Trump’s Cabinet and What it Means For The US
Skye Warner
A president’s first official task, apart from accepting the victory, is nominating his cabinet members. It’s the nation’s first look at who the president thinks is qualified and who the president wants to greenlight their policies. It’s also a look at what a president values. Is their cabinet all-male? All-white? What’s their background? Are they loyalists, or will they be able to tell the president no? Finally, the people that the president chooses will display his own values. Are they choosing a war hawk or dove for the Secretary of Defense? Are they choosing a treehugger or Shell’s CEO for the Secretary of Energy? Is their UN Ambassador isolationist or multilateralist? All of these people will play an important role in carrying out the president’s policies, and it’s a look into what the president is likely to do down the road.
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Fish and Oil Rigs?!? The Combination No One Would’ve Guessed
By: Sonya Malik
Typically when we think of oil we think of money, resources, cars, and the climate. Something behind the production of oil is the oil rig. An oil rig is used to extract oil and gas from beneath the earth’s surface. Oil rigs are typically in bodies of water far from coasts of lands. As people want to move towards a more sustainable future the oil rig industry is not as favorable. As a society we don’t necessarily want to eradicate all oil rigs, but find more positive things to see in them. But there may be more behind the scenes of these steel structures in the middle of our oceans than meets the eye.
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Why Colleges Are Bringing Back the Standardized Testing Requirement
By: Frances Xing
In 2022, MIT announced that they were bringing back the standardized testing requirement in their college admissions. As of 2024, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, UT Austin, and more have also joined, turning against the growing number of test-optional schools.
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Viral Trends on Social Media: the Trump and Harris Campaigns
By: Elizabeth Chen
Sunday, July 21st: Joe Biden drops out of the presidential race, four months before the 2024 election, following a disastrous presidential debate between Joe Biden, the current President of the United States, and Donald Trump, Former President of the United States. The viral debate ranged in topics from who had the best golf skills to relations with a porn star, leading to Biden’s chances decreasing in the polls.
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Young, Bold, and Voting: Important Things for Young People to Know about the 2024 Voting
By: Elsa Plank
As the 2024 General Election approaches, here are some important guidelines for young Americans to consider. Don’t know where to start? Let’s begin by learning more about deciding which candidates to support.
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Cars, Public Transportation, and Their Effect on The Economy
By: Manthan Madan
Public transportation is for everyone and is most commonly found in densely populated areas. The subways in New York and California are examples of public transport, whereas cars are examples of private transport. Both cars and public transportation have advantages and disadvantages for the economy.
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The Cost of ‘Free’
Hypothetically, if there was a family with two kids in college, who earned the average national income of $74,000, their combined college tuition would be around $72,000, which essentially equals that family’s annual income. This offers a dilemma; do you send your kids to college? Or do you prioritize your basic needs such as mortgage payments and food?
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The 81st Golden Globes Proves the Message of Barbie
The Golden Globes, an awards ceremony for American and international films, celebrates outstanding films produced by hard work in the industry. This 81st Golden Globes should have served “as a bid to return to awards so relevancy” due to the controversies in recent years, but an opening dialogue from comedian Jo Koy, the host of the ceremony, set an uncomfortable tone.
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2023 Was The Hottest Year–What Does This Mean?
A study done by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information has shown that 2023 has been the warmest year on this planet in 174 years. Each decade has been hotter than the last, a preview of the events that will happen in the future if humanity does not act now.
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Westward Expansion in an Arch
Westward Expansion built the foundation of the United States. The expansion of the United States territory west was vital for creating the modern United States. Consequently, the push westward has been honored throughout history and one such commemoration was with a massive, stunning steel structure known as the Gateway Arch. Saint Louis’ Gateway Arch, completed in 1965 by Eero Saarinen, was built to celebrate the enlargement of America.
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Recent Acts of Discrimination and Petition on U.S. College Campuses
By: Colleen Nakhooda
In the wake of recent current events regarding the Israel versus Hamas War, there has been an exponential rise in protests, acts of violence, public acts of hateful discrimination, and an outcry for college boards in the United States to listen to their student’s voices and beliefs.
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Taking the Final Step: Trey Sharp’s Story and the Finale of the Hudson Varsity Football Season
By: Kai Kurokawa
One more step. Senior wide receiver Trey Sharp lines up on the line of scrimmage with four minutes to go in the game, Hudson down 17 - 21. A touchdown would give Hudson all the momentum they would need to seal the game. The ball snaps, as the ball floats in the air for what seemed like forever. The ball falls into the hands of Sharp as he takes the ball untouched into the end zone.
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The Rise in Book Bans
By: Jyothisree Mandadapu
Over the past few years book bans in American schools have become more common and vicious. According to the American Library Association attempts at book bans have risen by 385 in the country. Although this is a movement being driven by a minority in certain states the impact is felt in classrooms all over the country.
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Are College Admissions Advantages Fair?
By: Erica Liu
Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual battle starting in August is marked by destruction, displacement of communities, and long-lasting societal, economic, and emotional scars. Seven million young men and women grapple with the high levels of competition, besieged by doubts and uncertainty, yet motivated by dreams of a brighter future.
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Texas is Failing its Public School Students
By: Ava Daugherty
Since August 29, 2023, when Katy Independent School District in Houston, Texas, began enforcing a policy that requires educators to notify parents and guardians if their child identifies as transgender, nineteen students have since been forcibly outed. Elsewhere, the Texas Education Agency has, starting this school year, taken over
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The End of the VA Forbearance Loans Program and Its Impact on Veteran Families
By: Khadija Coats
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the VA (Veteran Association) Forbearance Loans Program was enacted by Congress. The program sought to defer mortgage payments for veteran families struggling financially, allowing them to keep their homes during the pandemic without difficulties. Their missed payments
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Unshackling Opportunity Through Establishing Minimum Incarcerated Wage
By: Erica Liu
Many of us have worked an hourly paid minimum wage job before. Whether it’s taking orders or flipping burgers, we all have one thing in common: we like to be paid for our work. Minimum wage was established in 1938 to prevent employers from exploiting their employees; it was meant to be a protection.
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How the Supreme Court is Handling Cases of Domestic Gun Violence
By: Madeleine Burke
With the second amendment being a hotly debated topic in current events, it’s no surprise that the amendment will soon be taken to the Supreme Court yet again. Why will this recent case be different?
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Supreme Court Ruling that Pushes Gay Rights One Step Back
By: Bobin Park
On Friday, June 30th, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that businesses can refuse services to same-sex couples. Lori Smith runs a graphic design business called 303 Creative. Her case is that the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act will compel her to create websites for gay couples, which is inconsistent with her beliefs.
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Biden’s Loan Forgiveness Plan
By: Julia Zhu
On June 30th, President Biden's plan to forgive student loans, which aimed to provide up to $20,000 in forgiveness, was struck down by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS).
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