The Berkeley Carroll Blotter is proud to present its 17th weekly newsletter of the 2025-2026 school year! This edition features the standard “5 in News” by Rory O’Connor (‘26) and an opinion piece from staff writer Stella Dolnick (‘30) about the Grammys. We have also added an editor’s movie suggestion list at the end! Photos from BC photographers are throughout. As always, we thank you for interacting with The Blotter.
Happy reading!
Genevieve Eisner and Cleo Logan, co-editors.
5 in News
Rory O’Connor (‘26)
The Trump administration sent a group of 2,000 to 3,000 ICE and agents to Minneapolis in late 2025 as part of an immigration crackdown called Operation Metro Surge. The occupation caused protests and national outrage after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents. After much backlash, President Trump pulled the operation’s main commander, Greg Bonivo, out of Minnesota and replaced him with Tom Homan, his Border Czar. Plans have been announced to draw down 700 of the total number of agents in the state
Senate Democrats said they wouldn’t support the spending bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security (which includes ICE) unless reforms were added— like stricter rules and oversight on how agents act. Because the Trump administration didn’t agree to all their demands, Democrats threatened to block that part of the budget, which made a partial government shutdown way more likely unless they separated DHS/ICE funding and got agreements on the changes. Eventually, leaders struck a deal to keep most of the government open and give more time to negotiate those changes.
In late January, a powerful winter storm hit the United States with heavy snow, ice, and frigid cold, impacting a 1,300 mile stretch from the South to New England. According to a recently-published report by the National Weather Service, New Mexico, surprisingly, received the most snow out of all the states (~31 inches). The second most-impacted was North Carolina, which received around 19-inches of snowfall.
Spain recently passed a new decree that gives undocumented migrants who are already living in the country a legal path to residency, making it easier for them to stay and work there instead of being deported.
Recent studies in both England and Greece indicate that “early hominins in Europe were creating tools from raw materials hundreds of thousands of years before Homo sapiens arrived there.” Most notably, a hammer—made from mammoth or elephant bone and was excavated in southern England—was scientifically proven to be 500,000 years old.
A Review of the Grammys: Me vs. the Critics
Stella Dolnick (‘30)
On the night of February 1st, many of us stayed up late to watch the 68th Grammy awards, where, most notably for me, Tyler the Creator performed two songs and went all out with the costumes, his stage presence, and choreography. I went to bed feeling lucky to have watched such a genius artist.
After the awards show, there are always conversations full of critiques and commendations about the awards, reciting Trevor Noah’s jokes, and celebrity moments. The articles I encountered circulating the internet were mostly similar, but a few had some more interesting takes that I personally find absurd.
When I read a New York Times article reviewing the award show, I came across what I think are crazy hot takes. To start, Joe Coscarelli from the New York Times stated that Addison Rae “sold the effortful staging with the right mix of sass and nonchalance.” I’m really not in agreement with this one. While her song “Fame Is a Gun” is catchy and fun to sing along to, I personally think she is nothing more than an influencer on TikTok. She definitely doesn’t deserve the “Best New Artist” slot by a long shot.
The author also said that Tyler the Creator’s performance was “relentless and exhausting,” and “felt art-directed half to death.” This crushed me. I felt that his performance was engaging and clever, not the “worst aesthetic smorgasbord” it was labeled to be. He performed a song from his rap album “Chromakopia,” nominated for Best Rap Album, and then we see him get in a car in a new outfit and run over himself in the other outfit, before performing his hit song “Sugar On My Tongue,” from his album “Don’t Tap the Glass.” I thought the critics would appreciate it as much as I did, but they seemed to prefer Justin Bieber’s more minimalist approach. Bieber stood at a microphone with a guitar on his back, a DJ sound board in front of him, and it seemed like they were really just props. He just sang. To top it all off, in one of the author’s words, in Bieber’s “impactful” performance, he was shirtless, wearing apparently “iconic” basketball shorts. For me, there is no world where Justin Bieber would ever hold a candle to Tyler the Creator’s genius and artistry, but apparently the critics disagree.
Editor’s Movie Suggestion List:
The Year of Living Dangerously (Mikaela)
Little Miss Sunshine (Cleo)
Shawkshank Redemption (Dylan)
The Matrix (Russell)
Good Will Hunting (Rory)
On the Waterfront (Genevieve)
Magnolia (Peter Rothberg)
Email us with your own suggestions!
Lions Den: Upcoming Games for the Week of 2/9 - 2/13
Monday: Basketball Playoffs!
Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. Dwight (Home)
4:00 PM, Athletic Center
Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. SIA (Away)
3:30 PM, SIA
Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. Leman
6:00 PM, Athletic Center
Tuesday:
Basketball Girls and NB (JV) vs. LREI (Home)
4:00 PM, Athletic Center
Wednesday: Basketball Playoffs!
Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. TBD
TBD
Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. TBD
TBD
Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. TBD
TBD
Friday: Basketball Playoffs!
Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. TBD
TBD
Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. TBD
TBD
Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. TBD
TBD
Community Time 2/9 - 2/13
Monday: Grade Meeting
Tuesday: Affinity Groups
Wednesday: G Block
Thursday: Special Schedule (First period: Guest speaker Kelly Posner)
Friday: Senior Speakers
Senior Speakers 2/13
Wesley Rothauser
Rory O’Connor
Zach Powell
Sam Bailyn
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