National & World News

The 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Come to a Close --Avery Schriner 

This year in Paris, the stage was set for an exciting Olympic and Paralympic experience. Awe-inspiring feats at the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as broken records and competitive contests throughout the Games themselves, made for a summer to remember. On the night of July 26th, the Olympic flame was lit by a series of famous athletes and previous Olympic competitors, kicking things off in Paris. With several new events and many noteworthy matchups, this year’s summer Olympics made history and set the stage for a plethora of rising athletes.

The 2024 Olympics served as the stage for many well known sports, like soccer and basketball, with popular athletes competing, but also for the debut of some new sports. There were four main additions to the Games this year: break dancing, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing. These events allowed for more athletes across the world to compete and showcase their talents and creativity.

The Olympic Games continued until the closing ceremony on August 11th. With widely-drawn interest for the new events, as well as for long-awaited contests on the international stage, the Olympics drew an immense amount of attention. In the United States alone, around 30 million people tuned in to see American competitors, as well as some of the other ten-thousand athletes from all over the world. More than one hundred Olympic records and thirty-two world records were broken at this year’s Olympics. While it was the first year for several events, another important first was the Refugee Olympic Team, a team of members from several countries who are refugees, winning their first Olympic medal. Cindy Ngamba won this historic medal in boxing.

After the closing of the Olympic Games, the Olympic season was still not over. On August 28th, the Paralympic opening ceremony took place in Paris. Following this, ten days of intense competition and skill was displayed for the world, ending with the closing ceremony on September 8th. Throughout this period, athletes with all types of disabilities and impairments come together to battle for a medal for their country. The International Paralympic Committee determines which category and degree of disability the athlete has, which can include impaired muscle power, impaired range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypotonia (increased muscle tension), ataxia (uncoordinated movements), athetosis (slow involuntary movements), vision impairment, and intellectual impairment. Based on this evaluation, athletes are then placed in the appropriate Sport Class. While certain sports only have one Sport Class, like Para Powerlifting, many have several to ensure equitable competition.

This year’s Paralympic Games were just as exciting as the Olympic Games. With over forty world records broken, the 2024 Paralympics was one for the history books. From events like wheelchair basketball to blind soccer, there were many ways for all athletes to express their passion and skill through modern adaptations of original sports. For example, in blind soccer, a 30-minute game split into two halves is played on a FIFA Futsal-sized field. Within the walled field, there are four field players wearing blackout eye masks to ensure fairness and a sighted or partially-sighted goalkeeper on each team. The ball itself contains a bell inside of it, so players can hear when it is kicked, meaning fans remain silent until the ball is out of play or a goal is scored. In addition, guides at either side of the field behind the goals, as well as a coach at midfield, are present to give directions or hit the posts during free kicks and penalty kicks. In many ways, and amongst many sports, the Paralympics has adjusted events to meet the needs of the players, providing them with the best possible opportunities for success.

The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic season had many memorable moments and events for the whole world. All of the countries competing were able to show their skill and lust for victory, while also symbolizing the unity amongst the athletes and their nations. In representing the everlasting life of the Olympic Games, the torch was passed to the Los Angeles mayor at the close of this year’s events, opening the door to the next Summer Olympics in 2028.

Astronauts Stuck in Space --Henry Wyman

Two astronauts currently are stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), due to issues with the rocket that was supposed to take them home. To better understand the issue you first need to go back through the history of the ISS.
On November 20th 1998, the first piece of the ISS was launched into orbit around Earth. The ISS is one of the most impressive feats of aerospace engineering that humanity has accomplished—astronauts from all around the world travel there to do important research and to keep the station running. In recent years, the main contributor to the space station has been NASA, the organization sending a few crews every year. In the past, NASA has always built their rockets in-house, but recently they have started to sign contracts with other companies to manufacture them. 

In 2014, NASA signed a $4.2 billion contract with Boeing and a $2.6 billion contract with SpaceX for a few planned missions to and from the ISS Since 2014, both companies have been developing new rockets designed to take astronauts safely and more efficiently into space than the rockets previously built by NASA. Boeing was set to launch one of their rockets on June 5, 2024, and, though there were some issues during Boeing's production process, there was never anything major enough to cause real concern. The Starliner was meant to take its first crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, on a one week trip to and from the ISS. 

Before the rocket launched, the capsule had a helium leak in its propulsion system, which would later be followed by four more during flight. As the astronauts reached the station, NASA only found more problems with the rocket, quickly deciding to postpone the astronauts return until they could confidently identify the issue. Initially, what seemed like only a minute extension to the trip, turned into a much longer stay. A multitude of new problems forced NASA to bring the rocket back to Earth unmanned. 

As it currently stands, the one week trip to the Space Station has now turned into an eight month residency which will supposedly last until February of 2025. This rocket ship fiasco is one of many recent PR nightmares that has plagued of late, and Boeing and NASA are trying to prevent words like “stuck” or “stranded” from ending up in the media. 

