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What Is The 2024 Farm Bill On May 23rd, 2024, Representative GT Thompson of Pennsylvania sponsored the most recent Farm Bill that was introduced to the House Committee on Agriculture Formally known as the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, the Farm Bill was passed to provide...
On Monday June 17th, a Philippine supply ship and a Chinese coast guard vessel collided off the Second Thomas Shoal, in the most recent confrontation between the two rivals in the South China Sea The shoal belongs to the disputed Spratly Islands, which lie within the Philippines’ exclusive...
Introduction Last January, the US national debt surpassed $34 trillion (https://wwwpbsorg/newshour/politics/u-s-national-debt-hits-record-34-trillion-as-congress-gears-up-for-funding-fight) Soon it will hit $35 trillion, and a recent CBO estimate projected that in 10 years it will have hit $50...
Breaking Down the FTC’s Crackdown on Healthcare Conglomerates The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking a bold step to address the increasing concentration in the US healthcare market In a recent speech, FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized the agency’s focus on private equity acquisitions of...
The War on Marijuana Between 2001 and 2010, there were over 8 million marijuana arrests in the United States, 88% of which were for possession As recently as 2022, at least 227,108 people were arrested for marijuana charges in the United States On average, a Black person is 373 times more likely...
On June 24, 2024, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of US v Skrmetti where they will decide the hotly contested issue of transgender medical procedures for minors This divisive topic is splitting the country along political lines with thirteen blue states from Massachusetts...
Politics impact every aspect of our lives They shape policies in our countries, impact our economy, healthcare, education, create change, and so much more Of course, everyone has personal views on these things, and that’s why we have different political parties Political parties stand for...
The second amendment of the United States Constitution says – A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed Clearly gun ownership is a right deeply embedded in US society While many Americans see...
The recent use of the US-supplied ATACMS missiles in a deadly attack on Crimea has highlighted the United States’ complex and evolving position in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict Russia’s decade-long occupation of Crimea has brought the peninsula into the midst of the feuding countries, with...
Debates over guns are commonplace from kitchen tables to Capitol Hill Mass shootings being a facet of American life necessitates finding a balance between protecting citizens and their 2nd Amendment rights This particularly applies in deciding whether the 2nd Amendment gives carte blanche rights to...
On June 27th, 2024, the Supreme Court paved the way for doctors to provide emergency abortions in Idaho for now Two cases, Moyle v United States and Idaho v United States, sought to determine whether or not EMTALA trumps Idaho’s near-complete ban on abortion Consolidated as Idaho and Moyle, et al...
“One pill can kill” “What you can’t see, taste, or smell, can kill you” “Would you give your child Heroin for a sports injury” Okay, that last one is a bit dramatic, but each of these billboard slogans carry the same sentiment Opioids, once considered miracle drugs, have...
Members of Congress: Is it Time to Ban Congressional Stock Trading In 2023, it was reported that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA11) nearly tripled the S&P 500's returns in 2023 Similarly, former Senator James M Inhofe (R-OK) purchased tens of thousands of dollars in...
On July 12, 2023, Senators Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) reintroduced their Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA) to the Senate in an attempt to provide a regulatory framework to allow legal clarity to digital asset entrepreneurs and investors Other nations are...
Redistricting in Alabama: America’s Debate on How to Represent its Constituents Black residents in Alabama and across the United States have continually faced discrimination when trying to vote Despite Black men and women receiving the right to vote in 1870 because of the 15th Amendment and...
On May 1, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union representing content creators in film, television, and radio, declared that it was going on strike at 12:01 AM The WGA’s three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had expired after the two...
Following a report that retired communication cables may be polluting waterways, soil, and air with toxic lead, lawmakers and environmental organizations have demanded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and telecom giants assess the risk of lead-sheathed cables and remove those that pose...
America has watched the unfolding of education laws in Florida in the past year, and Governor Ron DeSantis has continued to modify how history is taught in the state, from the conflict with the College Board over AP African-American Studies courses to the Individual Freedom Act (also known as...
“Space, the final frontier” These famous words echo in the back of every Star Trek fan's mind A lot of us imagined fancy rocket ships soaring through space, exploring mystery planets, and meeting exotic alien life forms as a child Some of us even grew up on space-based sci-fi media such as Star...
