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A Closer Look at US Global Leadership: Navigating the Complex Dynamics of Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan
Brief #116 – Foreign Policy Brief
by : Inijah Quadri
In an era of evolving geopolitical landscapes, the United States faces the challenge of exerting effective global leadership amidst complex international conflicts and tensions. Three prominent areas of concern include the situations in Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan.
Who Will Mitt Romney’s Successor Be?
Brief #119 – Elections & Politics Policy Brief
by Courtney Denning
Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) is stepping down from his position in Congress, leaving a Utah Senate seat open in the 2024 election. The race for his former Senate seat exemplifies this growing divide in the GOP. Although most are confident that a Republican will win the seat, there are stark differences in the ideologies of the candidates running.
Congressional Budget Struggles
Brief #118 – Elections & Politics Policy Brief
by William Bourque
The Congressional budget process is long and complex, throwing even the wonkiest of policy nerds for a loop. With a recently passed continuing resolution, Congress will have until March 1st for some agencies and March 8th for others – with the ever-present threat of shutdown looming.
Situation Update: The Ukraine Crisis
Brief #115 – Foreign Policy Brief
by : Abran C
In the ongoing Ukraine crisis, drone attacks near Donetsk and in Kharkov raise tensions. President Zelenskyy calls for increased Western sanctions on Russia, while discussions on US and EU military and financial aid for Ukraine are underway.
Facial Recognition: The Worst AI Has To Offer
Brief #107 – Technology Policy Brief
by : Mindy Spatt
Facial Recognition Technology uses software to evaluate similarities between face images. The General Services Administration is carrying out a study to test potential racial bias in facial recognition technology systems that it is considering using as identifiers for accessing federal benefits.
The Week That Was: Global News In Review
Brief #114 – Foreign Policy Brief
by : Abran C
A week-in-review of Global News, including surging violence in Ecuador, Iran’s strikes on Iran, Syria, and Pakistan, and more on the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal.
Can the Law Stop Trump from Becoming President?
Brief #117 – Elections & Politics Policy Brief
by Abigail Hunt
If there were a Guinness world record for most felony indictments by a U.S. President, Donald Trump would be the winner by a good margin. Trump faces 91 state or federal felony charges in four separate jurisdictions in New York, Georgia, Washington D.C., and Florida.
Governor Abbott and “Illegal Immigrants”
Brief #116 – Elections & Politics Policy Brief
by Abigail Hunt
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, deep in the heart of Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law into effect giving state law enforcement a broader right to arrest individuals crossing into Texas illegally (set to go into effect in March 2024.)
America’s Declining Global Leadership Role
OP ED
by U.S. Resist News
As the world transitions into a complex geopolitical era marked by the rise of new powers and diffuse threats, the United States stands at a crossroads of influence and strategy. This Op Ed aims to delve into the nuanced aspects of American foreign policy, reflecting on its historical leadership and envisaging its path forward amidst these evolving challenges.
Examining Competitive House Races in the Midwest
Examining Competitive House Races in the Midwest
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #109 | By: Ian Milden | November 20, 2023
Photo taken from: theguardian.com
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Policy Summary:
Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 mid-term elections. However, the small size of the Republican majority leaves Democrats with a path to re-take the House majority. This brief will take an early look at some of the races in the Midwest.
Policy Analysis:
Republicans shocked many pundits by only winning a four-seat majority in the House of Representatives during the midterm elections. There are a handful of seats in this region that Democrats can target, but the Democratic Party will need to make significant efforts to recruit the right candidates and support their campaigns. The Democratic Party has a recent history of not doing that in some of these districts in recent election cycles.
Nebraska’s second Congressional district supported Joe Biden’s Presidential Campaign in 2020, but it chose to send Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) back to the House of Representatives. The second district is based around Omaha and has been a swing district for the last decade. Bacon won the seat in 2016 by defeating Congressman Brad Ashford (D-NE). Efforts to unseat Congressman Bacon have not been successful due to nominating the wrong candidate and limited national support for the Democratic nominee. Congressman Bacon won reelection in 2022 by less than 7,000 votes. Bacon’s moderate profile and his military background appeal to the district, which has an air force base within its boundaries, so the candidate that Democrats recruit to run in this district needs to be sensitive to that.
Iowa’s first, second, and third districts were all under the control of Democrats after the 2018 elections, but Republicans have recaptured these seats. They are now held by Congresswoman Marianette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02), and Congressman Zach Nunn (R-IA-03). Democrats have struggled to find the right mix of policy and messaging strategy to appeal to rural voters for several election cycles. Democrats are still capable of competing in Iowa, but poor performances have deterred the national party from investing substantial resources in the state. The 3rd district was the closest race in 2022, though Democrats were defending incumbent Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-IA). Axne lost by slightly more than 2,000 votes in 2022.
Wisconsin’s third Congressional district flipped to Republican control in 2022 when Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) retired. This is a district in the Southwestern part of the state. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) won the open seat with less than 52% of the vote in 2022. Van Orden had a number of controversies that popped up during the campaign, including a report that he was among the rioters outside the capitol building on January 6th, 2021. Democrats invested very little in trying to retain the seat after Congressman Kind retired. The state supreme court recently gained a liberal majority, so a lawsuit could lead to changes in this district or others in the state of Wisconsin.
