ARTICLES

01 Dec, 2017

Republican Tax Bill The Senate Budget Committee, in a 12-11 vote along party lines, decided to present the Republicans’ new tax bill to the full Senate. If the Senate bill were to pass, individual income tax rates would be lowered for the middle class for a few years. The bill, however, also uses a slower-growing inflation adjustment model than the one in use now, meaning more people may end up being pushed into higher tax brackets in the long term. The bill would also reduce corporate income

01 Nov, 2017

Trump Administration Connections with Russia Paul Manafort and Rick Gates –Trump’s campaign manager and deputy campaign manager, respectively – were charged on twelve counts related to the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible connections to the Russian government.  The counts include conspiracy against the U.S. for working secretly on behalf of pro-Russian factions in Ukraine, money laundering, and failure to register as foreign agents. The Trump administration has claimed

02 Oct, 2017

DACA Donald Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), a policy established by the Obama administration to give some individuals who immigrated to the United States as minors the opportunity to defer potential deportation and obtain a work permit. About 800,000 people – referred to as “Dreamers” after the yet-to-pass DREAM Act – were protected by DACA. Ending the program means that no new individuals can enroll and that those who are currently covered

16 Sep, 2017

While fireworks were ablaze in cities across the United States, perhaps the most important July 4th blast came from the decidedly un-American city of Panghyon. This test, not the first but easily the most alarming of its kind, legitimized the North Korean claim to an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). By definition, a ballistic missile gains the title of ICBM when equipped with the ability to attack within a 5,500 kilometer range. North Korea’s new missile, the Hwasong-14, was reported

13 Sep, 2017

Michigan billionaire, conservative activist, and now, Secretary of Education. In February, Betsy DeVos swung into Trump’s cabinet in a flurry of controversy, particularly surrounding her lack of experience in education. While “potential grizzlies” and a historic tie-breaking vote placed by Vice President Pence may be in DeVos’ past, college looms in my future. That’s why nearly 4 million high school seniors are asking the question: is DeVos making the right moves for our higher education?

06 Sep, 2017

Becca is a white female. She’s about to enter her senior year of high school. She wants to make the difference in the world;her sights are set on Harvard. She has a pretty impressive list of extracurriculars: captain of the varsity volleyball team, debate champion, president of her school’s chapter of the Red Cross. But despite all of her accomplishments, she no longer stands out in the cutthroat college application process. In an attempt to make herself shine in her application to Harvard,

31 Aug, 2017

Unite the Right Rally & White Supremacy A white supremacist rally called “Unite the Right” took place in Charlottesville, Virginia as part of a string of protests against the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. The rally drew a crowd of counterprotesters. During the protests, a car drove into a group of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring 19. There was also smaller-scale violence between protesters and counterprotesters, which was eventually shut down when the police declared the protests

30 Aug, 2017

I'm writing this as a student, Texan, and American. I am terrified that, in the face of one of the largest humanitarian crises our nation has ever faced, too many of us are doing nothing. Here's why we all need to care. As a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Harvey has brought about 130-mph gusts of wind and waves of destruction rarely seen before. It is the strongest hurricane to hit Texas in 56 years and has devastated the coast with powerful waves and winds. The hurricane is projected to produce

27 Aug, 2017

Back in 2010, the voices of gun control advocates continued to be drowned out by gunshots, until there was one that could no longer be ignored. In 2011, US Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ constituent meeting was the target of a lethal mass shooting. Six died that day, while fifteen others suffered non-fatal injuries. Thankfully, Giffords survived the attack. Soon after, she became an advocate for gun control measures to help prevent any potential future shootings, including curbing magazine

22 Aug, 2017

On April 14th, 2016, Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders squared off in a fierce televised debate moderated by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. The two candidates traded barbs throughout the night, most notably in a tense exchange where Hillary Clinton criticized Bernie Sanders for acting like a gatekeeper on who is and isn’t progressive. Since then, debate has raged throughout the Democratic Party about the wisdom of so-called “litmus tests,” in which support for a candidate is