The disposability of the Black body, especially the Black female body, has been a national, or one could argue global, issue that has persisted in the United States for decades According to the National Census, nearly 40% of missing persons are persons of color Yet, African...
While firefighters in Canada continue to battle unusually intense and early wildfires, firefighters in Phoenix, Arizona, the hottest city in the United States, are fighting a different battle The current heat wave, starting in early July and still ongoing, just broke a record set in 1974 with 19...
Hundreds of thousands of UPS workers are threatening to go on a nationwide strike once their union’s 5-year employment contract with UPS expires at the end of the month unless their demands for fair compensation and better labor conditions are met On July 5th, UPS workers, who are represented by...
Hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, has been attracting more young fans in China and overseas The Qing dynasty had enforced a ban on Hanfu, making it disappear for centuries The cultural identity of the Han people was almost erased Fortunately, some people are striving to preserve...
Our nation's capital has a problem, and it's about time we addressed it Washington DC has seen historic levels of violent crime in 2023, and the city is set to break records for homicides, motor vehicle theft, and property crime As of June 2023, halfway through the calendar year, the Metropolitan...
Almost one year ago today, on June 22nd, 2022, the United States Supreme Court ruled against a woman's constitutional right to abortion in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization case Their ruling overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision and its reaffirming 1992 decision in Planned...
On July 7th, the White House announced that President Biden approved the transfer of cluster bombs to Ukraine, which disperse large numbers of tiny bomblets over wide areas In doing so, the United States is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia, but there is a price to be paid Concerns have...
The Dangers of a Colorblind Approach to Education in a Racialized Nation On June 29th, 2023, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) released its decision against affirmative action in the case Students for Fair Admissions Inc (SFFA) v President and the Fellows of Harvard The legal question of the case: if...
Madison, Wisconsin– On July 5, Governor Evers held a signing ceremony for the 2023-2025 Wisconsin State Budget Using his veto authority, Governor Evers made a clever move to ensure increased funding for public schools for the next 400 years by vetoing numbers pertaining to the end...
Golfers, fans, and antitrust lawyers alike were on edge this week All anxiously awaited Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf The two competitors have a history of fierce disagreement, drawing intense scrutiny to their surprising deal The PGA Tour The PGA...
On February 24, 2022, Russia’s Vladimir Putin decided to send troops into Ukraine In the time since this initial invasion, many lives have been lost on both sides Since the early 1990s, Ukraine has aligned itself with members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other Western...
The decision made in Moore v Harper on June 27th, as with many other Supreme Court decisions, will send reverberations throughout America In the 6 to 3 decision, the court decided that state legislatures do not have unchecked power in orchestrating and overseeing elections in their...
WASHINGTON DC - In a major blow to Republicans’ already slim majority, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit must hear legal challenges against Louisiana’s congressional district map This crucial decision comes just a few weeks after...
On June 5, 2023, Louisiana’s Senate killed House Bill 211 that would have allowed voters to decide whether to ban slavery in the state Constitution Four other states have recently proposed legislation similar to this one, and each of them passed; however, in Louisiana, this idea had not only...
June 24, 2022: a date that will go down in political history, the day that the Roe V Wade Supreme Court case was overturned This landmark piece of legislation, when deemed constitutional, made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States However, the overturning paved a new road,...
Ozempic has been a drug widely known for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in adults Recently, it was discovered to have substantial effects on weight loss which is part of the reason for its high demand today However, as technology in drug development becomes more advanced, researchers are...
The Cambridge Dictionary defines censorship as “the action of preventing part or the whole of a book, movie, work of art, document, or other kind of communication from being seen of made available to the public because it is considered to be offensive or harmful, or because it contains...
In recent years, the rise in fentanyl-related incidents and deaths have sent shockwaves throughout communities all across the nation Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has emerged as a major threat due to its potency and high mortality rate In the United States, the fentanyl problem has reached...
Pharmaceutical giant Merck recently sued the US government in an attempt to block the drug price negotiation provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, which would essentially allow the government to set prices for certain Medicare-covered drugs Bristol Myers Squibb, another pharmaceutical company,...