When the astronauts do return, they will be doing so on a SpaceX capsule instead of a Boeing one, which is just another embarrassment for Boeing on top of their other failures with this mission. However, it's not all doom and gloom as the astronauts have reported that they are in good spirits. They are both former Navy sailors, so they are used to unexpectedly long deployments. They have given a few interviews stating that they understood the risks in space travel and do not blame NASA or Boeing for their current predicament. All the controversy aside, all we can hope now is that the astronauts have a safe journey back to their families this coming February.

All About Hurricanes --Abigail Feiszli 

Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the water’s surface. When warm water evaporates to form clouds, heat is released. This strengthens updrafts, which can then begin spinning counterclockwise to form a cyclone. A cyclone, in this context, is the beginning stage of a hurricane; however, a cyclone can also refer to the hurricane as a whole. The name depends on location: hurricanes form in the Atlantic and Northeastern Pacific oceans, typhoons occur in the Northwestern Pacific ocean, and cyclones form in the South Pacific and Indian oceans. Hurricanes are classified into one of five categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Category 1 hurricanes have winds of 74-95 mph, Category 2 hurricanes have winds of 96-110 mph, Category 3 storms have winds of 111-129 mph, Category 4s have winds of 130-156 mph, and Category 5 hurricanes, the deadliest of all, have winds of 157 mph or higher.

While hurricane categorization deals with wind speed, the category of a hurricane doesn’t determine exactly how destructive it will be. Some hurricanes of lesser categories may be more destructive than those of higher categories. Some tropical storms can even be more damaging than hurricanes! Most of the damage from these storms stems from storm surge, when water is pushed onto land, causing major flooding. Hurricanes can also spawn tornados, which combine with the high wind speeds and excessive rain to cause damage. 

Hurricane season lasts from June 1st to November 30th, and, as of October 14th, there have been 13 named storms in the Atlantic this hurricane season—nine of them developing into hurricanes. Thus far, there have been tropical storms Alberto, Chris, Gordon, and Joyce; storms Beryl, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Helene, Isaac, Kirk, Leslie, and Milton have all reached hurricane status. 

Hurricanes receive their names from one of six predetermined lists, which are rotated every year. The 21-name list includes names beginning with letters A-W (the letters Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z are not used), with the names alternating between male and female every other letter. The same names are used every six years, unless a hurricane is so destructive that its name must be retired and replaced on the list. If the number of storms in a season were to exceed 21 named storms, a supplemental list containing 21 additional names would be used. Previously, the Greek alphabet was used to name additional storms, but this practice was retired after the 2020 season. 

The 2024 hurricane season officially kicked off on June 19th with tropical storm Alberto, which lasted only one day. However, the first hurricane of the season came with a bang, and Hurricane Beryl became the first major hurricane of the season (major hurricanes are Category 3 or higher), the first Category 5 storm of the season, and the earliest ever recorded Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Beryl formed on June 28th in the tropical Atlantic region, before making its way over to Carriacou, Grenada, where it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. It peaked on July 2nd as a Category 5, before lessening as it passed through the rest of the Caribbean, Mexico, and the southern United States. It dissipated in the U.S. on July 11th after claiming at least 70 victims. 

Hurricane season continued with Hurricane Debby. Debby formed on July 26th near the Caribbean and made landfall on August 5th in Florida as a Category 1 storm. It then re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean before making landfall again in South Carolina on August 8th. The hurricane began to dissipate, but its remnants made their way up the east coast of the United States, causing destruction such as flooding and power outages. The effects of this hurricane could be seen in the Cleveland area, with the long lasting power outage in early August. In total, Hurricane Debby caused 10 casualties. 

After Hurricane Debby, Hurricanes Ernesto and Francine formed. Ernesto formed on August 12th in the Caribbean, and peaked as a Category 2 before landing in Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane on August 17th. Ernesto claimed 3 victims during its run. Francine formed on September 9th in the Central Atlantic ocean prior to moving into Louisiana where it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. It dissipated on September 14th and had no fatalities. 

The most destructive hurricane so far this season was Hurricane Helene. Helene was the second major hurricane of the season, and the deadliest to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It formed on September 24th near southeastern Mexico and Central America. It then traveled north along the Mexican border before landing in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26th. Hurricane Helene traveled up to Tennessee before it dissipated on September 29th. Hurricane Helene caused at least 250 deaths with over 209 people still reported as missing. 

The most recent hurricane this season was Hurricane Milton. Milton formed on October 5th in the Gulf of Mexico, where it rapidly increased to a Category 5 hurricane by October 7th. Hurricane Milton was expected to be even deadlier than Helene, but, fortunately, it was not as fatal as predicted. It made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 9th. Milton moved back into the Atlantic Ocean before dissipating on October 12th. As of October 14th, there are at least 27 fatalities and 6 missing people after the hurricane. Milton has caused at least $30 billion in damages, and many families throughout Florida are left in despair.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has been eventful so far, but it is far from over. There is a month and a half left, and the National Hurricane Center is already on the lookout for the next storm: Nadine. 

Expanding War in the Middle East --Quinn Duns 

Destruction envelops the Middle East. Israel continues to attack Lebanon and cross the border. Iran, on the cusp of nuclear capability, fires rockets into Israel, stoking fears of an Israeli retaliatory strike. Meanwhile, Israel’s war in Gaza still rages on. The major players of the Middle East are plotting their next moves, and the specter of war is plaguing the region.