Michigan’s 10th district, which contains some of the suburbs north of Detroit, had a very competitive race in 2022. John James (R-MI) won the seat by less than 3,000 votes in 2022. Democrats did not expect the race to be that competitive last year, so they will likely invest in that district if they find a good candidate. Suburban voters have increasingly left the Republican Party in recent years due to concerns about the Republicans’ style of governing and the Republican Party’s focus on social issues.
Democrats will also have a few important seats to defend in the Midwest. Michigan’s 7th district, which is based in Lansing, will have an open seat race after Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) decided to run for the open U.S. Senate seat. The 7th district is a swing district with a slight Republican lean. Democrats will need to recruit a very good candidate if they plan on retaining this seat. Slotkin’s national security background and aggressive campaigning in areas that typically voted for Republicans helped her win close elections.
Redistricting made Michigan’s 8th district, which runs from Flint to Bay City, into a competitive district. The district is currently represented by Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI). Congressman Kildee won comfortably in 2022, but this is a race to keep an eye on if Republicans recruit a good candidate.
Illinois 17th District has been competitive in recent election cycles. Eric Sorenson (D-IL) won the seat in 2022 by about 8,000 votes after the seat was vacated by the retirement of Congressman Cheri Bustos (D-IL). Sorensen is running for reelection. This is a rural district in western Illinois, which is not an archetypical district for Democrats to be winning in.
One more issue to note is that Ohio’s congressional maps are currently facing a legal challenge for not complying with the state constitution’s new prohibitions on partisan gerrymandering. It is unclear what the resolution will be at this time for the 2024 elections.
Engagement Resources:
- DCCC Website, Official Campaign Arm of House Democrats, https://dccc.org/
War in Gaza Intensifies Internet Misinformation Concerns
War in Gaza Intensifies Internet Misinformation Concerns
Technology Policy Brief #101 | By: Mindy Spatt | November 19, 2023
Photo taken from: aljazeera.com
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Policy Summary:
Misinformation on the Internet is an urgent, worldwide concern according to UNESCO. The danger of false information spreading online has only intensified in the wake of the war in Gaza, and Twitter is one of the wort culprits.
Policy Analysis:
A survey by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, covering16 countries that collectively contain 2.5 billion voters, showed that the vast majority of people, 85%, are concerned about the harm disinformation can do, and 87% believe such harm has occurred in recent years. In addition, respondents reported that hate speech was prevalent; 67% of respondents said they has seen it online. For people under 35 that number was 74%.
“Social media platforms have …accelerated and amplified the spread of false information and hate speech, posing major risks to societal cohesion, peace and stability” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a press release.
UNESCO released an action plan along with the study that included concrete steps social media platforms should take to curb misinformation. One of those is having a team of qualified moderators in all the main languages used on the platform that is robust enough to be able to control what’s being posted.
That is not the case on X/Twitter, where the war in Gaza has given rise to a huge amount of misinformation. According to advocacy group Free Press,
“Twitter is now inundated with grisly content and lies about the Middle East conflict,… a natural result of Elon Musk’s decision to lay off most of the company’s Trust and Safety team and gut the platform’s content-moderation rules.”
“With few left at the company to vet questionable and violent content, posts are often left unchecked to spread like wildfire,” Free Press said in a blog post that
specifically calls out Musk’s decision to elevate paid subscribers’ posts, regardless of whether the user’s identities have been verified.
Newsguard, a media organization that “provides transparent tools to counter misinformation for readers, brands, and democracies,” has also found rampant misinformation about the war on X/Twitter. Newsguard staff collect data points from “more than 35,000 news and information sources” to track the spread of false narratives online.
Newsguard launched the Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Tracking Center on October 11, documenting the spread of a rash of false narratives about the war. At the time Newsguard identified 14 unsubstantiated or false stories being spread through 22 million views on X/Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
Of those false reports 10 were found and shared on X/Twitter, including the false claim that Ukraine had sold weapons to Hamas; a video purporting to show Hamas fighters celebrating an Israeli toddler’s abduction and a completely fictional claim that CNN had staged footage of a news crew being attacked in Israel.
According to the Free Press, “Disinformation about the Israel-Hamas conflict is a horrific example of why we so desperately need better moderation and tech executives who put platform integrity — and saving lives —over their hunger for profits. The current conflict is a case in point and the reason Free Press and our allies have been calling for stronger vetting by platforms year round.”
Engagement Resources:
- Musk’s X egregious in its misinformation about Israel-Gaza war; EU threatens fines, Oct. 11, 2023
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/musk-x-twitter-social-media-misinformation-israel-gaza-war-eu-threatens-fines/ - Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Tracking Center: 45 Myths About the Conflict and Counting
https://www.newsguardtech.com/special-reports/israel-hamas-war-misinformation-tracking-center/ - Guidelines for the governance of digital platforms: safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information through a multi-stakeholder approach
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387339
Navigating Identity and Strife: Hala’s Tale in the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Navigating Identity and Strife: Hala’s Tale in the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Foreign Policy Brief #100 | By: Aziza Taslaq | November 19, 2023
Photo taken from: sentinelassam.com
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In the heart of Um al-Fahm, “Mother of Charcoal,” a city in the Haifa District of Israel, lives an ordinary Palestinian Arab citizen; I will call her Hala for security reasons. Hala belongs to the “Arabs of 48,” referring to Palestinian Arabs who chose to stay in their homes in 1948 and opposed relocation to the West Bank, Jordan, or other regions. Hala works as a civil engineer in one of the Israeli companies. She collaborates with both Palestinian Arabs and non-Arab Israelis in her professional endeavors. She holds an Israeli ID, embodying a unique dual identity that brings both complexity and challenges amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Unveiling the layers of her experiences, Hala sheds light on the impact of the ongoing conflict on her daily life, perspectives, and aspirations for a just resolution.