One of the most well-known youth climate activists, Greta Thunberg, first gained international attention by striking outside of Sweden’s parliament building instead of attending school in 2018 Her actions inspired students from all continents to participate in “Fridays for Future” and strike...
Sgt Dakota Louis Meyer is a Marine Corps veteran who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his outstanding performance in saving the lives of his counterparts from an ambush in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan Meyer was born on June 28, 1988, in Columbia, Kentucky, and joined the...
Official Medal of Honor Citation: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as medical corpsman with a rifle company, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 2 May 1945 Fearlessly braving...
Official Medal of Honor Citation: Staff Sergeant David G Bellavia distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on November 10, 2004, while serving as a squad leader in support of Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq While clearing a house, a...
RICHARD HETHERINGTON O'KANE In 1946, President Truman personally awarded Richard Hetherington O'Kane the Congressional Medal of Honor for his gutsy leadership as the commander of the USS Tang submarine Just one year prior - in 1945 - O'Kane had been a political prisoner of the Japanese army,...
Captain Emil Joseph Kapaun was a US Army chaplain who received the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during the Korean War He is the ninth chaplain Medal of Honor recipient He was born April 20, 1916 on a small farm near Witchita, Kansas to a Catholic Czech family He was down-to-earth and...
Captain Ernest E Evans was a war hero during World War II, known primarily for his bravery and leadership during the Battle off Samar Evans enlisted in the United States Navy in May of 1926 and after thirteen months he earned his admission to the Naval Academy His classmates at the academy gave...
Captain Daniel Ken Inouye was a former US Army soldier who was a recipient of the US military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War II Born September 7th, 1924 in Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI, he was a Nisei Japanese-American (an American-born...
Introduction Sergeant First Class Alwyn C Cashe was a Platoon Sergeant working with Alpha Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in Salah Ad Din Province The event in question took place in Iraq Cashe was born on July 13, 1970, in Thompson, Georgi...
Telling A Soldier's Story Britt Kelly Slabinski Origin Britt Kelly Slabinski’s commitment and affinity to public service was evident from an early age as exemplified by his joining the Eagle Scout at age fourteen Slabinski was born on December 1, 1969, in Northampton, Massachusetts...
Background Sergeant David G Bellavia is a retired American Army soldier who served in the military between 1999 to 2005 (Bellavia, 2018) Bellavia, born in 1975, was awarded the Medal of Honor (MOH) in June 2019 for his distinguished actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah in the Iraq...
Vernon Joseph Baker (1919-2010), is one of the seven Black soldiers of World War II to receive a Medal of Honor Vernon Baker was born on December 17, 1919, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but later moved with his grandparents to Clarinda, Iowa In 1937, amidst the Great Depression, Baker graduated from high...
Introduction to the Medal of Honor Recipient David G Bellavia: David G Bellavia served in the United States Army and received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004 Bellavia was born on November 10, 1975, in Buffalo, New York, in a...
Introduction The National World War I Memorial is a national war memorial located at the intersection between 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC Located at Pershing Park, the memorial is dedicated to the men and women who served the US during World War I The monument...
Beneath the marble sarcophagus bearing the words, "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God," lies a man who gave his life for the United States in World War I, yet whose remains were never identified With over 110,000 American casualties, it was impossible to identify...
Introduction/Context As someone who comes from a long lineage of veterans, with my father having served in the army himself, I have felt as though the many conversations I have witnessed surrounding their times in the military have given me the confidence to say that I know what serving is...
200-character Tweet: Visiting the Marine Corps War Memorial will be the most moving experience DC has to offer Modeled after the famous Iwo Jima photograph, overlooking the nation’s capital, the memorial is sacred and quintessentially American Blog Post: The United States Marine Corps...
a brief history: The Military Women’s Memorial was dedicated in 1997 to honor all the women who have served, are currently serving, and will serve in the United States Armed Forces It is the only major national memorial that recognizes the courage and patriotism of all the women who have...
Author: Kaila H This National World War II Memorial honors the more than 16 million Americans who fought in WWII and the 416,800 who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom Construction of the memorial began in September 2001 and was completed in 2014 It was originally designed by...
