Author: Alex Trent

Wendy Carrillo, an Assemblymember for the state of California, has a new proposal for putting a stop to shoplifting crimes, and fear of arrest is an essential ingredient. “Right now, there’s no fear, right? It’s like we can steal, we can commit these petty misdemeanor crimes, but it’s cite and release and there’s no record,” Carrillo said, explaining why the current laws on the books haven’t been effective. Carrillo is one of the main sponsors of California Assembly Bill 1990, a new bill that would give police broader authority to make arrests in misdemeanor shoplifting incidents. Police officers could arrest…

Supporters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) received another blow to their movement last week after the US House of Representatives shuttered an important department. The House has now officially disbanded the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in compliance with a government spending bill passed in early March. DEI advocates are furious, with some fearing the consequences that this action will have for the future of American democracy. DEI Chair Laments Closure Source: Elijah Mears/Unsplash Ohio representative Joyce Beatty was the first-ever chair of the Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion. In comments to the Hill, she expressed…

2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has been hitting the campaign trail hard with fiery rhetoric surrounding what he has called an invasion of migrants at the US-Mexico Border. While many are decrying the language used by Trump, recent polling shows that it may be effective in swaying people, even convincing some Democrats into taking the problem more seriously and blaming President Joe Biden for it. Democrats Increasingly Disapprove of Biden’s Border Policy Source: Shutterstock An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in March found that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the southern border.…

An Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February has ignited a discussion among conservatives about what having a pro-life political position actually means.  The ruling declared that frozen embryos are children, throwing into doubt the legality of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a critical procedure that couples struggling with fertility rely on to have children. Since the ruling, competing groups have been working to establish the line on what positions a “pro-life advocate” must hold. Political Influence Source: Republican Party/Wikimedia Politico reports that conservative organizations like the Heritage Foundation and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission have been working behind the scenes…

As California budget negotiations heat up, analysts say the state could save more than $1 billion per year if it closed at least five prisons. However, Governor Gavin Newsom appears resistant to this idea to help resolve the state’s historic upcoming budget gap, despite his track record of closing prisons in the past. Democrats and criminal justice advocates have called for more prison closings in the state, but the governor also has to contend with the opinions of many Californians who are increasingly concerned about crime. No Plans for Prison Closure Saad Chaudhry/Unplash H.D. Palmer, a representative from the California…

On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of hundreds of advanced surveillance cameras in the city of Oakland. This move comes in response to various incidents of crime in the city that are gaining increasing visibility. Officials hope that the installation of these cameras will provide authorities with the ability to track crime suspects’ vehicles in real time. Newsom Statement Source: Wikimedia Commons In a statement published March 29th by the governor’s office, Newsom outlined what he called a “high-tech camera network.” The statement goes on to describe the hope that the installation of these high-tech cameras will…

The devastating collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge Tuesday is being met with an outpouring of support from government agencies like the US Department of Transportation. This department worked quickly to approve immediate funding relief to the tune of $60 million to aid in emergency work that needs to be done on cleanup and reconstruction efforts. Downpayment Source: Laura Hoover/Wikimedia The funds delivered by the US Department of Transportation are intended to be used as a “downpayment towards initial costs.” The road to recovery is estimated to be long, and this initial payment will be supplemented in the future…

Some L.A. residents are dreading the end of Easter weekend because when April 1 rolls around on Monday, certain workers in the fast food industry will be required to be paid a $20 an hour minimum wage.  While no doubt many are supportive of workers making more money, residents also worry about the upcoming menu price hikes in places with few food alternatives. California Law Source: Wikimedia Commons The California law, AB 1228, signed last year by Governor Gavin Newsom, would effectively increase the wage fast food workers would be making by 25% percent.  The state instituted a $16 minimum…

GOP members continuing to resign from their positions in the United States House of Representatives has ignited fears of a possible Democrat takeover as the Republican majority dwindles. A recent departure by Wisconsin representative Mike Gallagher has further shifted the balance between Republicans and Democrats, meaning GOP members can now only realistically lose one more vote and their majority will crumble. Gallagher’s Resignation Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office/Wikimedia Gallagher announced he would be resigning from his position in Congress effective April 19. The Republican was first elected in 2016, and many saw him as a rising GOP star at…

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of the massive cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund company FTX, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a defrauding scheme that prosecutors say is one of the biggest financial frauds in US history. As part of the sentencing, Bankman-Fried was also ordered to surrender $11 billion in funds that will go toward the victims. Sentencing Source: Zolnierek/Canva Bankman-Fried attended a sentencing hearing Thursday where Judge Lewis Kaplan presided. As the sentence was read aloud to him, he sat with his hands folded and his eyes looking down.  Kaplan read the…