Motel Renovation Highlights Role of A.G. Gaston in the Civil Rights Movement
The renovation of an important building in the American civil rights movement is nearly complete. The A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama is now a part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The motel served as a safe place for African American travelers who were discriminated against in the American South during the 1950s […]
YOU DECIDE: Businesses at a Tipping Point
Imagine you’re buying a cup of coffee at a local cafe. A server brings the coffee to you. When you pay for it, you give an extra amount, called a gratuity or a tip, to the server. This is a common practice in places like restaurants. But lately, consumers have noticed greater expectations for tips. […]
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AAPI Film Industry Successes This year Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) made a great impact in the American film industry with an impressive slate of recent achievements, recognitions, and honors. Chloe Zhao, the director of “Nomadland,” originally made headlines for being the second female director–and the first woman of color–to win the Academy Award […]
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Cease Fire in Idlib, Syria The deadly civil war in Syria has been going on since 2011, but it feels like forever. Is it possible that it might finally be drawing to a close? Last week, Turkey and Russia agreed to a cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib region–an area where nearly a million people have displaced […]
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Brazil’s New President The new year brought more than just confetti in Brazil, where Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as president on January 1. Bolsonaro, 63, is a far-right-wing conservative. Though he is a retired army captain and congressman, he has no previous experience in the executive branch. In fact, he has often been called […]
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Government Narrowly Avoids Shutdown It’s that time of year in the federal government again: budgeting time. And for a while, it looked like the government would once again be brought to the brink of a shutdown over the spending bill. However, at the last minute, representatives from both sides of the political aisle worked together […]
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Gender and Political Party In the United States today, who has it easier: women or men? As it turns out, your answer might depend at least somewhat on your political party. While 50 percent of Democrats say that women have a tougher time, only 19 percent of Republicans think so. Moreover, while more than two-thirds […]
President (-elect) Trump’s Conflicts of Interest
This week, over on the Election Central Web site we dig a little deeper into the conflict of interest problems facing President-elect Trump and his many business connections. Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency has been unusual for many reasons. Now, the nation confronts an issue it has never faced before: what to do when […]
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Bilingual Education Returning to California In 1998, 61 percent of California voters passed Proposition 227, which limited bilingual education in California schools by requiring parents to sign a waiver if they wanted their child to participate in a bilingual program. Next month, however, bilingual education will be back on the ballot again. If Proposition 58 passes, […]
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White House Transition Regardless of who wins the upcoming general election, there will be a new occupant of the White House come January. Having a fully-functioning government at all times is crucial to our national security. This requires a “seamless transfer of power” from administration to administration. Made up of 4,000 senior executives, an annual […]