An Identity Straddling Divides:
Hala finds herself in a distinctive position, being Palestinian Arab yet holding an Israeli ID. She succinctly captures the intricacy of her identity, stating, “I’m Israeli to some Arabs and Palestinian to Israelis.” In a land shared by Jews and Palestinians, where daily interactions intertwine lives, she highlights the stark contrast that emerges when conflict disrupts communal harmony.
Shared Lives, Different Realities:
Living together in a shared environment, which includes common places of work, social spaces and housing areas where different ethnic groups, religions and nationalities live side by side. Hala emphasizes the unity experienced in daily life. However, as conflict surfaces, a palpable divide emerges. Non- Arab Israelis have shelters to retreat to during times of war, while Palestinian Arabs like Hala find themselves without such refuge, exposed to a vulnerable reality.
Dismissal for Empathy:
Post the 7th of October, Hala notes a troubling shift in government actions. Students and employees expressing empathy for Gazan civilians face dismissals, labeled as a form of terrorism. This move curtails freedom of expression and stifles empathy, creating an environment of fear and suppression.
Freedom and Safety: A Precarious Balance:
Hala articulates the delicate balance she maintains between freedom and safety. Fearful of violence and hate speech from some non-Arab Israeli citizens in certain areas, she ventures outside only for essential tasks, primarily to places with a significant non-Arab population due to certain non-Arab Israelis engaging in violent actions against Arabs. The Israeli Knesset is promoting a provisional amendment to the Counter-Terrorism Law 2016. This amendment introduces a novel criminal offense known as “consumption of terrorist materials,” with a potential penalty of up to one year of imprisonment. In this way, they are restricting expression and access to Palestinian content, further encroaching upon Hala’s freedom, leaving her unable to share her thoughts or even engage with cultural and religious content like Quran verses.
Psychological Toll:
The conflict has taken a toll on Hala’s mental health. Constant exposure to distressing images and narratives from Palestinian, Israeli and international sources has left a lasting psychological impact. The fear, restrictions, and divisive environment have collectively contributed to a sense of insecurity and distress.
Justice as a Beacon of Hope:
Expressing a desire for a just resolution, Hala’s concept of justice encompasses an end to the conflict that respects the rights and dignity of all parties involved. Her plea reflects a longing for a harmonious coexistence where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace, free from the shackles of conflict.
Uncertain Future Governance:
When contemplating the future governance of Gaza, Hala remains uncertain. However, her wish for peace extends to all, emphasizing the need for a resolution that fosters stability and security for everyone involved.
In unraveling Hala’s narrative, we glimpse into the intricate tapestry of an ordinary Palestinian citizen navigating the complexities of identity, freedom, and safety amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Her story resonates with the broader challenges many Palestinians face, emphasizing the urgent need for a just and lasting resolution to bring about a more secure and harmonious future for all.
The Week That Was: Global News in Review
The Week That Was: Global News in Review
Foreign Policy Brief #99 | By: Abran C | November 19, 2023
Photo taken from: reuters.com
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Crisis in Congo
Growing conflict and escalating violence has now uprooted a staggering 6.9 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Years of warring rebel groups and frequent natural disasters have helped fuel one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world today. Most of those forced to flee their homes live in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika. The conflict in the DRC dates back to the the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Since then, the eastern DRC, bordering Rwanda, has been facing insurgency perpetrated by rebel militant groups. One such group responsible for the current fighting and displacement of civilians is the mainly Tutsi ethnic M23 rebels, which the DRC claim are backed by the Rwandan government. Rwanda’s current president, Paul Kagame, is a Tutsi and former opposition military commander, is credited with stopping the genocide. Though in recent years he has become a polarizing figure, and is also accused of helping back conflict in the eastern DRC. Rwanda repeatedly denies supporting M23, though a 131 page report by United Nations Security Council found that Rwanda has launched military interventions inside Congolese territory.The conflict is also in part fueled by the scramble for control of Congo’s vast mineral wealth, which is rich not only gold but minerals used in laptops, smartphones, and electric vehicles, and is thought to be worth up to $24 trillion. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Rwanda and Congo to de-escalate tensions and withdraw troops from their border regions.
Malaysia’s Cross Border Air Pollution Law
Malaysia’s parliament last week rejected a draft law aimed at stopping cross-border air pollution. The reasons given for not advancing the law, which would be the first of its kind, are the difficulties in obtaining information for prosecutions when done in territory that does not belong to the aggrieved party. Malaysia’s environmental ministry said evidence such as location maps, coordinates, landowner information and companies operating in the location of fires was difficult to obtain since the smog entering the country comes from Indonesia, outside of its borders and jurisdiction. Environmental groups are still pushing for the law to pass as air quality in the country continues to decline, last month pollution climbed to concerning unhealthy levels. Malaysia has called on Indonesia to stop the fires within its borders and even asked the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both it and Indonesia are members, to take up the issue. The law would have a large effect on climate responsibility and if passed may pave the way for similar legislation in other countries.
