(Image c/o Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images) By Matthew Colvin Visiting News Reporter New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has pleaded not guilty to a double indictment on charges of bribery and conspiring as a foreign agent with the nation of Egypt. It is the second time he has been indicted for corruption-based offenses in the past decade.
According to the indictment, a federal search of the senator’s home turned up nearly $500,000 in cash, as well as gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. Both the senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, stand accused of having acquired all of these funds via a “corrupt relationship” with several other businessmen. Menendez has vehemently denied the charges, claiming that the indictment was “as outrageous as it was absurd.” The accusations did not stop there, however. On October 12, Menendez was charged with taking actions within the Senate on behalf of the Egyptian government, which would qualify him as an unregistered foreign agent. Despite charges of Menendez’s corruption consolidating, he continued to fervently deny them, claiming that, “piling new charge upon new charge does not make the allegations true.” While many other Democrats have called for Menendez to simply resign, the New Jersey senator has stubbornly refused. The senator previously faced a set of bribery charges completely unrelated to the current situation in 2017, but the ordeal ended in a simple mistrial. However, with both charges and evidence seemingly stacking up against the senator in this new case, the result may prove to be quite different. On October 23, Menendez officially entered his not guilty plea before US District Judge Sidney Stein in a federal court, not budging from his established stance. As the official trial is commencing, should Menendez be found guilty, he may be facing up to 50 years of imprisonment.
0 Comments
(Image c/o David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) By Anthony Romero News Reporter Rising tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas War have escalated on Harvard’s campus as it struggles to mediate in the face of strong emotions coming from both sides. On October 7th, a letter penned by the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and co-signed by 33 other student organizations was posted on the group’s Instagram, condemning the Israeli government and stating it is “entirely responsible” for the violence occurring overseas. The letter served as a response to the surprise Hamas attack that was met with Israeli retaliation, claiming the lives of 1,300 people and injuring 4,562 others during the initial attack on Oct. 7th, as per reports from the UN by Israeli officials.
As the letter started to circulate, it sparked a national backlash and a massive uproar among Harvard’s most influential alumni and donors. In its efforts to maintain an aura of neutrality, the university runs the risk of alienating concerned students and faculty with its extended silence. “In nearly 50 years of Harvard affiliation, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today,” stated former Harvard president Larry H. Summers on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dr. Summers was also critical of the university’s failure to denounce the students’ statement, a sentiment also shared by other members of the Harvard community. On Oct. 10th, Bill Ackman founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management called for Harvard University to release the names of the affiliated students for the purpose of “blacklisting” those students from their potential hiring pools. As reported by The Harvard Crimson, this ongoing controversy and the growing demand for names has resulted in a number of websites releasing student information and doxxing close family members. A billboard truck, sponsored by conservative media group Accuracy in Media, has also been seen driving around the college town as recently as late last week displaying the names and photos of suspected students, alongside messages accusing them of antisemitism. The conflicting reactions from the Harvard community have highlighted a wider discussion of the application of free speech within the divided campus. The open declaration by Wall Street and big law leaders to refuse the hiring of students has led many to view this as a genuine threat and are intimidated by the sight of trucks parading their classmates’ information in public. Former president of the American Civil Liberties Union Nadine Strossen has likened the collecting of names to the McCarthy-era blacklists, labeling the threats to people’s future careers as an overreaction and an obstacle to “more thoughtful and less categorical pronouncements” on Harvard’s campus. Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law, condemns the truck’s public intimidation of students but simultaneously recognizes that “you can’t express your views and then say, ‘Those who criticize me are chilling my speech.’” On Oct. 12th, Harvard President Claudine Gay released a follow-up video rejecting terrorism and hate, as well as the harassment and intimidation of individuals in the community. Gay reaffirms the college’s dedication to free expression and establishes in a previous statement that although students and affiliated groups reserve the right to speak for themselves, this does not extend to Harvard leadership or the university itself. Jordan current GOP nominee after Scalise withdrew name and McCarthy ousted. (Image c/o Joe Raedle/Getty Images) By Drew Paxman Editorial Designer Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has been nominated by Republicans for the 56th Speaker of the House. The news comes just a day after Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana withdrew his name from voting consideration.
“The House Republican civil war continues to rage on,” remarked minority leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York in a speech he gave with the entire Democratic caucus outside Capitol Hill. “House Republicans have chosen to triple down on the chaos, triple down on the dysfunction, and triple down on the extremism.” Jeffires is referring to Jordan’s association with the Freedom Caucus, a group Republicans that Jordan helped co-found. Florida representative Matt Gaetz, a member of this caucus, led an effort to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 4. Gaetz showed enthusiasm for the potential 56th Speaker, taking to X: “It’s Jim Jordan Time!” McCarthy also confirmed his vote to the press. “I would support Jordan.” Like McCarthy’s own tough path to the speakership back in January–which consisted of 15 contested ballots–Jordan’s own path seems difficult. In the initial secret ballot, only 124 Republicans supported Jordan, 93 votes short of the necessary 217 needed to become speaker. 81 of those votes went to Representative Austin Scott of Georgia. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska told CNN that he feels electing Jordan to the speakership would be rewarding the “bad behavior” of the eight caucus members who voted out McCarthy. Former Republican–now Independent–congressman Denver Riggleman feels confident about where Jordan will stand in the coming days. “Jim Jordan’s not going to be Speaker,” he told MSNBC host Ari Melber. Russell Dye, Jordan’s spokesman, gave a much more optimistic approach. “Jim Jordan is the only person who can unite the conference and get 217 votes to become speaker,” Dye told Fox News. The House has stopped for the weekend and will resume activities on Monday, Oct. 16. On the American soldier who had fled to the isolationist state. (Image c/o Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press) By Anthony Romero News Reporter US Army Private Travis King was released from North Korean custody in September after transfer negotiations between the two nations agreed on his safe expulsion to the Chinese border city of Dandong. Private King was reunited with his family in the United States and entered a reintegration program at the Brooke Family Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas after spending more than two months in North Korea. Following his complete recovery, US military officials are set to discuss the potential consequences of the incident after more information comes to light.
