December 11, 2020 News Summary
US Politics and Economics
President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to travel to Atlanta, Georgia next Tuesday to campaign for two Democratic Senate candidates, Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock, who are running against incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loffler respectively. The two runoff elections will take place on January 5th, and will determine which party controls the senate. Currently, Democrats are projected to have 46 seats plus two independents who caucus with the Democrats, and Republicans have 50 seats. This means that both Drmocratic candidates need to prevail in order for them to regain senate control, with Vice President Elect Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaker. Currently, polling sites show both races as a toss-up, however the results of the actual election are unforeseen, as the surveys do not represent the entire population.
Texas Politics
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is trying to overturn election results in four states lost by President Donald Trump. According to kxan.com, Ken Paxton has said that he has not discussed a presidential pardon with the White House for his own legal troubles. Paxton, a close ally of Trump, may face a 5-year-old indictment on fraud charges and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for bribery as well as misuse of office. On Wednesday, December 9, Trump interfered in Paxton’s lawsuit, which was also backed up by 17 states, each won by Trump. “I think this is important, not just for this election,” Paxton told kxan.com in an interview. “This isn’t just about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, this is about the future of our elections.”
Health
According to, CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, as of December 11, 2020, 12:32 PM, there are 15.47 million cases nationwide and 291k deaths. Currently, California leads with 1.45 million cases, while Texas follows with 1.4 million cases.
Science and Technology
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science at The University of Tokyo used molecular dynamics calculations to simulate the glass-forming ability of metallic mixtures. “This work represents a significant advancement in our understanding of the fundamental physical mechanism of vitrification,” senior author Hajime Tanaka says. “The results of this project may also help glass manufacturers design new multi-component systems that have certain desired properties, such as resilience, toughness and electroconductivity.”
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Writers:
US Politics and Economics: Dylan, Miranda, Caleb, and Annabelle
Texas Politics: Stephanie, Vicki, and Megan
Health: Matthew, David, and Owen
Science and Technology: Bryan
Editor: VIA
(All writers and editors are in middle to high school)