issue now is that last year multiple anti-pride hockey players opted out of wearing the pride-themed jerseys during the month of June. The NHL feared that pride tape was just another topic of issue among the players and fans of the game, so they decided that the best course of action would be to ban it completely. Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner said in a statement regarding the decision to ban pride tape: "What happened last year was that the issue of who wanted to wear a particular uniform on a particular night overshadowed everything that our clubs were doing. So what we said, instead of having that distraction and having our players have to decide whether or not they wanted to do something or not do something and not be singled out" (NHL).

 

The main reason for this ban stems from certain hockey players who simply do not support what the pride tape stands for, with a large majority of players calling on their religion as the reason why they will not wear the pride flag. However, not all NHL players feel this way and do support the message that Pride Tape is trying to send. Some players such as Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers support pride tape as much as they can to help push the message of inclusion: "I'll use the tape--if I have to buy it myself, I will"(Chappell). People like Chappell seem to be in the majority of this hot-button issue, who support the First Amendment and freedom of speech, yet there still exists many who have other opinions. The first player to opt out of wearing the pride-themed apparel was Ivan Provorov who is a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Provorov said that he opted out because of his Russian Orthodox tradition which is significant because of the large portion of the NHL that is also Russian. The players opposed to pride apparel are not limited to just Russians because many NHL players are religious and can't show support without violating their morals. 

-Josh Geller


Sources:

Whyno, Stephen. “NHL Issues Updated Theme Night Guidance, Which Includes a Ban on Players Using Pride Tape on the Ice.” AP News, AP News, 11 Oct. 2023, apnews.com/article/nhl-theme-nights-pride-tape-1617bcf9a3deba43b9d39e935222089f.


Chappell, Bill. “NHL Bans Pride Tape, Setting off Backlash from Players and Fans.” Opb, OPB, 13 Oct. 2023, www.opb.org/article/2023/10/13/nhl-pride-tape-ban/#:~:text=High%2Dprofile%20players%20say%20they,mark%20his%20team’s%20Pride%20Night.

“NHL’s Pride Tape Ban Is ‘serious Setback,’ Brian Burke Says.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38632795/nhl-pride-tape-ban-serious-setback-brian-burke-says. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023.

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Friday, October 13, 2023

The Public's Opinion on Israel and Palestine Conflict

 The public opinion worldwide has been split into Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine. After Hamas, a Palestine militant group, launched an attack on Israel on Saturday October 7, 2023, Israel and Gaza, home of the Hamas group, have either received hate or support from different countries and their citizens. Protests for the lives lost on either side started shortly after the attack occurred. 



Countries like the United States and France have stated that they stand with Israel and give their full support for Israel to respond to the attack by Hamas to protect their citizens. On October 10th, President Biden, in an announcement at the White House, declared that Israel would get what it needed to protect their citizens, which meant that Israel would get additional aid then what they usually get annually: a sum of $3.8 billion dollars. The additional aid that the United States is providing for Israel is military assistance, ammunition, interceptors to replenish Iron Dome (missile firing unit). Steps have also been taken to add U.S. Air Force F-35,F-15,F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. The President of France, President Emmanuel Macron, supported that Israel respond in a “strong but just” way to the attack by Hamas.  President Macron stated that France stood with Israel and had its full support because the attack by Hamas was a “murderous hatred, an outburst of absolute cruelty.” Public opinion refers to how people feel or think about certain issues, and the Israel and Palestine issue has caused a very prominent opinion to arise in different countries, but most strongly in the United states causing sides to split and fight over which side is the victim and which is correct. 




On the other hand, protests have started in solidarity of Palestinians. Demonstrations have taken place in Bahrain, Morocco, Turkey, Yemen, Tunisia, and even in New York. Protests and rallies in New York Times Square have taken place and it has risen tensions between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups. On Friday October 13, 2023, a protest was organized where hundreds of people gathered to wave Palestinian flags and show that they stand with the people of Gaza after Israel launched an airstrike attack on Gaza and completely put Gaza under total siege,cutting off food, water, fuel, and electricity. The United Nations Humanitarian agency announced a flash appeal, a tool used to secure funds for the United Nations and support a government’s response to an emergency, of $249 million to help 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.


The public’s opinion has been very mixed in New York since the attack took place but especially after biased accidents took place. Protests were organized on the Columbia University campus after an Israeli student was assaulted. Many pro-Palestinian protesters said that they needed to be the voice of Palestine, that they needed to stand up to what they thought was right. Some pro-Palestinian protester referred to the pro-Israeli protesters as “terrorists” and “idiots.” On the pro-Israeli side, many protesters said that seeing people being part of the pro-Palestine group was very disturbing to watch and many believed that it was a time of moral clarity meaning that people needed to realize Israel was the victim in the conflict. 

