After the speech at 1:03 PM, supporters breached the first barricade moving towards the Capital in great numbers of strength. The police slowly gave up more and more space towards the supports and the doors of the Capital. While all of this was happening the Senators are clarifying the counts not knowing what’s happening outside their doors. As much time spent clashing the police and supports spraying each other with pepper spray, at 2:11 PM the Trump supports rushed in to the door and windows breaking inside forcing the Senators to hold their counting and hide inside the building.

The rioters inside fought inside with police and some were looking for senators especially Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Representatives Nancy Pelosi as they called them traitors. Most of the rioters had gear had tactical gear to hold multiple hostages but lucky they never found them.

It was till 5:40 PM when the National Guard finally came to stop the violence at the capital, with most of the rioters ruined people’s office inside the building, and stealing some stuff that is in the capital. But at the end of the day 5 people died during this riot one of them a Capital Officer. The question by a lot of people was what if all of this was a Black Lives Matter protest, which everyone knows how they were all treated by police even when no violence was made.

As of now President Trump is the first president in the history of the United States to being impeached for the second time, and the second time in history that the Capital was breached, last time was in the War of 1812 by the British.

By noon on Saturday, Biden had won with 20 electoral votes from Pennsylvania, putting him at 273, just three above the required number of electoral votes to win. At this time, Trump held 214 electoral votes.

In his victory speech that night, Biden proposed that we as a nation work together, acknowledging everyone who didn’t vote for him as much as everyone who did.

“With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with love of country and thirst of justice, let us be a nation that we know we can be,” Biden said. “A nation united, a nation strengthened, a nation healed, the United States of America.”

As the first woman and person of color Vice President, Kamala Harris has spread hope and inspiration to others like her across the United States.

“Now is when the real work begins,” Harris said. “To unite our country and heal the soul of our nation. And the road ahead will not be easy, but America is ready, and so are Joe and I.”

Donald Trump has resisted recognizing the election outcome. As he did in the time between election day and Biden’s win, Trump continued to claim that the voting process was corrupt without providing supporting evidence, constantly heading to Twitter to express his opinions.

“People will not accept this Rigged Election!” Trump said.

In the 2008 Presidential Elections, an estimated 59% of eligible voters participated in voting. It dropped to 54% in 2012, then increased to 56% in the 2016 election.

“As of Sunday, the tallied votes accounted for 62% of the eligible voting-age population in the U.S.” AP News’ Nicholas Riccardi said.

As of Tuesday, November 10, Biden now has 290 electorate votes and Trump still has 214. North Carolina, Georgia, and Alaska still need to complete their votes. Alaska and North Carolina are looking red while Georgia is looking blue.

The second debate, scheduled for October 15, was canceled when Trump contracted COVID19. There was the option to complete the debate virtually, but Trump declined the idea. The final debate went over in a much more professional way than the first did. Both Trump and Biden were able to inform citizens about their unique stances on major issues one final time before voting ends.

When asked about his mysterious income taxes, Trump claimed that he has in fact paid plenty, and will show records soon enough.

“I prepaid my taxes,” Trump said. “Tens of millions of dollars I’ve prepaid.”

Biden promised to take out Trump’s influence on taxes, leveling out the playing field so that Trump could no longer abuse the power.

“He does take advantage of the tax codes,” Biden said. “That’s why I’m going to eliminate the Trump tax cuts.”

Trump maintained that COVID19 is already disappearing from the US and promised a new vaccine.

“We have a vaccine that’s ready, it’s coming,” Trump said. “It’s going to be announced within weeks. It’s going to be delivered. We have operation warp speed which is, the military is going to distribute the vaccine.”

Trump was also eager to open up the country.

“People are losing their jobs,” Trump said. “There’s depression, alcohol, drugs, at a level that nobody’s ever seen before. We have to open our country.” 

Biden considered a slower approach, reinforcing the idea of masks and proposing faster COVID testing.

