News Post 40

On USA Today I read an article about an unarmed elderly man with dementia who was shot by police officers in California. The officers who shot the many have been placed on administrative leave. A neighbor had called to complain about the elderly man and said that he had a gun on him. At the scene, no gun was found on Fransisco Serna. When the police arrived to respond to the 911 call, Serna was walking outside his house with his hands in his pockets. Serna did not listen to the police officers when many of them asked to see his hands. About 15-20 feet away from him, Officer Selman shot the man down with seven rounds. Mr Serna was pronounced dead at the scene. His family said that he liked to take walks at night to clear his head and make it easier for him to sleep. According to the Alzheimers Association, dementia patients often wander and when they do they may seem confused. Perhaps Mr Serna was innocent and yet another innocent life was taken. This goes back to the issues of gun control and what we should to help prevent "accidents" and make our country safe.

News Post 39

On CNN politics, I read an article titled "Ohio governor bans abortions after 20 weeks while vetoing 'heartbeat' bill". John Kasich has vetoed the heartbeat bill which bans abortions after six weeks. While doing this, he also approved a law that doesn't allow abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. While pro- Choice advocates saw this as "troubling", many pro life advocates saw this as a step closer to challenging Roe vs. Wade. The current law states that there shall be no abortions of what the statute calls viable fetuses (fetuses that can survive outside the womb). However in 90 days there will be no viability tests therefore after 20 weeks of pregnancy, under any circumstances, abortion will not be allowed. If given, the doctor responsible would be charged with a 4th degree felony. Many states have limitations on abortions and Trump plans to challenge Roe vs Wade in the future.

News Post 38

On CNN, I read an article about the recent Yahoo hacking. This hack to information from over 1 billion accounts. According to this article, a "third party" has stolen over a billion accounts in August 2013. The stolen data includes names, email addresses, and passwords but not financial information. This is a common pattern from Yahoo. It seems as if they are always being hacked. The company is now notifying users who might have been affected by the hack. Many are concerned that Yahoo dod not take enough precaution. The company's stock has dropped 2.5% since the incident.

News Post 37

On ABC News, I read an article about how amazon has officially completed its first drone delivery. The company calls this "prime air". A video was released showing new and innovative this process.

"After the package is added to the drone, 'an electrically powered Amazon drone makes its way down an automated track and then rises into the sky with the customer's package on board,' according to Amazon."

This drone has to fly below 400 feet and cannot carry more that 5 pounds. There is also a GPS to ensure "safe flying."This new technology will change the face of the way we send things. Although it is only happening for a few costumers in the UK, we hope that it will come to the US very soon.

News Post 36

Today I read an article on ABC News. This article is titled "Colorado School District to Allow Teachers to Arm Themselves". This week a school in Colorado has officially decided to let teachers be armed during school to not only protect their students. The school district vote was 3-2. Now volunteers will be able to do this after going through training. Although this may seem absurd to most, school board member Michael Lawson said that it was a good idea because it protected students from mass shootings and from violence connected to marijuana growth in the state. However, the school board president worries about things such as accidents happening involving the students and the guns. He says:"We need to leave that to the professionals."There are also other states that back the idea of teachers being able to carry guns. These states include California, Texas, and Oklahoma. Teachers are now currently undergoing training while school districts will have to figure out how to pay 3,000 dollars per weapon. Teachers are also required to have a permit.

News Post 35

On CNBC, I read an article about Trump's pick for the head of the Department of Energy, former Texas Governor Rick Perry. According to the article, by picking Perry, Trump is just "adding to the list of oil-drilling advocates skeptical about climate change filling out his Cabinet selections." This recent news is worrying environmentalists because they fear what Trump's new administration might do to the climate. Trump's transition team mentioned in a statement that how Perry led Texas to being one of the top oil producing states in the country.

"Rick Perry created ... a business climate that produced millions of new jobs and lower energy prices in his state, and he will bring that same approach to our entire country as secretary of energy," Trump said in the statement."

Because he has picked Rick Perry, it is an indication that Trump will most likely favor the fossil fuel industry during his term. If approved, Perry will be responsible for the nation's energy policy and nuclear weapons program. Perry advocates for less restrictions on the fossil fuel industry and is also on the board of directors for the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota which has been receiving a lot of protests.

News Post 34

Today I read article on CNN (money). This article was about how Trump's secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, has sparked a conversation about how the Trump administration plans to deal with LGBTQ equality. Tillerson is the CEO of the company ExxonMobil.


"Rex Tillerson's nomination raises critical questions as to how a Trump administration plans to protect LGBTQ employees and contractors affiliated with the State Department, and ultimately whether it will continue American efforts to advance equality through U.S. foreign policy," HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement."

When Tillerson was an executive, Exxon and Mobil merged together and Mobil's domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian workers was removed along with their anti discrimination policy. Due to his executive position, Tillerson was ultimately responsible for this.

