The Brave News

by Aeden Alexander

For the past year, the United States has been in the midst of an ongoing battle with racism, discrimination and bigotry. In the past few years, there has been no shortage of celebrities and athletes coming out, voicing their opinions and using their platforms as a bully pulpit to aide in ending racism and making the United States of America a better place.

For the past year, the United States has been in an ongoing battle of ending racism, with many different celebrities and athletes attempting to help this cause and really make America a better place.

As the Derek Chauvin trial has come to a close and resulted in what was perceived as justice for George Floyd, many big athletes came out and spoke on what the guilty verdicts really meant for their communities and the United States as a whole.

While many celebrated the decision, many also came out and took the chance to talk about how this is just the beginning in something much greater. However, some also said that the verdict should not even be celebrated, because it should be expected.

But, for America, this is the perfect place to be, as this gives the chance for kids who look up to sports stars, like Lebron James and Serena Williams, to feel as if they are heard and their concerns are recognized. Both James and Williams have trail blazed a path for the next generation to follow so they don’t have to fight and deal with racism at an older age.

Moreover, James and Williams, likely inspired by the activism of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, have also paved the way for other athletes, regardless of their sport, league or level of play, to use their platforms for the greater good of society. 

Yet, not just the athletes take part in voicing their opinions. Other people, like the owners of sports teams and league commissioners, have come out and made sure that they promote social justice in many shapes and forms. 

In the past and the present, the owners, commissioners and players associations across all the major sports leagues agreed to make warmup shirts featuring social justice statements on them, creating flexibility in game schedules in case of cancellations due to social justice issues and allowing room for political dialogue without any pushback from the leagues themselves. 

The athletes in our current world have an increased role in society, as they provide both sports entertainment as well as acting as a voice for activism in the United States. Of course, there are many dissenting points of view on this issue, as some believe that athletes should not have this much say in socio-political debates and shouldn’t use their platforms for societal change.

At the end of the day, athletes are concerned citizens too, and their activism shall continue as long as they are given approval by their respective leagues, coaches and team owners. 

by Joshua Hernandez, Editor-in-Chief

On April 19, 2021, the 42nd Vice President of the United States, Walter “Fritz” Mondale, passed away peacefully at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota from natural causes. Serving under Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, Mondale transformed the office of the Vice Presidency, which was previously seen as an undesirable position in Government. 

According to numerous reports, former Vice President Mondale was aware of his declining health and inevitable death; sending memos to staff members as a form of goodbye while also informing them that he was at peace. Additionally, only one day before he passed away in his sleep, Mondale talked to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and 42nd President Bill Clinton on the phone, saying goodbye as he and his family were expecting the inevitable.

Prior to his death, Mondale held the unique distinction of being the oldest living former Vice President. Upon his death, such a title became held by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is 80 years old. Ironically, former President Jimmy Carter, whom Mondale served as Vice President, is the oldest living former president at 96 years old. Upon hearing of his former Vice President’s death, Carter released a statement expressing grief, love and respect for Mondale. 

In a political state of affairs that can best be described as polarized, Walter Mondale serves as an example of an elder statesman who was a respected member of the political establishment in the United States. Not only was Mondale nationally respected by Democrats for his trailblazing career, he garnered the respect of traditional conservatives, who were drawn to his outreach, his willingness to reach across the aisle and negotiate when it came to legislation, as well as his overall transformation of the role of the Vice Presidency. 

The life of Walter Mondale is one that can best be described as illustrious. A devoted public servant, Mondale served the United States in many different capacities. From May 4, 1960 to December 30, 1964, Mondale was the 23rd Attorney General of Minnesota. From December 30, 1964 to December 30, 1976, Mondale served as a United States Senator from Minnesota. From January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981, he served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States. 

In 1984, Mondale ran a bold campaign against Incumbent President Ronald Reagan, tapping Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his running mate, making her the first woman to appear on a federal presidential election ticket in American history. Despite Mondale being well respected across all sides of the political spectrum and making a running mate selection that was well ahead of his time, the potential of a Mondale-Ferraro Administration failed to gain significant traction, as Mondale was defeated by popular Incumbent Ronald Reagan in a landslide, winning only one state, his home state of Minnesota, and the District of Columbia. 

