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Wednesday May 13th

Nation & World

Alexei Navalny, known for his anti-corruption activism and fierce criticism of the Russian government's policies, died on Feb. 16 at the Arctic prison (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Gesanonstein, February 16, 2024). 

Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, dies in Arctic prison

By Gauri Patel | Mar. 1, 2024

Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic, unexpectedly died on Feb. 16 at the Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year prison term, according to Russia’s prison agency. The 47-year-old was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic foes and was known for his anti-corruption activism and fierce criticism of the government's policies. 

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Capital One announced its plan to merge with Discover Financial Services in late 2024 or early 2025 in a deal that would offer multiple benefits to both financial institutions (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Tdorante10. November 20, 2018). 

Capital One announces merger with Discover

By Shaim Akhtar | Feb. 28, 2024

Capital One recently announced its plan to merge with Discover Financial Services in late 2024 or early 2025, valuing the deal at over $35 billion. Following the announcement, Capital One released a statement to investors that provided further insight into the deal, including the projected revenue of $2.7 billion and the aim to reach more than 100 million customers worldwide following the acquisition. 

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The beginning of the war in Gaza brought an end to headway in peace talks, as the Houthis vowed to attack any ships in the Red Sea they believed to have ties to Israel (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent J. Street”/ Public Domain / October 2, 2007). 

With the Red Sea under attack by Houthis rebels, peace remains out of sight for Yemen

By Rajika Chauhan | Feb. 26, 2024

The war in Gaza has further inflamed pre-existing tensions in the remainder of the Middle East, made apparent in the heated activity between the Yemeni Houthis and cargo ships in the Red Sea. The beginning of the war in Gaza brought an end to headway in peace talks, as the Houthis vowed to attack any ships in the Red Sea they believed to have ties to Israel, according to the BBC. Many of these attacks have included assaults on U.S. and British freighters, drawing the ire of the United States. 

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A pod of killer whales was trapped by ice off the coast in Japan, causing concern among environmental groups and the Japanese government (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Callan Carpenter. January 3, 2018). 

Killer whales trapped off the coast Japan

By Abigail Gilder | Feb. 26, 2024

A pod of 14 killer whales were trapped by sea ice, discovered off the coast of Japan’s Hokkaido on Feb. 6. Following the report, the news of the trapped pod spread quickly. According to The Guardian, environmental groups raised concerns, and social media posts soon prompted government action. 

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The Super Bowl Parade of the reigning Kansas City Chiefs descended into bloodshed on Feb. 14 (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Accedie, October 12, 2023). 

Kansas City mourns as America reckons with juvenile gun violence

By Rajika Chauhan | Feb. 26, 2024

The homecoming celebration of a winning team after any major sporting event is reason for great pride and national attention, giving both fans and players an opportunity to revel in their victory after a season’s worth of trials and tests of faith. To see places of such joy marred, with the Super Bowl Parade of the reigning Kansas City Chiefs descending into bloodshed on Feb. 14, is a reminder of the ubiquity of the issue of gun violence in America.

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Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk in 2016, aspires to produce significant advances in the realm of what neuroscientists and engineers term “the brain-computer interface.” (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Elon Musk and the Neuralink Future” by Steve Jurvetson. CC-BY-2.0. August 28, 2020).

Neuralink’s human trial begins: Elon Musk’s first steps in building the brain-computer interface

By Rajika Chauhan | Feb. 14, 2024

Elon Musk has made a prolific name for himself in the past decade, not only through the accumulation of wealth, but also as through his innovative and often divisive technological endeavors to which he has pledged his backing and resources. One such endeavor is Neuralink, a company co-founded by Musk in 2016, which aspires to produce significant advances in the realm of what neuroscientists and engineers term “the brain-computer interface.” 

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Jan. 30 that expands the legal definition of rape to include a broader range of sexual assault in an effort to hold perpetrators accountable and protect survivors (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during the Maimonides Visit” by Marc A. Hermann / MTA. CC-BY-2.0. April 12, 2022). 

New York legislation expands legal definition of rape

By Leah Cruz | Feb. 14, 2024

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Jan. 30 that expands the legal definition of rape to include a broader range of sexual assault in an effort to hold perpetrators accountable and protect survivors. The new legislation will be implemented this year and will apply to sex crimes that are committed on or after Sept. 1. 

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The Republican party moved to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early last week (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Alejandro Mayorkas (2021)” by DHSgov. PD US DHS. June 14, 2021). 

Republican party fails to impeach homeland security secretary

By Abigail Gilder | Feb. 9, 2024

The Republican party failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this week. On Feb. 6, the impeachment charges moved to the House floor for a vote. Not only did this impeachment fail, but it failed narrowly, in a final vote of 214 to 216. The division present in the Republican party has become potentially problematic with some of its own representatives voicing their disagreements with the actions of other members

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Alabama delivered the nation’s first nitrogen hypoxia execution (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Julia Tutwiler Prison Wetumpka Alabama” by Rivers A. Langley. CC-BY-SA-3.0. March 16, 2011).

Controversy surrounds recent Alabama death penalty case

By Abigail Gilder | Feb. 9, 2024

Alabama carried out the nation’s first ever execution by nitrogen hypoxia on Jan. 25. Kenneth Smith was sentenced to death in 1988, after he was one of two people convicted in the murder of Elizabeth Sennett. Smith had previously survived an execution attempt in 2022 by lethal injection, according to NBC. As a result, Smith’s legal team decided to push for a different method of execution; in this case the previously untested nitrogen hypoxia method. His team also submitted multiple appeals to save his life, but all were denied by the U.S. Supreme Court as a result of his past violent crime, according to CNN. 

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A recent discovery has shown that the moon is shrinking - and the effects are unpredictable (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Full moon partially obscured by atmosphere” by NASA. PD NASA. December 21, 1999). 

Shrinking moon leads to instability and unpredictability for future missions

By Aneri Upadhyay | Feb. 7, 2024

According to the Weather Channel, the moon has lost around 150 feet in its circumference over the past hundred million years. This is due to its core cooling down over time. The moon’s crust is forming more canyons as it shrinks, which has caused tremors that are referred to as moonquakes. As seen in ITV, the moonquakes are quite powerful and can last for hours. The strongest has registered as the equivalent of a 5.0 magnitude earthquake. 

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Three U.S. soldiers were killed and more than 50 others were injured, including some Arizona National Guard service members, in an overnight drone attack on Jan. 28 in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) launches from an Air Force B-1B Lancer” by DARPA Photo. CC-PD-Mark. September 5, 2013). 

Deadly attack on Jordan base leads to U.S. launching retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria

By Janjabill Tahsin | Feb. 7, 2024

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and more than 50 others were injured, including some Arizona National Guard service members, in an overnight attack on Jan. 28 in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border. At least one service member is in critical condition after a drone bypassed the American base Tower 22’s defenses and struck while soldiers were sleeping, according to the Washington Post. 

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CEOs of top social media companies testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety on their platforms, marking the latest effort of lawmakers to address concerns that these platforms prioritize profits over the well-being of their users (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / “Social Media Marketing Strategy” by Today Testing. CC-BY-SA-4.0. March 5, 2019). 

Social media CEOs testify in Senate hearing on child safety

By Gauri Patel | Feb. 6, 2024

The CEOs of top social media companies testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety on their platforms on Jan. 31, marking the latest effort of lawmakers to address concerns that these platforms prioritize profits over the well-being of their users, according to The Associated Press. 

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