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AHMAD | The Problem With Kanye West’s ‘Free Thinking’

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Last week, many of us felt the harrowing effects of what can only be described as a national tragedy: the downfall of Kanye West. As someone who has loved Kanye’s music since sixth grade, viciously supported him through the ups and downs of his beef with Taylor Swift, praised the diversity of his (albeit insanely overpriced) fashion line and even forgave him for his completely nonsensical rant on Ellen, I was, to say the least, disappointed when I saw his Twitter tirade of painfully unrelenting support for Trump. I will admit that when I first read the Tweet That Started It All, I wasn’t immediately horrified or shocked. In fact, I chuckled at the unironic use of the phrase “dragon energy,” and I couldn’t really argue with Kanye’s claim that he “loves everyone.” I told myself that this was just another inflammatory statement tweeted out for favorites, tabloid headlines and “Kanye West is so crazy” reactions. Simply put, I assumed he just said it for attention.

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PINERO | Stormy Daniels, Deus Ex Machina

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An adult film star is trying to take down the President of the United States. This is the latest iteration of the comical absurdity to which, in the Trump era, we’ve become accustomed. We no longer feel moral outrage for more than a day or two because we are perpetually inundated by scandal. But this offense, unlike the others, persists. It remains in the public consciousness not because it is exceptionally shocking, but because it feels like the third act of the story.

Arts & Entertainment
Courtesy of CBS All Access

Fighting The Good Fight in Trump’s America

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The stakes are real and authentic in The Good Fight on CBS All Access. This rawness is visible in the show’s opening sequence, which intersplices explosions of luxury items like aged Scotch and Birkin bags with footage of top news stories, including Trump’s criticizing the media and the rally in Charlottesville. The show’s connection to current America is even deeper than just these references. Each episode is give the title “Day XXX,” which represents the number of days Trump has been in office as each episode airs. This show does not attempt to escape or shy away from reality as some other shows do, but rather embraces the uneasiness and division within the real world.

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GLANZEL | Trump Should Learn From Bush 41

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As the days, weeks and months of the Trump presidency pass by, America becomes angrier and more divided. The nation has descended into a perpetual “us versus them” mentality, as the foundations of civic discourse (tolerance, civility, empathy) begin to tumble. I once thought that the 2016 election was the apex of the viciousness of contemporary American politics; instead, it appears as if the election was only a precursor for worse things to come. In the wake of this decline, I think it is necessary for us to look to our nation’s history books for pathways out of the rubble. If we are to progress from the decadence of the Trump Era, we must understand how civil politics once functioned.

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GLANZEL | An Independent to Democrats: You’re Losing

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Well, the last month has been interesting, to say the least. Trump has further unveiled his narcissism, racism and misogyny. More importantly, however, Michael Wolff’s tell-all, Fire and Fury, has revealed the complete and utter incompetence of Trump and his cronies. As someone who gobbled Wolff’s book down, I can only say that the men (and only men) that are running this country terrify me to my core. But perhaps the greatest evil of the Trump era is not the president and his staff, but rather the Republican-controlled Congress that continually defends the monstrosity that is Trumpism.

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EDITORIAL | ICE Eschews Accountability

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Tuesday’s reported arrest of a man in downtown Ithaca by U.S. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement is the latest example of the federal overreach and lack of accountability characteristic to the Trump administration. Under President Trump, arrests by ICE have increased 47 percent, and arrests of undocumented immigrants with no criminal records have increased a staggering 179 percent. ICE continues to show a blatant disregard for human dignity, arresting parents dropping their kids off at school, students going to high school prom and patients emerging from operating rooms. On Jan. 16, ICE arrested a Michigan doctor and lawful permanent resident, and have initiated deportation proceedings against him based on two misdemeanor charges from nearly three decades ago, when the man was a teenager. How does that make us safer?