Despite the landslide election loss that put a stain on Mondale’s illustrious career in public service, his impact as Vice President of the United States is one in which has redefined the office of Vice President and has allowed modern-day President’s to put significantly more value on the office of the Vice Presidency. Rather than the Vice Presidency being a crapshoot in which one acted merely as a symbolic figurehead, Mondale changed the Vice Presidency into an office that allowed future Vice Presidents to assume a wide range of responsibilities and duties, which aided future Vice Presidents such as Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden in having lasting impacts on their respective administrations despite not being the primary shot callers. 

After his election loss in 1984, Mondale continued to be on the radar in the legal and political scene. Once he was back in Minnesota, Mondale joined the Dorsey and Whitney law firm, as well as the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. In 1993, after having not held public office since 1981, Mondale was called to serve his country once again by 42nd President Bill Clinton, whom he served as the 24th United States Ambassador to Japan from September 21, 1993 to December 15, 1996. 

After that, Mondale still wasn’t finished, returning back home to Minnesota to serve as a part-time teacher at the University of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Right up to his death, Mondale remained active behind the scenes in the Democratic Party, offering a ringing endorsement of current President Joe Biden and shedding some optimism in a time that seems increasingly grim. 

In Minnesota, Mondale was particularly influential to current Senator Amy Klobuchar, who also ran for the Democratic Nomination, leading a gritty campaign as she vied for the presidency, though she ultimately came up short despite proving many naysayers wrong. Klobuchar, who was a college intern for Mondale in 1980 during his final year as Vice President, learned that Mondale was a truly great man, who was overwhelmingly honest. Klobuchar also learned from Mondale the ability to apply oneself to a job, even if it wasn’t the job that was envisioned – as was for Klobuchar, who was taking down serial numbers of furniture instead of working on briefings like she wanted. Klobuchar credits the lessons she learned from Mondale as a reason why she is currently a Senator for Minnesota. 

Whether many realize it or not, Walter “Fritz” Mondale, the 42nd Vice President of the United States who served only one term in office, is one of the most consequential figures in American history. While he may best be remembered as the man who got trounced by Ronald Reagan in the 1984 Presidential Elections, what he is really known for in Washington, D.C, Minnesota and beyond was for being a man who was perhaps much too ahead of his time. From crafting housing legislation to having unprecedented influence and transforming the office of the Vice Presidency all the way to tapping a little-known female United States Representative to be his running mate in a consequential election, “Fritz” was as good as they come. 

In times that are so polarized, Walter Mondale serves as a throwback example to the prototype establishment politician who was decent, honest, hardworking and respected all across the political spectrum. When time seemed to move quick in Washington, D.C., “Fritz” moved at his own pace, always one with the present, tackling issues as they may have come. Mondale may have been a trailblazer who was ahead of his time politically, but he was always in harmony with the present, never too sure to count his chickens before they hatched. Right up until he felt the inevitability of death, he was at peace, enjoying the moment and the present just as he did throughout his illustrious life of public service. The tao – the ideology of being one with the present – is Walter Mondale, and his life of public service and the legacy he left behind shall serve as a vessel for an America divided.

by Andrew Fierro

As the state of California opens up COVID-19 vaccinations to all people 16 and older, many more young adults are being vaccinated everyday, which is having a positive effect on the state’s COVID-19 cases. 

Beginning on April 15th, all California residents over the age of 16 are now available to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Adults and young adults all over the state are lining up to receive the vaccine in large numbers. The young adults who are 16 or 17 years of age are eligible to schedule, with their parent or guardian’s consent, a local vaccine which is to be Pfizer only. 

With these vaccines being rolled out to millions, the state has seen a positive result in COVID-19 cases and is on par with the targeted date of a June 15tth reopening. Over 24 millions doses have been administered in California with many more being done everyday. 