Panama Protests
Panama has experienced protests in the last two weeks that have shaken the small Central American country for the first time in decades. The grievances, at least on the surface, are due to a government contract that allows a Canadian company to expand its copper mining operations in Panama. Two protesters were killed this past Tuesday, authorities said, bringing the total deaths during the demonstrations to four. Panama’s constitution declares all mineral deposits the property of the state, to be extracted only by concession, yet this current contract was negotiated without the public’s knowledge, giving the company, First Quantum, the right to mine copper across a staggering 32,000-acre expanse on the country’s Caribbean coast for at least 20 years. The deal has resulted in the largest protests since Panama’s National Civic Crusade of 1987. The protesters say the government should instead of extractive mining, be promoting industries such as sustainable agriculture, fishing and tourism.
From a Square to a Triangle: An Analysis of Modern Issues in Education and Immigration
From a Square to a Triangle: An Analysis of Modern Issues in Education and Immigration
Immigration Policy Brief #135 | By: Rudy Lurz | November 19, 2023
Photo taken from: brookings.edu
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Policy Summary:
Immigration has long been a politically charged issue. Comprehensive immigration reform has been impossible in today’s polarized climate, and has not been seriously attempted since the George W. Bush Administration.
Education as a field typically distances itself from the activist rhetoric which plagues immigration reform efforts. Public school districts pledge to educate every student. District officials do not ask about the citizenship status of a child’s parents when enrolling students. If a student’s residence is within the district borders, and their immunization status is confirmed, they are enrolled. Federal education policies such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top emphasize that all students must be educated fairly and equitably. Therefore, the only documentation that matters is a student’s performance on state assessments, verification that they do not represent a public health risk, and confirmation that their address is in the school district.
Those established policies are no longer guaranteed in this contentious political climate. Culture wars have spilled into education. Sanctuary City laws have long been a target of right-wing activists. These laws ensure that law enforcement agencies do not ask about a person’s immigration status in the course of normal duties. Policy actors on the right often mischaracterize the laws and claim that they let criminals back on the streets. These laws remain, for the moment, legal. Likewise, if a parent is enrolling her children in a school, the district will ask for her address and whether her children are vaccinated against measles; but cannot ask whether she holds a valid green card. According to the letter of the law, every city is not a sanctuary city, but every public school district is a sanctuary.
Xenophobic policy proposals are often framed as a question of asset allocation. A frequent criticism of undocumented migrants is that government benefit programs cost money, and non-citizens should not receive benefits that rightfully belong to citizens. This has long been a contested argument associated with providing health care and other benefits for undocumented migrants. President Obama’s DACA initiative, which provided undocumented migrants who arrived as children with protection against deportation and access to work permits, has faced stiff challenges and multiple setbacks in federal courts. Fights against DACA, Sanctuary City laws, and access to government benefits have fueled anti-immigrant sentiment at the K-12 level and beyond. Proponents of anti-immigrant policies contend that if undocumented migrants should not receive social security or government-issued health insurance, then they should also not receive free or reduced lunch at schools. Some contend that they should not be able to attend public school at all. This calls attention to fundamental questions for American education. Is education a public or private good? If it is a public good, how does educating undocumented migrants contribute to the good of the country? On the flip side, how would denying undocumented migrants access to education impact the future of the United States?
Policy Analysis:
Supporters of pro-immigrant education policies are on sturdier ground than those who have utilized President Obama’s DACA initiative. FERPA provides students with strong rights to privacy in schools, especially sensitive data associated with education. It is the obligation of the executive branch to execute those established laws, and they have been affirmed by the judiciary throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries. President Obama might have over-extended his authority by pushing through the DACA initiative by executive order. Congress alone has the power to create laws. Depending on future court actions, supporters of the DACA initiative might have to start anew in Congress and individual state legislatures in order to protect immigrants who arrived as children from deportation.
On the other hand, through FERPA, children and their parents have established protection of their demographic data if that data is held by a public school. No matter how hard right-wing activists work to use education to find and remove undocumented migrants, they cannot legally get access to that information. Third party vendors with access to this information represent an end-around for the anti-immigrant activists who seek it. They know their responsibilities, however, and take the same measures as public officials in order to protect education data. Clever is an education technology company that helps districts manage data. Their CEO, Tyler Bosmeny, noted, “From our perspective, the best way to make sure a student’s immigration status isn’t getting out is to not have it in the first place.” In today’s tech climate, where ransomware attacks and data breaches are becoming more and more commonplace, this philosophy is a logical one.
That leaves other alternatives that seem rather punitive and cruel. Anti-immigration advocates can attempt to intimidate undocumented immigrants into not registering their children for free and reduced lunch programs, even though receipt of these benefits should not factor into the decision to grant permanent residence to that family. Fear of stepping out of the shadows keeps many families from signing up for the benefits their children are entitled to receive, and as a result, many kids go hungry. They can challenge books in the library with themes relating to immigration, and work to get them banned. They can stifle classroom discussions using so-called “anti-woke” policy measures.