Although Israel’s ground invasion first took place on September 30th, it was two weeks earlier on the 17th that Israel started to ramp up its attacks on Lebanon. Thousands of pagers and walkie talkies were remotely blown up, killing 32. Then, the Israelis struck many targets within Lebanon with missiles, killing around 1,400 and displacing a million Lebanese civilians. This aggression is aimed towards the militant group Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy which operates mainly out of Lebanon. Israel has been somewhat successful in its strikes, most notably killing the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah. For now, fighting has only taken place a few miles from the border, but the fighting has been fierce. So far at least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting. 

Because of the Israeli attacks, Iran, a strong ally of Hezbollah, responded with missiles fired at Israel on October 1st. Of the nearly 200 rockets launched, only a few were able to hit, with two being injured by shrapnel. Although shocking, this isn’t the first time Iran has fired rockets into Israel. In April they did just that, but the Israeli response then was strangely passive. This time though, many believe that Israel won’t hold back, especially since Iran is closer to obtaining nuclear capabilities—some saying they're just weeks away from gaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Israel's war in Gaza rages on, without end in sight.

As the Middle East unravels, the world is holding its breath. With Iranian nuclear capabilities iminent, and with war expanding into Lebanon, as well as conflict in Gaza still blazing, one can only wait to see what would happen next.

Presidential Election Campaigns --Sage Ingraham 

The recent Presidential Election was extremely contentious and many were surprised by the results. Donald Trump’s win was historic, as he will be the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Furthermore, this election marks the first time since 2004 that the Republican Party won the popular vote. Both parties employed new campaign strategies in order to appeal to different demographics with varying degrees of success. 

First, let’s look at the winner of the election, Donald Trump. Trump obtained 310 electoral votes and over 4 million more votes than Kamala Harris. One of the biggest factors that led to his victory was breaking the so-called Blue Wall—states whose electoral votes almost always go to the Democratic candidate. He first broke the Blue Wall when he was elected in 2016, winning Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. President Joe Biden won these states in the 2020 election and then went on to win the presidency. Therefore, both Trump and Harris spent a significant amount of time campaigning there this year, and Trump managed to win them back. 

One of the strategies Trump employed in his campaign was focusing on increasing voter turnout. Out of all demographics, young men have one of the lowest rates of participating in elections. In this election, Trump aimed to encourage this group to vote via unconventional methods. Trump’s campaign spent a lot of time garnering attention online, making appearances on podcasts, and turning down opportunities to give interviews on more traditional news sources. Trump chose not to dedicate as much time appealing to moderate voters, as he believed the state of the economy would cause moderates to vote for him without much need for campaigning. This does seem to be true, as 32% of voters said that the economy was one of their main concerns, and 80% of that group voted for Trump. 

Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election by a rather significant margin, losing both the electoral and popular vote. During her campaign, she spent most of her resources appealing to moderates and mainly used traditional campaign strategies. Her target demographic throughout her campaign seemed to be women, taking advantage of Trump’s history of misconduct to win over women who typically vote Republican. She also made an effort to appeal to male voters in a series of campaign ads that ran during sporting events in key states. According to data from NBC, she won a slight majority of votes from women (53%), and 64% of votes from racial minorities. However, her successes were not enough to win her the election. Polling shows that many voters cared the most about the economy and immigration, two issues the Biden administration is often blamed for. Additionally, the fact that Biden announced that he was not running for a second term so late in the race meant that Harris had a lot of catching up to do. The truth is that Harris was fighting an uphill battle from the beginning. 

As more data comes out from the election, it may become more clear what exactly caused things to shake out the way they did. However, it seems that the best strategies for winning this election were unconventional ones. 

Recent Plane Crash --Stephen Murphy 

On Tuesday, November 5th, a small jet crashed into a vehicle while taking off from the Mesa Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. According to witness Joshua Golabi, the plane also crashed through a metal fence and multiple concrete walls before hitting the vehicle. Of the five people in the plane, four of them were killed on impact, including the pilot, their ages ranging from 12 to 48. The fifth was quickly hospitalized, but did survive the event either. The driver of the vehicle, Ray Longhi, was also killed in the crash. Ironically, Longhi had loved aviation and had made it his goal to travel the world. 

As of November 13th, the road that the crash occurred on remains closed, and the government is only beginning their efforts toward cleaning up the wreckage. It remains unclear as to why the plane was not able to successfully take off, which is a topic for federal investigation. 

Conflict in South Korea --Stephen Murphy 

On Tuesday, December 3rd, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared Martial Law. This means that full governing power is placed into the hands of the military. Yoon accused his political opposition of being sympathetic towards North Korea, and he gave a vow to protect democratic order at all costs. 

Thousands of people took to the streets to protest as soldiers took to patrols. A mere 2 hours after the announcement, 190 lawmakers gathered together at a National assembly and unanimously voted to lift the declaration of martial law. News of this spread quickly and civilian onlookers began calling for the arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol. Six hours after the vote, Yoon chose to accept it and revoked martial law declaration. Given these surprising events, only one question remains: what will happen to Yoon Suk Yeol?

