Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Doping Bans Overturned for 28 Russian Athletes Just Before the Start of the Olympics
The doping bans for 28 Russian athletes were overturned on Thursday, causing quite a bit of controversy regarding the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) stance on Russia’s involvement in this year’s Olympics, which begin next week, ABC News reports.
According to ABC News, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland upheld the appeals of 28 athletes out of the 39 that fought the IOC’s ruling to ban them for life over their alleged role in Russia’s doping cover-up at the Winter Olympics in 2014.
The CAS found that there had in fact been doping at the last Winter Olympics, but the evidence put forward against the 28 athletes was “insufficient.” The 28 athletes will now have their ban lifted, ABC News reports.
“Both CAS panels unanimously found that the evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case,” the CAS said in a summary of its ruling. “In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned.”
The CAS also reduced the ban on the other 11 athletes, now only banning them from this year’s Olympics.
The new ruling raised questions over whether the now exonerated athletes would be allowed to participate in the Olympics next week in Pyeongchang. In a statement, the IOC said that the ruling “does not mean that athletes from the group of 28 will be invited” to this year’s Olympics, ABC News reports.
Russian athletes will be competing in the Olympics as neutrals after the IOC banned Russia due to the doping scandal. 169 Russian athletes were invited to participate after they cleared vetting, and will be participating under the special status “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” ABC News reports.
CDC Director Resigns Due to Financial Interests in Tobacco Companies
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald has resigned after it was reported that Fitzgerald purchased tobacco stock after she took the position as head of the nation’s top public health agency, CNN reports.
Fitzgerald’s investment was seen as a conflict with the CDC’s slogan: “24/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People.” As head of the CDC, she is the one in charge of leading the fight against these companies.
According to CNN, Fitzgerald’s stock purchases were first reported on Tuesday, and it was discovered that she “bought tens of thousands of dollars in new stock holdings in at least a dozen companies,” including Japan Tobacco, which is one of the world’s largest tobacco companies.
In November, Fitzgerald released a statement, saying, “Too many Americans are harmed by cigarette smoking, which is the nation’s leading preventable cause of death and disease.” She also promised to “continue to use proven strategies to help smokers quit and to prevent children from using any tobacco products.”
There were concerns that her financial interests were causing a conflict of interest, and thus was hindering her ability to do her job.
“Dr. Fitzgerald owns certain complex financial interests that have imposed a broad recusal limiting her ability to complete all of her duties as the CDC Director. Due to the nature of these financial interests, Dr. Fitzgerald could not divest from them in a definitive time period,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement on Wednesday, CNN reports.
Fitzgerald’s resignation was accepted by Secretary Alex Azar, and Dr. Anne Schuchat will serve an acting director until a replacement is confirmed, CNN reports.
Michelle Obama Gave a 3rd Grader an A+ on Her School Project
Alexandra, a third grade student, chose to do her Open House project on former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Mrs. Obama herself gave the student a top grade on her project, Buzzfeed reports.
According to Buzzfeed, the student’s mother wrote on Twitter that she was “inspired by [Obama’s] work to make sure more kids go to college & #ReachHigher. She loves that Mrs. Obama is brown & has hair like hers #ISawMyself.”
Today my 9 year old was @MichelleObama for her 3rd grade Open House project. She was inspired by her work to make sure more kids go to college & #ReachHigher . She loves that Mrs Obama is brown & has hair like hers #ISawMyself pic.twitter.com/RYmWumAdHM
— Audrey Dow (@ADCollegeOpp) January 29, 2018
Michelle Obama responded to the tweet, giving Alexandra an A+ on the project.
This just made my day. I may not be a 3rd grade teacher, but this gets an A+ in my book! https://t.co/wBTzbyG8zr
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 31, 2018
According to Buzzfeed, Alexandra was elated by Obama’s response.
“Alexandra was shocked and a bit overwhelmed,” her mother said. “She got really teary-eyed and said she could not believe the First Lady would write to her. She was so happy and said she cannot wait to tell her friends and teacher tomorrow at school.”
We hope that Alexandra’s teacher takes note, because if the former First Lady thinks that the project is worthy of a top grade, Alexandra deserves it.
What to look out for…
Natalie Portman hosts Saturday Night Live this Saturday, and honestly, I am so excited!