Are Robots Taking Over? The Fight For Our Future Against Artificial Intelligence

Have we finally reached the time where our world resembles movies? Where robots take over the world and destroy the human race, like in The Terminator and M3gan? No, I do not think we have reached that point just yet. We can take comfort in the fact that these movies are still far away from being representative of the near future.

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“Because We Are Final”: Brown v. Board of Education and the Enforceability of Supreme Court Decisions

The late Justice Antonin Scalia, testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011, recounted the experiences he had with high school, college, and law students interested in the law. “I ask them, what do you think is the reason that America is such a free country? What is it in our Constitution that makes us what we are?”

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Lina Khan’s Corporate Takedown

I know it, you know it. Corporations suck. They get to do whatever they want, with no repercussions. It feels like nobody in our government cares to fight back against them, that everyone in the federal branch is just as beholden to special interests as our House Representatives or Senators. But what if I told you that there was one person fighting for the rights of consumers, and the American working and middle classes?

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The Missing Case of Checks and Balances: The California Veto Override

Like many young people who grew up in California, I view my state as a bastion of liberal progress and a place where democracy is truly at work. In many ways, this is true. California has been a leader in climate adaptation strategies, campaign finance reform, and many other issues I am passionate about. However, recent history has shown that rather than an obstructionist opposition party, an obstructionist governor has wreaked havoc on the California progressive agenda.

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TRUTH: And How it Impacted Our Election

For several months, a shadowy figure loomed before us. It was shrouded in mystery and fear, its form incapable of being divined by polls or by guesswork, and it crept closer with every passing day. This figure was, of course, none other than the 2024 election — an American spectacle that many argued would decide not only the fate of our democracy but also how we perceive truth.

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COVID-19 and the Death of Public Health

Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to now, the mishandling of public health policy and messaging has led to a complete breakdown of public health in the United States. From small inefficiencies to large-scale negligence, the government and its public health institutions have failed the American people, which has led to a complete distortion of how we define illness as a society.

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Addressing Anti-Public Education Policies: How Does the Stigma Surrounding Culturally Responsive Pedagogies Contribute to Disparities Americans Already Face?

As the United States suffers an attack on the public education system by Republican policymakers, which has been a contributing factor to the widespread educator shortage, it is imperative that legislators who run on campaigns of diversity, equity, and inclusion take initiative to ensure that students enrolled in K-12 schooling receive an education that effectively utilizes culturally responsive pedagogies that focus on teaching students how to understand topics that have been heavily politicized — like race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

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As Homelessness Grows, Its Racial Undertones Become Harder to Ignore

As a poster child of the declining liberal city, San Francisco has gained quite a reputation for itself. Most notably, regarding its growing homelessness encampments; the city has been in the spotlight with talk of rampant crime rates, abandoned buildings, and the infamous "poop map." Yet down the blocks of San Francisco’s tent-lined streets stand luxury apartments. The characterization of this issue is full of contradictions — as these newly developed units await incoming residents, the number of those on the street continues to grow.

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Refugee Roulette: Preference Over People’s Lives

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February of this year sparked solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people across the international community. In the United States, President Biden described the Ukrainian people during the State of the Union address as a fearlessly strong group fighting an illegitimate aggressor. On a state-wide front, California has taken initiative in supporting both Ukraine and Ukrainian migrants directly.

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A Decaying Dream: The Death of the American Middle Class

Picture this: you’re at Disneyland. As you walk into the park, you are struck by a variety of sensations. The smell of cinnamon and pineapple — foreshadowing churros and DoleWhip — wafts through the air. The sounds of laughter and excitement surround you; everyone is eager to find the rides they've been looking forward to. In the distance, you can see costumed characters roaming Main Street, and you feel hopeful, secure in the knowledge that you’re about to have a great day.

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Four Simple Words: An Analysis of the 2024 Election

The 2024 presidential election is set, and it looks mighty familiar. In a seemingly reoccurring nightmare, instead of Vice President Joe Biden facing off against incumbent President Donald Trump, we have President Joe Biden against four-time indictee and convicted criminal Donald Trump (who is probably in court as you are reading this). However, one major change between 2020 and 2024 is the issue of abortion.

While then-candidate Biden ran on abortion in 2020, it didn’t strike the same chord with voters as it does now. Instead of saying that conservatives may overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats in 2024 can now tell voters that it has happened, and the worst may be yet to come. It was the Republicans who were able to run on this issue for decades to rile up their base, and now as a result of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the issue has been teed up for Democrats to take advantage of. All they need to do is swing.

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Nationwide Book Bans Cause More Damage Than We Are Acknowledging

In 21st-century America, we are witnessing an educational commitment to vilify and dehumanize marginalized communities through the censorship of children’s books. Since 2019, there have been more than 1,500 book bans in at least 26 states across the country, contributing to the erasure of many marginalized groups’ histories. In the 2022-2023 school year alone, there was a 33 percent increase in public school book bans. Bans on books that were once standard to read in the classroom, like Maus and Animal Farm, have made teachers and educators leave their field during an already massive educator shortage, further exacerbating the crisis.

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Climate Refugees: A Call for Change

Along the southern coast of Ghana, dozens of young men flock to port cities in hopes of stowing away on departing commercial ships. Two of these men, Jonathan and Michael, are from the port city of Takoradi, whose fishing industry has greatly suffered due to a rapidly changing climate. With severely overfished waters and rising sea levels, Ghana’s coast has become increasingly unfishable, suffering from dangerous tides, perennial storm surges, and dwindling fish populations.

Like other fishermen, Jonathan and Michael decided to emigrate to find new economic opportunities.

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Forever Winter: Politics of the Infinite Cold War

In the halls of history, there are few national rivalries more iconic than that of the United States and Russia. Certainly, there are none that have more thoroughly shaped the topography of modern geopolitics.

For nearly fifty years, the U.S. and the Soviet Union spread their dominion over their opposite halves of the globe, staring each other down across the Pacific while the world held its breath. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Russia saw a short period of reluctant coexistence, with Obama-era leaders even sharing hopes of a “reset” in relations between the two countries.

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Misogyny’s Permanent Place in the Film Industry

Awards season is a highly anticipated time for fans of Hollywood. The difficult task of hosting an award show is burdened with the pressure to perform, most notably in front of peers of the arts rather than the average American. The pressure to produce a watchable show filled with jokes and intriguing monologues can lead the host to make cheap shots at the crowd or topics known to gather controversy in an effort to alleviate stress.

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