Zinke’s Off-shore Oil Drilling Program Stirs Controversy

Chris Funchess Advertising Sales Manager Reviving coal was a campaign promise that President Trump prioritized in the first year of his administration, but oil and natural gas have become increasingly important. To start off the new year, the Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Ryan Zinke, announced “the next step for responsibly developing the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.” Also … Continue reading Zinke’s Off-shore Oil Drilling Program Stirs Controversy

Republican Senator Jeff Flake Condemns Trump on Senate floor

Madison Hoffmann News Editor Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake took to the Senate floor Wednesday morning to formally rebuke President Donald Trump on his continuous attacks about the truthfulness of the news media. Flake has been known to denounce and criticize Trump’s actions, but his speech was a very straight forward rejection of the “fake news”/”alternative facts” era that the Trump administration has created. “When … Continue reading Republican Senator Jeff Flake Condemns Trump on Senate floor

North Carolina’s Redistricting Cases

Kevin Liu Staff Writer The General Assembly of North Carolina has spent almost $5.6 million defending itself against lawsuits that attack the legislature’s recent redistricting plans for North Carolina. Several lawsuits have been filed against the General Assembly’s congressional redistricting efforts. The official amount is expected to rise as lawsuits from 2011 to present are being filed. The lawsuits being filed against the General Assembly … Continue reading North Carolina’s Redistricting Cases

Sessions’ attack on the marijuana industry

Chris Funchess Advertising Sales Manager Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced last week that under his leadership, the Department of Justice is going to end the current policy of laissez faire regulation of 29 state’s medical and recreational marijuana industries. In a Jan 4. memo, Attorney General Sessions makes clear that marijuana is illegal and that “we [prosecutors] should do our job and enforce laws as … Continue reading Sessions’ attack on the marijuana industry

Opioid abuse in America

Madison Hoffmann News Editor Back in late October, President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency after alarming rates of drug abuse caused a skyrocketed death rate in the United States. “Working together, we will defeat this opioid epidemic,” Trump said during his declaration. “It will be defeated. We will free our nation from the terrible affliction of drug abuse. And, … Continue reading Opioid abuse in America

Fire and Fury

MaryKent Wolff Staff Writer A tell-all book that criticizes the Trump administration has caused excitement in all political realms in the first weeks of 2018. The book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff, is compiled with information from the first hundred days of Trump’s time in office. Wolff held interviews with over 200 members of the West Wing staff, including … Continue reading Fire and Fury

Sutherland Springs Church shooting: The faces which one man thought were better to end

Joe Schuler Staff Writer Tara McNulty, age 33, was a single mother of two adolescent children who worked two jobs in order to support her family. She had a matching mermaid keychain with her best friend and is now remembered as “sarcastic and sweet.” She was murdered. Dennis Neil Johnson Sr., age 77, had just celebrated his 44th anniversary with his wife, Sara Louise Johns … Continue reading Sutherland Springs Church shooting: The faces which one man thought were better to end

President Trump’s Asia Tour

Chris Funchess Staff Writer President Trump is endeavoring through East Asia on a 13-day, five-country tour of Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. On his first stop, he reassured the Japanese people that the U.S. is a committed ally, both politically and militarily. After landing on Nov. 5 at Yokota Air Base, near Tokyo, the president addressed U.S. and Japanese troops on the … Continue reading President Trump’s Asia Tour

In the Trenches: Tax Reform

Chris Funchess Staff Writer The GOP’s push for historic tax reform is encountering several pitfalls. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was released on Wednesday by House Republicans. Being slated for its public debut on Oct. 30, the tax bill underwent some last-minute revisions, causing its two-day delay. Tax reform is an incredibly difficult process, which may explain some of the division in … Continue reading In the Trenches: Tax Reform

Sessions Says Workplace Discrimination Laws Do Not Cover Transgender People

Madison Hoffmann News Editor In a move that seems to reverse progressive steps forward in the rights of the LGBT community, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded a former Obama administration decree from Dec. 2014 which stated that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited the discrimination of transgender peoples in the workplace. “Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination…does not encompass discrimination … Continue reading Sessions Says Workplace Discrimination Laws Do Not Cover Transgender People