From my point of view as a policy analyst, these measures seem not only cruel, but also foolish. The social safety net in this country was designed for a population with a robust base of young and middle-aged workers. In 1940, there were a little over nine million Americans over the age of 65, approximately 7% of the entire population. Today that number is over 55 million, nearly 17% of the U.S. population. Social Security and Medicare depend on young workers paying into the system and a smaller percentage of older folks using the benefits. American society looks less like the triangle of the 1940s and more like a square. If it transforms to an inverted triangle and there are more people collecting benefits than there are younger workers paying into the safety net, the whole system could collapse. That is precisely the risk America faces in the near future. The birth rate in the United States, like many other developed nations, has plummeted . Deaths exceed births in most areas of the country. In addition, people are living longer. That means they will be collecting benefits for 20-30 years after retirement, instead of 10-15.
The social safety net depends on young workers paying bills so older retired folks can collect benefits. In order to confront that demographic reality, America will have to produce a second baby boom. Convincing Americans to have more children is a difficult task, considering the cost of childcare. Alternatively, we can expand legal immigration and make life easier for those who are presently seeking refuge in the country. Right now, anti-immigration activists are talking about building walls to keep people out, while also seeking to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the undocumented migrants already in the country. In twenty years, we are going to be begging young immigrants to come in.
Education is a tremendous vehicle for improving innovation and creating buy-in for a country’s ideals and values. It should be used to inspire the next generation of Americans. It should not be used as a weapon to find and expel undocumented migrants who are seeking a better life. The children of those same immigrants could soon save the nation from economic collapse. Perhaps we should provide those kids with a hot meal and a good education instead of xenophobic vitriol.
Engagement Resources:
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
- U.S. Department of Education Resources for Immigrants, Refugees, and those seeking Asylum: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/immigration-resources.html
What to expect from Speaker Johnson
What to expect from Speaker Johnson
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #108 | By: William Borque | November 19, 2023
Photo taken from: vox.com
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Mike Johnson was not expected to be in this position. The fourth-term Congressman out of Western Louisiana was not on many Bingo cards as the next speaker of the house…but here we are. Despite his low profile nationwide, Johnson was a somewhat known commodity inside the beltway, being seen at McCarthy’s side during the grueling 15 rounds of voting in January and throughout his tenure as Speaker. Johnson got his professional start as a constitutional lawyer, which tends to be a pretty good path for successful politicians (about half of all U.S Presidents were also lawyers). He worked on a variety of religious liberty cases, ranging from anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion cases to defending a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark (yes, that’s a real thing). But don’t get it twisted, Mike Johnson is one of the most extreme members of Congress.
When asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity about his beliefs, Johnson said “someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’ I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.” He has been staunchly against abortion, calling Roe v. Wade one of the worst judicial decisions of all time. Johnson also holds another viewpoint that many find questionable for a constitutional lawyer, regarding separation of church and state. “The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around” he said in a 2022 podcast episode.
Speaker Johnson has stated several times that he plans to separate aid to Ukraine and Israel, something which he officially did by introducing a package on Monday that draws from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. While most Democrats support aid to Israel, many have said they will not support this bill because of where it draws funding. Another issue that Johnson faces is yet another looming government shutdown, which he has already said that he plans on changing positions from his predecessor by passing a continuing resolution (CR). CR’s keep the government funded at the current levels for a certain amount of time, and that is what the government is currently operating under.
Former Speaker McCarthy got lots of pushback from the conference for passing CR’s, mostly from the far-right Freedom Caucus who eventually ended up ousting him. Expect Johnson to pass a CR through the holiday season, as lawmakers hate nothing more than being forced to do their jobs when everyone else gets a break. A source in the House GOP conference tells U.S. Resist News that one of the reasons they believe the party rallied around Johnson was simply exhaustion. Johnson will be able to pass one CR to fund the government through the new year, but the real fight will begin in January or February when
It’s hard not to think that Johnson will be able to be an effective Speaker with the looming threat of removal—just like McCarthy before him. Johnson is already struggling to pass legislation with a razor-thin majority which may be a precursor for a struggling tenure as Speaker. Sources inside the House GOP say that members respect Johnson for his willingness to step into a rather undesirable job at the moment, but also that they feel they have a lot of leverage in terms of what legislation comes to the floor. Watch for some moderate Democrats to try to strike deals with Johnson as well, specifically folks like Jared Golden (ME-02), Mary Peltola (AK), and Matt Cartwright (PA-08). Their votes could be vital if the farthest right members of the GOP look to buck the party.
Watch to see how effective Speaker Johnson is in his first few weeks as the new Speaker of the House. If he drags his feet and can’t pass legislation or unite the party, we may very well be headed for another battle for the Speakership. The GOP has proven again and again that they can’t seem to legislative effectively—and the country will be watching closely to see if they can pull it together.
A Closer Look at Trump’s Criminal Defense
A Closer Look at Trump’s Criminal Defense
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #105 | By: Abigail Hunt | November 6, 2023
Photo taken from: cnn.com
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Former President Donald Trump faces federal charges for tampering with the 2020 election. In Florida, Trump faces federal charges for obstruction of justice and unlawful retention of highly confidential documents containing sensitive national security information, and in New York, Trump faces state charges for making payments to an adult film star in exchange for her silence in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
In late October, Trump’s attorneys filed several legal documents, including the argument that the court-required gag order preventing Trump from discussing anything related to the pending cases against him is unprecedented. His attorneys use extreme language: “Never in American history has any Court censored the speech of a political candidate.” While that may be true, it sensationalizes something that is a normal part of the legal and political process – sometimes, the law needs to create new rules for new situations. The 22nd Amendment, which limits U.S. Presidents to two terms, was not added into the U.S. Constitution until 1951, six years after Franklin Delano Roosevelt died suddenly, at the beginning of his fourth term and in his 12th year as President. President Harry Truman, FDR’s Vice President, proposed the amendment in 1947, and it was ratified four years later.
