U.S.
The Juxtaposition Between Environmental Policy of States and The Federal Government in the Trump Era
Within the United States in recent years, several contradictory environmental decisions have been executed as states have advocated for more sustainable legislation, while the federal government and private corporations have seemingly reverted to fossil fuel energy sources and adjacent supportive policy. We as a country are too familiar with President Trump’s constant reference to "beau...
U.S.
Trump’s administration is no stranger to controversy, but one topic of his second term is sparking particular outrage. Since the start of the year, immigration has engulfed mass media and filled city streets with protesters. Pro-immigration sentiment is far from new. Now, however, signs and chants are paying reference to perhaps the most infamous time in modern history: Nazi Germany [1]. Acc...
U.S.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives took the internet by storm in 2024, attracting an audience deeply invested in the glitz, glamour, and meticulously curated appearances of women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While most dismiss it as pure frivolity, this reality show inadvertently reveals an important cultural norm that runs rampant within the Latter-day Saint (LDS) commun...
U.S.
The ongoing Trump presidential term has been characterized by further reactionary action than in his first term. Many actions that he was unable to engage in during his first term as a result of an intervening Congress, a more sensible cabinet, and a less polarized American public are no longer withheld by such gatekeepers [1]. President Trump, in what he sees as a greater sense of agency, is atte...
U.S.
On July 1, 2026, SB 79—the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act—will take full effect, facilitating the development of dense, multi-family housing near transit-rich areas in eight California counties [1]. Despite hopes that this bill can meaningfully address housing shortages in California’s most densely populated cities, major transportation agencies and leaders in Los...
World
On September 21, 2025, tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets in one of the largest waves of protests the country had seen in years. The protesters directed their anger toward a massive corruption scandal involving the mismanagement of billion-dollar flood control projects, which left millions of storm-impacted Filipinos wading through waist-deep water and despair. Across social media,...
World
In August 2025, Indonesia’s parliament proposed increasing the housing stipend for politicians to approximately $3,000 USD per month, 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta [1]. Amid budget and subsidy cuts, rising living costs, higher property taxes, and public-sector layoffs, the proposal drew widespread criticism for prioritizing the interests of parliamentarians and elected officials over ...
World
Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, he uprooted America’s position in the world almost overnight [1]. Faced with renewed American unilateralism, trade pressure, and rhetorical volatility, many allied leaders initially prioritized stability over confrontation. Quickly, certain actions by Trump on the world stage gave leaders reason to worry. For instance, on February 28, 20...
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World
In 2024, hundreds of thousands of Germans took to the streets to protest a meeting by far-right activists, in which they openly discussed a plan to deport migrants from Germany. Many of those who attended the meeting were members of the German far-right party Alternative für Deutschland—“Alternative for Germany,” or AfD—, thus the protest took on an explicitly anti-AfD...
World
Through the deployment of religious symbolism and traditional rhetoric, the Russian state has not only institutionalized ideological conformity but has militarized spiritual authority in contemporary war efforts. The close collaboration between the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church (R.O.C.) has perpetuated these mechanisms of power into the 21st century, shaping Russia’s political, cul...