“In light of the new information, the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have initiated an investigation into Cuomo’s handling of the nursing homes throughout the pandemic, issuing subpoenas. In response to the allegations, Cuomo stated “everything that could have been done was done”. The recent information regarding Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic comes as Republican and Democratic lawmakers are set to vote on whether to continue allowing Cuomo to use emergency executive powers or to strip him of said powers.”
Read More“It is undeniable that the mayor of New York wields enormous power and political influence...It is with this in mind that over 40 people have filed paperwork to vye for the chance to take over Bill de Blasio’s job when his term ends at the end of this year. However, with the June 22 primaries looming only a few short months away, only a few candidates have emerged as serious contenders.”
Read More“In a move indicative of partisan loyalties and potential for political gain surpassing decency, common sense, and basic morality, the vast majority of Republican senators acquitted Trump in his incendiary role in the attempted coup on Capitol Hill.”
Read More“Fox News faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit filed to the New York Supreme Court by Smartmatic, an election technology company, on the basis that they spread false claims about the 2020 Presidential election. The lawsuit calls out a few people by name including Fox News anchors, Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro, and lawyers, Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell.”
Read More“Despite a clear bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress and ”overwhelming evidence", the impeachment process ended with the same result as Trump’s first impeachment, with the Senate failing to reach the 67 votes required to convict.”
Read More“According to her campaign website, Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) “is a proud constitutional conservative and an advocate for a strong America.” Her values seem to lineup one-to-one with the mission of the modern Republican Party that claims to be “fighting for a freer and stronger America where everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.” However, recent developments within the House Republican Caucus following President Trump’s second impeachment have highlighted the changing nature of ideological divisions within the GOP.”
Read More“Most Americans reject the beliefs of QAnon - yet seventeen percent believe in it. Most members of the government have openly denounced such forms of extremism, although a few politicians in the Republican Party seem to embrace them, most notably Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of GA-14 - the leading face of QAnon in the American government.”
Read More““Former President Trump’s second impeachment trial will begin February 9, 2021, despite the challenges from Trump’s legal team that holding a trial is unconstitutional. The constitutionality of holding an impeachment trial after a president leaves office is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, nor does it have any exact historical precedents.”
Read More“The insurrection attempt & attack on the Capitol by right-wing extremists on January 6th had wide-reaching political impact, such as the (second) impeachment of Donald Trump and widening the divide between our political parties. A longer term consequence in North Carolina, especially for the GOP, is the trend of local corporations and businesspeople reconsidering their donations to politicians who may be perceived as encouraging the violence on January 6th or obstructing democracy by voting against the results of the 2020 election.”
Read More“By allowing wealthier individuals the opportunity to travel to remote locations for vaccine accessibility, medical care providers set a poor precedent. When privileged individuals are going to disenfranchised communities and “jumping the line” for the COVID-19 vaccine, taking away supplies from community members, what bigger display of privilege could governments possibly condone? The pandemic has already significantly widened the gap between the wealthy and the poor, and vaccine tourism highlights yet another clear disparity between the elite and poor populations of the world. Without any clear regulation about vaccine tourism – from federal or state governments – accessibility to vaccines will become yet another gross inequity the pandemic has unveiled.”
Read More“The controversy over the minimum wage, and the broader COVID relief bill, present the first major challenge of Biden’s presidency. As the negotiations progress, we may gain key insight into President Biden’s approach to governing. By working with Republicans, he can prove his commitment to uniting the country, but he must decide if that is worth temporarily abandoning his campaign promise of a $15 minimum wage.”
Read More“GameStock’s rapid ascension in stock price over the past two weeks will have far-reaching implications: it has shown that Wall Street can no longer ignore retail investors, it has shone a light on some of the illicit practices of hedges funds which contributed to the 2008 financial crisis, but perhaps most significantly—it has gotten people interested in the stock market. Even though the GME fad will eventually fade away, this event has created a new informed generation which will view the stock market as a viable way to make money, and that will likely contribute to a further democratization of the market.”
Read More“Many Democrats think Republicans have historically abused the filibuster to force their minority views on the entire country but, in recent years, the filibuster has been used by Democrats to block funding for Trump’s border wall, to protect unemployment benefits, and to stop Republicans from restricting abortion access. Abolishing the filibuster could allow Democrats to get things done while they are in power, but without a filibuster, the next time Republicans have the Senate majority Democrats will not have as immediate and effective a measure to prevent them from restricting voting access and eliminating reproductive rights.”
Read More“The Campaign for Accountability, a non-profit and non-partisan watchdog group that holds public figures accountable, has filed an ethics complaint against Madison Cawthorn (R-NC 11). Cawthorn is one of three Republicans the Campaign for Accountability is alleging incited the violent attack on the Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021. The organization is also arguing that Cawthorn broke a federal regulation and local law that prevented him from bringing his firearm into the building.”
Read More“Throughout Trump’s presidency, the media repeatedly faced backlash from conservatives and Trump supporters due to their alleged bias and vendetta against President Trump. However, now that Trump is no longer president and does not have his platform, the media will need to find another method to attract viewers. This might prove to be difficult for some outlets considering they have spent the last four years focusing on Trump and his Administration in more or less wall to wall coverage.“
Read More“Given the starkly contrasting governing styles between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, it should not come as a surprise that American foreign policy is being reworked under the new administration. After relations with allies such as France and Germany were stained under the Trump Administration, several nations’ leaders now welcome the Biden Administration with open arms and have begun talks immediately”
Read More“Biden’s ambitious COVID stimulus package faces many obstacles in Washington and it may take longer than President Biden would want for Americans to get the coronavirus relief so many desperately need.”
Read More“With Kamala Harris marking a historic first entering the role of Vice President, she has also created the need for a new one: Second Gentleman of the United States. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, is the first Second Gentleman in American history, taking over the role from former Vice President Pence’s wife, Karen Pence. While it is not an official governmental position, many second spouses have made the most of their prominent positions and left a mark on the office and the country.”
Read More“As was seen later in the evening of January 6th, Cawthorn’s objection to the election results did not prevent them from being certified. However, the false and baseless claims he and other prominent Republicans made have shaken the United State’s electoral system and the public’s trust in it. Going forward, it will take a significant amount of time and effort to restore faith and trust in the electoral system.”
Read More“The four years of Donald Trump’s presidency had many unprecedented moments. Adding to the list of historically unfortunate acts, the Administration resumed federal executions after they had been paused since 2003. Thirteen people were executed by the Administration in the time since July 2020 and the inauguration of President Joe Biden. This is more than the number of federal executions in over 56 years combined. Additionally, five of these were ordered during the transition to the incoming Administration, something that had not been done in 135 years.”
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