“I would make sure that we would set up national standards, how to open up schools and open up businesses so they can be safe,” Biden said.

Although he didn’t specify how it would work, Trump proposed creating an entirely new health care plan.

“I want to terminate Obamacare and come up with a brand new, beautiful health care,” Trump said.

The expensive health care plan put forward by Biden is estimated to cost $750 billion and will be paid over 10 years. He claims that great benefits will come from it: protection from unexpected billing, lower premiums, and significantly lower drug prices.

“Health care is not a privilege, it’s a right,” Biden said. “Everyone should have the right to have affordable health care.”

Biden prompted the immigration issues and how Trump split up families at the border. Trump mentioned that only those with “the lowest IQ” would continue to immigrate to the US.

“We send ICE out and border patrol out to find them,” Trump said. “We’d say come back in two years, three years, we’ll give you a court case. … They never come back.”

Biden acknowledged the racism rooted in America, and that the country’s goal of inclusivity has yet to be fulfilled.

“We have never ever lived up to it but we’ve constantly been moving further and further to inclusion,” Biden said.

Biden also proposed to stop providing federal subsidies to the oil industry and instead aid renewable energy resources.

“I would transition from the oil industry,” Biden said. “You won’t give federal subsidies to solar and wind, why are we giving it to the oil industry?”

Trump rebutted Biden, claiming that he has provided subsidies to the solar and wind industries, and argued that some of this renewable energy will end up doing more harm than the oil industry.

“The fumes coming up to make these massive windmills is more than anything that we’re talking about with natural gas, which is very clean,” Trump said.

The final elections are on Tuesday, November 3. If you’re eligible to, go vote. No matter what you might think, YOUR VOTE COUNTS.

After the assassination of an esteemed Iranian general, the relationship between the United States and Iran have become exceedingly uneasy, and these tensions have reached throughout the countries, leaving many afraid of what the future may hold.

Recently, Iran and U.S. reportedly ended conflicts after no casualties occurred in a series of missiles fired by Iran at an Iraqi base housing American soldiers, people still maintain fear of this being far from the end. Especially with the threats and rumors that quickly spread throughout social media of ‘WWIII’.

“I am close to some members of my family in Iran – my uncle and then his daughter – we’re close. We try to Skype, but due to timezone differences it’s hard. I have never seen either of them in person. They’re scared,” Iranian-American, Lamar graduate Alexa Cooper said. “It’s still very tense. We feel like we’re just waiting for the bomb to drop.”

While President Trump announced in an official statement that Iran appeared to be standing down and that tensions would soon ease, people still remained doubtful. People with family members in Iran and those in the military are hesitant and fearful of the future to come, with so much uncertainty still in the air.

“I do not think it is truly over,” senior Pedro Rocha said. “Iran and U.S.’s views on the world and success for the betterment of our countries are different in many ways.”

However, as many Americans are unaware, protests are rampant in the capital of Iran, Tehran, calling for governmental change against the regime — especially in light of the government’s confession to shooting down a commercial airliner on January 8, killing 176 people. In the beginning, Iran denied the allegations despite suspicion.

“I believe the Ukranian plane that crashed will spark another conflict as time goes by,” Rocha said.

Protestors claimed the Islamic state to be a dictatorship and dangerous, and many of these protests have been met with teargas, and gunshots resulting in massive panic and injury.

“My family in Iran don’t like the Iranian government themselves,” Cooper said. “Obviously the thought of war is scary, but they also want the Islamic Republic gone. That fear is still there, but what a lot of news doesn’t show you is that people in Iran are protesting a lot — and they’re being arrested and dying. So it’s not that stereotype of Iran hating America.”

While initial threats of violence between the U.S and America have become subdued, intense sanctions from the U.S. have left Iran spiraling into an economic recession and relations appear less than ideal. Many countries such as Ukraine, Canada, and the United Kingdom still search for accountability and justice for the lost victims in the airliner, some wait for the outcome of the protests, and others simply hope for peace amid uncertain, frightening times.