The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Siobhan D Background The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial commemorates the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, at 9:37 am on the US military headquarters It memorialises the lives lost aboard the hijacked plane, those inside the Pentagon, and the impact it had on...
By: Devansh J Nearly a century after World War I (WWI) came to an end, there was a long-waited memorial that commemorated the global conflict that was opened in Washington DC In fact, the Associated Press reported that WW1, also known as the Great War, was one of the last of the...
By Brandon C While walking the path of the Korean War Memorial, there is a large granite wall that reads the following: “Freedom is not free” Engraved into a large mural, this slogan pays respect to the soldiers of the Korean War Located just a few minutes from the Lincoln Memorial,...
Written by Jacob F Located nearly a football field's length from the steps of the United States Capitol, the National Native American Veterans Memorial is easily found on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Indian Easily accessed from both Maryland...
My Experience As I stepped off my red citi bike onto the cobblestone path surrounding the Korean War Memorial, I was greeted by numerous faces staring east towards the Washington Monument The faces represented different cultures, identities, and homes To my left was a sprawling wall, over...
Fatoumatta S July 25, 2022 Poetry is dimensionalized throughout the Vietnam Memorial The names speak for themselves Introspection and contemplation are inevitable upon a visit to the Vietnam Memorial A director of the Smithsonian museum referred to the memorial as “a community of...
National Native American Veterans Memorial Nicholas V A Hidden Gem off the Mall Opposite the entrance to the National Museum of the American Indian, you can find one of the newest memorials on the National Mall The National Native American Veterans Memorial is one of Downtown...
World War II Memorial Background The World War II Memorial honors the service and sacrifice of sixteen million members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America during the conflict, as well as those who supported the war effort from home, and the 400,000 who lost their lives It is...
The Vietnam Women’s Memorial Lynn H This memorial, dedicated on November 11, 1993, is meant to highlight the service of women in the Vietnam war, mostly in support roles It is the first “tangible symbol of honor for American women” (Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation, nd) Over 26,5000...
Plan your next visit to Washington, DC to see this historical tribute for the soldiers that fought in the Korean War (1950-1953) By Evelyn R While Washington, DC is home to numerous monuments dedicated to honoring and remembering the soldiers that sacrificed their lives for the liberty of...
by Peter J The memorial to World War Two in DC was authorized in May 1993 and opened on April 29th, 2004 17 years in the making, it was inspired by a World War Two veteran named Roger Durbin, who prompted US Rep Macy Kaptur to introduce legislation that would build a memorial to the...
“We erect monuments so that we shall always remember, and build memorials so that we shall never forget” ---Arthur Danto Photo credit: Angela P Memorializing American Contribution in World War I The World War I Memorial in Washington DC had its formal unveiling on April 16th of 2021 as...
By: Nate R Take a virtual walkthrough here In almost every conflict that the US military has been involved in, there have been many forgotten and disregarded soldiers that have had their life trajectory upended due to the horrors of war While other memorials around the Washington, DC area...
By Joel C Nestled within the grandeur of downtown Washington DC is the National Japanese American Memorial Tucked away within the cityscape, if you get caught up in the hustle and bustle walking along New Jersey Avenue, you will miss it For a full walking tour of the memorial, click this...
by Komala A Each December, the White House has the famed White House Christmas, a mixture of things old and things new, with the current administration putting up a tree and traditionally, the First Lady decorating the White House in decorations of her choosing However, one integral component of...
by Maya S Introduction For many visitors of Washington, DC, the churches that most claim attention are usually the National Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, or St John’s Episcopal Church, all of which are widely known for having deep ties to American...
When walking down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol, one could easily overlook the Canadian Embassy Situated directly next to a massive construction project and surrounded by museums, the generic beige building appears fairly ordinary However, if travelers decided to venture up the...
by Tanya A (all photos her credit) Gandhi the Memorial: History and Construction Located on a triangular island along Massachusetts Avenue in the nation’s capital sits a statue of Mohandas K Gandhi, commonly remembered as the Father of India due to his contributions to the Indian...
