A Win For Mamdani is A Win Against Elitism
A Win For Mamdani is A Win Against Elitism

On Tuesday night, Zohran Mamdani made history as New York City’s first Muslim Mayor. Over the past year, the 34-year-old self-proclaimed democratic socialist has taken the city’s mayoral race by storm, making it abundantly clear throughout his campaign that he’s planning to fight for the economic prosperity of the working and middle class. Mamdani’s anti-elitist agenda sparked rare bipartisan efforts to contain his rise–showing how powerful this win is. Mamdani’s New York City victory signals what’s ahead for America and the Democratic Party: a future increasingly shaped by socialism.

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Columns, OpinionHannah MerrittMamdani, Zohran Mamdani, NY Mayor Race, NYC Mayor, New York CityComment
The New Australia-Papua New Guinea Defense Pact: Strategic Realism and Power Diplomacy
The New Australia-Papua New Guinea Defense Pact: Strategic Realism and Power Diplomacy

The treaty highlights Australia’s strategic attempts to maintain its influence in a region where China is increasingly active. As Papua New Guinea continues to balance its strategic interests with both hemispheres of the global order, the question of collective security under counteracting power dynamics remains.

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GlobalCharlene WangChina-U.S. Relations, China Australia, Papa New Guinea, President XiComment
Us vs Them: American Partisanship is Triggering an Ideological Civil War
Us vs Them: American Partisanship is Triggering an Ideological Civil War

With America in its most intense era of partisan opposition, a government shutdown has prevented important government tasks from being completed. Furthermore, the shutdown is being used as a tool for the advancement of political agendas, with debates over the Epstein files and the swearing-in of House Representative Elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) continuing to arise, despite the budget being the most dire issue at this time.

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Columns, OpinionGabriella LaughlinPolarization, Shutdown, Government Shutdown, Trump Shutdown, Speaker Johnson Comment
A Misguided War: Trump’s Strikes Miss the Real Source of America’s Fentanyl Crisis
A Misguided War: Trump’s Strikes Miss the Real Source of America’s Fentanyl Crisis

Over the course of the last month, the United States military has launched at least five strikes on drug ships, targeting alleged ‘narco-terrorists” in Venezuela and the Caribbean. By blurring the line between counter-narcotics policy and political theater, Trump risks igniting instability across the Caribbean while leaving the real domestic fentanyl crisis unaddressed.

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Columns, Opinion, Editor's PicksSamantha RoseHegseth, Department of War, Trump, Venezuela, Narcotics, Narco-terrorists, FentanylComment
Trump’s H-1B Crackdown: How a $100,000 Fee Will Reshape Legal Immigration
Trump’s H-1B Crackdown: How a $100,000 Fee Will Reshape Legal Immigration

On September 19th, President Trump signed a proclamation that fundamentally undermines the structure of the H-1B visa program in the United States. The update that caught the most attention was the additional $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visa petitions, which, along with other changes, sparked rightful outrage about the future of legal immigration to the United States.

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Opinion, Columns, Editor's PicksAllie LynchImmigration, H1-B, Visas, Trump Immigration, Student VisasComment
Ongoing Lawsuit Illuminates Internal Divides at UNC
Ongoing Lawsuit Illuminates Internal Divides at UNC

At the end of the month, Chris Clemens was asked to resign, as the BOT (Board of Trustees) claimed that he had unjustly shared information discussed in their closed-session meeting. Clemens’ and the BOT’s priorities clearly juxtapose each other, as the BOT believes that the confidentiality of the content discussed during these closed sessions should be prioritized, while Clemens believes that the legitimacy of the closed-session meetings themselves should be called into question. As tensions escalated between the BOT and the former Provost, something else began to be overlooked: UNC-Chapel Hill’s students and staff.

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Local, Editor's PicksHalle TourianUNC, UNC Chapel Hill, Chris ClemensComment
New Law Rekindles North Carolina Death Penalty Debate
New Law Rekindles North Carolina Death Penalty Debate

More than one month after the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte commuter train, House Bill 307, also known as "Iryna's law,” was signed into law on Friday. North Carolina Republican lawmakers introduced this wide-ranging bill as a way to tighten bail rules, expand mental health evaluations for violent offenders, and allow for alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable, drawing both support and criticism.

