“The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority found The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Harvard’s race-conscious college admissions process to be unconstitutional, effectively ending affirmative action and overturning forty years of legal precedent. “
Read More“On June 29, 2023 the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the use of affirmative action in all higher education admissions processes. Though the claims brought against affirmative action are deceivingly compelling, the harsh reality of overturning affirmative action will create barriers in achieving success through higher education for future students of color.“
Read More“The Supreme Court will release its decision on both cases in the coming weeks, determining the financial position of 43 million borrowers. Regardless of the outcome, the decision will be an indicator of President Biden’s ability to enact serious policy change for the remainder of his term”
Read More“The Sports Wagering House Bill 347 passed the NC House bipartisanly with a vote of 64-45 at the end of March. This bill could bring large amounts of money to the state as it would provide licenses to 10 to 12 online sportsbooks and tax them 14%. “
Read More“On Wednesday, April 26, UNC Chapel Hill was added to a list of stops made by former Vice President Mike Pence to speak to college students around the nation. Pence spoke before 500 people in the Franklin Porter Graham Student Union’s Great Hall and was greeted by a flurry of applause before he began his speech, titled “Saving America from the Woke Left.” While Mr. Pence, his ideas, and his discourse with the audience were greatly supported and received within the Great Hall, a few hundred feet across from the Student Union a large protest was attended by hundreds of UNC students and members of the local community.“
Read More“The environmental tradeoffs are perhaps the most stark challenge facing Canadian mining.”
“Through this decision, along with the announcement that Russia may move strategic nuclear arms to Belarus, President Putin is trying to make it seem that this conflict could quickly turn nuclear. However, past precedent and current pressures on the Russian president make it unlikely that his nuclear weapon moves are more than political posturing.“
Read More“In December of 2022, the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP) launched the “No More Death Row” campaign to end the practice of capital punishment in North Carolina. Last week, the North Carolina Council of Churches and NCCADP released a statement to Governor Roy Cooper, urging him to commute the sentences of all current prisoners on death row within the state.“
Read More“March 23, 2023, brought yet another horrendous act of gun violence in the United States. A short two days later on March 29, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly was able to pass Senate Bill 41, also known as the Guarantee 2nd Amend Freedom and Protections Act. The bill’s most serious implications come in its first section most commonly referred to as the “pistol permit purchase” section, which ends the requirement to obtain a permit from one’s county sheriff before purchasing a handgun.“
Read More“Free speech has and continues to play an essential role in higher education, yet recent political polarization has put a strain on the effort to maintain the essential divide between academic speech and public discourse.“
Read More“The International Criminal Court has charged Vladimir Putin and Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova with war crimes due to their investigation finding ‘at least hundreds’ of Ukrainian children from orphanages and care homes were deported to Russia. The warrant holds effective and important implications on the prospects for the settlement of the Russia-Ukraine War.”
Read More“The ability of Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina to reconcile their decade-long debate on Medicaid and pass a bipartisan bill that will bring both economic and health benefits to the state and its residents should be celebrated and will bring significant impacts to NC.”
Read More“Abortion seems to be a never-ending issue in the discussion about American politics and public policy. Faith, and specifically Christianity, has long played a role in this discussion and has been a dominant force as of late. While it is a dominant religion in the country and it has played a large role thus far, does faith have a place in the political discussion about abortion?”
Read More“We are too late in the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden Administration committed to advancing,” said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen on March 13.
Read MoreA potential Russian coup to prevent Moldova from joining the European Union carries serious concerns in the international community, including the possibility that Russia will invade Russian-speaking Transnistria as another “special military operation”, as they did with Crimea and Ukraine. Transnistria is increasingly a likely target for Russia to easily gain control of EU territory, given the soviet history of the breakaway state.
Read More“Colleges give their students new experiences away from home, friends who love unconditionally, memories to last a lifetime, and, in many cases, crippling debt. However, President Biden announced a three-part plan to erase student loan debt for borrowers who need it the most. When the application for debt forgiveness opened, 26 million borrowers applied and began anxiously waiting to see if their debt would be forgiven. However, the wait will have to continue.“
Read More“A group of United States Senators introduced a bill which would ban TikTok, a Chinese-owned app that currently boasts over 150 million American users. This bill has gained bipartisan support and, if passed, would be the first-ever total ban on any app in U.S. history.“
Read More“Voting, the bedrock of our democracy, is the single most important practice for citizens to make their voices heard. Yet, since the 2020 election, Republican state legislatures across the country have passed voter suppression bills under the guise of “protecting integrity in our election.” This façade does a poor job of covering what these laws are truly intended for: making it more difficult to vote.“
Read More“Look, at the end of the day, the union fights with you, not for you.”
Read More“To say the 2022 elections were disappointing for North Carolina Democrats would be an understatement. However, the Democratic party’s strategy is bound to change with the entrance of a fresh face bringing with it new energy. In February 2023, Anderson Clayton was elected the North Carolina Democratic Party Chair, becoming the youngest party chair in the country at only 25 years old.“
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