Author: Alex Trent

Republican lawmakers in California are fed up with Governor Gavin Newsom’s high-profile statements about problems happening in other states while there are still problems at home. On Monday, Newsom took to the social media platform X to promote a new political ad criticizing an Alabama abortion ban. “Alabama’s abortion ban has no exceptions for rape or incest. Now, Republicans are trying to criminalize young women’s travel to receive abortion care. We cannot let them get away with this,” Newsom wrote. This past weekend, Newsom was also behind an announcement that California lawmakers would focus efforts on introducing legislation to allow…

As the Supreme Court weighs in on one of the most important cases of homelessness in America, the country is experiencing soaring numbers of people who can increasingly not afford a place to live. As the number of people sleeping in public increases, American cities are grappling with trying to deal with this problem through enforcement actions that criminalize and penalize people sleeping in parks, on the side of the road, and on sidewalks. Record Homeless Rates Source: Wikimedia Commons In December, AP News reported that the United States has seen a recent 12% increase in homelessness amounting to record…

The New York Post reported that a scheduled youth soccer game between two teams was forced to be canceled after a group of migrants on the field refused to leave despite the teams having a proper permit. The Manhattan Kickers were supposed to face FA Euro New York on April 15th in Thomas Jefferson Park. However, when about 40 teenage players, their coaches, and a referee showed up for the game, a group of around 30 men reported to be African migrants with limited English skills were insistent on staying on the field. “I directly asked them to leave and…

Dewitt Public Schools Superintendent Shanna Spickard announced Friday that the school district has canceled plans for a mini-lesson on gender identity and pronouns after receiving backlash from community members and negative viral attention online. Spickard claims staff members received threatening phone calls while others have had their personal information published online in an attempt to harass them. Gender Lesson Source: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦/Unsplash The lesson that was to be taught to school children was announced as a way to “promote greater understanding, compassion, and kindness regarding gender identity and the use of pronouns.” The school district informed parents of…

The area around the US-Mexico border continues to be increasingly fortified as states like Texas lead the charge in carrying out their own enforcement efforts to stem the tide of flowing migrants. However, analysts predict that despite this environment of increased border scrutiny, factors US officials can’t control will drive migrants to continue making the journey, with the numbers likely to continue to increase in the next few months. Outward Migration Source: Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos/Wikimedia Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, asserts that the number of migrants leaving countries south of the American…

A first-of-its-kind airport bill in the United States is seeking passage through the California legislature. If passed this bill would ban the ability of security screening company Clear and others to allow customers to skip security lines in California airports. Supporters of the bill argue that these companies allowing customers to skip airport security lines ahead of other travelers contribute to inequality and aren’t fair to everyone. SB-1372 Source: Alex Wild/Wikimedia Senate Bill 1372 is sponsored by California Democrat Senator Josh Newman. It was introduced to the Senate on February 16 and had its committee hearing set for Tuesday. The…

A viral post on the social media platform X has sparked a conversation among users about how much is too much to pay for gas in a convenient local area. X user Scott Budman made a post on Sunday with a picture of the gas station prices at a Chevron in Menlo Park, California. The photo shows the price of regular gas at $7.29 per gallon. The ‘plus’ line for gas was $7.59 and the ‘supreme’ blend for gas was $7.79 per gallon. Budman captioned his post with a commentary on the federal minimum wage. “One gallon of gas (Menlo…

After Border Patrol numbers in December showed record levels of border crossings, a debate broke out among Americans about what to do about it. In response to the elevated crossings, Texas took it upon itself to be a leader in border security, ramping up its enforcement efforts despite protests from the Federal government. Now, according to the latest data, it seems like these border security measures are increasingly encouraging migrants to avoid the Texas border and try to enter through the area that leads to San Diego. This part of the US-Mexico border is the biggest land crossing point between…

In places like Florida that are seeing record natural disaster events, insurance companies are finding it increasingly difficult to continue offering policies amid the rising financial risk. A new report released by Redfin shows that over 70% of Florida homeowners are struggling with rising insurance costs, with 12% saying they have been dropped by their insurer in the past year. This is higher than the national average in this survey, which found only 44% of Americans say they have been affected by rising home insurance costs or changes in coverage. Redfin Report Source: Gustavo Zambelli/Unplsash This Redfin report published on…

A new CBS News/YouGov survey found that in a representative sample of 2,230 adults in the United States, 70% reported they would support the government taking active steps to reduce climate change. This majority attitude among Americans comes amidst record-breaking temperatures in recent years, with 2023 being the hottest year since global records were tracked in 1850. Addressing Climate Change Source: The Climate Reality Project/Unsplash The survey, which took place between April 16 and 19, found that a majority of Americans agree that steps need to be taken to address climate change. When asked when people should address climate change,…