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LocalPiper WintonIryna Zarutska, Iryna, Charlotte, NC SenateComment
Tensions Rise After Rubio-Netanyahu Meeting on Qatar Airstrike
Tensions Rise After Rubio-Netanyahu Meeting on Qatar Airstrike

Following an Israeli airstrike in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss future collaboration. In a press conference, Rubio defended the Israeli airstrike and reaffirmed the U.S.’s interest in reaching a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. While the Trump administration has not condemned Israel for the attack, it does not support or back the decision.

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NationalSavannah RandolphIsrael-Palestine Conflict, Palestine, Israel-Hamas War, Trump, Netanyahu, RubioComment
“Operation Midway Blitz”: ICE’s Latest Raids In Chicago
“Operation Midway Blitz”: ICE’s Latest Raids In Chicago

The operation’s scope is immense, with Customs and Border Protection spokesman David Kim noting that DHS and ICE intend to use all resources at their disposal to investigate and apprehend what they describe as “illegal immigrants”...The Trump administration has also stated that it will be committing National Guard troops to Chicago if necessary. This rhetoric and implementation of resources mark an unprecedented shift in the executive’s approach to immigration enforcement…and has been met with major criticism from advocacy groups, elected officials, and everyday citizens concerned by the increasing militarization of their city’s streets.

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NationalLucas BernardICE, ICE Raids, Abolish ICE, Immigration, TrumpComment
Trump’s Tylenol Warning Draws Sharp Scientific and Political Pushback
Trump’s Tylenol Warning Draws Sharp Scientific and Political Pushback

President Donald Trump’s recent claim that the common pain reliever acetaminophen “causes autism” has ignited a storm of controversy at the intersection of medicine and politics. Speaking at a White House event alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump urged pregnant women to avoid the drug, better known under the Tylenol brand. The controversy not only underscores the challenges of communicating uncertain science but also raises pressing questions about how political leaders shape public trust in health guidance.

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NationalJessica HightRFK Jr., Kennedy, Tylenol, Trump TylenolComment
The Spectacle of Politics: The UK–US Visit
The Spectacle of Politics: The UK–US Visit

On September 17, American President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were greeted by King Charles III and his consort, Queen Camilla, for an evening of spectacle seldom seen in modern Anglo-American relations. With the ceremonial trappings of royalty in full force, the visit also included a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aimed at projecting an image of stability within a recently unstable transatlantic partnership.

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GlobalJacob DokulilTrump, Starmer, UK Politics, UK Prime Minister, Trump UK VisitComment
A Fossil Fuel Company Attempted to Fake a Grassroots Movement. It backfired.
A Fossil Fuel Company Attempted to Fake a Grassroots Movement. It backfired.

Campaigns like this bring to light the concerning development of anti-democratic tactics used by fossil fuel companies, especially in the age of AI. This particular effort was a failure on the part of Williams Companies, but what happens when fossil fuel companies are able to use AI to effectively undermine public opinion and sway decision makers?

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Local, Editor's PicksCatherine WilesFossil Fuels, Gas Prices, Local news, AIComment
Deaths in Custody: Georgia Senators Demand Answers on Spike in Migrant Deaths
Deaths in Custody: Georgia Senators Demand Answers on Spike in Migrant Deaths

Since President Trump took office in January, 15 migrants have died in detention centers, with 10 deaths occurring between January and June alone. Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, requesting more information about the recent surge. Now, both ICE’s failure to enforce its own regulations and the Department of Homeland Security’s lack of oversight raise serious concerns about how immigrants will continue to be treated in U.S. custody.

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NationalSamantha RoseImmigration, Trump, Migrant Workers, Trump Cuts, ICEComment
Free Speech and Durham Police Chief
Free Speech and Durham Police Chief

Durham’s progressive city council backed its police chief after a controversial post on her private Facebook account following the death of Charlie Kirk. The incident demonstrates the power of social media to raise controversies in potentially nonrepresentative ways and how vague policies on public employees’ free speech leave much of the decision on how to respond to controversial speech up to city leaders.

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LocalZane ReedDurham, Crime, Patrice Andrews, PoliceComment
Gaza Peace Deal: A Withered, Freshly-Gilded Olive Branch
Gaza Peace Deal: A Withered, Freshly-Gilded Olive Branch

The Oslo Accords stated that Palestine could have “5-year interim self-rule, to be followed by talks on permanent status issues.” Trump's deal stipulates, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” In other words, a Palestinian state could, maybe, potentially, possibly be recognized soon, later, and sometime in the future. In other words, it’s highly unlikely.

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Columns, OpinionVincent GeorgeTrump, Netanyahu, Israel-Hamas War, Palestine Comments