“I hope at some point we can come together and find peace,” Cooper said, “because it can be scary, but we’re all just trying to live our lives day by day.”  

As many know, telling the truth in some circumstances have not always proven to be beneficial to some individuals. In some circumstances there are others on the other side telling lies to contradict what the accused individual may be saying. These lies are called false accusations and can often be used as a way to divert attention away from one’s own guilt. 

A false accusation is a claim or allegation of wrongdoing that is untrue or otherwise unsupported with facts. False accusations can be a charge of criminal wrongdoing, an informal statement that the accused individual has engaged in illegal activity, and claims based on defamation of characters. According to the federal law, false accusations is a crime punishable by jail time, however that is not always the case. In some criminal cases many accused individuals are sent to jail because the lies told against the accused felon were believed.

One case where false accusations ruined the life of an accused individual was the Greg Counts and Van Dyke Perry case. In this case, the accused individuals (Perry and Gregory) were in prison for over a combined 37 years after being accused of kidnapping and rape. A woman fabricated a story against Counts and Perry in 1991, saying that they kidnapped her and raped her. Although there was no physical evidence against the two accused individuals, they were put into prison and served time for a crime they did not commit. They were later exonerated in 2017, after new evidence arose forcing the woman to admit that the alleged kidnapping and rape never happened. 

Another case involving false accusations was the Central Park Five Case. In this case 5 juvenile boys were accused of rape and murder of a young white female on her midnight jog. Even though there was no type of physical evidence linking any of the boys to the crime scene, they were brought in for questioning and were beaten by interrogators into confessing to a crime they did not commit. These juveniles all received sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years in 1990 and were not exonerated for their alleged “crimes” until 2002. Although the five juvenile boys were not falsely accused by a certain individual, they were falsely accused by police officers and interrogators which further demonstrates some flaws in the justice system influenced by false accusations.

False accusations ruin lives and force accused individuals to lose precious moments in their lives all because of one person’s lies. Because of this crime, innocent people are introduced to scarring activities in prison and are forced to fend for themselves. It’s clear that reformation needs to occur in order to clear the path for a better justice system and better home for people across the country.

Reportedly, as a result of parking on the fourth floor of her complex’s parking garage, Guyger confused her rooms and arrived at the room directly beneath her where Botham sat in his living room, eating ice cream in front of the television. Guyger pushed the broken door, of which Botham complained repeatedly of, open and mistaking Botham for an intruder, immediately drew her weapon, told him to raise his hands, and promptly shot him two times in the chest.  

Guyger’s crime revitalized the conversation of police brutality and the targeting of people of color in such situations.  

Her defense maintains that have working a nearly fourteen-hour shift, Guyger wasn’t paying any attention to the environment around her. Things such as the floor level, room numbers, and the red door matt that wasn’t hers in front of Botham’s apartment – apparently the man’s favorite color according to his family – went unnoticed. 

Guyger also was reported to be engaging in an explicit conversation with her married partner at work, Officer Martin Rivera, at work too at the time, apparently distracting her even further.  

As a result of the guilty conviction of Guyger, many activists hailed this as a change in the right direction for civil rights and opposition to police brutality. Mixed opinions arose as a result of the short sentence.  

Guyger nonetheless, while stating her guilt and remorse, still remains steadfast that she was “scared he was going to kill me,” and did in fact shoot to kill.  

Yet while some claim the lack of any direct connection to racism in the sentencing, no one can state one way or another whether if Botham was white if the murder would’ve happened at all.  

While the case itself is different from other situations of police brutality on marginalized groups, It does reveal the dangerous, violent tendencies ingrained in law enforcement, and how those tendencies typically become pointed towards those of marginalized groups. Guyger did not attempt to communicate with Botham nor did she follow police protocol where she should have called for backup.  

Any other civilian would’ve been forced to analyze the situation and/or call for help. 

