New Wrap Up
A lot is happening in our world right now! Make sure you stay informed by reading about five of the top news stories from last week.
On Oct. 26, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. After being approved by the Judiciary Committee last week, Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court was voted on by the Senate last Monday. The Senate confirmed Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court as the 115th Associate Justice who will fill the late Ruth Ginsburg’s seat. Barrett’s confirmation gives President Trump and the Republican party a huge victory just days before the 2020 election. Legal experts believe this is one of the most conservative Supreme Courts in decades. The vote was 52-48. Every Democrat opposed Barrett’s nomination while every Republican voted in favor of Barrett’s confirmation except for Republican senator Susan Collins. To watch Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation ceremony, click here.
On Oct. 27, the Dodgers won the 2020 Baseball World Series. During the 2020 Baseball World Series, the Dodgers and Rays played each other in six games from Oct. 20 through 27. The teams went back and forth between wins starting and ending with the Dodgers: Dodgers, Rays, Dodgers, Rays, Dodgers, Dodgers. The Los Angeles Dodgers won 3 to 1 in game six of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays started the game strong with a home run, but did not score again. The Dodgers’ victory is their first championship since the 1988 World Series. To watch highlights from the 2020 World Series final game, click here. To view all highlights from the 2020 World Series, click here.
On Oct. 28, the Trump administration lifted a logging ban in Alaska. The Alaska Tongass National Forest is a 17-million acre old-growth rainforest that has very little human disturbance. President Trump’s new act will allow individuals to built roads and, in turn, begin logging in about 9.3 million acres of the rainforest. Trump’s new act opposes the “Roadless Rule.” The “Roadless Rule” is a conservation policy that restricts building roads in certain National Forests to prevent potentially harmful environmental impact. The policy was established in 2001 by the Clinton administration and encompasses roughly 60 million acres of national land in 39 states. Trump’s administration worked to lift to restriction in response to the Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy’s request and in an effort to utilize American resources.
On Oct. 28, Hurricane Zeta touched down in Louisiana. The storm was a category 2 when it made landfall in Cocodrie, Louisiana around 4 pm on Wednesday, sustaining winds of 110 mph. The hurricane ripped through the coastal areas before heading inland approximately 25 mph. The storm continued through New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama. Zeta is Louisiana’s fifth storm this year after two hurricanes and two tropical storms. Zeta has resulted in dangerously fierce winds, massive amounts of flooding, and tens of thousands of power outages.
As of Oct. 31, over 91 million Americans have voted early in the 2020 presidential election. Early voting has skyrocketed to record-breaking numbers with the excitement of the upcoming election that has captured the attention of most Americans. As citizens fight to be heard through their vote, election officials have been shocked by the rising number of early voters. Last Wednesday, over 74 million votes had been cast. In just three days, that number rose by 17 million. The 91 plus million Americans that have voted so far make up about 65% of the total votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.