My personal opinion on this whole situation is that both sides have caused extreme harm and terror on civilians. After Hamas attacked Israel there were over 1000 deaths reported and many taken as hostages. Israel responded by launching airstrike attacks on the Gaza Strip causing over 1000 deaths as well. While the attack Hamas brought onto Israel was outrageous, Palestine has been oppressed for a long time. Israel caused extreme poverty and isolation to the Gaza Strip that caused some Palestinias to be extremely hateful of Israel. I do think that both sides have done things that caused the inevitable and horrific attack but the civilians of both sides did not have to pay the price for the actions of their leaders.

-Dayrin Camey

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/nyregion/columbia-university-israel-hamas-protests.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/09/world/middleeast/mideast-palestine-support-gaza.html

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/12/1205484240/israel-gaza-bombardment-humanitarian-crisis
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What Is The Purpose of Nancy Mace's Scarlet Letter?


  Nancy Mace, South Carolina U.S. Rep came strutting into the halls of Congress dressed as a familiar yet odd character Tuesday night. Mace paid homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter; she wore a white t-shirt with a large red “A” drawn in the middle. But why would such an important figure dressed in such garb? 


    Earlier this week the U.S. House voted in favor of removing the Republican speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House in early 2023, after serving as a house republican leader. McCarthy was ousted after relying on democratic votes to get a short-term spending deal passed and narrowly averted a government shutdown. He was accused of making a side deal and the far right house made an effort to remove him for corruption. This event was historic as the first outing of a speaker of the house. 



    Mace was 1 of the 8 Republicans to vote with the Democrats to remove McCarthy as the speaker. Despite coming from the GOP Mace stands behind her decision ultimately resulting in her proud display of the letter “A”. Mace seems to be a target of criticism both for her gender and her odd support of a democratic movement. Mace claims in a quick interview, “This is my signal to others that I don’t answer to anybody up here,” she continued by stating, “I only answer to the people back home. And I don’t care what you throw at me. I don’t care what the establishment throws at me”. Nancy Mace made a statement with her “A” giving a nod to Hester Prynne, The Scarlett Letter's main Character, as a strong independent woman, whose spirit she wishes to embody herself.


    But as many know, the Scarlet Letter does not stand for able, but rather something much different. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter wears “A” on her bosom as a means of punishment for adultery and the conception of a child with another man while being married. The townspeople place this letter on Hester to shame her and cause her repentance, but Hester doesn't get pushed around, standing her ground and remaining prideful she accepts the letter and its meaning. But maybe Nancy Mace didn't think that far ahead? Rather than wearing the letter with a sense of pride or independence Mace practically calls herself an adultress, in front of the whole country.



    Mace had the right intention. Showing that she won't take disrespect or be forced into regretting her decision. But she could have taken different steps. In the novel, Hester wears the Letter but doesn't let it control her, and I think that's what Mace was going for but she made a mistake in referencing the letter or placing the emblem on herself. 


    Mace has faced extreme backlash for her controversial outfit. Not only as she made herself out to be an adultress but rather because many claim that she wore the letter once more for attention. Mace is known to make statements with her outfits but has this one gone too far? In response to the criticism she replies stating that, “I turn down more interviews than I actually do. And I don’t need to be performative” and that she will always “do the right thing, no matter what.”


    But is wearing the bright letter “A” the right thing? Maybe a controversial thing with the right intentions but the wrong message. 


- Abbey Tidwell
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Thursday, October 12, 2023

Vivek Ramaswamy - Republican Hero or Villain?

 

    As the Republican Primary heats up as we inch closer to the GOPs selection for Biden's opponent in the 2024 election, many candidates, outside of just Donald Trump, the seemingly obvious choice of the party, spar to get their names to voters. Many are now viewing the primary race outside of Trump just a competition to become his VP, which seems to have had an obvious effect on some candidates, most notably Vivek Ramaswamy, a well known and extremely charismatic candidate who used social media expertise to take many, especially younger republicans, by storm. (FiveThirtyEight).


