Trump and Harris square off
By Alina Ta
COPY EDITOR
The 2024 Presidential Debate gave two candidates a chance to distinguish themselves on national television on Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
To kick off the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris initiated a handshake with former President Donald Trump.
Afterward, both candidates stood at their respective podiums facing two moderators from ABC News, David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Not a single audience member was on set in-person to cheer or interact with the candidates.
During the debate, Muir and Davis asked questions about the nation’s economy, abortion, climate change, immigration and how their strategies on tackling foreign affair issues,
including the war between Israel and Palestine.
Economy
Harris said she wants to build an “opportunity economy,” and proposes a $6,000 tax cut for families with young children and a $50,000 tax deduction for small business owners, “knowing they are part of the backbone of America's economy.”
She said Trump plans to continue cutting taxes for billionaires and big corporations and wants to put a 20% tax on everyday goods.
“Economists have said that ‘Trump’s sales tax’ would actually result (in) for middle class families in (paying) about $4,000 more a year because of his policies,” Harris said.
Trump said the tariff policies he made during his presidency continue to
I made that very clear in 2020, I will not ban fracking. I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States... Kamala Harris U.S. Vice President
bring in millions of dollars from other countries, including under the BidenHarris administration.
He also said he plans to cut more on taxes.
“It’s a great plan. It’s a plan that’s going to bring up our worth, our value as a country,” Trump said.
“It’s going to make people want to be able to go and work, and create jobs,
Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, San José State University sent a campus-wide alert of an armed carjacking on S. 5th St. and E. William St.
Just under a quarter of a mile away from campus, according to AlertSJSU reported a male with “a neck tattoo on the right side of his neck and closecropped black hair.”
San José Police Department emailed that around 3:06 p.m., patrol officers were dispatched to the location.
The suspect failed to steal the vehicle and fled from the scene before the San José police could arrive, according to the SJPD public information office. Officers reportedly circulated the area, but the suspect could not be located. The investigation is active and ongoing.
and create a lot of good, solid money for our country.”
Climate Change
Harris said in the debate multiple times that she is not going to ban fracking.
Fracking is the process of pumping natural gas from underground to produce fuel, according to a webpage from Britannica.
“I made that very clear in 2020, I will not ban fracking,” Harris said. “I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States, and in fact, I was the tie breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking.”
The Inflation Reduction Act enhanced or created more than 20 tax incentives for clean energy and manufacturing was signed into law by Biden on Aug. 16, 2022, according to a webpage from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The act modifies tax credits for companies producing electricity from renewable resources, including wind, biomass or natural gas, geothermal and solar, landfill gas, trash, qualified hydropower and marine and hydrokinetic resources, according to a webpage from congress.gov.
Harris said her position on the topic is that the country needs to invest in “diverse sources of energy” so it can reduce its
dependence on foreign oil.
“We have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over rely on foreign oil as it relates to my values,” she said.
Trump said Harris has been against fracking for 12 years, but also said briefly that he is, “a big fan of solar” and that she wants “illegal immigrants” to do surgery to change their gender.
“Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison. This is a radical left liberal that would do this. She wants to confiscate your guns, and she will never allow fracking in Philadelphia,” he said.
“If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one.”
Trump also said the cost of gas has gone up significantly throughout the Biden-Harris administration.
In May 2020, the cost of gas per gallon was $1.87, according to a webpage from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The cost of gas in August was $3.39 per gallon.
What’s next?
Harris’ team announced that they would like to challenge Trump to a second debate in October less than 30 minutes after Tuesday’s debate ended, according to
a Tuesday article from ABC News.
“Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?” a staff member from Harris’ team wrote in an email, according to the same article.
Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal ailens that are in prison. This is a radical left liberal that would do this.
The next presidential debate has not been announced, but the vice presidential debates will be happening on Oct. 1. While visiting the “spin room”, Trump said to reporters that he and his team will consider the option, according to the same article from ABC News.
“They want another debate because they lost,” Trump said. “So, we’ll, you know, think about that.”
Students discuss the election
By Israel Archie STAFF WRITER
Now that a debate is in the picture, this year’s presidential election has many Americans on the edge of their seats, including the students at San José State.
The first Presidential debate happened on Tuesday between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and students have a lot to talk about.
Tejas Kulkarni, a computer software engineering senior at SJSU, said he is uncertain about the recent Democratic presidential candidate switch to Harris from President Joe Biden.
“I am not sure how the public is going to react to (Harris) being picked as president, so we’ll see how things go from here,” Kulkarni said.
He said he has concerns that the issues he is passionate about will not be addressed.
“I’m not really seeing things getting any better than what they are right
now,” Kulkarni said. “It’s really in the power of the American government to sort of impact what goes on around the world because we are one of the biggest superpowers.”
Kulkarni said he is leaning towards Trump and sees Harris as an extension of Biden.
He also said by electing the current vice president, “Biden’s America” will still be in effect.
“I think very similar things are going to happen if (Harris) becomes president because she was vice president,” Kulkarni said. “If she had the power to change anything during those four years she would have done so.”
