USA Election Countdown

A Two Horse Race

A Two Horse Race

Following the notorious recent presidential debate hosted by CNN, The Hill reported on July 1st from a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll that 72% of voters have already decided who they will vote for in the upcoming election, with 58% of Independents, 16% of Republicans, and 28% of Democrats yet to decide. Meanwhile, Trump leads Biden in a head-to-head match-up in the poll by 6 points. Since then polling suggests that Biden has lost further valuable ground in swing states due to the public’s reaction to his dismal debate performance. These seven crucial states, where less than a hundred thousand votes can swing the election either way, have the Democratic Party in turmoil over whether Joe Biden should be the nominee to contest the upcoming election against Donald Trump.

‘If he runs, it’s over. Period’.

‘If he runs, it’s over. Period’.

‘If he runs, it’s over, period’ — the text glared at me from my phone, and I was at a loss for words. We had just left my local Ralph’s grocery store, the evening breeze offering a welcome break from the relentless summer heat of Southern California. A young couple stood by the fast food truck, intently listening to the CNN Presidential debate on the young man’s smartphone. They didn’t appear Eastern-European, and those who did weren’t paying attention to either Donald Trump or Joe Biden, instead going about their day — shopping, chatting at outdoor restaurant tables in Armenian or Russian, or hurrying home. My phone was buzzing with messages from my older Jewish friend in New York: ‘Are you watching the debate? We are in deep shit.’

Shooting dogs and goats, and not meeting Kim Jong Un

Shooting dogs and goats, and not meeting Kim Jong Un

Since January 2019, Kristi Noem has been the formidable Governor of South Dakota and her uncompromising conservative positions on taxation, healthcare and gun rights would have in any case made her a leading candidate for Donald Trump’s running mate in this year’s election. Aside from being articulate, striking in appearance and appearing politically savvy, she received national attention for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, opting against statewide lockdowns and mandates. Noem is a vocal supporter of Trump's policies and has adopted similar stances on key issues such as immigration, economic policy and law enforcement. But this was all before she dragged her dog and goat, and Kim Jong Un, into the national conversation.

The trial everyone is talking about

The trial everyone is talking about

As the warm Californian evening falls, the latest news beams out from large flatscreen TVs across the stacked rows of apartments visible from our living room window. Few residents feel the need to close their blinds in this balmy weather, instead leaving windows and doors open, creating an almost Mediterranean atmosphere. Excited voices of TV anchors vying with shrieks of playful children, drift upwards to our terrace. Inside, my wife exclaims periodically as she watches the sharp summaries of the day’s events in ad-spliced YouTube videos.

"I mean, why come here now?"

"I mean, why come here now?"

She tilted her head sideways, studying me intently. "I mean, why come here now? It's terrible... and if he gets elected again, I... I don't know..." A vibrant older Jewish woman, raised in the Bronx within a theatrical Jewish family, she embodied the no-nonsense, practical, and generous spirit of a New Yorker…