A motion was quickly filed to impeach the President. Of the three hundred members of the National Assembly, two-thirds of them would need to vote in favor in order for the motion to pass. With 192 seats being occupied by members of democratic parties, Yoon would need fewer than eight members of his own party to vote in favor of the motion. With how poorly Yoon’s party reacted to his Martial Law declaration, it seemed very likely that the motion would pass. However, Yoon’s party decided to bail him out, many of them opposing the motion. Had the motion passed, Yoon would have had to face a Constitutional Court that would have needed a two-thirds vote to remove him from office. If this had been the case, the prime minister would set up an election within the next sixty days and would take charge until then.

Although he remains in power, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has managed to spook his own people and damaged his already dwindling relationship with the public. If he were to upset them again, he may not be so lucky.

Healthcare CEO Assassinated --Quinn Duns

Deny. Depose. Defend. These were the words written on the bullet casings of UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione. On December 4th, at 6:44 am, 50 year old Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance provider UnitedHealthcare, was walking to the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. He was attending the annual investors conference, as UHC is the fourth largest public company in the US, and America's largest insurance provider. It was just ten days earlier, on November 24,  that Mangione arrived in New York. 

Mangione, an Ivy League student and part of a distinguished Maryland family, was living in San Francisco when he went silent over the summer and was reported missing in November. He stayed at a hostel during his tenure in New York, and was living with two bunkmates, who were unable to identify him since he wore a mask at all times. At 6:45, Mangione appeared behind Thompson and shot him three times. The assailant fled on an ebike and entered Central Park, discarding a backpack, which was later found to have monopoly money inside. Mangione ditched his bike and took a taxi to a bus station, on which he fled New York. 

For five days, police had few leads, and had little to work off of. Then, on December 9th, police received a tip at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, around 230 miles away from New York, where Mangione was later arrested. In his possession, he had a passport, multiple fake IDs, a gun that matched the bullets at the crime scene, and clothes that matched the ones worn at the shooting, as well as his manifesto. Mangione is to be extradited to New York for trial. While many celebrated his capture, some celebrated Mangione, saying he had evaded capture for so long, there was a “shooter lookalike” competition in New York. 

These reactions to the assassination underpins frustrations with the American health system. Insurance companies can deny and delay claims for people in need of healthcare; this is the “deny” and “delay” Mangione was referring to on the casings. UnitedHealthcare itself is embroiled in legal trouble after it was discovered that they used AI to allow or deny claims. The United States has the most expensive healthcare in the world, but is 42nd in life expectancy. The assassination, instead of spawning sympathy, has sparked anger and a yearn for change. 

Ground-Shaking Earthquake --Alice Jones

On December 5, 2024, California was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It struck about 62 miles offshore, affecting residents of Humboldt county. Located about 300 miles north of San Francisco, these communities felt acute seismic effects, including shaking, property damage, and a brief tsunami warning. Fortunately, the damage was fairly localized, and no deaths have been reported at this time. Despite its large size and severity, the earthquake’s effects were diminished by its epicenter. 

Due to California’s location atop three different tectonic plates, earthquakes are actually quite common. In fact, the state records more than 10,000 quakes per year, on average. Many of these are far too minor to cause any damage, or even be felt. This time, California residents were lucky, since the earthquake struck a distance off the coast. However, in the past, such disasters have been, well, disastrous. 

In 2019, the Ridgecrest Earthquake ripped homes off their foundations and damaged the Naval Air Weapons Center of China Lake. It also caused gas leaks, landslides, and fires in the days after. Similar to the December 5, 2024 earthquake, it was rated a 7.1. However, even this was seen as non damaging. Comparatively, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti with the same rating caused $1.6 billion worth of damages. About 220,000 people were killed, and many more were injured. Nearly 10 years later, Haiti is still facing the effects from the terrible tragedy. Certainly, California citizens have been extremely lucky, especially considering the dire nature of the earthquakes they have faced. 

2025 California Wildfires --Abigail Feiszli

A mere seven days into the year 2025, southern California erupted into flames, experiencing some of the state’s well-known wildfires. Wildfires have always been a part of California’s natural history, with its dry conditions, high winds, and hot weather providing the perfect atmosphere to maintain flames. The series of fires that began on January 7th were no different, spreading quickly due to these Californian conditions. 

The Palisades Fire began around 10:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, just west of Los Angeles, and is still ongoing as of January 19th. The origins of the fire are unknown, but investigations into arson, power-lines, and reignited blazes are all under way. The area affected is home to many celebrities, including Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Ricki Lake, who all lost their homes in the Palisades Fire. Many others, such as Britney Spears, were forced to evacuate their homes as the fires continued to spread. As of January 19th, the fire has been 56% contained, but has burned nearly 24,000 acres of land and destroyed over 5,000 buildings. The fire has resulted in at least 10 deaths, with officials expecting the death toll to rise. 

The Eaton Fire started only eight hours after the Palisades Fire, affecting cities just north of Los Angeles. The cause of the Eaton Fire is also unknown, but it is likely the result of power lines igniting nearby vegetation. As of January 19th, the fire has been 81% contained, but has burned around 14,000 acres of land and destroyed over 8,000 buildings. With 17 fatalities, the fire is currently ranked as the fifth-deadliest fire in California history. 