    This effect is clear on Vivek as recently, he called Trump the “best president of the 21st century,”  evidently aware that a large portion of his voter base are leaning towards Trump. Additionally, it has been revealed that Vivek has had phone calls with Donald Trump several times now discussing his campaign, which is rare, as Trump has not given such communication to other opponents thus far in the race. (Washington Post). However, Vivek Ramaswamy has stated that he would not apparently not accept a role as Vice President if offered one, but it seems hard to believe this when he has had such relations with Trump throughout the primary. (Politico)





This being said, despite Viveks clearly charismatic nature and pulling of voters through his relations with Trump, it seems that few consider and legitimately look at his policies and beliefs for what they are. Some of his notable stances include going after the “climate change agenda,” in the first Republican Primary Debate, claiming that it killed more Americans than climate change actually did. Additionally, he has stated he believes that climate change overall is a hoax - and that fossil fuels and nuclear energy should be prioritized over major renewables. (NBC News). Additionally, he pushed for shutting down the public education that he claims “uses… money as a cudgel to get local school districts to adopt toxic and racial agendas,” believing that the funds could be better used to put an emphasis on private education (Washington Examiner). This take is definitely one of his most polarizing, yet he still pulls many individuals, seemingly educated through systems which he wishes to defund, to his campaign.


All this being said, I believe that despite Vivek Ramaswamys appeal to voters, he would not be a good presidential or vice presidential candidate due to his clearly extreme beliefs. Personally, I think his clear ignorance of climate change, which at this point is scientifically accepted by a majority of Americans, as well as his polarizing view of our public education system, makes him an unfit candidate for president. Ultimately, only time will tell if his election and policies ever hit the congress floor.


-Luke Phillips


Sources:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/vivek-ramaswamy-is-climbing-where-can-he-go/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/03/trump-ramaswamy-2024-gop-presidential/

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/19/vivek-ramaswamy-would-reject-vice-president-00111964#:~:text=Entrepreneur%20Vivek%20Ramaswamy%20said%20Saturday,Ramaswamy%20said%20on%20Fox%20News.

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/vivek-ramaswamy-issues-rcna119091

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/vivek-ramaswamy-abolish-department-education-overhaul-education



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Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Was the attack on Israel really a suprise or was it coming all along?

 

On Saturday October 7, 2023 the Hamas Palestinian Militant group launched a rocket attack, ground assaults, and balaclava-clad fighters from paragliders in Israel. This surprise attack killed hundreds of people and many were taken as hostages. As of right now it has been reported that at over 1000 people were killed and dozens of soldiers and civilians which include women and children have been taken as hostages. On Tuesday White House officials confirmed that 14 U.S citizens were killed in the attack and about 20 U.S. citizens were missing.




The Hamas group is a classified terrorist organization by the United States and other nations. The group took control over Gaza in 2007 after it defeated its rival Fatah in the Palestinia’s elections in 2006. Gaza is a strip of land in Israel where about 2 million Palestinians have been after many fled or were expelled from their homes when the creation of Israel occurred in 1948. Israel had also occupied Gaza but pulled out its troops and settlers in 2005 leaving only Palestinians in that territory. Although when Hamas won the 2006 Palestinia’s elections Israel imposed an air, land, and sea blockade on Gaza and Egypt then closed its border crossing with Gaza. 



The blockade has worsened the living conditions in Gaza, leaving over 2 million people with very little resources and in poverty. This blockade has restrictions on imports of goods, including electronic and computer equipment that would help them make weapons. The blockade has also prevented or more specifically restricted many Palestinians from leaving the territory and returning to their homes. Due to the blockade the people of Gaza suffer because there is a severe shortage of resources which include hospital equipment and medicine. It has forced Gaza Palestinians to fully rely on international aid, the people have received aid from Qatar through Hamas which Israel allows, and agencies such as the UN( autonomous international organizations working with the United Nations) have given aid as well. 



Israel has received support from the United States after 14 U.S citizens were killed in the attack and about 20 U.S citizens reported missing. According to the Israeli president’s office, President Biden stated that the United States would stand alongside Israel. Political leaders in the U.S. have also vowed to support Israel. President Biden addressed the attack by stating that the United states would provide Israel with what it needed to keep its citizens safe and be able to defend themselves. The President also warned any country and organization to not try to take advantage of the situation. President Biden stated “this is about the security of our world, security of the United States of America.”


- Dayrin Camey


https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/middleeast/hamas-attack-strategy-israel-mime-intl/index.html#:~:text=Hamas%20said%20the%20attack%20was,the%20ongoing%20siege%20of%20Gaza

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/09/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/world/middleeast/gaza-blockade-israel.html 

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/10/1204873146/what-is-gaza-strip 

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3553040/us-flowing-military-supplies-to-israel-as-country-battles-hamas-terrorists/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-american-deaths-hostages.html 




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Monday, October 9, 2023

Transgender athlete, Cal Calamia receives exemption for gender affirming hormone testosterone

 

This week, 27-year-old Cal Calamia, a nonbinary transmasculine track and field and cross country athlete received a therapeutic use exemption for his gender-affirming medication from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Assigned female at birth, Calamia competed in track sports since middle school and several years in college under female divisions. In 2016 Calamia stopped competing, cutting his hair, and began questioning his identity; 3 years after Calamia began hormone replacement therapy and had “top” surgery removing breast tissue making his chest more masculine. Calamia now competes under male and nonbinary divisions for running events. 