The Human Rights Campaign in 2002 gave the company a 14% on their overall corporate equality. When Tillerson became CEO, the company began to make some progress. Most recently in 2013, Exxon reintroduced health coverage for same sex spouses of its employees. Adjustments were also made in 2015 to protect gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination. Now, the company has been given an 85% from the Human Rights Campaign. Although it is a definite improvement, it does not compare to the hundreds of other top notch companies who were given 100%.

News Post 33

On CNN Politics, I read an article about Inauguration day in Washington DC. During the event, many iconic landmarks will be gated off during the event and the festivities happening before and after. Protesters and activist will no longer be able to protest that day. The Women's March in Washington is always held the day on January 21, the day after the inauguration. Instead of denying the activists permits to march on the property, they are trying to find a suitable alternative for the group. Tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in this march. The march has been approved. It would have been hard to deny it due to the fact that there are thousands of people involved and this particular election has been very difficult to many women across the country.

News Post 32

Breaking News on CNN: Trump will most likely pick ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his nomination for secretary of state according to multiple sources. Trump's pick has no experience in foreign policy, similar to Trump, but has many relationships with leaders in other countries by closing large deals for the world's largest energy company. Trump believes that Tillerson's expert negotiation skills will do us well especially in the oil business and managing the state department. Many fear that both Trump and Tillerson will bring US policy far more in line with Russia than we should be. This article also says that Tillerson will do just fine fitting in with the majority of Trumps Cabinet due to the fact that they are "corporate titans" and "Wall Street Players". But before he can even assume the position, he must satisfy senators by proving his knowledge that doesn't retain to just business. There isn't much talk about Tillerson's actual stance on foreign policy therefore he will have to prove himself even more.

News Post 31

Today I learned, in an article on CNN, about how Miami is free of locally transmitted Zika viruses. This also means that the state of Florida is officially clear of the virus! The article said that these cases began to show up in July in this area. The article also provided the many symptoms of the virus.

"Our state has no local transmission, so we welcome all tourists to come enjoy our weather and our beaches," Scott said. "This state is open for business."

According to this article, although the state has made a major milestone, the risk is not over yet. Due to the state being a popular destination for tourists, the virus can easily end up there again. The virus is very much still present in the state. Floridians should also especially be careful during the holidays which is a very popular time for tourists.

New Post 30

Breaking news on CNN says that Mitt Romney has just confirmed on facebook that he is not Trump's pick for secretary of state.

"It was an honor to have been considered for secretary of state of our great country. My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace."

Trump called Romney over the phone to deliver the news. During the 2016 election, the two had an ongoing feud. Romney made remarks about Trump calling him a 'fraud' and 'childish'. Trump responded back insulting Romney about his loss to President Obama and much more. Romney even asked for Republicans to unite against Trump during the election. This made it very surprising to many that Mitt Romney was even in the running for secretary of state. However, the two set their feelings aside and through multiple meetings discussed the possibility of Romney becoming the new secretary of State.

News Post 29

On CNN I read an article on Russia hacking GOP individuals prior to the election. Emails of democratic party groups were made public. Also the intelligence community thinks that the hacking was meant to influence the election in Trump's favor. There were also troll farms that spread fake news about Hillary Clinton. Even before the election, the intelligence community believed that Russia's intent was to aid Trump during the election. The FBI even argued on this issue. Some were concerned about the certainty of this assessment: "FBI is very conservative in its conclusions and typically doesn't give any definitive assessment if a conclusion can't be proven without a doubt. The CIA constantly has to make judgments based on an incomplete picture."

Regardless, they believe that Russia "engaged in criminal activity inside the United States."

News Post 28

Today I read an article on USA Today College about the legalization of Marijuana in 4 new states. On election day, four states(California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine) voted on whether or not they would legalize the use of marijuana. This article talks about how although the drug may be legal in your state, its recreational use on college campuses in not permitted. Some Faculty for the universities have said that though legal in some states, it is still illegal at the national lever therefore it should not be used on campus because it will effect the learning ability of the student. However, on other campuses some faculty is saying to loosen up on the restriction. Schools also wont budge on the restriction because of things such as federal funding. Many national organizations are pushing for reform on this issue.

News Post 27

Today I watched a video article on USA Today about New Texas Abortion Restrictions. on December 19th, a new law will go under effect that states that embryonic and fetal tissues must be buried or cremated regardless of religious beliefs. The rule is set to restrict women's rights to access safe and legal abortions by raising the reproductive health care.

News Post 26

On CNN, I read an article about how New Jersey Governor Chris Christie  turned down multiple positions on Trump's administration team. The positions he rejected included: Homeland security secretary, secretary of veterans affairs and ambassador to Italy, and many more. He had wished to be attorney general and since then has not been offered the position. The position has actually been offered to someone else.

Blog Post 25

I read an article on CNN about Climate Change. The article talks about Donald Trump's views on the issue. Trump says in an interview that "Nobody really knows if climate change is real." The article also states that Trump is currently deciding on whether or not the US will withdraw their commitment to limit environmental output. During his campaign Trump repeatedly called climate change a 'hoax' but now he is taking an interest in the issue.