September 3, 2020 News Summary
US Politics and Economics
Officials are now calling for an end to the Jacob Blake protests in Portland, Oregon, which has led to arrests, arson, and property damage. The mayor, Ted Wheeler, requested for citizens to “denounce violence” and ensure that everyone feels safe within their communities. Nonetheless, protests pressuring Wheeler to resign continue outside of his apartment building. Incumbent President Trump further accuses the mayor of supporting violent protests, by tweeting, “Portland will not recover with a fool for a mayor.” Wheeler counters with suggesting that Trump should be helping him stop the violence.
The U.S. economy has crashed in a recession unlike any other documented before in the country. In a survey by Pew Research Center, 69 percent of Americans believe the current economic situation is grave, while 30 percent argue that it’s still in good shape. This comes as striking since when compared any previous year, 2020 has a much higher unemployment rate and government spending is on the roof. There’s still hope, however. Citizens trust that manufacturing activity is recovering and jobs are returning, despite an obscured, unpredictable future.
Mayor Lovely Warren of Rochester suspended seven police officers after the death of an unarmed black man, Daniel Prude, who suffocated while being restrained in a “spit hood.” Warren claims that systemic racism in the U.S. has caused Prude to lose his life.
Texas Politics
Per Texas Tribune’s article, a report found that in Harris County, releasing minor-crime convicts without cash bail does not increase the numbers of arrests for reoffending. Brandon Garrett, a law professor at Duke University, declared that the “reform is working as intended,” thus, “many more people are released promptly, cash bond amounts are vastly reduced except in cases where there will be public safety concerns … [with] no change in reoffending.”
Such a statement derives from the fact that for years Harris County has been caught in federal lawsuits over misdemeanor bail practices. As evidently seen in 2016, multiple civil rights groups sued on behalf of multiple people locked up in jail because of an inability to afford the large bail. Through the affirmations of such a problem being brought forth, Judge Darrell Jordan, who looks over a misdemeanor court, hopes that people “...will take a look at this report and study it and see that they can make a difference in their community, one that is better for the taxpayers and better as far as it relates to safety.”
Health
According to CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, as of September 3, 2020, 12:16 PM (CDT), there are almost 6.01 million cases and 185k deaths nationwide. In Texas, there are over 621k cases.
CNN writes that early-stage testing results found that Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and can draw out an immune response, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine. The experiment was conducted on 131 healthy adults, and for 35 days, there were no serious side effects shown, excluding a person who suffered a mild fever for a few days. Moreover, a second dose of the Novavax vaccine for 16 random volunteers allowed them to generate neutralizing antibodies and T-cells, a type of immune cell that protects the body from infections. Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, praises the results. As Novavax begins their second phase of testing, there are 4 additional vaccines in clinical trials in the US, while a total of 33 globally.
World Politics and Economics
In CNN’s article, “UAE denies knowledge of Hotel Rwanda film hero's arrest as family raise 'kidnap' fears,” the movie, Hotel Rwanda, is based on a true event where nearly 1 million people died in less than 100 days a decade ago. The film hero, Paul Rusesabagina, was arrested in Rwanda on charges of terrorism days after he left Dubai. The UAE tells CNN, "Mr. Paul came and left legally;" however, this situation is not unfamiliar for the family as they have routinely invaded and threatened by Rwandan forces.
Per BBC, rescuers in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, are still searching through the debris amid a report that a person may be alive even one month after the explosion. Specialty sensor equipment has been brought over after a rescue dog gave indication that there may be a human alive. On August 4th, over 200 people died when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, inciting outrage that such an abundance of hazardous material was stored unsafely at the port. Thus, the Lebanese government's resignation shortly afterward failed to appease protesters who fought on the streets for several nights.
Southeast US Weather
(The Atlantic) Tropical depression Nana has made landfall last night as a Category 1 hurricane in Belize City on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The system will continue moving southwest into the before de-intensifying to a disturbance. Tropical storm Omar, however, is still alive in the northern Atlantic but, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), will turn around to move east-southeast. On the other hand, the three tropical disturbances located near the west coast of Africa are moving northwestward with a 20, 40, and 70 percent chance at becoming a cyclone.
(The Pacific) As a tropical depression, Nana moves past the southern Mexico border and into the Pacific with a 20 percent chance of re-forming into a cyclone forming. Nevertheless, when storms hurricanes or depressions pass through land, they either dissipate or weaken due to cool temperatures, lack of moisture, and/or greater friction in the air.
(Local: Houston, Texas) Today’s high is 95 degrees Fahrenheit while the low is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. As a storm passes south of Dallas and showers move in on the coastal region, chances of rain shoot up on Wednesday through Friday to 50 percent.
Quick Query: Which of the following may stop a hurricane? Answer in the comment section down below!
A nuclear bomb
Cloud seeding
Very large fans on the coast
None of the above
Yesterday’s answer: [Dissipate]
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Writers:
US Politics and Economics: Dylan, Miranda, Joseph, and Caleb
Texas Politics: Stephanie, Vicki, and Megan
Health: Matthew, David, and Owen
World Politics and Economics: William, Jake, and Alexander
Southeast US Weather: Jade, Aiden, and Simon
Editor: VIA, Isabel, Susanna, and Mingyi
(All writers and editors are in middle to high school)
HYNC-September-3-2020
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