(Image credits: Washington post)

This July Calamia received a notice from USADA addressing his use of the hormone testosterone as a potential performance-enhancing drug. USADA works to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics across the United States up to the world and Olympic levels. This forced Calamia to apply to USADA for a therapeutic use exemption in order to prevent being barred from the sport and future events. Calamia’s exemption has been seen as a large victory for the nonbinary and transgender community. On the other hand, Calamia doesn’t view his use of testosterone as doping, he sees it as medically necessary and gender-affirming.

USADA’s approach/approval may have been different if the exemption was for gender-affirming medication for a male born competing amongst females. There is much more controversy on this side of transgender athletics such as swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas transitioned her junior year of college. With transitional medication, Thomas’ times dropped, but she proved to be more successful against her female competition, in 2022 being ranked 65th in men's and 1st in womens. This caused the International Swimming Federation (FINA) to ban transgender athletes from swimming in the women's division unless given athlete could prove that they have not undergone male puberty. I believe many sports federations will implement rulings similar to FINA’s to maintain competitive integrity. A possible but unlikely solution would be the creation of nonbinary divisions at all levels for all sports.

My personal opinion on the matter is that transgender male athletes who are taking testosterone for gender-affirming therapy should be allowed to compete in nonbinary or male divisions. As a male athlete who has transitioned after puberty, Calamia does not have a significant (or any) advantage over his competition with cisgender men. Overall, Americans don’t seem to be the biggest fans of transgender sports and that sentiment may be getting stronger. In May 2021, a Gallup poll found that 34% of Americans believe that athletes should be able to play on themes that match their identity; later in 2023, 26% of Americans believed the same. Even among Americans who knew a transgender person, over 50% of Americans believed that they shouldn’t play sports (numbers supporting transgender athletes also fell from 2021 to 2023).
(Image credits: Gallup)
- Anderson Wong

https://news.gallup.com/poll/507023/say-birth-gender-dictate-sports-participation.aspx

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12605063/U-S-Anti-Doping-agency-grants-San-Francisco-trans-man-27-taking-testosterone-prohibited-potentially-performance-enhancing-drug-runners-exemption-compete.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/06/trans-nonbinary-runner-testosterone-exemption/ 
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Sunday, October 8, 2023

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo

     For nearly 50 years, herring fishermen in the United States have been required to take federal inspectors with them when they go out to sea. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has run out of money and is requiring fishermen to pay the salaries of the inspectors. "'We don't mind taking observers, you know, we have for decades now,' said Stefan Axelsson, a third-generation herring fisherman. 'But to be told to pay for it just isn't right'"(ABC). Many fishermen believe that this could put them out of business, and are fighting against this policy in the Supreme Court.

(Image credits: NOAA)

    The main conflict before the Supreme Court is whether it should overrule or clarify the Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which established the Chevron deference. The Chevron deference is a legal principle that requires courts to follow the interpretation of an agency when a law is unclear, as long as it is reasonable. The "unclear" law is the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), which is the primary law that governs fisheries in US federal waters and aims to create more stability by preventing overfishing, protecting the habitat of the fishies, and making sure that seafood is safe to eat. While the MSA allowed the NOAA to require inspectors on fishing boats, nothing in the MSA says anything about transferring the cost of inspectors to the fishermen.

    The D.C. Circuit ruled that because the Magnuson-Stevens Act was ambiguous regarding how the industry should be funded and whether Congress intended to allow regulators to require fishermen to pay for the inspectors. However, the fishermen see this as an unlawful overreach and would force them to give up a lot of their earnings. It also means that an agency could do whatever it wanted to as long as Congress never told them they couldn't, which is kinda ridiculous.

(Image credits: ABC)

    This case could impact the balance of power between Congress and administrative agencies. If the Chevron deference is upheld, agencies would have more power in interpreting laws and making decisions without authorization from Congress. If it isn't upheld, Congress would have more power in deciding how agencies implement laws. Personally, I believe regulations and inspectors are necessary for protecting federal waters and ensuring that the seafood we eat is safe. However, I do not believe that fishermen should pay to have mandatory inspectors, and I think that agencies have too much power in interpreting the law.