Many students have received the vaccine due to athletic concerns and one Bosco student who has obtained his is junior Joshua Joson. 

“I received my Pfizer vaccine last thursday on April 15th, and will receive my second shot in the middle of may, it took about an hour all together, and I felt no pain or sickness afterwards,” Said Joson.

After being given the vaccine, patients will be asked to wait for a certain amount of time in order to make sure that there have not been any reactions to the vaccine. Now due to this wave of vaccines, California has seen for the first time in a long time a positive trend in cases in the state.

The Bosco students being vaccinated are now able to practice their sports in confidence without the worry of being affected by the virus.

“Being a student athlete, getting the vaccine has taken some stress off of my shoulders knowing that I don’t have to worry about contracting the virus and missing time of school and my sport,” Joson said. 

The vaccine being opened to people over the age of 16 helps high school students be able to participate in all the highschool activities that they are usually offered. There will be a higher output of high school sports because of the vaccination being administered to more and more high school students everyday.

There are many different sites in the state that are offering the vaccine, but each individual may have a different level of difficulty in getting their vaccine. Due to priorities over different jobs and students, some people may have to wait longer in order to get an appointment to become vaccinated. 

Anyone who receives a Pfizer vaccine will have to receive a second shot in order to become fully vaccinated. Though there have been many positives with the COVID-19 situation in california, one negative has been the Johnson and Johnson vaccine being halted. Though the vaccine is being halted, the state’s health officials said that this halt will not have any effect on the distribution timeline. 

Almost one third of adults in California are vaccinated with 50% of adults all over the U.S. receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. These high rates of vaccination are having an extremely positive effect on the country and state in terms of case numbers. 

California has seen the lowest 7 day average of COVID-19 cases in the state as of April 18th since May of last year. The cases, deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have all substantially lowered since the rollout of the vaccine. 

With California set to fully reopen on June 15th including a positive trend in terms of COVID-19 cases, the state is finally seeing some positive outcomes since the beginning of the pandemic. Hope is here!

by Joseph Theisen

After recent news of a potential recall election of Governor Gavin Newson, many people are left wondering how successful and how common is the process of recalling a governor in the state of California.

Although different states have different criteria on when a recall is allowed, there are only 18 states that allow citizens to recall their governors, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.  In California, laws to recall a governor are extremely lenient, meaning that they are subject to be recalled at any time, for even a small inconvenience. 

In addition, California has one of the lowest percent rates of population accepted on a petition.  Just twelve percent of the population has to sign a petition to start a recall election.  If this number is reached, and signatures are validated, a recall election happens. Meaning that anyone can run for governor once re-election occurs, as Arnold Schwarzenegger famously did successfully in 2003, after Governor Gray Davis was recalled in the midst of his term. If the opponent gets more votes than the current governor in the recall election, the incumbent governor will be replaced.

A petition created in February 2020 has reached about 2 million signatures of the 1,495,709 signatures needed for the recall process of Governor Newsom to begin. These signatures have to be verified, which will happen at the end of the month, and if the required amount of signatures are validated, a recall election will be set into motion.

According to Probolsky Research, 46.7 percent said they would vote no if casting a ballot today on Newsom being recalled from office, compared to 40 percent who said they would vote yes.  If these numbers hold up, Newsom will not be recalled. This is a common trend among all polls, although percentages are different, the outcome stays the same.

Although the signatures can be verified at the end of this month, the earliest the recall election would happen would be around early November, since the state of California gives its citizens the option to withdraw their signatures on the ballot for a short period of time.  If many people withdraw their signatures, and the number becomes lower than the required amount, the recall election will be cancelled. Newsom’s term is set to end in November of 2022, which means that if the recall is successful, Newsom would be the second governor to be recalled in the last 18 years.

If the recall is successful, the panel for potential governors is composed of mostly Republican candidates, which makes sense, considering that Governor Newsom is a Democrat. The idea behind, that the Democratic party does not want to select any candidates that would possibly split the vote between Newsom and the another candidate, causing Democrats to give up the spot. Results on whether or not there will be an election should be clear at the end of the month.