Trump’s attorneys requested the court dismiss the criminal case against him, claiming the charges violate Trump’s “First Amendment rights” and rights under the due process clause. They double down on Trump’s misinformation campaign regarding the 2020 Presidential election and walk a fine line between “we drank the Koolaid” and “we’re just doing what the boss wants.” They claim Trump qualifies for “Presidential immunity,” expressing thinly veiled disgust with the legal system for not cementing a President’s right to “carte blanche” for any alleged criminal behavior.
Our earliest legal codes, written by King Urukagina of Lagash in Mesopotamia about 2800 BCE, are few. The basis of Urukagina’s code is dark. Urukagina, like Hammurabi a thousand years later, believed in the law of retaliation, a “lex talionis” (eye for an eye) mentality. He abolished unnecessary government posts and excessive taxation. He outlawed the practice of water deprivation of the working poor. However, he also imposed strict penalties on women for adultery. In fact, his laws were reproduced nearly verbatim in Hammurabi’s Code of Law, written a millennium later, which ordered mutilation or death for certain criminals, such as thieves, cheats, and liars.
If our law had not evolved from the time of Urukagina, an argument could be made to put Trump to death for his documented dishonesty, which is never in question. Yet the due process clauses in the 5th (1791) and 14th Amendments (1868) of the U.S. Constitution share a common phrase – that no one shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”
The 5th Amendment guarantees citizens protection from the federal government. The 14th Amendment is an argument to apply the same protections for citizens from the state level. Per Cornell Law, the Supremes, as usual, vary in perspective. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the 14th Amendment is “not a secret repository of substantive guarantees against unfairness,” while Justice Stephen J. Field wrote that the amendment “protected individuals from state legislation that infringed upon their ‘privileges and immunities’ under the federal Constitution.”
Substantive (“having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaningful, or considerable”) due process has been used as an argument for many years, dating back to the 1200s in England. “Due” is a key word – what process is “due” a person who, for example, is waiting for trial on a criminal charge? That person is due the right to a full investigation of the facts, the right to attorney representation, and the right to a fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers, among other things. Rather than the broad interpretation being directly and automatically applied, though, due process is defined in the courts on a case-by-case basis.
The interpretation of due process is muddied by the differentiation between a “right” and a “privilege,” which can and will evolve, as all language does. With each case a balance must be struck between what is best for the government, state, and public, and what is a protected right for the individual. Is the protection of “due process” for Trump in this case interpreted as a dismissal of the federal case against him in D.C.? Would a dismissal of Trump’s federal charges somehow permit harm inflicted upon the government, nation, or people go unpunished?
Trump’s federal trial is set to begin March 4, 2024.
Engagement Resources:
- Constitution Annotated, Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Other Rights. Section 3, Disqualification from Holding Office. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/section-3/
- Cornell Law School. Due Process. Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/due_process
- L. W. King. A History of Sumer and Akkad. July 2, 2015. The Gutenberg Project. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/49345/pg49345-images.html
Examining Competitive US House Races in the South
Examining Competitive US House Races in the South
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #107 | By: Ian Milden | November 6, 2023
Photo taken from: cnn.com
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Policy Summary:
Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 mid-term elections. However, the small size of the Republican majority leaves Democrats with a path to re-take the House majority. This brief will take an early look at some of the races in the South.
Policy Analysis:
Republicans shocked many pundits by only winning a four-seat majority in the House of Representatives during the midterm elections. The South has largely not been friendly to Democrats in recent election cycles due to Republicans’ control of the redistricting process and increasing hostility to the Democratic Party among white southern voters since the 1960s, so districts that can be targeted are few and far between.
Virginia’s second district was one of the few seats where a Democratic incumbent was defeated for re-election. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) defeated Elaine Luria (D-VA) in 2022 to win the seat. The seat is a swing district based on the coast of Virginia. The district includes multiple military installations, so veterans have been successful in recent versions of this district.
There are a pair of districts in Florida that Democrats have recently held that could be competitive if Democrats are interested in competing for them again. The 13th District, which is based in Pinellas County, was vacated by Charlie Crist (D-FL) when he ran for governor. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) won the vacant seat and will run for reelection. The district lines were redrawn to be a little more favorable to Republicans, which may push it further down the priority list for national Democratic organizations.
Democrats could also target Florida’s 27th district, which is in the Miami area. It is currently represented by Congresswoman Maria Salazar (R-FL). However, Democrats have performed poorly in the Miami area during the last two election cycles. The poor performance in Miami has had an effect on statewide races, and Democrats have responded by investing in other elections outside of Florida, so I would be surprised if they make a serious effort to flip this seat.
