A few weeks ago, the Democrats in California were worried about the recall vote in August as some polls suggested that Governor Gavin Newsom was neck to neck in the recall race as support for a Republican Larry Elder kept increasing. However, the tide turned in favor of Governor Newsom, with a healthy turnout of predominantly Democratic voters in a deep blue state by poll day.

Poll results late Tuesday when over 60 percent of the vote were counted as well as results on Wednesday morning when 70 percent of the vote was counted indicated that Newsom would not be recalled and had not only survived but had comfortably won.

Late Tuesday night, Newsom thanked his supporters for allowing him to remain as Governor of California. He said that he wanted to focus on what they had said yes to as a state which included science, vaccines, ending the pandemic and more.

He mentioned that the voters had said yes people’s right to vote without fraud or voter suppression. He also added that the Golden State said yes to women’s fundamental constitutional rights, to diversity and to inclusion.

Governor Newsom received a lot of support from national leaders of the party who helped him in his recall campaign. Some of them who influenced the voters by attending rallies or taking part in advertisement campaigns included

• President Joe Biden
• Vice President Harris
• Former President Barack Obama
• Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Senator Bernie Sanders – Independent

All these high profile, popular leaders gave a boost to the recall campaign that was floundering earlier. President Joe Biden also asked Californians if they were ready to bring in a Trump clone if Newsom did not win the recall vote with a resounding No and this might have jolted many of the natives to vote through mail or in person.

Conservative host Larry Elder had energized the vote bank of Republicans and the independents by focusing on homelessness and the high cost of living. However, he also spoke of a roll back of COVID-19 mandates including vaccines and masks which could have also energized the earlier apathetic Democratic voters as Delta cases surged in California, although currently the cases are slowly reaching a downward curve.

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The Met Gala is often considered to be a controversial event as it is filled with exclusivity, elitism,

glamor and luxury in contrast with the poverty that is present just a few miles away in another borough of the same city, the unparalleled New York City (NYC). New York City is considered to be an all-inclusive city, although it also boasts of stark contrasts from Manhattan to Queens, to Brooklyn, to the Bronx and to Staten Island, all of which make up its unique nature.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, (AOC) the Democratic representative from Bronx, has been called out to be   hypocritical as she attended the Met Gala, arguably the most elitist celebrity event in America, on Monday. However, she defended her appearance by saying that she went for free as an elected official and it was her responsibility to do so. Outgoing mayor of NYC Bill de Blasio who had earlier said that he would never attend the event, was also present at the Gala.

AOC wore a controversial $35,000 white gown which had TAX THE RICH in red on the back. She once again defended criticism by saying that it was a borrowed dress by which she was mounting a political protest and that she was encouraging Brooklyn designer Brother Vellies, which is a celebrity outfitter run by Aurora James.

On Tuesday, AOC said on Instagram that her dress slogan led to an increase in the number of people who searched for the words ‘Tax the Rich.’ However, many users strongly criticized her and one of them asked her if her boyfriend was invited or if she paid out of her pocket for the ticket. To date, she has not replied to this query.

On the other hand, rapper Nicki Minaj said that she would not attend the Met Gala. The Trinidadian rapper posted on Twitter that she had not taken a COVID-19 vaccine. She said that if she gets vaccinated, it wouldn’t be for the Met.

One of the requirements of the Met was that all those who were a part of the celebrations from the celebrities to the staff had to be fully vaccinated. Masks were also supposed to be worn though most of the celebrities did not wear them as seen in the numerous photos posted online.

Nicki Minaj has been posting bizarre tweets online about COVID-19 including a baseless one that a COVID-19 vaccine could cause impotency and was called out for this by several personalities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that the vaccine does not create any fertility issues in either males or females.

Minaj also said that she had contacted COVID-19 before the MTV VMAs. Despite her weird tweets the rapper also said that she was not getting vaccinated until she had “done more research.” She did say that she would get vaccinated in the future as it would be necessary when she traveled. She also insisted that she has not discouraged others from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

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