Between the two largest fires this year, over 200,000 Californians have been forced to abandon their homes and evacuate, with some being allowed to slowly return. Both wildfires spread rapidly as a result of nearly 100 mile per hour Santa Ana winds (also referred to as Devil Winds), in addition to California’s dry climate and hot weather. Besides the Palisades and Eaton fires, there have been 195 other wildfires just this year! A total of 40,000 acres have been burned, 14,000 buildings have been destroyed, and 17 deaths have occurred. For comparison, more deaths have occurred from California wildfires in the first month of 2025 than the past four years combined! To help support those who have been affected by these wildfires, consider donating to the Red Cross, the California Fire Foundation, or any GoFundMe pages of victims of the fires.

Civil War in Syria --Avery Schriner

For more than a decade, Syria’s civil war has dragged on. Starting in the early 2010s during the “Arab Spring”, characterized by a stark increase in anti-authoritarian movements throughout the Arab world, one protest by Syrian teenagers lit the spark. After that, nonviolent protests met with violence from the government began a cascade of violent protests, eventually prompting a full-blown civil war. The Syrian government’s allies got involved, followed by Islamist extremist groups, including al-Qaeda, supporting the rebel opposition. As these extremist groups gained more and more power and authority in Syria, a US-led coalition began work to defeat them. Eventually, a ceasefire was agreed to in 2020 and no major flare-ups have occurred—that is, until now. 

In 2010, the Arab Spring arose as a movement to combat the oppressive authoritarian governments in various Arab countries. Common people started protests against major leaders through public demonstrations, starting in Tunisia and spreading to Egypt, Bahrain, and Libya before reaching Syria in early 2011. On March 6, after leaders had been threatened in other countries, teenagers at a Syrian school wrote, “Your turn, doctor” on the wall of their school, in reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was a trained doctor. The students were tortured and abused in prison, causing protests that gradually evolved from peaceful to violent as officers used violent means of deterring them, including teargas and gunshots. This brutality from police paired with released images of the beaten teens enraged demonstrators across Syria, who now called for a national movement to overthrow Assad.

This was not well-received by Assad’s government and military, who have been in power since 1971. They responded with even more violence against protestors, even those who participated in non-violent demonstrations. Soon, weapons and armed combat became more prevalent amongst both sides of an increasingly divided Syria. The opposition party to Assad’s regime formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in mid-2011. However, when they found that funding would be difficult to procure, extremist groups—namely Jabhat al-Nusra—stepped forward to assist. The battle between Assad’s Syrian government, along with its allies Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, and the rebel opposition, supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, continued for years.

Meanwhile, Islamist extremist groups, including al-Qaeda and, more prominently, ISIS, took advantage of Syria’s instability. As the fighting intensified in the civil war, ISIS began to dominate in many areas of Syria. Eventually, they gained so much territory through violence and terrorism that the US stepped in with a coalition to target the organization and eliminate it. By 2014, they achieved this goal, with the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), ending ISIS’s territorial existence. Still, though, the Syrian civil war continued. Finally, in 2020, a ceasefire was brokered by Russia and Turkey, regarding the Idlib province in northwestern Syria. This action heavily abated the violence within Syria. Though, it never truly “ended”, Syria’s civil war remained, as it was often called, “frozen” for years. Not until late 2024 did it spark again.

In mid-December of 2024, a new rebel offensive—the first major one in years—shattered Syria’s stalemate. This surprise attack was carried out by the “Military Operations Command,” a new coalition formed to combat attacks by Assad’s government and their Iranian allies. It was successful in capturing most of Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, in just days. Soon after, the organization was able to gain full control of the provinces of Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo. These successes for the rebels were met with increased repellants from the government, including airstrikes, partly from Russian jets, and reinforcements on the ground. Now, the presiding group behind this new string of attacks is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has been previously linked to al-Qaeda. They are joined by various rebel groups supported by Turkey, though they do not necessarily get along well. Both Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish-backed organizations have a common goal of defeating Assad, but they lack a sense of unity. However, the groups have undoubtedly had success as they continue to make advances, leading to a rapid collapse of the Syrian government.

Statements released by the opposition groups express that this new series of offensives seeks to defend their territory within Syria, on which the government has stepped up attacks. It is also possible that, as Syria’s main allies, including Iran and Russia, are absorbed in their own conflicts, these groups are attempting to act while they have the upper hand. 

Once the rebels reached Damascus, Syria’s capital, Assad fled to Russia, where he was welcomed by Vladimir Putin. Next, opposition forces celebrated their victories with the people of Syria by releasing thousands of prisoners from Assad’s prisons, which have been described as “human slaughterhouses” due to the inhumane torture and abuse that was prevalent within them. As Syrian life continues under the new authority of rebel group members, thousands of internally displaced people emerge, some in search of family and others with nowhere to go. This has created a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed by whoever assumes control of the generally unfilled government positions in Syria. Despite the relatively uncertain future, Syrian citizens still remain hopeful that this is a step in the right direction, away from rulers like Assad.

