As busy college students it is all too easy to shut out the world outside of our college campuses, but now you can finally keep up with breaking stories from around the world. Here you can get a sharp and easy-to-digest weekly roundup on what is going on in the news – and even better, you can read it in 5 minutes or less.
1. Democratic Presidential Debate
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, and Lincoln Chafee, the Democratic presidential candidates, faced off for the first time on Tuesday night. Clinton got the most airtime at about thirty-one minutes, followed closely by Sanders. The two are argued to be the most influential and are likely to be nominated by the Democratic Party in 2016.
2. Obama to Keep More Troops in Afghanistan
Officials of the Obama administration say that the president is increasingly willing to keep Y.S. forces, in large numbers, in Afghanistan. Military presence would be enough to fight Qaeda and the Islamic State militants. Not too long ago, Obama had hoped to bring the troops home before leaving office in January 2017.
3. Planned Parenthood Will No Longer Reimburse for Fetal Tissue
Planned Parenthood has been under heavy fire recently, especially in the debates and platforms of the Republican presidential candidates. The organization released a statement that they will no longer provide compensation for the costs of giving fetal tissue for medical research. After a movement to defund Planned Parenthood, many pro-life activists call this new policy an “admission of guilt.”
4. Former NBA Star Lamar Odom Hospitalized
On Tuesday, October 13th Odom was found unconscious inside a brothel in Nevada and hospitalized. Odom, who has battled addiction, was married to reality star Khloe Kardashian. When the two split in 2013, Odom started to spiral out of control. The six-foot-ten basketball player won the NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. He remains in the hospital.
5. Lawmakers Propose Shipping Water from Alaska to California
California has had a serious drought issue for years now, resulting in blazing wildfires and water shortages. U.S. Representative Janice Hahn discovered a proposal that would ship nine billion gallons of water a year from Alaska to California. The water would come with a price, however, of six cents per gallon as opposed to the half a cent per gallon California pays at the moment. However, Hahn said the idea is still worth exploring.