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China and Russia Condemn U.S. Strike on Iran—but Stay on the Sidelines

China and Russia Condemn U.S. Strike on Iran—but Stay on the Sidelines

Voter registration

With Ranked Choice Voting in NYC, Women Win

Just the Facts: Canadian Tariffs - June Update

Just the Facts: Canadian Tariffs - June Update

An occupational therapist sits with a young boy at a table as they work on some of his motor skills.​

Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Harm Americans with Disabilities

N.C. elections board to wrap up fraud hearings Wednesday

The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumFeb 20, 2019
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Three days of hearings into allegations of Republican ballot fraud will conclude Wednesday as North Carolina's elections board decides what to do about the vacancy in the state's 9th congressional district, which stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.

The House seat has been empty since Congress convened in January because the board declined to certify the 2018 election results, which showed a 905-vote victory for Republican Mark Harris. Accusations surfaced soon after the election that Leslie McCrae Dowless, an operative hired by GOP campaign consultants, orchestrated a scheme to collect absentee ballots from unwitting voters and use them to illegally plump up vote totals for Harris. The first witness at the hearing was Lisa Britt, who worked for Dowless and admitted marking votes on other people's blank ballots. She also said she heard Dowless regularly speaking with Andy Yates of Red Dome consulting, the firm hired by the Harris campaign.

There are three Democrats and two Republicans on the board, meaning one of them will have to cross party lines to either declare Harris the winner (three votes needed) or call a new election (four votes required.)

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Entertainment Can Improve How Democrats and Republicans See Each Other

Since the development of American mass media culture in the mid-20th century, numerous examples of entertainment media have tried to improve attitudes towards those who have traditionally held little power.

Getty Images, skynesher

Entertainment Can Improve How Democrats and Republicans See Each Other

Entertainment has been used for decades to improve attitudes toward other groups, both in the U.S. and abroad. One can think of movies like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, helping change attitudes toward Black Americans, or TV shows like Rosanne, helping humanize the White working class. Efforts internationally show that media can sometimes improve attitudes toward two groups concurrently.

Substantial research shows that Americans now hold overly negative views of those across the political spectrum. Let's now learn from decades of experience using entertainment to improve attitudes of those in other groups—but also from counter-examples that have reinforced stereotypes and whose techniques should generally be avoided—in order to improve attitudes toward fellow Americans across politics. This entertainment can allow Americans across the political spectrum to have more accurate views of each other while realizing that successful cross-ideological friendships and collaborations are possible.

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Close-up of military man holding hands with his therapist during counseling at mental health center.

PTSD Awareness Day is not only a time to advocate for veterans' mental health but also an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the emotional responses triggered by political division.

Getty Images, Drazen Zigic

National PTSD Awareness Day: A Call to Action for Veterans and Civil Discourse

Each year on June 27, National PTSD Awareness Day shines a light on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), encouraging those affected to seek support. This observance was officially recognized by the U.S. Senate in 2010, following an initiative by Senator Kent Conrad to honor a North Dakota National Guard member who tragically took his own life after serving two tours in Iraq.

PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events such as combat, assault, accidents, or natural disasters. Its symptoms—ranging from flashbacks and anxiety to mood swings and avoidance behaviors—can be deeply disruptive. PTSD Awareness Day is part of PTSD Awareness Month, which spans the entire month of June, promoting education, treatment options, and community support for those affected.

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International Students Cope With Growing Mental Health Issues
woman in brown sweater covering her face with her hand
Photo by Dev Asangbam on Unsplash

International Students Cope With Growing Mental Health Issues

Maeve Zhu, an undergraduate at the University of Washington, said moving to Seattle with hopes of studying computer science quickly became overwhelming.

"The hardest part for adjusting to life in the U.S. as an international undergrad was also my first year living overseas alone without my parents around me," said Maeve Zhu, an undergraduate at UW. "Trying to manage your time, your money, and your energy, all while being so lonely, the first year felt like living in a nightmare."

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