Brief #129 – Health & Gender
By S Bhimji
Just a few days ago, the Mexican Supreme court ruled that women in the Northern State of Coahuila should not be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy.
For much of Mexico’s history, abortion has been restricted in most parts of the nation. But this move by the Mexican Supreme court is of historic significance as it advances the rights of women.
Brief #25 – Social Justice
By S Bhimji
There is no question about it- crime is up in almost every major city. Carjackings, random shootings, home burglaries, and violence are everyday news. While some folks want to defund the police, Texas has decided that it is time to take care of the problem at its core. Recently, the Lone Star state passed a law that permits individuals to carry handguns in public without any training or a permit.
Brief #172 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On August 24, 2021 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a $5,134,500 fine against John M. Burkman, Jacob A. Wohl and J.M. Burkman and Associates, LLC. Mr. Burkman and Mr. Wohl are political consultants based in Virginia. And J.M. Burkman and Associates, LLC is a political lobbying firm registered in Virginia.
Brief #129 – Foreign Policy
By Adrian Cole
The Brits, the French, and the Germans have all left, and as of August 31, the Americans have wrapped up their airlift operation and departed as well.
What happened?
Brief #126 – Environmental Policy
By Todd J. Broadman
This brief is another segment to help further explain the megadrought in the U.S. Southwest. The megadrought now encompasses Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of California, Colorado and New Mexico. This region has undergone chronic drought conditions since 2000, the year that the Lake Mead reservoir (the largest in the U.S. and now at an historic low) was considered close to full.
Brief #128 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald
The last time the Taliban was in power of Afghanistan was for approximately 20-25 years prior to 9/11. The Taliban has, as they are trying to tell the world, changed a bit from their previous reign; though, they are still highly religious and conservative. The United States, and every nation who aided the United States in the war, will have to start to deal with the Taliban as a governmental entity that is representing the people of Afghanistan. The United States, and its allies, will in their dealings with the Taliban be confronting their largest foreign policy failure in the last twenty years.
Brief #128 – Health & Gender
By S Bhimji
The topic of abortion has always been a contentious issue in the USA. In a recent Gallup poll that asked participants about the legality of abortion, 46% described themselves are pro-choice and 49% as pro-life. So no matter what decision the state or federal government makes, a significant number of people are going to be disappointed.
Brief #127 – Health and Gender
By S. Bhimji
During the 2020 Covid pandemic millions of people lost their jobs and hundreds of thousands of businesses had to close; this led to a fear that if tenants did not pay their rent, mass evictions would follow. By Sept 2020, there were close to 22 million renters at risk for eviction and a separate census in July 2021 indicated that at least 7 million households had difficulty paying rent and were at risk for eviction.
Brief #126 – Health & Gender
By S Bhimji
While much of the interest these days has been on the Covid-19 infections, with schools about to open, another topic also of great interest is the over-policing of schools. There are some who argue that we are over-policing the schools and that instead of having more police, we may be better off having more support staff and mental health therapists on board.
Brief #128 – Immigration Policy
By Kathryn Baron
As the Taliban rapidly took over Afghanistan amidst US withdrawal, the Biden Administration has vowed to help Afghans, targeting those who supported American military and diplomatic efforts, obtain Special Immigration Visas (SIVs). Approximately 550,000 Afghans are internally displaced and 18.4 million currently require humanitarian assistance in some capacity – women and children are among the majority of individuals immediately effected. Throughout the 20-year US involvement in Afghanistan, the US has allegedly resettled over 75,000 Afghans and their families through the SIV program and plan to continue.