Julian Assange:
What happened?
This past Friday, The United Nations ruled in favor of Julian Assange on the grounds that he had been “arbitrarily detained” and was “deprived of liberty.”
Why is this important?
You may have heard of Julian Assange for his role in WikiLeaks as Editor-in-Chief and founder of WikiLeaks, an organization that publishes secret and classified information. WikiLeaks is probably most notable for its release of footage in 2010 of US soldiers shooting civilians in Iraq. Also in 2010, Assange was detained in the UK after allegation of sexual assault and rape in Sweden, which Assange denied. In 2014, Assange contacted the UN, claiming that he was being unlawfully detained in the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where he sought refuge after Ecuador granted him political asylum. On February 5th, the UN ruled in Assange’s favor, and the UK is not happy about it.
Iowa Caucus:
What happened?
This past Monday, the Iowa caucus took place, with Ted Cruz (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) taking the lead for their parties.
Why is this important?
Iowa is the first state to vote in the presidential primaries and if you’re thinking, “Why Iowa?” it’s actually a funny story. On the Republican side, there are definitely a lot of candidates, but there is no strong candidate, making the Iowa caucus a first glimpse into the results of the primaries. For the Dems, the Iowa caucus operates more like a true caucus, in which people gather in a large room and physically move to a corner of the room to show their support for a candidate, all the while convincing others to support their candidate as well. Republicans, on the other hand, use a type of secret ballot to vote (it’s a little bit confusing, here’s an article that will help you navigate the whole thing). Even though Iowa has the first caucus in the nation, it doesn’t exactly have a perfect track record in predicting winners, so be careful with taking the Iowa caucus results too seriously.
The CDC:
What happened?
This past Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control (or the CDC) recommended that women not using birth control should avoid drinking alcohol at the risk of a pregnancy resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Why is this important?
Because there has been A LOT of backlash. Among the CDC’s recommendations, women are advised not to drink alcohol at the risk of being subjected to sexual violence or injury, which some have identified as a form of victim-blaming in crimes involving sexual assault. However, the CDC has since defended their recommendation, claiming that they intend to empower women to make good choices.