From Botham’s point of few, who allegedly got up from his seat and approached Guyger, saying “hey, hey hey!”, he was just as terrified as Guyger supposedly was at the time – if not more so. A stranger just invaded his apartment and now aimed a weapon directly at him. From Guyger’s view, the man sat on the couch watching T.V. with a tub of vanilla ice cream.  

Guyger too, deleted incriminating texts immediately after the murder. An example can be seen with her texts during an MLK day parade: 

Another officer identified as ‘Blevins’ texted Guyger asking when the parade would end, in which Guyger responded with, “When MLK is dead. Oh wait…”  

She also proposed that Blevins could “spray pepper spray in his general area.”  

Other examples can be seen in her interactions with friends and family, such as one involving a person who recently adopted a German Shepard and claimed the dog may be racist: 

“Don’t worry,” replied Guyger. “I’m the same.”  

However, even with these texts shown and the prosecution elaborating upon her character, the jury was hesitant to give the encouraged twenty-eight-year sentence – the age Botham would’ve turned this year.  

Botham’s neighbor too, who acted as a key witness during the trial, was shot to death in Dallas. Theories range from a freak incident to a calculated attack against a man who spoke up during a time when few would. No suspect description has been released, only that potential attacker drove a silver four-door sedan.  

Botham’s brother and the judge both gave Guyger a hug towards the end of the trial, wishing her peace and forgiveness among her time in prison. Allison Jean, Botham’s mother, on the other hand, stated her son’s life was “more valuable than 10 years,” which may not be the entire sentence Guyger serves in prison – becoming eligible for parole in five years.  

“I think it sends a message to America how people are treated, how victims are treated.” Jean said.  

The murder of Botham Jean certainly does send a message – though of which kind, is difficult to say. America has always scrambled to defend its law enforcement and its dubious actions against people of color, and the question of whether if Botham was a white man would the murder had ever even occurred is one that will never truly be answered. After all, given Botham’s position comfortably sitting on the sofa, it’s difficult to figure why Guyger immediately saw him as dangerous and didn’t attempt to reassess the situation.  

It’s simply a shame to say that if Guyger did see him as a threat because of his race, it wouldn’t surprise anyone – because this isn’t the first-time people of color have been targeted and unfairly punished for the mere act of existing. And unfortunately, unless America is willing to recognize the problem and change, it might not be the last.  

Beginning in Tallahassee Florida on January 1st with the shooting and injuring of five people, another followed the very same day in South Carolina with the wounding of five others.  

The latest to hit the news, occurred on August 31st between the cities of Odessa and Midland Texas, resulted in the deaths of eight and injuring of 25, including a child just barely over a year old.  

Despite this and many other cases resulting in the deaths of minors and adults alike, there’s been little legislative action as a result of the split opinions among congress. Many instead blame mental health and video games, instead of the assault rifles designed to murder multiple people in seconds. 

The argument of many second-amendment defenders remains in the idea that regulations and restrictions would only prevent law-abiding citizens from gun use, while criminals would continue the illegal transactions, they’ve persisted in.  However, countries with restrictive gun control laws such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan settled this issue by then switching their focus to gang-related crimes alongside their banning of firearms. Once England addressed their gang areas and ballistic records in the early 2000s-gun crime dropped dramatically. Their last mass shooting was in 2010, in contrast to America’s near daily record.  

So, with all these examples of how gun control actually works, why won’t America take any action? 

Well, first off, one would have to overturn Heller v. District of Columbia, the court case deciding that the second amendment protected independent gun owners outside of state militias. Yet even if this were to become a reality, many politicians don’t see the subsequent outrage from law-abiding gun-owners as worth the trouble. In conjunction, a great deal of Republican lawmakers could lose their donations and support from the National Rifle Association (NRA), making many very wary to take a stance.

Others, suggest a revision of the second amendment to give more authority towards the government with regulations and a general outline of what constitutes firearm ownership. The specific details would prevent interpretative rulings like those of Heller v. District of Columbia. 

