Welcome

Dear friends of VTIPG and the Community Change Collaborative,

We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address significant concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate a wide array of dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing them successfully. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG faculty or staff or of Virginia Tech. We also upload these articles and stories to our website. You may find the archive for this series at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu. Thank you to Deputy Director Mary Beth Dunkenberger for suggesting an NPR and Washington Post article for this week's edition.

If you would like to suggest an article for consideration, please contact the editor at the address below.

Our first piece is a Hill article that discusses the main takeaways from President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address.
Our second selection, from BBC News, describes how Russia, China, and Israel may have reacted to Biden's speech through the eyes of several of that Service's correspondents.
A third story, an opinion piece from The Washington Post, argues that the American people should take the outrageous things former President Donald Trump says literally, and concludes that his repeated contemptible statements suggest that he is a threat to democracy.
Our fourth article, from Cardinal News, lays out the case for increasing Virginia's minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Last, we feature a story from NPR that describes how Native-American reservation tribal police are unable to prosecute non-Natives for drug trafficking crimes despite the current epidemic of overdose deaths in their communities.

Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives they offer encourage reflection and conversation!

Best wishes,

Billy Parvatam

VTIPG Communications Coordinator

pbilly97@vt.edu.

Photo: President Biden delivers his 2024 State of the Union Address. Credit to ABC News.

5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union Address

Niall Stanage outlined the key points of President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address in this Hill piece. She argued that Biden used his platform to preview his 2024 presidential campaign and to address several key issues including his age, immigration and the border, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has resulted from the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Stanage also examined Alabama Senator Katie Britt's GOP response to the President's remarks and concluded that she fared poorly.

Stanage, N. (2024, March 8). "5 takeaways from Biden’s state of the Union Address." The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4518254-five-takeaways-from-bidens-state-of-the-union-address/

Photo: President Biden with NATO leaders in 2023. Credit to The Telegraph.

State of the Union: What the world made of Biden's big speech

This BBC News opinion piece discussed potential foreign reactions (specifically Russian, Chinese, and Israeli) to President Biden's State of the Union Address, given that foreign policy was a key component of his speech by sharing the perspectives of BBC correspondents covering those nations. This article highlighted the insights of BBC journalists reporting from Eastern Europe, China, and the Middle East to address how Biden's comments on the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Hamas conflict, and U.S.-China relations are likely to be perceived in those countries.

BBC News. (2024, March 8). "State of the Union: What the world made of Biden’s big speech." BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68510250

Photo: Former President Trump at a campaign rally in South Carolina on February 10, 2024. Credit to the Washington Post.

When Trump speaks, take him literally

Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker argued in this essay that the American people should take former President Donald Trump's statements seriously and literally, no matter how outrageous they may be. She contended, for example, that he is serious in recent statements he made encouraging Russia to invade NATO countries who are not paying what he takes to be sufficient sums for their national defense. Overall, Parker observed that nothing in his history suggests Trump would become thoughtful and reflective in a potential second term. Indeed, she concluded her column by arguing that any American who is against the idea of an authoritarian president who has no respect for our democracy should vote against Trump in the upcoming fall general election.

Parker, K. (2024, February 16). "When Trump speaks, take him literally." Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/16/trump-literally-seriously-putin-nato/

Photo: Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Credit to VCU Capital News Service.

Continuing the path to a $15 minimum wage is the right choice for families and our economy

Ashley Kenneth argues in this Cardinal News piece that Virginia should increase its state minimum wage to $15 an hour because increasing people's wages will provide them more money to spend, helping them at once to meet their needs while also stimulating the state's economy. Kenneth noted that passage of this law (which would take effect in 2026) would increase wages for about 611,000 working Virginians, allowing them to purchase more healthy food, pay their rent, and make necessary purchases for their families. Kenneth called on Governor Glenn Youngkin to sign this bill on behalf of all Virginians and their communities.

Kenneth, A. (2024, March 12). "Continuing the path to a $15 minimum wage is the right choice for families and our economy." Cardinal News. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/03/12/continuing-the-path-to-a-15-minimum-wage-is-the-right-choice-for-families-and-our-economy/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=This+New+Deal-era+school+is+seeing+major+renovations+for+the+first+time%2C+while+trying+to+hang+onto+its+history&utm_campaign=Monday%2C+March+11%2C+2024+%28Copy%29

Photo: Tulalip Tribes Police arrest a suspect from another tribe on drug charges. Credit to NPR.

Tribal courts can't prosecute non-Native drug suspects. Tribes say it's a problem

In this article from NPR Martin Kaste describes a paradox by revealing the fact that Native American law enforcement officials are unable to prosecute non-Native individuals for most crimes, including drug trafficking. That fact now constitutes a roadblock to protecting reservation communities being ravaged by drug overdose deaths. If tribal reservation police apprehend a suspected drug dealer who is non-Native, they must turn the alleged perpetrator and case over to state or federal prosecutors, who may not assign it the priority the tribe would. Ultimately, Congress is responsible for tribal police jurisdiction and would need to extend that reach in law to non-Native Americans to close this loophole.

Kaste, M. (2024, February 20). "Tribal Courts can’t prosecute non-native drug suspects. tribes say it’s a problem." NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/20/1232366074/fentanyl-tribes-prosecute-drug-cases-non-indian-suspects

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