This week in news, women’s preventive health entered the spotlight when Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie revealed her preventive double mastectomy procedure, which significantly reduced her chances of getting breast cancer. Meanwhile, the IRS is being held accountable for some suspicious tax exemption criteria from back in 2010 that seemed to target conservative groups opposing Obama. In other national news, a Hofstra University student was killed when a bullet from an officer’s gun missed the robbery suspect holding her hostage and struck her in the head.
These are just some of the top news stories of this week. For details, read on in this week’s NEWSFLASH!
Angelina Jolie Reveals Preventive Double Mastectomy
In a compelling New York Times op-ed released on Tuesday, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie made it known that she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer.
Jolie, 37, explained in the op-ed that she was the carrier of BRCA1, a “faulty gene” that significantly increases the risk of breast cancer in women. While the average risk of breast cancer for the average BRCA1 carrier is 65 percent, Jolie revealed that doctors had pegged her chances of developing breast cancer at 87 percent.
Jolie emphasized that her decision to undergo the surgery was also motivated by her urge to open a discussion about women’s health, especially where cancer is concerned.
“For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options,” the actress writes. “I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.”
The Tomb Raider star’s own mother passed away at the age of 56 from breast cancer. Jolie’s chances of developing breast cancer have now dropped to 5 percent, and her surgery has generated much discussion over the Web.
IRS Under Scrutiny for Alleged Targeting of Conservative Groups
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Obama administration were under fire when an investigative report revealed that the tax agency, in determining tax-exempt groups back in 2010, appeared to have been putting conservative groups under more scrutiny. The “scandal,” as many have branded the incident, has led President Obama to deny any knowledge of the IRS’ proceedings and to fire the past IRS head.
When the Cincinnati branch of the agency originally reviewed its criteria for tax-exempt groups in 2010, it suggested putting groups associated with key words like “Tea Party” under extra scrutiny. By 2011, the list of alarming key words had grown to include “organizations involved with political, lobbying, or advocacy.” The list later on expanded to essentially include what could be read as opponents of the Obama administration, namely conservative groups who are frequently divided over President Obama’s policies.
On Thursday, IRS interim director Steven Miller resigned, leading President Obama to replace him with budget official Daniel I. Werfel. The scandal keeps brewing, however, with the discovery that Sarah Hall Ingram, who was an IRS commissioner in the office during the Tea Party targeting, now directs the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/irs-official-in-charge-during-tea-party-targeting-now-runs-health-care-office/
Osaka Mayor Angers Japan’s Neighbors with Sex Slave Comment
South Korea and China were enraged following a comment made by Osaka’s mayor, Toru Hashimoto, about the use of comfort women during World War II. Hashimoto came forward and declared that comfort women in Japanese occupied areas during the war were necessary in order to promote discipline and relaxation among soldiers.
“Anyone can understand that the system of comfort women was necessary to provide respite for a group of high-strung, rough and tumble crowd of men braving their lives under a storm of bullets,” declared Hashimoto in a statement that stirred up a huge controversy.
The Japanese government was quick to distance itself from the comment. In support of Seoul and Beijing, the United States has also condemned Hashimoto’s words, describing them as “outrageous” and “offensive.”
Responding to the accusations and criticism, Hashimoto eventually came forward to declare that the public and press misunderstood his comments. The mayor had never endorsed the use of comfort women, but the media had completely misinterpreted his statement.
Hofstra Student Killed by Police Gunfire during Home Invasion
Hofstra University student Andrea Rebello, 21, was killed Friday during a confrontation between a police officer and a home intruder when gunfire by the officer hit her in the head.
The intruder, Dalton Smith, 30, was attempting to rob Rebello’s home and held a gun to her head when the officer arrived. Smith was on parole for a whole string of criminal activity, including robbery, assault, and promoting prison contraband.
Smith turned the gun on the officer after threatening to kill Rebello. Fearing for his life, the officer fired eight rounds, seven of which hit Smith and killed him, but one of which also hit Rebello.
A funeral mass is scheduled for this coming Wednesday. The officer remains unidentified.