Author: Julia Mehalko

California was rocked by a series of earthquakes this weekend, prompting many locals to question why the state was so active on Saturday. After people began to come out to worry that the ongoing heat wave was fueling these earthquakes, experts had to clarify that, despite popular belief, there really is no such thing as “earthquake weather.” California Is Very Seismically Active Source: Pixabay/Pexels California is one of the most seismically active regions in the entire United States. On a daily basis, many earthquakes occur throughout the Golden State. However, these earthquakes often aren’t felt at all by regular residents.…

House Republicans, led by the efforts of House Speaker Mike Johnson, are appearing to link a controversial voting law to the upcoming government funding bill. If this bill isn’t passed, then a government shutdown may occur. This controversial voting law — which Republicans are for, while Democrats are overwhelmingly against — would require all Americans to have proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Another Government Shutdown Looms Source: Tim Mossholder/Unsplash For the last few weeks, there has been talk about adding this proof of citizenship voting requirement to the government funding bill. This idea was first brought forth by…

At least two Floridians of Lee County have come forward to say they were questioned by police over petitions they had signed in support of abortion. These alarming situations have caused many Floridians to worry that Governor Ron DeSantis is working to send “election police” to question the validity of these petition signatures, intimidating residents along the way. Floridians Will Vote on Abortion Source: Element5 Digital/Unsplash This November, Floridians will have the chance to vote for Amendment 4, which deals with offering abortion access to all residents until viability. This amendment would completely overturn Florida’s current six-week abortion ban. Many…

California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants in the state to become eligible to receive home loans. This bill was heavily fought for by Democrats. As a result, many of Newsom’s party are shocked by the governor’s quick veto of the bill. Republicans, meanwhile, have applauded it. A Bill Helping Immigrants in California Source: Paul Hanaoka/Unsplash This bill would have made immigrants who are in the country illegally eligible for home loans under a state program. This program in California was designed to help offer assistance to many first-time buyers throughout the state.…

Teachers and school districts across Oklahoma are openly defying orders from Republican State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to teach Bible lessons in public school classrooms. Walters’ mandate to force Bible lessons on students comes as many Republican-led states have pushed for more religion — specifically Christianity — in public schools. An Oklahoma Memo Source: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦/Unsplash Back in June, Walters issued a memo that directed all schools in Oklahoma to begin to incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into class lessons. This mandate pushed for these lessons to be taught in all public school classrooms…

Texas is the latest state in the United States to find itself in a growing home insurance crisis, as multiple insurance companies have stopped offering new policies in the Lone Star State. Progressive Insurance is the latest company to flee the state. Other states, such as California and Florida, have also found themselves in a similar crisis. Progressive Halts Policies Source: J King/Unsplash Progressive Insurance recently confirmed that they were “temporarily restricting new homeowners (HO3) business for certain agents in several states.” These states allegedly include Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. However, Progressive has only officially confirmed that…

An investigation has found that Elon Musk was among many who were fooled by right-wing influencers working on behalf of Russian operatives to spread propaganda in the United States. This revelation comes as Musk has frequently aligned himself with the right after claiming to be a Democrat for years. Russian Propaganda in the U.S. Source: Michael Parulava/Unsplash Recently, an unsealed indictment in the Southern District of New York has revealed how two Russian employees for RT, the Russian state-controlled media operation, have fueled propaganda in the United States. This unsealed indictment has led to the U.S. government warning that Russia…

NASA officials have admitted that there was “tension” in the room when they revealed that they would not allow Boeing to let two stranded astronauts use their Starliner spacecraft to come back down to Earth. This latest update in the NASA Boeing drama comes as astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams remain stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) thanks to Starliner’s many problems. Starliner’s Many Problems Source: NASA Kennedy Space Center/NASA/Isaac Watson/Wikimedia Commons Even before Boeing’s Starliner launched into space with Wilmore and Williams on board, there were many problems. These various issues — such as a small helium…

Seattle’s upcoming minimum wage hike — which will see employees making at least $20 an hour — has come under fire by the restaurant industry. Restaurant owners have warned that this wage increase could hurt their businesses. However, it could also destroy the industry as a whole in Seattle. Seattle’s Minimum Wage Law Source: Vladimir Solomianyi/Unsplash Seattle’s minimum wage law, which first went into effect in 2015, originally was a $15 minimum wage deal. Back in 2015, this was a big deal for many workers, as a $15 minimum wage was long fought for. However, this law is also tied…

Residents of the community of Rancho Palos Verdes in California are struggling as massive landslides and land movement devastate their coastal town. California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to help residents in the area, particularly as gas and power have been shut off to hundreds of homes. Power Shut Offs Seen Throughout California City Source: Miguel Á. Padriñán/Pexels Earlier this week, SoCal Edison announced that they were shutting off power to about 245 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes. According to the company, power had to be shut off because they were worried land movement could bring…