Governor Terry McAullife: What It Means To Be a Governor, Democrat, and Leader

Under the word “Democrat” in the dictionary should be a picture of Governor Terry McAullife. A vault of stories, insights, and legislative history of politics past and present, he is eager to share with all who ask. Currently a Fall 2022 fellow at Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, the former Virginia governor hosts a weekly discussion group focusing on how to govern a state. Luckily for students, there is not much the alumnus of Georgetown University does not know about campaigning, running a government and the Democratic party.

— Kathryn Chavez

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Initiative 82: Everything to Know About the DC Proposal to Increase the Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers

Initiative 82 will be on the ballot for Washington, D.C. voters this election. If passed, this measure would gradually increase the minimum wage for employees classified as “tipped workers,” such as restaurant servers, bartenders, nail salon workers and other service industry employees, to match the minimum wage established for all other employees by D.C. law.

—Meriam Ahmad

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The Midterms: Democrats Go All-in on Abortion

With a conservative majority on the nation’s highest court, the Supreme Court stripped away the federal protections for abortion in the decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization earlier this year. Amid the expected outrage from large swaths of the nation’s population, the Democratic party seized the opportunity to leverage the fervor into voter turnout.

—Arjun Narayan

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Abortion Access at Universities

Barnard University, a sister school of Columbia University, recently released a plan to grant students access to on-campus abortion pills as a part of their free student healthcare plan. After the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade—the United States’ Supreme Court case regarding universal abortion rights—access to abortions across the country have been more challenging to come by.

—Sophie Dalfonsi

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The Imaginary Threat of NATO Expansion: Debunking a Common Excuse for Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered what will likely be regarded as among the most notorious speeches in modern history. His very first grievance in the address was perhaps the most critical, as he parroted a line long professed by ardent Russian foreign policy apologists: preventing NATO expansion.

— Zach Fotiadis

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The Economic Repercussions of the Pandemic and Russia Sanctions Threaten Democrats’ Midterm Aspirations

President Joe Biden and the Democratic party are faced with a historical storm of events as a world barely emerging from a pandemic is now reckoning with a war in Europe. These volatile global events have spurred an alarming rise in inflation, causing many Americans to feel as if Biden has fallen short of his promise to recover the economy.

— Angela Yu

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The End of the World (Economy): Consequences of the Russia/Ukraine Conflict

Tying countries together economically intended to construct a system for automatic and discretionary consequences for aggressive action. However, through the decades of relative international peace we have yet to see a successful, full-scale test of this ideology. Russia’s war on Ukraine highlights the failures of economically bonded world peace.

— Elizabeth Johnson

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US Migration Policy: Politics and Fear over Facts and Empathy

During the past 50 years, US migration policy has been influenced by political agendas and fear instead of facts and human rights concerns. As a result, US politicians have demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding migration and the border region, which has had real consequences in the lives of migrants and on life in border communities.

—Katie Cooper

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