North Korean authorities cited their arrest of Pvt. King on reasons of “illegally intruding” into their territory, signifying continued tensions between the nation’s borders and those who cross it. This correlates with the confirmation of King’s willful trespass into the country on July 18, 2023, during a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area that rests between the borderlines of North and South Korea. The Korean Central News Agency reported that King’s reasoning for his illegal crossing was that he “harbored ill feelings against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army and was disillusioned about the unequal US society” (The New York Times, 2023). According to interviews from local authorities and civilians, King was heard laughing as he made a sudden dash across the demilitarized zone and was subsequently picked up by North Korean officials. The day before his capture, King was scheduled to be escorted by American authorities to the Incheon International Airport for a flight back to the US, but King never boarded the plane. Travis King, 23, was stationed in South Korea as a member of the First Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division, and is a decorated soldier, having been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, and other additional honors. South Korean police transferred King to US military officials in September 2022, due to an alleged incident of assault of a Korean national and/or nationals and destruction of public goods. King was reported to have been previously detained at a South Korean facility in Cheonan and was set to potentially face additional disciplinary action after his arrival to the US, though it remains unclear if this was in direct response to his charges overseas. Located along what is known as the Panmunjom peace village, the Joint Security Area (JSA) marks a 250 km-long stretch of land designated as a Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The JSA is monitored by North Korea and the UN Command, and both sides of the area are lined with heavy armaments and razor wire. Multiple companies offer South Korean tourists a tour of the JSA, it was on one of these tours that Pvt. King where made his crossing of the border. King’s capture and release occurred in a series of simultaneous events that encompassed fraught international relations amid rising tensions between Pyongyang, Seoul, and Washington. The same day of King’s crossing also marked the arrival of the USS Kentucky, a nuclear-powered ballistic submarine, that arrived at a port in Busan as a symbol of US-South Korean naval power and the reinvigoration of their alliance. The docking was a response to a February 2023 military test of two ballistic missiles over the seas of Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Sources: Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-00c171778e378d95fe1115fe31612ec2 CNN Politics (October 2023) https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/politics/travis-king-north-korea-army-decision/index.html CNN Politics (July 2023) https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/18/asia/us-national-north-korea/index.html The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/27/world/asia/north-korea-travis-king-expel.html The Guardian (19 July 2023) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/19/us-soldier-north-korea-border-travis-king The Guardian (18 July 2023) https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/19/what-is-the-joint-security-area-north-korea-south-korea By Callista Yu
American Journalism Student By Daylana Ferguson
American Journalism Student By Eleni Kovchak
American Journalism Student Exclusive interview with doug welch, executive director of the maine Island Trail association10/6/2023 By Nicholas Welch
American Journalism Student By Nicole Crescini
American Journalism Student (Image c/o Drew Angerer/Getty Images 2017) By Edith Cuevas News Reporter Senator Dianne Feinstein, representing California voters for over thirty years, has died at the age of 90. Feinstein has been the longest-serving female senator, first elected into office in 1992.
According to a statement made by her chief of staff, James Sauls, she passed away on Thursday night at her home in Washington, D.C. hours after placing her final senate vote. Feinstein had a lengthy career in politics, and broke many glass ceilings throughout its entirety. Feinstein was a highly respected, trailblazer senator. “Dianne was a pioneering woman leader, who served as San Francisco's first female Mayor with unmatched courage, poise and grace,” said U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi. “Dianne’s extraordinary career will continue to inspire countless young women and girls to pursue public service for generations to come.” “Senator Dianne Feinstein was a pioneering American. A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend," said President Biden in a statement, “Serving in the Senate together for more than 15 years, I had a front row seat to what Dianne was able to accomplish.” The most significant legislative accomplishment of Feinstein’s career was the manufacturing and sales ban of certain assault weapons. President Clinton signed this into law as part of a crime bill in 1994. (Blood and Jalonick, 2023) Gun violence had been a major focus issue for Feinstein, despite the relentless opposition by fellow republican senators. “We lost a giant in the Senate,” said Majority Leader Chuck Shumer. “As the nation mourns this tremendous loss, we know how many lives she impacted, and how many glass ceilings she shattered along the way,” Schumer said during the opening of the Senate floor on Friday. Governor Newsom has appointed Emily’s List President, Laphonza Butler, as Feinstein’s successor. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.” said Newsom. Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/us/newsom-senate-feinstein-laphonza-butler.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/29/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-passing-of-senator-dianne-feinstein/ https://apnews.com/article/dianne-feinstein-dead-c831f3228ac44faa9653234570bb8ce9 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/long-serving-us-democratic-senator-dianne-feinstein-dead-90-punchbowl-2023-09-29/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/dianne-feinstein-rcna18010 Image Source: https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/feinstein-dead-obituary-17816907.php |
StaffMadison Sciba '24, Archives
November 2023
Categories |