22 May 2023 NPR’s Morning Edition: Jake’s Takes

The Supreme Court and ‘The Shadow Docket’

Lots of shady things have been happening with some of the Supreme Court justices, but, as most things do in the digital age, they are coming to light. More transparency will help to restore the public faith in this important institution.

W.Va. race could be pivotal to deciding which party controls the U.S. Senate

We have a system of governance in the U.S. that gives the same number of senators to each state despite their difference in population. As such, a relatively small state such as West Virginia can have a large impact on the balance of power. The upside of this is that it keeps some of the less populated states involved in national debates. The downside is that the Senate does not always reflect the popular opinion with the majority of U.S. citizens.

Texas teens say their calls for no more violence are ignored as mass shootings rise

We recently marked the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Uvalde and Texas has failed to change course regarding gun controls. Instead, the state has been the setting for more mass murder, most recently in Allen, Texas. How many mass shootings will it take for politicians to step up with some kind of real action?

New book by Minnesota’s attorney general reflects on breaking a cycle of injustice

Breaking cycles of injustice should be attorney generals’ main job. Hopefully, this will receive a lot of attention and will inspire other top state lawyers to pay attention to the possibility of fixing broken systems.

Sen. Tim Scott files paperwork to run for president in the 2024

The primaries are warming up as more candidates enter the Republican field. I hope that the debates shine ample light on the values of each candidate so the public can make an informed decision. So far, it sounds like Trump remains the frontrunner despite losing legal battles. He has a strong ability to get people to follow him despite whatever lies he says and crimes he commits.

In Iowa, voters are already sizing up the 2024 GOP presidential field

The Iowa Caucus, when voters will choose between presidential candidates, is set to take place in February of 2024, but the political heat is already turning up.

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, are trying to stem gun violence

Trying creates the path to succeeding. We should back any and all officials who tackle this terrible topic as it will only lead to more people caring and taking action. If we can make progress on this problem, then our country will begin to move in a better direction.

Many people that were on Medicaid are finding themselves uninsured

The Pandemic created some short-term fixes for long term problems. It is disheartening when those solutions end and the problems return. But, we at least have some experience of a time when there were solutions in place.

What barriers do Black women face in seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate?

The name given to the overlapping set of barriers is called intersectionality. There are categories of privilege and categories of difficulty and Black women carry the burden of at least two categories of difficulty.

As tensions mount with Israel, Hezbollah stages a massive show of force in Lebanon

The 75th anniversary of the State of Israel was recently celebrated or mourned depending on which side of the conflict one exists. Israel gained statehood after the atrocities of WWII, but this same act caused the loss of territories for Palestinians and gave birth to the rise of groups dedicated to destroying Israel. One such group is Hezbollah, based in Lebanon with ties to Syria. Parts of Hezbollah have been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S.

A new approach to curbing sexually transmitted infections gains interest

With the existence of super computers and artificial intelligence you would think that we would be hard at work solving some of the oldest problems humans face. Perhaps this is one such example. Whichever way we find to stop STIs it will be a blessing.

Restaurant in Philadelphia wants you to return to the gold standard of hamburgers

Hamburgers are an American staple, and we have the obesity rates to prove it. Why would we return to anything regarding hamburgers? Shouldn’t we be moving towards healthier options? Maybe restaurants should invent some new American foods that match our current situation.

Debt ceiling negotiations to resume after breaking down over the last few days

Biden has returned from his trip to the G-7 Summit in Japan, and now all eyes are on the debt ceiling talks. If they can resolve this nagging issue, it will bring some relief to a lot of people.

Economists warn if debt standoff isn’t solved, it would kick-start a recession

Speaking of the debt ceiling talks, the possibility of it causing a recession is frustrating beyond belief. Even if they do resolve this manufactured crisis, damage to the economy has already been done as people await the decision with a mood of uncertainty, a factor that is generally bad for business.

The normal springtime surge in homebuying is more of a slump this year

The economy has been rough for most people for the past two years at least. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been a challenging time for anything normal to transpire. No surprise that we are experiencing a homebuying slump.

Meta has been fined $1.3 billion in the EU for breaching privacy standards

This is a drop in the bucket for Meta, but it may start a precedent that motivates the media giant to change some of their policy.

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