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Monday, February 02, 2026

Metro | Politics

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., leads other House Democrats to discuss H.R. 1, The For the People Act, which passed in the House but is being held up in the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019. From left are, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
METRO  |  POLITICS

FEC vacancies are worsening the Trump-Ukraine scandal

By Jason Zappulla | Sep. 29, 2019

On Thursday, a partially redacted letter was declassified from the U.S. intelligence community. The complaint letter filed by a whistleblower (later revealed as a CIA officer posted to the White House) described a call where President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch a private investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter, the latter of whom was formerly on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company. 

METRO  |  POLITICS

While everyone watches the presidential primaries, don’t forget the Senate

By Jason Zappulla | Sep. 22, 2019

As I write this column, 19 Democrats and four Republicans (including incumbent President Donald Trump) are running to be their party’s nominee for president of the United States. Each candidate has outlined their policies and platforms and are giving speeches telling voters what they’d do if elected. This is all well and good, but there’s one group that could make much of those plans meaningless: the United States Senate.

METRO  |  POLITICS

Darts and Laurels: Sept. 13

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Sep. 12, 2019

It’s been a long week. Actually, a long month. You decided to treat yourself (again), and hit the town with friends. After a long night of… never mind, it doesn’t matter, you flop face-first into bed and curl up in your plush comforter for some long deserved sleep. But, you don’t get to sleep in as planned. 

This GOES-16 satellite image taken Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at 17:00 UTC and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Hurricane Dorian, right, churning over the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas on Sunday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, its 185 mph winds ripping off roofs and tearing down power lines as hundreds hunkered in schools, churches and other shelters. (NOAA via AP)
METRO  |  POLITICS

Dorian and other storms are a warning sign of climate change

By Jason Zappulla | Sep. 8, 2019

Last week, Hurricane Dorian rolled into the Caribbean as a monster hurricane. Although Florida was mostly spared from the storm’s destruction, the island nation of the Bahamas was not. The country’s prime minister called Dorian’s impact“generational devastation.” Looking at the damage, you can see why: 60 percent of the homes on the Bahamian island of Abaco were destroyed; entire neighborhoods were flattened; 70,000 people were left homeless; and the current death toll of 43 is expected to rise drastically. It’s fair to say the hurricane devastated the Bahamas. The worst part is that Hurricane Dorian is not an anomaly.

METRO  |  POLITICS

A tan suit never hurt anyone

By Zora Viel | Sep. 5, 2019

On August 28, 2014, President Barack Obama shocked the world. While he talked about the state of Ukraine and the war against Isis, Twitter was going insane over his tan suit. People couldn’t stop complaining about such a minor thing. Presidents traditionally wear darker colors when dressing professionally, but on that day, President Obama decided to go with something lighter. Back then, it seemed like the public judged anything the president did. It was like he lived under a scrutinizing microscope. Now, it seems we no longer keep the president on our radar.

METRO  |  POLITICS

In 2020, Democrats must remember down-ballot races

By Ben Lima | Sep. 5, 2019

It goes without saying that the presidential election will be the main event of the 2020 campaign cycle. The White House is now home to a historically polarizing and unpopular president who is tearing away at the moral fabric and reputation of the country — and the Democrats must take it back. But we cannot forget the other fronts on which Democrats must play both offense and defense.

METRO  |  POLITICS

Rise above the memes this election season

By The Alligator Editorial Board | Aug. 27, 2019

There is a presidential feud taking place over the news and on social media. Surprisingly, President Donald Trump doesn’t appear to be in the middle of it. It started when Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro took offense at France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion to the G7 summit leaders that their countries band together to aid Brazil extinguish the Amazon fires. It escalated when one of Bolsonaro’s supporters posted a meme on Bolsonaro’s Facebook page with an unflattering comparison between the two leaders’ wives. Bolsonaro’s reply to the meme seemed to support the insult. Macron responded by expressing sympathy for the Brazilian people stuck with such a shameful president, and said his hope is that Bolsonaro will soon be replaced with a more dignified leader. Bolsonaro is now refusing the G7 countries’ offer of $20 million to aid fighting the Amazon fires until Macron apologizes. 

METRO  |  POLITICS

Your vote is your voice in Alachua County

By Henry Fair | Aug. 18, 2019

Welcome, or welcome back, to Alachua County, Gators! Whether this fall marks the beginning of your college career or the beginning of the end of your college journey, you have the chance to make your voice heard in our community. 

METRO  |  POLITICS

Peter Fonda: The passing of an outspoken celebrity

By Jason Zappulla | Aug. 18, 2019

On August 16, 2019, actor Peter Fonda died. A member of a prominent acting family, Fonda is probably best known as a countercultural icon who starred in films like Easy Rider, which is about two motorcyclists traveling through the Southern U.S. However, as my only experience with Fonda is his role in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (likely not Peter Fonda’s proudest moment), I cannot give a proper obituary of the man, nor will I try to. Instead, I would like to focus on his political statements, which brought him a good deal of notoriety in his later years.

FILE - In this March 12, 2019, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington. Biden says he does not recall kissing a Nevada political candidate on the back of her head in 2014. The allegation was made in a New York Magazine article written by Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state representative and the 2014 Democratic nominee for Nevada lieutenant governor. Flores says Biden’s behavior “made me feel uneasy, gross, and confused.”(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
METRO  |  POLITICS

Joe Biden, please do better.

Mar. 31, 2019

Former Vice President Joe Biden made Nevada state legislator Lucy Flores feel “uneasy, gross, and confused” at a campaign rally in 2014, according to an essay published by The Cut. Flores explains in her essay that Biden came up from behind her, smelled her hair and kissed the back of her head.

Nestor Garcia, a 21-year-old industrial engineer major, attends the early voting session on Oct. 22, 2018, at the J. Wayne Reitz Union to vote for the first time.
METRO  |  POLITICS

Our voting system is archaic and in need of change

Feb. 26, 2019

The entire system of how Americans vote could be changing soon if Colorado is any indication. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has stipulated that he is going to sign a bill that will sidestep the Electoral College in favor of a system that will allow the candidate with the most popular votes to win.

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