International cooperation is a must to avoid a nuclear-arms-esque race to the bottom of AI regulations, or an “AI Non-Proliferation Treaty,” if you will. History has shown that whenever a technological advancement has the potential to cause harm, it often does. Recognizing the veritable downsides of AI can help the world get ahead of the eight-ball, maximize the merits of innovation, and mitigate the perils.

The concept of Thanksgiving in modern-day America is about parades, watching American football, and family meals; however, it does evoke the memory of the past violence, displacement, and dispossession that are less talked about for Native Americans. As an International student, I never completely understood the meaning of American Thanksgiving until I realized that life is not about living in the past, but learning from the past, moving on and being thankful for what we have.

Ultimately, the federal government shutdown is not merely a failure to pass a budget but about two conflicting visions for America’s role in the lives of its citizens: one centered on public welfare, and the other on fiscal restraint. While both parties are at a stalemate, the burden lies on the shoulders of working-class Americans who rely on federal support to make ends meet.