The Signal

Serving the College since 1885

Wednesday April 30th

Nation & World


Protests have erupted across Iran in opposition to the country’s brutal authoritarian regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intensified by the killing of Mahsa Amini. (Wikimedia Commons/“Students of Amir Kabir university protest against Hijab and the Islamic Republic” by Darafsh - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0. Sept. 20, 2022).

Protests Triggered in Iran after Death of Mahsa Amini

Protests have erupted across Iran in opposition to the country’s authoritarian regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the morality police in Tehran. She allegedly did not wear her headscarf the right way, which violated the dress code mandated for Iranian women, according to Newsweek. 

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For the first time in five years, North Korea has test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan that landed about 3000 kilometers east of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, traveling farther than ever before (Flickr/“20” by Ryan Chan. March 25, 2022).

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile over Japan without Warning

For the first time in five years, North Korea has test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over the island of Japan that landed about 3000 kilometers east of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, traveling farther than ever before, according to the Guardian. This action was poorly received by the leaders of prominent powers, including the United States, South Korea and Japan. 

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Thousands of Russians are fleeing their country in an attempt to avoid being drafted into the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, while Vladimir Putin has announced that portions of the country will be annexed by Russia. (Flickr/“IMG_1120” by Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine. April 11, 2022.)

Russia Annexes Regions of Ukraine as Thousands of Russians Flee to Avoid Military Draft

Thousands of Russians are fleeing their country in an attempt to avoid being drafted into the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This comes after Russian President Vladamir Putin’s orders to mobilize in his failing war caused many people to protest in opposition, with some protests turning violent. Furthermore, according to the New York Times, Putin has announced Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, or some 40,000 square miles of eastern and southern Ukraine, including Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. 

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The Orlando Sentinel reports downed power lines, record floods and rainfall, fallen trees, closed roads and severe damages (Flickr/“Downed trees and power lines in Bartow, FL following Hurricane Ian” by State Farm. September 29, 2022).

Hurricane Ian devastates Florida and makes its way for other states

Hurricane Ian hit the shores of Florida on Sept. 21 with winds as high as 150 mph, causing major power outages, severe floods, injuries, deaths and evacuations, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The Orlando Sentinel also reported downed power lines, record floods and rainfall, fallen trees, closed roads and severe damages from floods, like buildings and damaged houses.

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Pakistan has been devastated by a monthslong series of monsoons that have displaced around eight million people. (Flickr/Flood in Pakistan 2022 by Ali Hyder Junejo).

As Pakistan Continues to Flood, Scientists Warn of Climate Change

Monsoons have been devastating Pakistan since mid-June of this year, and much of the infrastructure has been destroyed. Around eight million people have been displaced and at least 1,500 have been killed since the beginning of the monsoons, according to a report from the U.N. Over 500,000 people who have been displaced are living in shelters, drinking water is scarce and many of the people who have died were children.

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Inflation in the United States is currently at a four-decade high, and the Federal Reserve is determined to get ahead of it in any way possible (Flickr/“federal reserve building” by Rafael Saldaña. December 30, 2012).

Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rates to Combat Inflation

Inflation in the United States is currently at a four-decade high, and the Federal Reserve is determined to get ahead of it in any way possible, even if it leads to increased unemployment for Americans. According to NBC News, the Fed recently raised its key interest rate by 0.75%, and it plans to continue keeping interest rates high until inflation is once again under control. This is not the first time the Fed has increased rates this year. In fact, it has raised its benchmark rate five times since the beginning of the year. 

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Researchers from the University of California San Francisco believe they have found a new way to treat a specific mutation in some cancers through immunotherapy. (Flickr/Human Colon Cancer Cells by NIH Image Gallery)

New Experimental Technique to Fight Cancer by Flagging the Cancerous Cells

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco believe they have found a new way to treat a specific mutation in some cancers, according to a new study published by the Cell Press medical journal on Sept. 12. In practice, the new treatment in the study could lead to retaining ground gained against a tumor that was previously responding to immunotherapy but started showing resistance to it. 

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President Biden delivered a speech at Independence Hall, in which he directly confronted the “threat” posed by Donald Trump and those who support him. (Office of the President. Posted to Facebook on Sept. 1, 2022)

Biden Speech on State of Democracy Generates Controversy

President Biden gave a prime time speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to discuss the current state of democracy in the U.S., detailing the threats he believes it is facing. In the speech, he directly addressed the actions of Former President Donald Trump and “MAGA Republicans” related to the 2020 election and threats posed to the upcoming 2022 and 2024 elections. The speech generated mixed reactions and controversy from the media and public, with some praising Biden’s confrontational tone and others criticizing the politicized nature of the speech.

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The Court is hearing the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which challenges a Mississippi ban on abortion after 15 weeks. If the Court upholds the ban, thus overturning Roe and Casey, states will have the right to ban abortions completely(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Supreme Court draft opinion indicates Roe v. Wade may be overturned

The Supreme Court has voted to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, according to a leaked draft opinion published by Politico. The draft majority opinion, which was confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts, could mark the end of the constitutional right to abortion, although the Court’s final decision may change.  In 1973, the Supreme Court heard the case of Jane Roe, a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, against Henry Wade, a district attorney in Dallas, Texas. At the time, McCorvey was looking to have an abortion in Texas, which had a law banning abortion unless a woman’s life was endangered. McCorvey sued Wade, and while she won the case, Texas appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of McCorvey, stating that the law violated her right to personal privacy and was subsequently unconstitutional, thus ruling that the U.S. Constitution protected a woman’s right to have an abortion during the first three months of her pregnancy without interference from the state.

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Senate Bill 4C seeks to dissolve a number of special tax districts in Florida, most important among them being the Reedy Creek Improvement District(Image created by Lauren Schweighardt/Graphic Designer).

Florida Governor Revokes Disney’s Special Tax District Over “Don’t Say Gay” Feud

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took his feud with the Walt Disney Corporation into a new phase on April 22 following the Governor’s signing of an act to dissolve a special tax district owned and operated by Disney. The move is seen as a retaliation for Disney’s opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, which seeks to restrict discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in Florida schools.  Senate Bill 4C seeks to dissolve a number of special tax districts in Florida, most important among them being the Reedy Creek Improvement District(RCID). Granted to Disney by Florida through a 1967 agreement, the district has allowed the media giant to operate its 25,000 acres of property spanning Orange and Osceola counties essentially as a municipal government. Disney has used this power to, as the district’s owner and largest property owner, effectively to levy taxes on itself which then are used to fund its own fire-and-medical response services, water and roadwork and even generate some of its own electricity.

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