How much have you missed?

Here’s a recap of this week. Just click the story to read on!

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Politics

• Special Counsel Robert Mueller sent his report on the Russia Investigation to Attorney General William Barr this weekend. Barr released a summary which stated that “while this report dot conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” Trump had a different understanding. Several investigations into Trump are still underway, and Barr is expected to testify on the report.
• The Education Department is investigating the schools involved in the college admissions scheme, including USC, Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA, UT Austin, Wake Forest University, and the University of San Diego.
• Senator and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris (D- CA) has announced a plan intended to increase teachers’ salaries.
• The Pentagon has taken $1 billion from a military personnel account to put toward the construction of a border fence along the US/Mexico border.
• Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is proposing a $17.6 million cut to Special Olympics funding.
• A federal judge ruled that Medicaid enrollees should not be obligated to work to qualify for benefits.

Pop culture

• Justin Bieber spoke out this week about his commitment to his marriage after fans left comments on his social media accusing him of using Hailey to get back at Selena Gomez. He also posted an Instagram with a caption about wanting to focus on his mental health rather than focusing on creating new music.
• Lori Laughlin’s daughter, beauty influencer Olivia Jade, had her “Olivia Jade Beauty” brand trademark initially rejected due to poor punctuation and vague wording in her application.
• Angelina Jolie is believed to be starring in the upcoming Marvel film The Eternals, which would be her Marvel Universe debut.
• Adele was spotted at a New York recording studio this week, almost four hours after the release of her last album, 25.
• Cardi B is facing backlash after an old Instagram Live video from three years ago resurfaced in which she explains that ‘in order to survive’ during her stripper days, she would drug men and then rob them in hotel rooms.

Humanity

• The suspect who sent explosive packages to 13 prominent democratic figures in October has pleaded guilty to over 65 felony counts.
• After a transgender student was told he needed to run for Prom Queen despite being nominated for Prom King, his high school has made its prom court gender free, crowing two “Royal Knights” (an homage to the school’s mascot) in place of a Prom King and Queen.
• United Airlines is becoming the first airline to offer passengers the ability to identify as nonbinary when booking flights.
• Two survivors of the Parkland shooting, and the father of a Sandy Hook shooting victim, tragically committed suicide this week.
• Apple made some big announcements this week, including a new tv streaming platform, a gaming service, and a new credit card.
• Attorney Michael Avenatti has been arrested for wire fraud as well as attempting to extort over $20 million from Nike.
• Jussie Smollett has been mysteriously and controversially cleared of all criminal charges after being arrested for staging a fake hate crime.
• NASA is being accused of sexism after cancelling the first women-only space walk due to the lack of availability of enough women’s suits.
• The UN is investigating a devastating massacre in Mali that left 157 dead.

Science says...

• A New York county has declared an emergency over a measles outbreak of 153 confirmed cases, and is barring unvaccinated children from public places.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that global energy-related carbon emissions reached a record high in 2018.
• In an effort to learn more about antibiotic resistance, scientists are looking at antibiotic-resistant germs in sewage. The goal is to find trends in antibiotic use and resistance in cities, gaining a deeper understanding into how such resistance forms.
• 22 horses have died in three months at a racetrack in California, mostly from severe limb fractures. Scientists are looking into potential injury risks that may have come into play, including the dangerous effect of rainfall on the dirt tracks.
• An important glacier in Greenland is growing again after experiencing fast shrinkage. Scientists think this growth might be temporary.