Welcome to Her Campus, and good for you for keeping up with current events!
The Supreme Court:
[Mark Avery/ZUMA]
What happened?
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at a resort in Texas on February 13. Scalia was 79 years old.
Why is this important?
Scalia, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, was hailed as an influential force and champion to modern legal conservatism. In addition to being a loss for the Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia’s death also sparks a political battle in Washington over who should take Scalia’s place. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are currently in disagreement over whether President Barack Obama should appoint a new Supreme Court Justice or whether his successor should be allowed the decision. Prior to Scalia’s death, five Supreme Court Justices were appointed by Republican presidents and four were appointed by Democratic presidents, meaning that Scalia’s death leaves the Supreme Court with a tie. If Obama appoints a Supreme Court Justice, the Court will be tipped in favor of the Democratic Party. For this reason, Republicans on the Hill are pushing for President Obama’s successor to make the decision, in the chance that the next president is a Republican. Scalia’s death takes place in the midst of a high-tension election year, which is problematic for Congress, who have a hard enough time making decisions as is.
Syria:
What happened?
President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are talked about joining forces in hopes of creating a ceasefire in Syria.
Why is this important?
President Obama and Vladimir Putin are unexpectedly beginning to cooperate with each other on the issue concerning the ongoing conflict in Syria. The purpose of proposed ceasefire is so that humanitarian aid could be delivered to those living in parts of Syria that need it the most, such as Aleppo, a city that Russia has recently been bombing in an effort to fight ISIS. Although there is question as to whether or not the ceasefire will be successful, US-Russia cooperation in the region can’t hurt Syria’s current situation.
Mexico:
[Daniel Becerril/Reuters]
What happened?
On February 12, a prison riot in Monterrey, Mexico left 49 dead and 12 wounded. The riot was confirmed as a result of gang violence.
Why is this important?
The prison riot began as a fight between the Zetas gang and another and prisoners had set fire to various parts of the prison. While it is not clear how the victims died, Governor Jaime Rodrigues insists that there was no gunfire during the fight and that the riot was not an escape attempt. However, visitors to the prison claim that they heard gunshots, prompting them to be concerned about the well-being of their loved ones in prison. Relatives of the prisoners are now demanding answers and the incident has raised questions once again about the conditions of Mexican prisons.
Twitter:
What happened?
Twitter released its quarterly earnings, and it’s not pretty.
Why is this important?
If you’ve noticed that your friends aren’t tweeting nearly as much as they used to, you’re not alone. Twitter was valued at $10 billion this year, in comparison to a $40 billion high in 2013. Twitter has been struggling with slowed user growth in addition to backlash from current users who are not happy about Twitter’s new timeline. Twitter’s also been having some internal issues from losing the CEO to new features that were introduced that failed. Hopefully Twitter gets it together soon because I don’t think we’re ready for #RIPTwitter to start trending.