News roundup: Jan. 25 – Feb. 6
Here are the top stories during Jan. 25 – Feb. 6 from Texas, the United States and around the world.
Texas:
Sports – Super Bowl 2017 took place in Houston over the weekend, with the entire downtown area transforming into a super-sized celebration center. This was the first Super Bowl to go into overtime and what many are calling the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Protests – The Super Bowl was also the site of mass protests two days in a row, using the media attention on the event to help broadcast the various messages presented. Prominent Democrats, including U.S. Representative Al Green (D-Houston), led the peaceful march. The march was predominantly focused on protesting President Trump’s immigration policies.
Food – In-N-Out Burger is making its way to Houston this summer, though the franchise is reluctant to release too many details. This would not be the first time In-N-Out Burger has ventured into Texas. In 2011, In-N-Out opened a location in the Dallas area and has stated plans to open more stores in Denton and San Antonio.
Politics – Jess Herbst, mayor of New Hope, Texas, came out as transgender in an open letter to the city. She is the first transgender person to hold office in the state of Texas and is doing so in a predominantly conservative part of Collin County, just north of Dallas. She invited the citizens of New Hope, population 670, to write or email her with any concerns.
United States:
Supreme Court – President Trump has announced his nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States to be Judge Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch is to fill the seat left vacant by the late Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch admits he is an admirer of Scalia and addressed his admiration to Scalia’s widow and son at the announcement. The Supreme Court has had only eight judges since Feb. 2016 when Scalia passed. Former President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, was not accepted by the Republican majority in the Senate, who argued that the space should be filled instead by the new president.
National Security Council – President Trump has announced that Steve Bannon, chief strategist and former executive chair of Breitbart News, will be given a permanent seat on the National Security Council. Trump also removed the permanent seats for the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Instead of being present at every meeting, the President will bring them in on meetings that pertain to their expertise.
Dakota Access Pipeline – The Army Corps of Engineers were given clearance to begin construction of the $3.8 billion pipeline under the debated Missouri River crossing. The pipeline has been a protest point for groups and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe for months. Protesters say the pipeline poses a threat to local water systems in the event of a break in the line. There were 631 pipeline incidents costing $283,628,872 in 2016. The pipeline would decrease the time and cost of transporting oil by railroad, the method by which 70% of oil from Bakken, North Dakota is currently shipped.
International:
Canada – Six men were shot and killed, with another 19 wounded, in a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada Jan. 29. The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted firearm.
France – A man armed with two machetes attacked a soldier on guard at the Louvre in Paris on Feb. 3. The soldier suffered injuries to the scalp and shot the attacker five times. French authorities began a terror investigation after the incident. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has called the attack “terrorist in nature.” The suspect is in the hospital and entered Paris on tourist visa on Jan. 26.
Israel – Israel’s parliament passed a bill that retroactively legalizes the internationally condemned Jewish settlements built on privately owned Palestinian land. The “Regulation Bill” allows Israel to recognize thousands of existing illegal settler homes in Palestine, while compensating the original owners with money or new land. This bill arrives in the wake of roughly 6,000 new settlement homes that have been announced since Trump’s inauguration. The bill has already been opposed by the United Nations, who say the bill is a “clear violation of international law.”
Ukraine – Escalation around the city of Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine has led to the death of more than 40 people as pro-government and pro-separatist forces clashed. The two exchanged artillery shells over the course of a week at what is considered the front line of an ongoing civil war. Despite a peace agreement signed in Feb. 2015, nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting that erupted in April 2014. In Feb. 2014, Ukraine saw several violent riots that led to the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych. In the wake of what many call the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia and pro-Russian separatist forces in the east annexed Crimea with the Russian Federation and began a two-year conflict for control of half the country.
Author’s Note: Some stories are too big for briefings and require closer analysis. One such story I’m interested in investigating is the creation of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum, a group of 17 CEO’s and leaders in technology, business and international commerce. I’ll be writing at length about this gathering of minds, as well as the greater implications of the blurred line between the private and public sectors.