TikTik Ban --Amelia Dalalau

The ban on TikTok has been hitting hard for many people these last few weeks. To make it less scary and more understandable, here is a timeline of the ban and some outcomes that could come out of January 19th.

Back in March of 2024 a bill was passed in the United States congress that stated if TikTok was not sold to a US company, then it would be banned in the United States. Tikok, owned by ByteDance, is a Chinese operated company, and the US government feared user data was being breached from the app. In response, TikTok sent dozens of creators to Washington to stand up for the app, showcasing many new developments they implemented to protect user data. They even started posting, telling users to speak up and try to stop congress. However, none of this worked and congressed passed the TikTok ban or sell bill.

In April of 2024, the bill went to president Biden, and he signed it. Then in May, TikTok and ByteDance sued the US federal government to challenge the law, claiming it was unconstitutional, going against the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech. Not even one month later, The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice filed a joint lawsuit against TikTok and Bytedance for violating children's privacy laws.

Jump to December 6th, a federal appeals court finds the law to be constitutional and the ban is upheld. Then, 20 days later, Trump asked the Supreme Court to put a pause on the TikTok ban because he wanted time to resolve the dispute. This led to a hearing with the Supreme Court in which they chose to uphold the ban. As of January 15th, the ban is still set to go into place on January 19th. 

However, this act is sparking many people to question why the government is really banning TikTok. While the government claims it is because TikTok is run by a foreign advisory and is dangerous to American People and their information, many are wondering if that is really the case. Users are speculating that the law is actually suppressing Americans' free speech and trying to influence users away from becoming “less American”. However, some others are hopeful. It is very rare for the Supreme Court to make a decision this quickly. Normally they take weeks, even months. Even if TikTok does get banned, there are many alternative apps people are already looking to switch to. One app people are shifting to is called RedNote, a Mandarin app with a very similar setup to TikTok. Another app people are planning on joining is Neptune, an American app, also very similar to TikTok, that is coming out in the spring.

So whether you are an avid TikTok user like me, or you've never been on the app, it’s important to take a second and think about the ban. Is Congress passing it to protect the people, or are they trying to suppress your freedom of speech? Either way, we should try to stay hopeful for a good outcome and stand up for what we believe is right.

Super Bowl 59: Eagles Soar to the Win --Alice Jones 

On February 9th, 2025, the 59th annual Super Bowl took place between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Led by Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs were the favorites, with a 54.5% chance of taking home the win. However, in the end, it was the Eagles who pulled through, blowing away the competition in a 40-22 smashdown. 

From the very beginning of the game, the Eagles took control of the scoreboard, using their signature “tush push” to score the first touchdown of the game. From there, the second quarter was a breeze for the green and silver Philadelphians, with a field goal and two touchdowns before their opponents were even on the board. Thus, halftime saw the Eagles, who had previously been the statistical underdogs, up 27-0.

Following the performance by rapper Kendrick Lamar, the game continued, only improving the Eagle’s lead. By the end of the third quarter, Chiefs fans had little to no hope for a comeback. Two back-to-back touchdowns by the Philadelphia Eagles boosted their score to 34 points, and while the Chiefs managed a single touchdown before the end of the third quarter, it was much too little, too late. 

In the final quarter of the game, the Chiefs went on to score two additional touchdowns, and the Eagles scored another 6 points, ending the game with a score of 40-22 for the victorious Eagles. This was only the second Super Bowl win for the Eagles in NFL history, and their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was named MVP of the game. Overall, it was a remarkable beat down for the Eagles, and a historic second win of the Lombardi Trophy for Philadelphia's beloved football team. 

That said, the football itself wasn’t the only notable thing about the Super Bowl. The long-awaited halftime show by Kendrick Lamar, with songs from his newest album GNX, left viewers electrified. Part showmanship, part social critique, part rivalry with another musical artist, the simple set made the performance stand out all the more. Reviews are widely divided over the place of such political performances at non-partisan sporting events, debating if the messages of the performance are inappropriate. While many fans enjoyed the music and the cultural commentary it awarded, more conservative viewers have condemned the entire showing. Though Kendrick Lamar headlined, SZA was a special guest, and Serena Williams cameoed as a background dancer. 

As always, the game was highly televised and attended, including ads worth $7 million and tickets worth more than $7,000 a piece. Despite the cost, the big game drew in over 65,000 fans, and over 113.5 million online viewers. Naturally, among these fans were celebrities of all calibers who came out of the woodwork to support both teams. From Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio to the newly inducted President of the United States, Donald Trump, it seems that everyone was watching Super Bowl 59. 

Fatal D.C. Plane Crash --Avery Schriner

On the night of January 29, an American Airlines passenger aircraft collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. There were sixty-four total people aboard the plane and three soldiers on the helicopter, all of whom were killed. The wreckage of both the helicopter and plane were submerged in the Potomac River and investigation efforts to retrieve evidence from the site have helped determine possible causes of the disaster. However, as investigators continue their search for answers, many details and a definite cause are still to be determined.

