Paul Ryan, despite initial reluctance, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives (replacing John Boehner) (CNN). The Senate voted to repeal Obamacare, while democrats launched a gun control debate (CNN). 14 people were killed and 21 injured at a holiday party In San Bernadino, CA by a 28-year-old co-worker and his wife. The couple was…
News
Some September and October News
Moscow has begun bombing campaigns in Syria, and recently agreed to resume talks with the US on air safety in response to concerns there could be an accidental clash. The US and NATO allies have expressed alarm at violations of Turkish air space by Russian jets last weekend (BBC). A new report was released on…
July & August News
Russia continues to pursue stronger ties in the Middle East through arms sales and a coalition with Syria and Egypt to fight ISIS (USNews, RT). A controversial nuclear treaty was signed between Iran, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and the European Union. The treaty will lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for…
June Current Events
Nuclear treaty talks with Iran extended their deadline through this week. Pakistan and India are both undergoing a massive heat waves this summer, the death tolls of which have reached the thousands. The Syrian civil war continues, highlighted this month by a massacre of 146 civilians by the Islamic State in Kobani (Wiki TImeline) Six…
May 2015 Current Event Highlights
John Kerry met this weekend with Iranian officials in an attempt to solidify nuclear treaty negotiations (USA Today). A new Syrian offensive is on with an unprecedented amount of foreign support, much of which comes from Iran (Foreign Policy). Ireland legalized gay marriage (USA Today)… the US Supreme court decision should be out this month….
Feb-Apr News
It hasn’t been that nothing is going on in the world, just that so much is going on in our lives that we’re a little behind on the news updates. Here’s one with some highlights and we’ll try to get the next one out next month! In Ukraine Russian forces are still fighting with separatists….
January & February News Updates
ISIS released videos of beheading 2 Japanese hostages, then burned alive Jordanian fighter pilot when their ransom demands were not met. They claimed Jordanian airstrikes on their training centers killed one of the remaining American hostages a few weeks later. The Pentagon estimates ISIS has about 20,000 to 30,000 fighters. Obama asked Congress to formally authorize use of military…
December Headlines
An AirAsia Airbus A320 crashed in the Java Sea killing all 162 passengers aboard. 30 bodies have been recovered so far. President Obama initiated a major shift in US foreign policy toward Cuba which will allow limited travel and trade to begin. North Korean backed hackers infiltrated Sony pictures and threatened violence if they released…
November in the News
US midterm elections brought sweeping Republican wins. No one is sure whether it is a true referendum on the Democrats’ policies, rejection of the current administration, or just a lack of turnout for the Democrats. Either way, a Republican Congress and a Democrat in the White House have served to break gridlock in the past…
Current Events, Don’t forget to Vote on November 4th
Honestly, there’s not much change this month… Ebola is still rampant in a few west African countries. The first patient on US soil who traveled from Liberia after lying on his exit questionnaire died shortly after infecting two nurses in a Houston hospital (both of whom are now clear). The CDC has ramped up it’s…