Issue No. 6, FALL 2023

World and US News Assessment----Tempature is High, Leaders Need to Lead

We all know that the world's countries have been having problems with each other for a while now. Seeing things like the war with Ukraine and Russia, or Israel and Hamas really puts our country's relationships into top priority. But are our world leaders noticing that? 

Israel/Hamas War

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists broke out of the Gaza strip and into Israel massacring thousands of people. Hamas, an anti-Israeli terrorist group, is the governing body in the Gaza strip which was guarded by Israel. Israel has almost complete control over what comes in and out of the Gaza strip. In result, Hamas terrorists broke out of the strip and invaded Israel, attacking and killing 1,400 of innocent civilians. On October 8th, 2023, Israel declared war on Hamas and has been destroying Gaza ever since. As of now, Israel’s defense Forces have stated that there are 203 people who are believed to be alive and held hostage by Hamas. An estimated 30 captives are children under 16 and and 10 being people above the age of 20. Talks are in the works, but are taking an excruciatingly long time, with potentially dire consequences for both sides. 

Nuclear Ban Over

Going back to having sustainable relationships with other countries, America and Russia's Nuclear Ban Agreement is coming to an end - with Russia pulling out. As you all know, America and Russia both hold thousands of nuclear weapons. As you also know, we spent 45 years aiming our missiles at each other, but no one fired. After the war was over, Russia and America formed a treaty. This treaty said that neither side could make, test, threaten with or use nuclear weapons of any kind. This agreement was made to keep both sides in line, and to prevent nuclear war. Russia now, has gone back and looked at the treaty and realized that America signed but never formally validated it.  Allowing Russia to pull out of the deal is now putting the entire world at risk of nuclear attack. 

Lives Lost Domestically to Gun Violence 

Americans have been experiencing thousands of mass shootings across the country. The most recent taking place in Lewiston, Maine where 18 lives were lost. These mass shootings have been happening with more frequency in the last 2 years, starting in Texas with kids being shot at school and making its way across the country. In the beginning of 2023 almost every day there would be another report on a mass shooting, whether at schools, stores, or restaurants. What are our country's leaders doing to stop it? Not much but talk, as usual. New laws would be great; we'll see if anything ever happens on the federal level. 

Robinson, Kali. "What Is Hamas?" Masco Minute, sec. 1. Council on Foreign

     Relations, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hamas. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

Kilani, Feras. "Hamas Leader Refuses to Acknowledge Killing of Civilians in

     Israel." BBC, Paragraph 5 sec. BBC, www.bbc.com/news/

     world-middle-east-67321241. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

Fabian, Emanuel. "Up to 200 Still Unaccounted For, 30 Children among Confirmed

     Gaza Hostages, IDF Says." Masco Minute, 6th ed., sec. 1-6, p. 1. Times of

     Israel, www.timesofisrael.com/

     up-to-200-still-unaccounted-for-30-kids-among-confirmed-gaza-hostages-idf-says/

     #:~:text=The%20Israel%20Defense%20Forces%20said,was%20presented%20Thursday%20by%2

     0Maj. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023. 

Axios. "What to Know about the Gaza Strip and Who Controls It." Masco Minute,

     sec. 1. Axios, www.axios.com/2023/10/21/

     gaza-strip-israel-hamas-war-demographics. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023. 

ABC News Reporters and Press. "Another Victim of Maine Mass Shooting Discharged

     from Hospital." Masco Minute, sec. 2. ABC, abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/

     victim-maine-mass-shooting-discharged-hospital-panel-prepares-104923098.

     Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

Serrano, Alejandro. "'Somber day' in Uvalde as Community Commemorates One Year

     since Robb Elementary Shooting." Masco Minute, All sec. The Texas Tribute,

     www.texastribune.org/2023/05/24/uvalde-robb-elementary-shooting-anniversary/.

     Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

Osborn, Andrew. "Putin Revokes Russian Ratification of Global Nuclear Test Ban

     Treaty." Masco Minute, sec. 1,2,4,5. Reuters, www.reuters.com/world/europe/

     putin-revokes-russias-ratification-nuclear-test-ban-treaty-2023-11-02/.

     Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

"Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons." Masco Minute, sec. 2. United

     Nations, disarmament.unoda.org/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/. Accessed 31 Oct.

     2023.