“In the final week of the post-Brexit transition period, ending on December 31st, a trade deal was finally struck between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Negotiations between the two parties had drug on for months. Now, over four years after the referendum, the UK will now be entering the new year as the first ex-member state of the European Union.”
“Although Trump has certainly transformed the Republican Party, it is unlikely that the party will follow him. In fact, it will be in the party’s best interest to abandon Trumpism so that they can be successful in future elections. Nevertheless, Trump will remain active and we will continue to see him, maybe more than any other former president due to Republican skepticism of the establishment.”
“It is now essential to look to the future of the Presidency. Biden and his team have been doing this by choosing people to serve in his Cabinet. He has touted that this cabinet will be one of the “most diverse in American history.” However, some Progressives are casting doubt on his choices so far.”
Read More“Hungary has been on a shopping spree of military and defense technology in the past few years. These purchases are part of Hungary’s ten-year Zrinyi 2026 military development program with the aim to upgrade the country’s weapons and defense forces.”
Read More“Businesses have been the most outspoken about the new restrictions with many claiming it is going to be harder to conduct business with the new restriction. The restrictions as a whole are especially difficult for small businesses during the holiday season.”
Read More“Moving the semester’s starting date is just one of many changes designed to prevent a repeat of the fall’s disastrous reopening. Within a week of welcoming students back to campus in August, UNC’s administration reversed the decision to reopen, sending thousands of students back home for a full semester of virtual learning.”
Read More“Social media platforms have revolutionized much of the 21st century — and the world of politics is not exempt. While the only direct line of communication between candidates and constituents used to be TV appearances or newspapers, social media apps like Twitter and Instagram have created a direct channel of communication between citizens and the politics.”
Read More“The deal that ended this 6-week long battle was signed by Russian President Vladmir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The deal states that Nagorno-Karabakh would remain under Azerbaijiani control and Armenia would withdraw troops there and several surrounding regions. Additionally, President Putin announced that there would be an exchange of all prisoners of war. Russian peacekeepers have arrived in the region and continue to patrol for at least 5 weeks.”
Read More“Last month, senior U.S. health official Garrett Grisby claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) was not sharing enough information on an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Despite the WHO’s shortcomings, it would be a major policy blunder for the United States to limit their involvement in the organization. Permanently cutting all funding to the WHO as Trump vowed in May and permanently withdrawing from the organization would be ceding influence to China, which would dramatically increase their power on the world stage.”
Read More“Georgia is the only state in the country with two Senate elections this year. According to Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie, “All eyes will be on Georgia for the next two months, there will be record spending, unprecedented campaigning and tons of mudslinging in these races - more than we’re used to seeing.”
Read More“It’s highly unlikely that we will see any sort of acknowledgement from the Trump Administration on Biden winning the presidency without claims that the election was rigged. Nonetheless, both Biden and Trump’s timelines will be forced to collide on January 20th as the constitutional process for electing a president states in its 20th Amendment that the candidate who receives the most electoral votes will become President of the United States at noon on January 20th. Bottom line: Trump does not need to concede for this to happen.”
Read More“Progressives have been steadily gaining seats in Congress, and after dutifully falling in line while Joe Biden sought to unseat Trump, they are once again making their criticisms toward the party known.”
Read More““In the midst of controversy surrounding the transition from the Trump administration to President Elect Biden’s administration, major staff changes at the Pentagon have been pushed through amidst the chaos. Beginning with the firing of former Secretary of Defense, Mike Esper, many high ranking officials were replaced. Here is a list of important staff changes and how it could affect both the Presidential transition.”
Read More“In a year of tight races, three of the tightest came in races for seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Composed of seven members serving staggered eight year terms, the court, like many throughout the country, is composed of members elected in partisan elections. With a current 6-1 majority in favor of Democrats, Republicans were hoping for a good night, and seem to have gotten it.”
Read More“On November 3, four hours before the scheduled nationwide COVID-19 shut-down, shots rang out in Vienna, Austria. A shooter opened fire near Vienna’s main synagogue, an area with many bars and restaurants sometimes deemed the “Bermuda Triangle,” around 8pm, injuring more than 20 people and killing four.”
Read More“The fact the polls have continually proven unreliable is an issue. Polls are supposed to be a benchmark to gauge the outcome of an election. However, with the past polls being substantially wrong, many are beginning to lose faith in their reliability. The elections allow the polls to be corrected, but the problem is can we trust polling on subjects other than elections?”
Read More“Ouattara’s two election opponents, Pascal Affi N’Guessan and Henri Konan Bédié, have spoken out against Ouattara, reminding everyone that the Ivory Coast’s constitution says an eligible candidate can only hold the presidential office for two terms. In order to further discredit the vote, N’Guessan and Bédié encouraged their constituents to not vote in the poll on October 31. N’Guessan and Bédié have also promised to set up a transitional government after the skewed vote, to ensure fair and new elections in the future.”
Read More“In early November, a federal government military base in Mekele, the capital of Tigray, was attacked. President Ahmed blamed the TPLF. The country declared a state of emergency for six months and the parliament proposed a terrorist designation for the TPLF, with Amed stating that the attack crossed “the last red line." Ethiopia’s parliament voted to give the President power to appoint new officials in the Tigray region as he authorized airstrikes throughout the north.”
Read More“As a particularly tumultuous election cycle came to a close this past weekend, voter turnout was at an all-time high in the state of North Carolina. 720,000 more ballots were cast in this election than in 2016. 440,000 have people registered to vote in the last four years. Voter turnout increased by 5.6% in this election cycle. Even among record-shattering voter participation, down-ballot races largely favored Republicans and the makeup of the North Carolina General Assembly stayed in control of the GOP, as it has for the last 10 years.”
Read More“The 2018 midterm elections resulted in many firsts: the youngest woman elected into Congress, the first of defeating a ten-term incumbent, and the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress. The women who achieved such feats were that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar – a group of young, progressive women of color who encompass “The Squad.”
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