As of February 8, all of the major debris from the collision had been retrieved from the river. This is an important source of information for investigators, as it can provide insight as to the angle of the collision, as well as other evidence. Divers were also able to retrieve the black boxes—tools that record the flight data and communication between the cockpit and air traffic controllers—from both the passenger airplane and the Black Hawk. These, especially the one from the helicopter, have proven to be extremely useful. This tool told investigators that the altimeter calculated that the Black Hawk was 278 feet above ground level at the time of the collision, even though the training mission did not allow it to fly above 200 feet. However, it is important to note that this altimeter calculation may not have been visible to the pilots of the helicopter at the time. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board has not released altitude data for the Black Hawk’s entire flight because there have been detected inconsistencies. Just before the collision, the instructor pilot and the pilot flying the helicopter read out two different altitudes, and it has not yet been determined as to why this discrepancy occurred. According to the data from the black boxes, it seems as though the Black Hawk did not foresee the crash, while the passenger aircraft did see the helicopter rising into its path. 

In addition to the discrepancies in altitude, the recordings held within the black box of the Black Hawk helicopter reveal further miscommunication. Seventeen seconds prior to the collision, the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport told the helicopter to pass behind the airplane, a transmission which could be heard clearly on both aircraft. However, at the same time this message was coming through to the helicopter, the microphone key in the Black Hawk was depressed, possibly causing the pilots to miss the important words “pass behind the.” It is likely that this confusion contributed in part to the collision because the pilots did not know how to correctly shift the helicopter position.

The passengers on board the American Airlines plane and the flight crews of both aircraft were lost in the collision. These passengers included lawyers, professors, newly-weds, college students, and beloved family members, but also top figure skating athletes and coaches from the US and Russia. There were several teenage figure skaters, some as young as twelve, returning from a skating camp in Wichita, Kansas. They, among their parents and coaches, all perished in this horrific accident. The investigation into how these people died is still underway, and most likely will be for an extended period of time, so further conclusions will be made in the future.

NASA Astronauts Return to Earth --Abigail Feiszli 

On June 5th, 2024, two NASA astronauts departed from Earth in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The two astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, were expected to be gone for eight days while testing if the Starliner spacecraft could be used for routine International Space Station (ISS) missions. However, after lifting off, the Starliner began to leak helium in multiple spots, threatening the astronauts’ safety. Later, when Williams and Wilmore boarded the ISS, the helium leaks stopped, but thruster issues with the spacecraft forced NASA to send the Starliner back to Earth without Williams and Wilmore, in order to prioritize their safety. 

In August, NASA announced that the rotation crew, Crew-9, would go to the ISS in September in order to bring back the astronauts in February or March. Crew-9, consisting of NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, successfully left Earth on September 28th, 2024, in the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule. A typical NASA rotation crew would stay at the ISS for six months, so it was decided that Williams and Wilmore would join Crew-9’s rotation and come back to Earth at the end of their six months. 

While Williams and Wilmore were aboard the ISS, they performed maintenance, conducted countless science experiments, and logged nearly one thousand hours of scientific research. Williams and Wilmore performed multiple spacewalks, conducted research on the weightlessness of microscopic organisms, and researched how microbes produce vitamin-like nutrients.

On the evening of March 14th, Crew-9’s replacement crew, Crew-10, departed from Earth, docking at the ISS around 11:30 P.M. EDT on March 15th. The crews had a short handover period before Crew-9 undocked from the ISS around 1:00 A.M. EDT on March 18th. 17 hours later, Crew-9 splashed into the waters off the coast of Florida and were quickly recovered by SpaceX recovery vessels. 

In total, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 286 days in space—278 days longer than expected. This makes their time in space the sixth longest consecutive time in American history. Williams has now spent a cumulative 608 days in space, and Wilmore has spent a cumulative 464 days in space. It is unclear whether or not the Boeing Starliner that took the astronauts to the ISS will fly again, and whether or not it will fly with a crew. But for now, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are safe back on Earth.

The AI Bubble --Henry Wyman

In December 2015, a company by the name of OpenAI was founded with the goal of developing “safe and beneficial” artificial intelligence. At first, the company had real trouble making any progress with its production. However, after some initial success in creating an AI engine, they secured enough funding for the eventual release of what has now become one of their biggest victories: ChatGPT. 

While I’m sure very few people reading this don’t already know what ChatGPT is, I do feel there is somewhat of a disconnect between its intended purpose and how it’s actually being used. ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot designed for natural language understanding and generation, allowing it to provide a wellspring of services. It can access a large database of information, enabling it to answer questions, act as characters, code, and even assist in creating new chatbots. Though the AI’s potential seemed limitless, most found its best use to be its ability to generate work so they wouldn’t have to do it themselves. This led to many schools across America, including this one, banning ChatGPT on school computers and punishing students whenever its use was discovered. 

Despite this controversy, ChatGPT has seen great success since its release in November 2022—so much so that it has acted as a starting gun for the world’s new obsession with AI. With seemingly every big tech company launching its own AI service and insisting it’s the best, the market is beginning to feel oversaturated. With many once-free services now locked behind paywalls and a general feeling that no massive improvements are being made, people are starting to question AI’s future. Most AI critics insist the fad is reaching its end, while in contrast, AI-obsessed tech bros argue that everything is fine. In my opinion, both sides are flawed. No matter what people think, AI is the future we are headed toward. The advantages and potential are simply too great to ignore. 

