TikTok, a video creating and sharing app, has the potential to be a national security threat. The lip-syncing and comedy app is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company that has recently been under scrutiny for data collection.
Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu member of Congress. Like me, some of you may find that to be a particularly endearing quality. Rep. Gabbard joins the ranks of the prestigious religious “firsts” with Rep. Dalip Singh Saund (D-CA, first Sikh member of Congress), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN, first Muslim member of Congress), and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI, first Buddhist member of Congress.)
This past July, in a move aimed at placating Washington’s concerns about growing Iranian influence, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree ordered all Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militia, which are trained and funded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite military force, to be fully integrated within the national armed forces by the end of the month.
Elizabeth Warren has been steadily surging in the polls over the last few months, gaining 19 points between September and May according to a Monmouth University poll. On October 8, she emerged as the top Democratic frontrunner with a support rate of 26.6%, surpassing Joe Biden’s 26.4%. Her growing popularity turned her into a target in the fourth Democratic debate on October 15 where she quickly became the most attacked candidate on the stage.
After the 2018 midterm election, Beto O’Rourke was a rising star in the Democratic party, but the Texas native’s career has since fizzled out. I write this as someone who still supports Beto O’Rourke, but also as someone who is choosing to be realistic.
“The Nobel Peace Prize is a powerful message. A durable peace is not a single achievement, but an environment, a process and a commitment.” - Mohamed El-Baradei
In July of this year, Ursula von der Leyen became the first woman nominated to the presidency of the European Commission. On November 1st, she and all her newly-confirmed commissioners were to officially take office and become the new European Commission.
In early October, Ecuador’s capital, Quito, saw several protestors take to the streets after President Lenin Moreno ended a fuel subsidy for the country’s oil production. Back in March, the government of Ecuador met with the International Monetary Fund to create a $4.2 billion financing agreement which included cutting the four-decade long fuel subsidy.
Last week Turkey launched a large scale military assault against a Syrian militia largely comprised of Kurdish fighters. The attack comes only days after President Donald Trump announced the retreat of U.S. troops from northeast Syria, where U.S. backed-Kurdish forces were instrumental in the defeat of the Islamic State and the further containment of IS fighters. Some call the retreat and subsequent indifference to Turkey’s attack from the largely Kurdish region an outright betrayal of the Kurds.
n 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt-a controversial argument from Texas that focused on diminishing existing abortion access. After a lengthy deliberation, the Court voted 5-3 to maintain abortion access by striking down restrictive laws the Texas legislature attempted to enforce.