Jason Ross, a political sciences senior, said he can see more people voting for Harris because she is younger and shows diversity coming from an African American and Indian background.
“Biden was not the best, but now we actually have a new player and one that is not as slow to respond,” Ross said.
Electrical engineering junior Truman Lindsey
said he will be voting in his first presidential election this year.
“I was thinking that I would vote for a thirdparty candidate or a
candidate who I thought reflected my views the closest,” Lindsey said.
Around 50% of young people between the age of 18-29 voted in the election,
“I feel scared especially for our country, because I feel like a lot of it has to do with communities – LGBTQ+ communities – especially with a lot of things that are centered around our youth. It’s scary to see how much it pins us against each other but honestly, I feel like after this election, there’s going to be so much controversy over it and it’s honestly heartbreaking to see people fight over it.”
according to a webpage from Circle Tufts. This was an 11-point increase in comparison to when only 39% of the same group voted in the 2016
election.
“I am a firm believer in voting, whatever your opinion may be,” Lindsey said.
Anthony MedinaAlvarez, a political science senior, said whether a person votes or doesn’t vote will not have an effect on the country.
Medina-Alvarez said there is still going to be an elite class of people that are funded by corporations, banks and governments from around the world because of corporate lobbying and insider trading.
He also said that lots of politicians come from wealthy backgrounds.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a Democrat at all, nor a Republican,” Medina-Alvrez said. “I just feel both parties are inadequate to represent the views of such a diverse country.”
“I think that it’s gonna be pretty simple at the start, but I feel like Donald Trump might let it slip, because he did it with Hillary Clinton, he called her a nasty woman. He’s not really tied down by the truth, but I also think it could be civil. They could both be pretty normal. I feel like they’re gonna argue, at some point or another, I feel like one of them’s gonna say something super insulting to the other.”
“I am very excited (about) the presidential debate tonight, because I strongly believe that politics are very important. People believe that voting is useless, and it’s not needed, but it very much is. More people need to start voting because nothing is going to change.”
GRAPHIC BY ISRAEL ARCHIE
Ariana Gallegos Psychology sophomore
Zachary Pattison Political science sophomore
Autumn Reynolds Anthropology junior
CAMPUS VOICES
SOFIA HILL | SPARTAN DAILY
No plate, but Doechii defi nitely ate
By Julia Chie CONTRIBUTOR
“Alligator Bites Never Heal,” released Aug. 30 is a spunky duffy-boat ride down the bayou on a sweltering summer’s day.
Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, known on-stage as Doechii, is a fierce rapper and singer from Florida.
Known as “Swamp Princess” on Instagram, Doechii rose to fame in 2021 after her multipart narrative song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” told the nostalgic, melodramatic story of her upbringing.
Doechii embodies how it is to be from the South in her new album, with regional animals “BULLFROG,” “CATFISH,” and “FIREFLIES” and snack “BOILED PEANUTS” among the 19 song tracklist.
The first track of the album “STANKA POOH” begins with a mysterious, contemplative beat reminiscent of the beating of a heart.
Doechii introduces recurring themes about her career, her fears about dying and ending up a statistic as a Black woman.
The album chronicles Doechii’s journey with fame, her battle with drug addiction, joining her record label and deeper aspects of her life while maintaining a spunky and spooky self-importance.
“STANKA POOH” works almost as an introduction to the story of “DENIAL IS A RIVER”.
Like her break into fame “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” she reintroduces a high-pitched character that represents her inner dialogue.
She tells the story of how she got signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022, how her music blew up on TikTok, and how her self worth is low due to drugs and Hollywood.
This was a no-skip album for me, with five favorites immediately on repeat.
“BULLFROG” has a steady bass beat that Doechii’s braggadocious lyrics dance all over.
A lot of this album I imagine in the background of a deep conversation and the smoke from a joint fogging a room, leading me to “BOILED PEANUTS.”
Raspy saxophone trills and heavy percussion make this track seem evil to the core.
The maniacal laugh and the line “The gang’s all heeerrre,” I could see quoting for the foreseeable future.
The track introduces her problems with drugs and the fast life while keeping a sassy, light tone.
“HIDE N SEEK” was an unexpected favorite for me, with haunting stacked harmonies starting off the track and fluttering throughout the chorus.
I would compare this song to rap legend Kendrick Lamar, with her percussive, pensive flows- especially the falsetto singing on the prior track “SKIPP.”
Tracks like these on the album have a vintage feel that are heavy on the lyricism, wordplay and motifs.
Old Tyler, the Creator, Odd Future and even artists like Pete Rock feel reinvented through her cadence and flow.
Probably the sharpest turn of the project, single “BOOM BAP” starts with a satirical expression of scatting, blowing raspberries and being goofy. She speaks in tongues about halfway through.
Doechii asks the audience a
album review
“Alligator Bites Never Heal”
Rating:
Artist: Doechii
Release Date: Aug. 30, 2024
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
rhetorical question, “Is this the ‘real rap’ what you want?”
