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The Pandora Papers: The Financial Secrets of the World’s Elite Uncovered
Written by: Amanda Roberts, Associate Editor In an unprecedented leak of millions of documents, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has released the offshore dealings and financial secrets of the world’s richest, including 35 current or former world leaders, 330+ politicians, and public officials across 91 countries. The United States is a key player in the world of offshore finance due, in part, to the role of the dollar as a de facto global currency and the fact that most international transactions flow through U.S. based banking operations. In addition to this, as of 2020, 17 out of the world’s 20 least-restrictive trust jurisdictions were U.S. states. However, the…
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Biden on Russia: Imposing Another Round of Sanctions, but Expecting Different Results?
Written by: Justin Lange, Associate Editor It was made evidently apparent to me, and from a rather young age I might add, that there is an important difference to be found between “acting” and “being.” For me, this became clear when I found out that Toby Ziegler didn’t write the President’s speeches, and that Tony Soprano didn’t run North Jersey.[1] This, however, raises an important question in more recent times: that is, what exactly is Joe Biden’s stance on Russia? Now, let’s walk down memory lane for a moment, because for now-President Biden, it’s been quite the journey to say the least. Biden was of course Vice President…
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Did the Supreme Court TRIP on its Latest Copyright Decision?
Written by: Alyssa Christian, Associate Editor If Google’s search engine could judge its users’ searches, before Monday, it definitely would have cringed at the question of whether application programming interface (API) codes are protected by copyright. That is because Google copied 11,500 lines of Oracle’s Java Program code to create its Android platform. Oracle, claiming that the lines of its API codes were protected by copyright, sued Google in the hopes of an $8 billion reward. On April 5, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States finally decided the long-anticipated case between the two companies, and Oracle will not be getting the billions.[1] The Copyright Act limits the monopoly…
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A Surge of Mexican Migrants Call into Question the ‘Open-Border’ Policy Biden Promised
Written by: Morgan Hutchinson, Associate Editor Last month, more than 100,000 migrant families crossed the US-Mexico border without authorization. The fifteen-year high begs the question as to when the open border policy President Biden once promised will finally be enacted, if ever. Mexican Migrants at the border are wanting to hold the President accountable when as he pledged to roll back Trump’s immigration policies on his first day in office, sixty-four days ago. According to the Washington Post, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have identified 9,500 unaccompanied minors at the south-western border last month alone, and more than 15,000 who are currently in federal custody. With numbers growing each…
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The Race for Economic Recovery : China v. U.S.
Written by: Jamie Davila, Associate Editor Covid-19 has disrupted the global economy for months, shutting down virtually every industry worldwide. As countries began to grasp and contain the outbreak of new cases of the virus, their economies have commenced the recovery process. Every nation is employing their own economic recovery plan; however, the World Bank has projected that the global economy will contract 5.2% by summer 2021. The main economies to examine their road to recovery are the two major economies, China and the United States. Considered the epicenter of the corona virus outbreak, China has distinguished themselves from the world with their rapid economic recovery. China’s implementation of a…
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Becoming Atlantis: Venice’s floods, Climate Change & Corruption
By Sharon Otasowie, Associate Editor A fragile treasure built on 118 islands off Italy’s northeast coast, it’s a miracle that Venice has managed to survive and thrive for more than 1,000 years. The city has built a naval and commercial empire and created an immense collection of palaces and churches, full of priceless paintings, to which an estimated 20 million tourists flock to every year. With the plan of an underwater fortress of steel designed to rise from the depths during high tides to protect the lagoon city of Venice, it’s among the most ambitious works of civil engineering in modern Italian history. But decades after the idea’s formation, Venice remains…
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From Sanctions to War: An Analysis of America’s Relationship With Iran
By: Sarah Hansen, Associate Editor On Saturday, September 15, 2019, drone strikes hit oil installations in Saudi Arabia. While Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks, the United States and Saudi Arabia maintain that Iran was responsible. The Trump administration claims intelligence assessments and satellite photos show evidence of Iranian involvement. Iran has denied any involvement and American officials have offered no evidence beyond satellite photos, which analysts said were insufficient to prove the source of the attack and responsible parties. Despite a lack of sufficient evidence, the U.S. continues to blame Iran for the attack. President Trump announced on Twitter he would “substantially increase sanctions” on Iran after…