South Texas is becoming contested territory. Democrats hold two districts here, the 28th (represented by Henry Cuellar) and the 34th (represented by Vicente Gonzalez), but Republicans took over the neighboring 15th district in 2022 (Monica De La Cruz is the representative). Democrats had no issue holding these districts until recent election cycles. The challenges Democrats are facing in these districts are driven by changes in voting patterns by Hispanic voters. If Democrats continue to lose voters in these south Texas districts, that will hurt their chances of competing in statewide elections.
There are a few other notable seats that Democrats will have to defend. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) represents the 7th district in Virginia. This district runs from northern Virginia to Fredericksburg. Spanberger has won close races since winning this seat in 2018, though Republicans such as Eric Cantor and Dave Brat have held recent versions of this seat. While Spanberger is reportedly considering a run for Governor in 2025, she is running for reelection
Democrats will also have to defend an open seat in Virginia’s 10th district, where Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) is retiring to focus on her health issues. The seat is based in the northern Virginia suburbs near Washington DC, which is becoming friendlier territory for Democratic candidates. It is unclear who the nominees will be in this district.
Democrats won several seats in North Carolina after a court ruled that Republicans could not proceed with another heavily gerrymandered map. Republicans have filed a lawsuit to allow the Republican-controlled state legislature to redraw the maps with a heavy Republican gerrymander. Republicans recently took a majority on the state Supreme Court after the state legislature made state Supreme Court elections partisan, and the new Republican majority voted to allow the state legislature to draw gerrymandered maps. If Republicans implement a gerrymander, Democrats could lose three or four US House seats in North Carolina.
Democrats have had some good news regarding redistricting in the South. In the case Allen vs Milligan, the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s current congressional map was illegally gerrymandered based on race. Court-ordered redistricting will likely create a district in Alabama that Democrats can at least compete in if it isn’t a safe seat for Democrats. Alabama Republicans’ attempts to avoid compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling have not fared well in subsequent federal court hearings.
Louisiana will also be required to redraw its Congressional maps to create a second majority-black district after the Supreme Court declined to take up Louisiana’s appeal of a lower court ruling. A federal court ruled that Georgia’s congressional district maps violated the Voting Rights Act and ordered the maps to be redrawn in the coming weeks. It is unclear what the partisan impact will be, though Republicans will likely make every effort to avoid losing seats. Other larger southern states may have similarly drawn maps, which could result in more court-ordered redistricting, though there is a substantial chance that other southern states may not be ordered to redraw their maps until after the 2024 elections.
Engagement Resources:
- DCCC Website, Official Campaign Arm of House Democrats, https://dccc.org/
A Look at the Racketeering Case Against Trump in Georgia
A Look at the Racketeering Case Against Trump in Georgia
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #106 | By: Abigail Hunt | November 6, 2023
Photo taken from: newsweek.com
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In the state of Georgia, Trump is currently out on a $200,000 bond for 13 felony indictments. The individuals charged alongside Trump are a familiar roster of faces from his presidency and campaign. Trump & Co. face charges related to their orchestrated attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Each faces criminal racketeering charges under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Pending charges in Georgia against Trump and his 18 co-defendants include:
- falsifying votes
- persuasion, intimidation, harassment, and threats of state officials, including election workers and electors.
- employing people to cast fake electoral college votes in favor of Trump.
- tampering with voting machines
In addition to those listed above, Trump faces 12 additional counts, including solicitation of a public official to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery with false electors, conspiring to commit false statements, making false statements, conspiring to file false documents, perjury, and filing false writings.
Trump’s co-defendants are a laundry list of former political appointees and legal associates:
- Mark Meadows, Trump’s White House Chief of Staff
- Jeffrey Clark, former assistant U.S. attorney general
- Michael Roman, Trump campaign worker and White House aide
- Sidney Powell, attorney for 2020 Trump election campaign
- Jenna Ellis, attorney
- Kenneth Chesebro, attorney for 2020 Trump election campaign
- Ray Smith III, attorney
- Rudolph Giuliani, attorney
- Robert Cheeley, attorney
- John Eastman, attorney
- Stephen Lee, police chaplain
- Misty Hampton, Elections Director, Coffee County, GA (former)
- Harrison Floyd, Director, Black Voices for Trump
- Trevian Kutti, publicist
- Scott Hall, bail bondsman (Atlanta)
- Shawn Still, GOP chair (GA) (former)
- Cathleen Latham, GOP county chair, (Coffee County, GA) (former)
- David Shafer, GOP chair (GA) (former)
As is usually the case with co-defendants, they have started signing plea deals to testify on behalf of the state in exchange for reduced sentencing. First among those to deal was bondsman Scott Hall, who pled guilty in September to five misdemeanors for his role in interfering with the 2020 election process. Hall’s convictions include conspiracy to unlawfully access voter information and ballot-counting machines at the county election office. In October, three more pleas followed, these for Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jenna Ellis. Chesebro pleaded guilty to the felony charge of filing false documents wherein Trump and his cohorts employed “false electors” to file votes for Trump with the National Archives and Congress – false documentation which Chesebro created and distributed – in states where Joe Biden won. Chesebro’s punishment? Five years’ probation and a $5,000 fine. Powell, who spread false rumors of voter fraud, pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors for tampering with election equipment and received probation. The week after pleading out, Powell took to Truth Social and Telegram to de-cry the D.A.’s office for “extortion” in negotiating a plea deal with her and to continue to spread misinformation about the 2020 election. Ellis pleaded guilty to one of the two felony charges she faced, for aiding and abetting false statements and writings. The foursome – depending on their behavior and if their plea deals “stick” – will be state witnesses against their co-defendants in Georgia court. These plea deals lay the groundwork for solidifying both the Georgia and D.C. cases against Trump, both cases stemming from Trump & Co.’s conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Each co-defendant gives their statement as a part of their plea deal. These statements are collected to paint a clear step-by-step picture of the criminal actions. When the federal trial against Trump in D.C. begins in spring 2024, each co-defendant who has made an agreement with the D.A. will likely offer their testimony in both trials. So far, Trump and 14 others have pled not guilty, indicating their desire to go to trial to fight the charges. However, there is “many a slip twixt a cup and a lip,” and the defense attorneys for the other co-defendants are likely already negotiating with Willis’s office to cement the best outcomes for their clients. MSNBC and CNN report six other co-defendants are in discussion with the D.A. for a plea deal, including Misty Hampton and Michael Roman. Reportedly, attorney Robert Cheeley already received an offer.
