Puerto Ricans in Florida have made their voices undeniably clear, and the recent poll revealing overwhelming support for Kamala Harris while viewing Donald Trump unfavorably struck a chord in me. The numbers are staggering—85% of those surveyed are poised to back Harris, while just a meager 8% express support for Trump. This isn’t just another statistic; it’s a loud and proud declaration from a community that treasures its identity and rights in the American political landscape.
As someone who has immersed myself in conversations about Puerto Rican experiences and political sentiments, it’s refreshing to witness this level of engagement, especially after the unadulterated apathy that sometimes envelops voter participation.… Continue reading
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on international allies to act, rather than just observe, the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. He emphasised North Korea’s advancements in weapon production and modern warfare, and said that Ukrainian civilians would have to defend themselves against the soldiers. Despite having located where the North Korean soldiers are in Russia, Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine lacks the resources to strike them. He called for global action to avoid a potential expansion of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This call to action came after an interview where Zelenskiy criticised the limited response from his allies to Russia’s North Korean troop deployment.
Read More
A former Kentucky police detective, Brett Hankison, was convicted by a federal jury of using excessive force during a flawed 2020 drug raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. It marks the first conviction of an officer involved in the operation. The jury was initially deadlocked on the excessive force charge against Taylor, but chose to continue deliberations. Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, commended the jurors for allocating time to understand the need for justice for her daughter. Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid and failed to hit anyone, faces a potential life sentence to be decided on 12 March.
Read More
A YouGov poll found that 1-in-8 women have voted differently from their partners without telling them, mirroring the habits of men. The issue is gaining attention amid the 2020 election, where women’s issues have become central campaign points. The gender voting gap has also widened, with polls showing women prefer Kamala Harris by a margin of 12% over Donald Trump, despite 46% of men in the YouGov survey believing that their partners would vote for Trump.
Read More
Poland has commenced building defensive fixtures along its border with Russia, a program named the “Eastern Shield”, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The plan includes the construction of 800 kilometers of trenches along the 400-kilometer border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus, minefields, anti-tank barriers, video surveillance systems, and more. Tusk emphasized Poland’s strategic role on NATO’s eastern flank and highlighted the project aims to secure the border during peace and make it impenetrable in war. The “Eastern Shield” is slated for completion in 2028, costing about $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, Baltic states are setting up over 1,000 concrete bunkers along their borders with Russia and Belarus, a project dubbed the “Baltic Defense Line”.
Read More
Early in-person voting in North Carolina has already outpaced the total from the 2020 fall elections. As of late Thursday, nearly 3.8 million people had cast early in-person ballots, exceeding the previous record of 3.63 million. Including absentee, military, and overseas votes, the total rises to nearly 4.01 million ballots, over 51% of the state’s 7.83 million registered voters. The increase in early voting is partly due to a push by state and national Republicans, despite greater numbers of registered Democrats statewide. North Carolinians will be voting for several statewide positions, including governor and attorney general.
Read More
Swedish migration minister, Johan Forssell, has said that individuals supporting terrorist organisations should be deported from the country. Forssell’s comments followed a demonstration supporting Gaza during which flags of known terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah were seen. In response to this, the minister plans to change the law to allow the deportation of those paying tribute to such organizations. Similarly, migration policy spokesperson, Annika Hirvonen, emphasised that supporting terrorism should be banned for all citizens regardless of their immigration status. Earlier, Sweden had introduced stricter regulations for citizenship applicants in a bid to enhance security.
Read More
The latest data suggests that women, who historically outvote men, are dominating early voting in the 2020 US Presidential election. Nationally, around 62 million early votes had been cast by 29 October, with 54% of these ballots cast by women, compared to 44% by men. This trend is replicated across many battleground states, displaying a 10-point gender gap in early voting. It has further been highlighted that the new group of voters expected to decide the election are mainly female registered democrats, poised to favor the Biden-Harris ticket. Since 1980, the number of female votes has consistently surpassed the number of male votes in each presidential election.
Read More
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukraine requested Tomahawk missiles from the US, after recent press reports revealed the request. He stated that the request was supposed to be confidential, and its public discussion shows a lack of confidentiality between partners. Zelenskyy sought these missiles as part of a long-range weapons packet for Ukraine’s Victory Plan, aimed at deterring further aggression from Russia.
Read More
Former US President Donald Trump has sued CBS News for $10bn over an alleged embellished interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on the channel’s 60 Minutes show, which he deems as “election interference.” Trump contends that the interview was manipulated to present Harris positively, particularly her comments on Israel and the Gaza war, and claimed that this equates to unlawful voter interference. His filing in a US district court in Amarillo, Texas termed CBS’s actions as malicious and deceptive. CBS has dismissed the claim as “completely without merit.” The row follows Trump suggesting that CBS should lose its news broadcast license.
Read More
Matt Underwood 
John Q. Hosedrinker