This Just In

We love movie reviews and Internet challenges here on samanthasabio. But I also like to stay well-informed on what’s going on around me, like in the news. Lately, I’ve been making a more conscious effort to stay up-to-date on current events in America (sorry, for any international readers–I’ll get there). To be honest, it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be to keep up with all the juicy gossip without losing track of what’s hot and what’s not. I mean, let’s face it–one day you’re in, the next you’re out. If you have a hard time deciphering what’s worth your attention in those news notifications, look no further for I have all the best news from this past week right here for you! There’s some political discussions here, but also some wholesome articles, so make sure to give every summary some attention!

United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May announces plans to step down

Just a few days ago, Theresa May, UK’s prime minister for over two years, announced her resignation from the position. May has spent a significant amount of her career as prime minister working on finalizing the UK’s exit from the European Union–also known as Brexit. Ultimately, May failed to convince enough politicians across all parties to support her plans–economic and political problems with trade and border issues contributing to this struggle. This on-going crisis is a big contributor to her departure from the office. May will step down on June 7, but continue to act as prime minister until a new leader is elected.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces several indictments

WikiLeaks proclaims itself a non-profit organization that publishes news leaks and anonymous media for the purpose of revealing otherwise secret and confidential information to the public. On Thursday, 23 May, founder Julian Assange was charged with 17 counts relating to obtaining and disclosing national defense information, a violation under the Espionage Act. The information published could endanger the lives of anonymous sources living in the Middle East. However, journalists and interest groups fighting for the rights of the press argue that these charges could spell trouble for First Amendment freedoms.

Dangerous storms rage the central United States

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and other central states saw several storm and tornado warnings almost every day last week. Frequent reports of flooding and high winds resulted in occasional panic and many residents rushing to seek shelter. Similar storms also swept across a handful of eastern states. Unfortunately, these natural disasters claimed the lives of over 30 people, and counting.

Abortion bans rapidly rising in the nation

I’m sure many of you have heard about this issue through multiple emerging stories and political and social protests. Earlier this month, Alabama passed a law making abortion virtually illegal in the state–including in cases of rape and incest. This law comes as a direct challenge to the decision in Roe v. Wade, which recognizes the constitutional right to abortion. Many other states have begun to follow suit, creating abortion restrictions of their own–many of which ban abortions as early as six weeks. These laws aren’t in effect just yet, and some are already being challenged.

Record-setting Mount Everest climb

Kami Rita Sherpa has officially broken his own record, successfully climbing Mount Everest for the twenty-fourth time last week. This new record comes just a handful of days after he climbed the mountain for the twenty-third time. Sherpa says he’d like to climb the mountain at least one more time before quitting for good.

Even though this was just a quick synopsis of all the news circulating in the U.S. in the last week or so, it’s wild to see just how much I tried to fit in. What was the most surprising or interesting piece of news you read in the last week? How do you like to get your news? A special thanks to the professional journalism of The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, and the easy search capability Google provides us with.

Next week’s post is another Coffee Crawl, so make sure to leave some comments on coffee shops you’d like me to visit!