Trump continues to spout off on social media. Ol’ 45’s tirades are now somewhat limited in their capacity; he is under court order requiring he remain silent on co-defendants and witnesses in his case. Court-ordered silence will hopefully keep co-defendants from conspiring with one another and attempting to influence those who might testify against them. The more important desired outcome of that silence is that the district attorney’s narrative, once presented in court, will shock the jury so that conviction is more likely.
An Orthodox Jewish View of the Israel-Hamas Conflict
An Orthodox Jewish View of the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Foreign Policy Brief #98 | By: Ester Avisror | November 6, 2023
Photo taken from: nytimes.com
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International news outlets are now inundated by coverage of one conflict – the Hamas-Israel war since the terror attacks of Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023. The roots of the conflict go back to long-held, seemingly intractable opposing views held by (some not all) Israelis and (some not all) Palestinians.
The following is one such view, that speaks pessimistically for many within Israel’s growing religious Jewish demographic. It justifies Israel’s military incursion into Gaza in terms of Old Testament religious values. It matches Hamas’s use of Islam to justify the extinction of Jews with the use of old Testament scripture to justify whatever it takes to “exterminate” Hamas. Here is an edited version of a conversation with an Israeli orthodox rabbi.
Rabbi Shimon Levi, age 57, is a biblical scholar, Jewish arbitrator, mohel, marriage officiator, a certified kosher butcher, and community rabbi. He has performed many Orthodox Jewish conversions during the past 25 years of his career. His view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is translated from Hebrew to English as follows, “The conflict has always been and will always be”. Citing Jewish legal tradition and exegesis, Rabbi Levi explains: “Esau [in reference to various anti-Jewish peoples] hates Jacob. And why was the Bible given on Mount Sinai? In order to teach that there is human hatred toward Israel, As Hamas described their “holy war” for global Jewish genocide within their founding covenant, Rabbi Levi describes Israel’s conflict with Hamas in terms of cosmic, spiritual hatred across generations.
He states that Israel’s retaliation towards Hamas is undoubtedly justified on the basis of Jewish principles of defense, as written in the Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 72:1), “If someone is coming to kill you, hurry to kill him first”. Moreover, Rabbi Levi affirms, “After all, these people [Hamas] were each born [and indoctrinated] to become a “shahid” (‘martyr’ in Arabic) – a child that grows up to kill every Jew and die in consequence, in order to be sent to ‘the Garden of Eden’ [as interpreted by Hamas’s extremist Islamic leaders]. This is their claimed divine commandment. Therefore, Israel’s retaliation is definitely justified. [These people] are called the ‘Seed of Amalek’”.
In increasing instances, some figures in Israeli society have controversially invoked the biblical term for “Amalek” in reference to Hamas – a people mentioned in the Bible that repeatedly molested and sought to exterminate the ancient Israelites in the exodus from Egypt, until they were exterminated under divine sanction by the Israelites instead. However, Rabbi Levi makes the clarification between destroying Hamas and protecting Gazan civilians. He emphasizes that humanitarian needs for Palestinians must be addressed with close supervision by Israel, and/or partnering states, since anything delivered to the Gaza Strip, including water, gas, and medicine are forcibly seized by Hamas – hence, explaining the suffering of most Gazan civilians. “Once this war is over, whatever will be determined, will be determined. Gaza needs to be under the control of another leadership, not Hamas, because people suffer at the hands of these terrorists”.
In his view, the conflict will not severely impact Israel, nor will anything influence Israel to swerve from its mission to destroy Hamas. “This nation [Israel] will always be strong God-willing – everything will be alright”.
Rabbi Levi also stresses that overall Jewish resolve is unwavering on ousting Hamas, not merely short-term humanitarian demands, “Rabbis from all different denominations say, no one is declaring that we need to pursue this [cause] in a ‘good’ way; instead, we need to pursue this [cause] in the strongest way that there is, and to totally exterminate [Hamas’s] culture of death completely, by elevating the culture of life!” Rabbi Levi concludes his views by stating, that Hamas committed atrocities more unabashedly brutal than the Nazis committed in the Holocaust. “The Nazis tried to hide their crimes – here Hamas did not hide anything. In their own helmets they were filming what they did – we cannot begin to describe all that they did – they did terrible, inhuman things!”.