Author: Emil Ordoñez
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The Current Government Shutdown, Explained
Past midnight on October 1, 2025, the United States entered its first federal government shutdown since 2019 after Congress failed to pass funding legislation for the new fiscal year. The shutdown reflects a sharp partisan divide: Republicans pushed for a “clean” continuing resolution to keep government operations funded until mid-November, while Democrats refused support unless…
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A Week in Politics: The 80th United Nations General Assembly
The 80th United Nations General Assembly This week was an important one on the world stage as we saw the commencement of the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. From September 23rd until September 29th, leaders and representatives from each of the 193 member-states of the United Nations congregated…
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A Week in Politics: Attacks on Freedom of Speech and Sweeping Policy Changes
Co-authored with Roy Liu The United States Yet another busy week took place in the United States. The effects of Charlie Kirk’s assassination continue to reverberate throughout the country, with many people being fired from their jobs due to their social media posts expressing their opinions on the late conservative activist. Perhaps the most prominent…
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Whatever Happened to Free Speech?
Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk just over a week ago, there have been mass disciplinary and retaliatory actions against people whose commentary on social media or otherwise was believed to have trivialized Kirk’s death or to tarnish his public image. Perhaps the most prominent example of this happening was the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel…
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A Week in Politics: Political Violence and Upheavals
The United States It has been a very busy week here in the U.S. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday saw bipartisan condemnation from political figures on both the left and the right. However, even before a suspect had been named (whom we will not name or describe due to the presumption…
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Charlie Kirk Dead at 31
Note: This article was updated at 8:00 PM ET to reflect the fact that the killer is still at large and that a previously-mentioned suspect is no longer being considered. Around 12:10 PM local time on September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot onstage during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. A…
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A Week in Politics: A Bad Jobs Report and Political Shakeups
Today, we will be doing something a bit different. This is our debut article of a new series we’re calling A Week in Politics, where I go over political events that occurred over the course of the last week in the U.S. and around the world. The United States Bad news hit the Trump administration…
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Gerrymandering Explained: How Politicians Legally Steal Elections
In June 2025, the Republican-controlled state legislature of Texas, acting on requests from the Trump administration, began an effort to redraw the congressional map that it had enacted a few years back to elect members to the House of Representatives. The proposed map currently circulating through the legislature would hypothetically pick up five extra seats…
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The History of American Conservatism: 1933-1980
Conservatism in America has come out as one of the dominant political ideologies defining our current modern political system. The present-day American conservative tends to be socially conservative, opposing hot-button cultural issues such as abortion, some LGBT rights, and euthanasia. They tend to be pro-business and pro-capitalism, and oppose expanded worker rights and communism. The…
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What the Fourth Means to Me
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” – Emma Lazarus. Those famous words are etched on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Many decades ago, when immigrants from Europe sailed into New York Harbor, they stood in awe at the sight of Lady Liberty,…