The Baines Report
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan as a generational milestone. Superficially, his glowing endorsement makes sense. Most of the nation’s major infrastructure has not been improved since the 1960s. Consequently, a 2021 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned a “C-” to our infrastructure — indicating […]
The time to abolish the filibuster is long overdue. The filibuster is not in the U.S. Constitution. It is not codified law. It is simply a procedural mechanism adopted by the Senate at the suggestion of Vice President Aaron Burr in 1805. Burr thought the previous question motion, which only required a simple majority to […]
To meet the U.N. climate goals, the U.S. and China need some healthy competition. Every year, world leaders convene at a U.N. summit to discuss how they will work together to stop climate change. Yet, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Although, there was a brief dip in emission levels in 2020 due to […]
The Biden Administration is developing a “Root Causes Strategy” (RCS) to reduce violence, strengthen the rule of law, and reduce economic insecurity in Central America, in the hopes that these measures will reduce migration from the region by addressing the problems at the source. The Biden Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) calling for a […]
Proposition B is garnering a lot of attention and controversy ahead of Austin’s May 1 special election. The ballot initiative would prohibit camping, sitting, lying down, or sleeping on public sidewalks around The University of Texas and downtown Austin. In 2019, the Austin City Council rescinded bans on these activities. Save Austin Now, a group […]
Perhaps spooked by how record voter turnout in the 2020 election allowed Democrats to narrow or close the gap with Republicans in some of Texas’s most competitive counties, Republicans have touted baseless claims of election fraud to promote a slew of bills that would make it much harder for Texans to vote in future elections. […]
In 2001, on the 10th day of July, the New York Times published an op-ed titled “The Declining Terrorist Threat.” The author argued that terrorism reached its zenith in the 1980s, so it was not a serious security challenge confronting the United States. Two months later — nearly to the day — the 9/11 terrorist […]
During the Democratic primary, Joe Biden promised to veto Medicare for All legislation — two days before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed the inadequacies of private health insurance. Approximately 49 percent of Americans depend on their employer for health coverage. Amid historic unemployment, 12 million Americans have […]
Student-Led Divestment Initiatives Drive Change on College Campuses Student and community groups have the power to play a significant role in advocating for divestment initiatives and sustainable goals. Recent examples of campus activism have shown us what students can accomplish. On Feb. 6, 2020, Georgetown University Board of Directors announced that the university would divest […]
A developed but unequal country On Feb. 3, 2021, Tokyo Olympics Chief and former Prime Minister, Yoshiro Mori, stated at the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee meeting that women talk too much and board meetings with a lot of women take too much time. Mori made this statement while the committee was discussing the matter of […]