By Liz J A Brief Background “Women are veterans too,” said Mary Lou Keener, with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Military Women’s Memorial [1] As a distinct minority in the military, women servicemembers are too often forgotten in the...
See Asian Art That’s Not So Asian: The Freer Gallery of Art Written by Xihang Y (All media by author) What first pops up your mind when you think of Asian Art For most people in the US, Asian Art may mean a blue and white porcelain decoration in their home or an old scroll hanging on the...
Introduction By Isabella E (All media by author) In Washington DC, hundreds of museums, memorials, and historical sites vie for tourists’ attention There are destinations for every interest, from World War II to Asian art to space travel In comparison with these...
Welcome to the "Looking at DC" series from the Enduring Issues class at Cornell in Washington Over the next few weeks, we'll be putting up posts about significant spots in DC, their history, and their importance The locations include places like the National Zoo,The Cathedral of Saint Matthew...
The Enduring Issues Course sat down with Deborah Birnbaum of the USTR to discuss international labor...
The Enduring Issues course sat down with Dr Patrick Lapid of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to hear about protecting consumers...
The Enduring Issues course sat down with Helen Eisner of the Office of Congressional Ethics to talk about investigating...
The Enduring Issues Course sat down with David Quigley, an environmental lawyer at Akin, Gump (Mr Quigley's statements do not represent the official position of Akin,...
The Enduring Issues class sat down with Matthew Stefanko of Shatterproof to talk about the opioid crisis, stigma, and what he's doing about both of those...
The Enduring Issues class sat down with Rachael Cuisck of WNYC's Radiolab podcast to ask questions about journalism in the era of fake news In a Hill to Hill podcast first, Rachael had a question for...
The Enduring Issues class sat down with Blake Brown of the Democratic National Committee to talk about all things 2020 election (The opinions here do not represent those of the...
Episode 26: Unpaid Internships Episode 27: The Mental Health Crisis Affecting the US Armed Forces: A Soldier’s Perspective Episode 28: The Hong Kong Protests Episode 29: Tariff Trouble: Solar Tariffs and the WTO’s Demise Episode 30: International Students at US...
The Enduring Issues Class sat down with Dr Alana Staiti, the Curator of the History of Computing for the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian (Dr Staiti's comments are her own and do not represent the...
The Enduring Issues Course sat down with Daniel Stoian of the State Department to talk about life in the Foreign Service and being a diplomat for the United States (Mr Stoian's comments are his own and not those of the US...
The Enduring Issues course chose four stories that were important this week and reported on them We talked about impeachment, elections you may not know about, Democratic climate change plans, and pickup trucks that do the opposite of rolling coal -- rolling green,...
The Enduring Issues Class sat down with Aimee Cho, a general reporter for NBC 4 News in Washington DC, and Cornell '16 to talk about the life of a reporter in an era of 'fake news' (All comments were by here personally and do not represent the views of NBC...
The Enduring Issues Class sat down with Andrew Lowenthal, the Chief of Staff to Rep Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to talk politics, policy, and why a Soviet Studies major was not the best choice in the late 1980s (The views expressed by Mr Lowenthal are his personal thoughts and do not represent the...
Done by the Enduring Issues students Ep 13: The College Bribery Scandal: Ep 14: Jumpstarting the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process: Ep 15: The Technological Rise of China: Ep 16: North Dakota Id Laws and Native American...
The Enduring Issues Class sat down with Professor Glenn Altschuler to talk about electoral...
The Enduring Issues course sits down with Dr Michael Brumage to talk about the opioid crisis and his experiences running a needle exchange in Charleston,...
For this edition of the Hill to Hill Podcast, the Enduring Issues course sat down with Derek Chollet, formerly assistant secretary of defense, to talk about America's place in the...
The Hill to Hill Podcast sits down with Raisa Orleans, Senior Legislative Analyst for the Environmental Defense...
We're back! The Enduring Issues Course sat down with Seth Harris to talk about the failure of governance, in the US and around the...
Final podcasts for Fall 2018, done by the Enduring Issues students Podcast 05: Living and Breathing in China: The Effects of Air Pollution on Daily Life in China Podcast 06: Refugee Resettlement in the Nation of Immigrants; Shifting Response to a Global Crisis Podcast...