- Lawrence Wang


https://causeofaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022.11.02-Loper-Bright-Case-Summary.pdf

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fishermens-supreme-court-fight-government-monitors-make-big/story?id=102060183

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act | NOAA Fisheries

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/chevron_deference


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Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Laphonza Butler - New CA Senator

         Dianne Feinstein, the first woman to serve as a senator of California and the longest-serving female senator has died. She was an advocate for gun control, environmental protection, and women's rights. She has helped stop the use of torture by the CIA  and introduced several pieces of legislation that would ban or limit the sales of assault weapons.

(Image Credits: NBC News)

    Under Article V of the Constitution, amendments to the Constitution can be proposed by 2/3 of both houses of Congress or by a national convention called at the request of 2/3 of state legislatures, and ratified by either 3/4 state legislatures or by special conventions called in 3/4 of the states. Under the 17th Amendment, "When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct"(US Constitution). This means that when a senator dies or resigns, the governors are allowed to appoint temporary senators.

    Governor Gavin Newsome has appointed Laphonza Butler as an interim senator to fill Feinstein's spot. Butler will be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve California in the Senate, as has been a longtime advocate for women and working people. As Newsome put it, Butler is "'[an] advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate'"(Newsome). Butler also has a lot of experience, as she has served as the President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) and the Property Services Division Director, where she organized over 250,000 workers.

(Image Credits: CNN)

    Laphonza Butler has dedicated her life to helping and empowering people, and I believe that her appointment is a step in the right direction, as it brings more diversity and inclusion in politics. Feinstein was an exceptional senator who accomplished a lot and it will be hard to fill her shoes, but with all the experience that Butler has, I believe she is up to the task and will continue to fight for freedom as Feinstein did.

- Lawrence Wang


Sources

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/05/03/how-do-states-fill-vacancies-in-the-u-s-senate-it-depends-on-the-state/

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/01/governor-gavin-newsom-appoints-laphonza-butler-senate/

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/231002105246-laphonza-butler-washington-2023.jpg?c=original

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-02/230214-ONE-TIME-USE-dianne-feinstein-jm-1419-34d325.jpg

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Gaetz Threatens to Remove Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)is in some deep waters at the moment, namely due to Representative Matt Gaetz(R-FL) disapproving of McCarthy’s actions in preventing a government shutdown. After proposing conservative bills to the Senate, McCarthy failed to get enough Republican votes in order to pass. This led to the proposal of a more moderate stopgap bill in order to quickly gain the support of more Democrats and prevent a government shutdown. While this stopgap bill was passed, it caused a reaction from Matt Gaetz, a more radical Republican. 

(Image Credit: NBC)


That is all great information, but what is a government shutdown? Every year Congress needs to pass 12 appropriations bills in order to fund these categories for the coming year. These bills need to be passed by October 1st, if some of these bills are passed and some are not, we go into a partial shutdown, but if all 12 are not passed, we enter a full shutdown. A shutdown causes federal workers in the given field(s) that were not approved to not be paid and potentially not work for a period of time. At the end of the shutdown, workers are paid and hopefully still have their jobs. Shutdowns are usually bad because they are disruptive, and don’t allow some non-essential but still important things to go through such as Ukraine funding.


(Image Credit: Washington Post)

Following McCarthy’s passing of the bill, Gaetz threatened to oust McCarthy for passing the bill with a motion to vacate; several far-right Republicans seem to agree with his sentiment. This swift action by McCarthy caused Gaetz to lose all of the little trust he had with McCarthy. Gaetz believes that McCarthy is unfit for the role of Speaker of the House lying to House conservatives (concerning collaboration with Democrats) and President Biden. Currently to the knowledge of the public Gaetz does not have a replacement in mind for McCarthy.


Although Gaetz firmly states “I am relentless” in the removal of McCarthy, he will need to convince nearly 200 members of the house, including the Democrats. Some on the left agree with Gaetz’s objective, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “I think Kevin McCarthy is a very weak speaker”(CNN). McCarthy will likely get support from more moderate democrats and republicans as he is seen as the lesser of the two evils. “Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said in a statement. ‘He(Gaetz) doesn’t want the center-left and center-right to work together because he has to be the center of attention’” (Washington Post).


While getting opposition from more radical Republicans and Democrats, I believe that McCarthy will stay in power as I don’t believe Gaetz has enough influence or is convincing enough to get the votes required to remove him. Watching this unfold is quite an experience as we see the polarization of our country happen in real-time. Imagine a news headline saying “A radical conservative is attempting to remove a relatively more moderate conservative because they were collaborating with the Democrats!”


-Anderson Wong
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