Though, if one plans to revise the second amendment, the question lingers for activists as to why one shouldn’t go ahead and outright ban firearms as a whole.  

Most of those in defense of second amendment rights state that lawful gun-owners shouldn’t be punished for the actions of criminals, but when the other option are the constant mass murders that’ve persisted otherwise, many feel their patience growing thin.  

The Trump Administration holds a history of avoidance with gun control, and the blind eye turned to the shootings has resulted in gun control becoming a highlighted point among democratic nominee hopefuls for the 2020 presidency such as Beto O’Rourke.  

While the ending for the mounting firearm controversy shows little sign of stopping, it’s certainly garnered a great deal of attention, from those both hoping to solve the issue and amplify it.

According to doctors, Zohfeld suffered respiratory failure as a result of his vaping, and put into a medically-induced coma for his own safety. Doctors were unsure if he’d make it through the crisis. Though it took 18 days in Cook’s Children’s Hospital, the teen made it to recovery. However, the event alone revamped panic among the masses of vaping’s effect.  

“I’ve been hearing a lot about vaping lately, especially with the young people that have died recently – or have had a lot of lung problems that doctors are associating with vaping,” school nurse Vicki Stephens said. “It scares me. To me, inhaling and putting anything in your lungs that involves chemicals is dangerous. People don’t even know of all the chemicals in vapes. You don’t really know what you’re getting, so that’s scary.”  

The presence of vaping arisen especially in school environments among stressed teens – alongside weed and other stress-reductant drugs. With little information revolving around vaping too, many found it easy to assume it safe.  

“What got me into vaping had a lot to do with influences of the media saying ‘nobody else cares, why should I?’,” a senior who requested to remain anonymous said. “You just always see yourself as the exception.” 

Though the first mention of electronic cigarettes goes as far back as 1930 with a patent granted to a Joseph Robinson, the product truly entered mainstream society – and youth culture especially – in recent years.  

“JUUL Labs takes consumer safety seriously and we have a robust safety and medical monitoring system in place,” E-Cigarette company JUUL Labs said, “We will continue to vigilantly monitor for any evidence of safety issues as we work to combat youth usage and eliminate cigarettes, the number one cause of preventable death in the world.” 

While many vape shops maintain the safety of their products, many consumers don’t know what’s in their products – just the various flavors and options stores offer. Subsequently, consumers may not even know the potentially effects it could have on their body, deadly or otherwise.  

“Doctors do know that it causes inflammation in your lungs and can cause lung damage. Then the thing that they know the most about of course, is nicotine, so, if you’re vaping using nicotine, doctors already know it’s very addictive,” Stephens said. “In teens especially it can slow brain development.”  

Students, too, even those that recognize the potential danger, find quitting to be a constant struggle. Similar to cigarettes and alcohol, e-cigarettes are designed to be addictive – to maintain that constant desire for more.  

“Vaping is addictive for sure,” the anonymous senior said. “It’s not like the withdrawals with heavy drugs with body change, it just gives you the consistent feeling of smoke in your lungs, of the cloud. You feel heavy, the amount of cravings become addictive.” 

Administration recently began taking steps to handle the issue through social media and announcements. Principal Andy Hagman even took to twitter to discourage students by circulating news of recent vape-related deaths, stating “vape-related companions do not care about you, only your money.”  

Whether or not this discouragement has had any sort of effect, the recent deaths certainly have, as the supposed safety e-cigarette companies boasted is now gone. Zohfield and other victims less fortunate as to have survived the ordeal tell a dangerous story and provide a vital lesson in the dangers of addiction – from a rolled-up cigarette or an electronic alternative.  

“I didn’t think vaping was good to begin with, but Zohfeld confirms it,” Stephens said, “You don’t think of it as something that could be deadly or causing death when you do it. This is urgent – it’s causing damage somehow and immediately.”