That being said, AI companies and services right now have serious logistical issues that, I believe, are going to lead to a partial bursting of the current overinflated AI bubble. Companies like the aforementioned OpenAI keep insisting that everything is going fine and that we are right on the brink of something great, but as it currently stands, these companies’ entire system has severe flaws. 

To understand these flaws, you have to understand the current system Open AI and other tech giants are operating under. One of the most important elements in creating a powerful and efficient AI is having access to as many of the most powerful computer chips as possible so the AI can process information at peak efficiency. All of the big tech companies have spent billions on chops from the industry leader, NVIDIA. They then invest even more money and resources into constantly training and improving their AI models. But the biggest problem arises in the final step: trying to make back any of the money they’ve spent. 

Even the most profitable AI company, OpenAI, is losing $5 billion a year and has reported that its premium ChatGPT subscription—priced at $200 a month—is actually losing money. These companies have an interesting and useful product, but no clear way to monetize what they’ve poured billions into developing. This glaring issue was further highlighted with the release of Deepseek AI, a Chinese-developed AI chatbot created as a competitor to ChatGPT. When Deepseek was released, it was found to perform about on par with ChatGPT on almost every metric. While these stats alone may not be too concerning, the fact that Deepseek was developed at a lower cost, trained with slightly weaker hardware, and remains free to users creates a real problem for American tech companies. The American AI industry is largely held up by the belief that AI will eventually become highly profitable, but Deepseek highlights a fundamental flaw in that assumption. It is obvious that Deepseek was trained on ChatGPT and used it as a framework, yet it cost less to produce and was released for free. 

At this point, what we should be hoping for is a gradual stabilization of these companies so they can grow at a sustainable pace. For now, all most people can do is wait and see how everything plays out. I predict some degree of an AI bubble bursting in America, but I am optimistic that it will ultimately lead to a stronger, more stable industry that benefits everyone. 

Cory Booker --Amelia Dalalau

On Monday, March 31st, history was made in the Senate. Cory Booker, a Senior United States Senator from New Jersey, held the Senate Floor for a total of 25 hours, setting a new record. He started the speech in protest of President Donald Trump, warning of a “grave and urgent” movement in American history. He used his time on the floor to criticize The Trump Administration for its “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.” As a Democrat, Booker supports ending the war on drugs and legalizing cannabis, abortion rights, affirmative action, and a single-payer health care plan. Booker stated in his speech "I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis. I believe that not in a partisan sense, because so many of the people that have been reaching out to my office in pain, in fear, having their lives upended”.

At some point, over 60,000 people tuned into his livestream of the speech on TikTok and the video got over 200 million likes. In his speech, he quoted poetry, song lyrics, bible verses, and other senators and generals to keep the senate floor. While he obviously needed to use some material that was non governmental or policy centered to pass time, he mostly kept his speech on topic and about his disapproval of The Trump Administration. He even went as far as to read personal experiences from people who have been affected by Trump's policies.

It was especially important for Booker, as an African American, to break the previous record for holding the senate floor because it was set 68 years prior by segregationist Democrat, Strom Thurmond. He held the Senate Floor for a day and night in opposition of the Civil Rights Act. Booker was overcome with emotion, and, after breaking the record, he looked up to the ceiling and touched his heart as his fellow Democrats in the chamber applauded his effort. 

This speech was a prime example of democracy in America. Cory Booker used his freedom of speech and power as a senator to criticize an administration that he believed was corrupt and unconstitutional.

Conflict Between India & Pakistan --Quinn Duns

Over the past few weeks, India and Pakistan have been embroiled in conflict. Hostilities began on April 22nd after pro-Pakistani terrorists attacked tourists in the disputed region of Kashmir. Two weeks later, on May 7th, India launched waves of drones and missiles across eastern Pakistan which resulted in many casualties, causing outcry in Pakistan. While shocking, flair ups like these aren’t uncommon between the two countries, as Pakistan and India have a long history of conflict. 

In 1947, the partition of India by the British, which divided the subcontinent into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan (and later Bangladesh after the 1971 war), led to violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims, with hundreds of thousands being killed and around 15 million people displaced. The partition, and subsequent anarchy and destruction, has seared animosity and mistrust into the psyche of the countries. In that same year, the first war over the region known as Kashmir began. Before the war, Kashmir sought to be an independent country, but because of an invasion by Pakistani tribes, the region agreed to become a part of India in exchange for protection. After the war, Kashmir was divided between Pakistan and India (and later China in 1962, but that's not important to the narrative). 

The conflict over Kashmir has driven Pakistani and Indian tensions ever since the first war, and since then the countries have fought three wars, the last one ending in 1999, with intermittent fighting and skirmishes since the 2000s. However, with this latest round of violence, war between the two countries seems closer than it has been in 20 years, as fighting has been the most widespread and significant in decades. But after days of cross-border skirmishes between the two nuclear armed countries, a ceasefire was announced on May 10th. As of May 11th, the ceasefire seems to be holding, although not without incident, and the two countries have taken a step back from the brink of war. However, this solution is only temporary, and the underlying issues which caused the conflict have not been addressed. And so, most definitely, conflict will continue between the two nations.