Promises Kept: President Trump’s First Year Review

Olivia Ingrassia

January marked one year since Donald Trump swore the oath of office and became the 45th President of the United States following an unforeseen victory on November 8, 2016. Throughout his first year occupying the White House, President Trump has made great strides in altering the trajectory of the nation from eight years of his predecessor. Despite the unrelenting attacks by the media, he has put the interests of America first, as he promised to do on the campaign trail. Early on, it became clear that those promises made were…

A conversation with Hawk Newsome, founder of Black Lives Matter for Greater New York Area

Montgomery Yu

Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome sat down with digital editor Montgomery Yu after his talk at Fordham University to discuss the police brutality in America, systemic racism, and the future of the Black Lives Matter movement. Hawk Newsome is a former county committee member of New York’s District 79 and founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, unaffiliated with the NYC chapter of Black Lives Matter. (The following transcript has been edited for clarity from the original audio, which is also available.)   The first question that…

A Deeper Look at the State of Trump’s Union

Sophia Singh

On January 30th, President Donald Trump delivered his 2nd State of the Union address. There was much speculation on whether or not he would “stick to the script”, what angles he would take, and how he would address some of the core issues currently causing partisan friction in Congress, namely immigration. Unsurprisingly, the speech was problematic in several areas, namely, the self-congratulatory presentation of issues with questionable follow-through, the embellishment of what should have been straightforward facts, a failed attempt at bipartisanship, and use of special guests to distract from…

The End of the Gerrymander

Alec Pollini

What must be understood about political gerrymandering is that it has been recognized as a force in party politics since before the framing of the U.S. Constitution. So it came as a surprise when a district court struck down the district map of Wisconsin drawn by the Wisconsin state legislature in 2010 as an unlawful partisan gerrymander. Late Justice Scalia would be outraged if he knew the courts were entertaining such challenges to district maps as the current U.S. supreme court case, Gill v. Whitford. The case currently under consideration…

College Republicans Reflect on Incident at Rodrigue’s Coffeehouse

Matthew J. Santucci

In the week following last Thursday’s event at Rodrigue’s Coffeehouse, Fordham University has been embittered in a battle over the direction, role, and extension of free speech on campus. To the consternation of some, the story gained traction and captured the attention of Fox News, conservative provocateur Milo Yiannapouolus, and even Donald Trump Jr. Amid increased political polarization and, consequently, an intolerance of dissenting views, this event is not anomalous; rather, it is a reflection of the state of American politics today. Just as the incident at Rodrigue’s highlights the…

Xi Jinping is Not Reading His History

Jacob Floam

Asia is in a state of flux. As many see the Western ideas of democracy and freedom retreating in the Orient, there is potential for history to repeat itself. This was most recently experienced in the 1930s, when the Japanese tried to reshape Asia in their image and millions died as a consequence. The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was an effort by the statist Shōwa government to mask Japan’s belligerency to establish themselves as Asia’s hegemon. We all know what happened in the end. TASEANoday, Red China is working…

Past, Present, and Future: The Democratic Party from 2016 to 2018

Declan Murphy

The modern Democratic Party is at a crossroads. The pressures from the outside (the alt-right, Trump, and increasingly uncompromising Republicans) and from the inside (the ideological split between progressives and Clinton-esque establishment liberals) are reaching a critical mass. In order to once again become a successful party at all levels- federal, state, and local- the Democrats must examine their immediate past, their pressing present, and the direct future. The lessons of 2016 and 2017, as well as historic patterns of politics, need to feed directly into 2018. For Democrats, 2016…

Left, Right, Bait: Coffee at Rod’s

Jacob Linker

Rodrigue’s Coffeehouse (or “Rod’s” for short) is a staple of the Fordham community. A socially-conscious sanctuary on campus, strong with the ways of chic, organic, fair-trade joe at an affordable price. On a campus that culturally has more in common with Long Island and New Jersey, than that of Manhattan, it’s always been something of a bohemian novelty. If I ever had a complaint about Rod’s, it’s with the odd hours – after all, what coffee shop isn’t open in the morning when you really need a cup of joe?…