The March 2023 release of her single “What It Is (Block Boy)” was Doechii’s first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 29, according
hop/rap artist KUNTFETISH is the only feature on the album, interpolating Ludacris’ 2000s hit “Move Bitch”.
Being brought into Doechii’s “narcissistic” world, this project feels personal, true to herself
single “Crazy” and recently her 2024 single “ROCKET.”
Overall, I think this album is a moment in time for Doechii.
“Alligator Bites Never Heal” has yet to gain as much traction as her singles, but will stand as
The album chronicles Doechii’s journey with fame, her battle with drug addiction, joining her record label and deeper aspects of her life while maintaining a spunky and spooky self-importance.
to Billboard.
“BOOM BAP” makes fun of the commercialization of her music while proving her versatility and unique talent in the music industry.
“NISSAN ALTIMA” is a poprap catwalk and super fun bop that is waiting to be played at gay clubs across the country.
In this breakout single (the crown jewel of the project) Doechii shouts out bisexual female musicians Madonna and Grace Jones.
She also samples Doja Cat’s “Love Life” on “DEATH ROLL,” both songs about loving yourself.
“GTFO” by Doechii with hip-
and doesn’t feel the need for features in classic Swamp Princess fashion.
The title track “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL,” and the last song on the project, is the most singer-songwriter vibe we get with the strum of an acoustic guitar.
With melodic singing, she speaks of her ex, like the previous song “BEVERLY HILLS,” and how she’s better off alone.
The rest of the album goes from villainous to braggy to psychedelic to hip hop to, of course, rap.
Doechii has proven herself as a standalone artist who can make anything from rage music to afrobeats, like how I first discovered her with her 2022
a career high that shows how far she has come.
Alligators are the apex predator of the swamp, and Doechii has proven she has bite.
GRAPHIC BY THEO RUIMY
Amateur athletes deserve funding
By Navin Krishnan PRODUCTION EDITOR
Student-athletes deserve to be compensated at the club, scholastic and intercollegiate levels.
The most iconic moments in sports have many faces: the buzzer beater, the last strikeout and the saving goaltend.
There are many anomalies in sports, just as fanatics attach themselves to competition in many ways.
However, athletes’ platforms to advocate for what they deserve are often left emptyhanded in athletes that aren’t compensated with a professional contract.
Roughly 86% of collegiate athletes live below the federal poverty line, according to Fordham University library.
For my high school varsity basketball teammates, keeping it together meant working side jobs, living off borrowed money and team dinners.
Eleven players, including myself, were on financial aid. However, there was a light at the end of the tunnel for a team that mainly consisted of minority players.
Throughout my scholastic basketball career, every one of my teammates graduated,
four of them went on to play intercollegiate basketball, two went on to play for community college collegiate basketball and one of them went on to play overseas professional basketball.
However,only two of those players received compensation after basketball.
This would allow younger athletes to have hands-on experience and essentially help athletes who come from backgrounds of poverty to garner income and make better life decisions.
For many athletes that compete at a cutthroat level today, name, image and likeness (NIL) is the only form of compensation they can
accumulate.
The theory of NIL is the three main elements that create a legitimate path of publicity as an amateur version of a sports brand, according to a NCSA Sports Recruiting article.
Scholastic and intercollegiate players should learn how to approach and handle money.
The University of California Berkeley created a program known as ‘GOLDEN’ that invested in young athletes to make better decisions later in life, according to an Icon Source article.
GOLDEN aims to give these students the knowledge they need to make better decisions about their future and partnerships. These
university-funded tools are a great start to help student athletes to take advantage of NIL, according the same article.
Many players that my high school team played against would shun developmental leagues such as minor league baseball and the NBA G League.
As they got older and were able to gauge the competition, and especially when my teammates entered college sports, they saw that signing any contract would suffice as their way out of poverty.
This is the wrong way to learn about money, simply because the way the current system of NIL is constructed is ineffective in showing
athletes the value of money.
For example, American professional basketball player Allen Iverson earned a total of $200 million throughout his career, according to a ClutchPoints article.
Iverson struggled with his money, and in 2010 he officially declared bankruptcy after failing to pay a debt to a jeweler, according to the same source.
If scholastic and collegiate athletes had the opportunity to grasp their own NIL, we would have less poverty among athletes, but also smarter and more confident people.
The Amateur Athletic Union is where players have the opportunity to travel around the United
States and essentially play basketball year round, according to a ProSkills Basketball article.
When my team and I played in the California Interscholastic Federation–Central Coast Section playoffs, the gyms that hosted these games would be compensated with money from our families, friends and fans.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2021 that nonprofessional athletes could enter deals and endorse products based on their name, image and likeness, according to a Supreme Court article.
The Supreme Court decided to rule in favor of National Football League player Shawne Alston’s NIL and the violation of antitrust laws, according to the same source. Anthony Kocheran, writer for the Cherry Bekaert, used professional athlete Caitlin Clark as an example in his article on May 20, 2024. In the article, Kocheran said Caitlin Clark is an example. Clark garnered $3 million from NIL. Athletes deserve to have the chance to better themelves financially, not just competitively.