The 2012 Presidential Debate between President Barack Obama and Senator Mitt Romney opens up with a cordial meeting: a handshake and congratulations on an anniversary. Viewers saw a constructive, mature discussion on policies between two opponents. Four years later, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took the debate stage. The two threw around words like “crooked” […]
Democracy: the esteemed pillar of American values that many deem as the foundational bedrock of the United States of America. An educated society is essential for a thriving democracy, as it empowers citizens to engage in critical discourse, make informed decisions, and safeguard democratic principles. Yet, with 54 percent of American adults holding literacy skills […]
With thirteen Academy Award nominations, twelve British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations, and ten Golden Globe nominations, Netflix’s Emilia Pérez defined the 2024 awards scene. Critics initially praised the movie-musical for its inclusivity, covering underserved topics such as Mexico’s cartel crisis and, within that, the struggles of the transgender community. Yet, with a […]
With thirteen Academy Award nominations, twelve British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations, and ten Golden Globe nominations, Netflix’s Emilia Pérez defined the 2024 awards scene. Critics initially praised the movie-musical for its inclusivity, covering underserved topics such as Mexico’s cartel crisis and, within that, the struggles of the transgender community. Yet, with a […]
The United States has long been a dynamic force of creativity, media, and entrepreneurship, using the idea of the market economy to limit government interference in business activities. From this position of influence, US politicians have cultivated an “America-first” narrative that inflates the US’ economic success and demeans the economies of competing nations—a narrative that […]
There’s no denying that the tendrils of authoritarian populism have been slowly strengthening their grip on the political institutions of democratic countries all over the world. Freedom House’s 2021 “Freedom in the World” report documented a sharp acceleration in the global decline of democracy since 2020, and found that the share of countries identified as […]
We often consider gender-based violence against women to be an individual man’s fault with “bad apples” engaging in these actions, but the reality is that there is a systemic problem within global societies which allows and encourages femicides and violent actions towards women. Deflecting attention away from the accountability of men in the conversations of […]
The 2012 Presidential Debate between President Barack Obama and Senator Mitt Romney opens up with a cordial meeting: a handshake and congratulations on an anniversary. Viewers saw a constructive, mature discussion on policies between two opponents. Four years later, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took the debate stage. The two threw around words like “crooked” […]
Democracy: the esteemed pillar of American values that many deem as the foundational bedrock of the United States of America. An educated society is essential for a thriving democracy, as it empowers citizens to engage in critical discourse, make informed decisions, and safeguard democratic principles. Yet, with 54 percent of American adults holding literacy skills […]
A law derived from a 1950’s legal battle over obscene books currently dictates freedom of speech on the internet. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act ruled that social media platforms cannot be blamed for the content posted on their site, just as a bookstore cannot be held liable for the sale of obscene […]
America is not healthy. Despite being a world economic leader and carrying the designation of the “greatest country in the world,” the American life expectancy is 78.4 years, while the average for all other comparable countries is 82.5 years. Furthermore, the United States drastically outperforms its peer countries in negative birth outcomes, heart disease, chronic […]
With thirteen Academy Award nominations, twelve British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations, and ten Golden Globe nominations, Netflix’s Emilia Pérez defined the 2024 awards scene. Critics initially praised the movie-musical for its inclusivity, covering underserved topics such as Mexico’s cartel crisis and, within that, the struggles of the transgender community. Yet, with a […]
Pro-vegan documentaries are everywhere. Netflix alone features Seaspiracy, Cowspiracy, You Are What You Eat, the Gamechangers, and more. These documentaries offer a variety of perspectives on the benefits of veganism, emphasizing its health and sustainability benefits. Paired with an overwhelming number of studies, these documentaries might lead Americans to believe that veganism is the best […]
Candace Owens, an American political commentator, television personality, and New York Times bestselling author, has swiftly become a national star in conservative media. Boasting over four and a half million followers on Instagram, Owens has interviewed former president Donald Trump and entertained the idea of running for president herself. Owens argues against transgender rights, abortion […]
From voting to reproductive rights, the feminist movement has made major leaps over the last few decades. But the fight for gender equality is not over. Women continue to face new challenges each day, juggling issues like workplace sexism and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. These struggles are compounded by social media, […]
In his second inaugural address, president Donald Trump rattled off a list of legislative initiatives that he claimed would “completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal” that had been levied upon the American people. Among them were solutions to various hot-button issues which compelled voters to elect Trump to a second term, such as illegal […]
Although pre-election forecasts predicted the 2024 election would be mathematically closer than a coin flip, everything seemed to go perfectly for former President Donald Trump on Election Day. By receiving 2.5 million more votes than he did in the 2020 presidential election and flipping six of the seven swing states which voted for Biden in […]
The president’s power to pardon has been enshrined in the Constitution ever since it was first ratified at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Among the convention’s Framers, it was Alexander Hamilton who argued most fervently for the existence of pardon powers. Hamilton argued in Federalist 74 that the president’s ability to grant clemency and pardons […]
In the coming decades, there are a handful of states that could realistically align themselves with either the liberal-democratic international order—a system of international relations defined by adherence to international law, open and liberal free trade, and belief in the natural rights of human beings—or today’s autocracies. Such geopolitically fickle states hesitate to commit themselves […]
