Summer Roundup, What You Missed

by Ryan McCoy

Many of us tune out over summer break.  Whether it is the vacations, work or the late nights with friends, it is easy to lose track of what’s going on in the world. Here is a recap of the major events from summer 2018.

May:

• President Trump announced that the US will withdraw from the Nuclear Deal with Iran.  
• North Korea released three American citizens as a gesture of goodwill.
• The United States opened an embassy in Jerusalem, signaling that it recognizes the city as the capital of Israel.
• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.   

June:

• Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, was sent to jail to wait for trial.  
• The United States pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council.  After spending a year trying to enact change, the United States withdrew on concerns based in hypocrisy, namely the other members which include China and Venezuela who are known to have terrible human rights records.
• Starbucks’ Executive Chairman, Howard Shultz, steps down.  Rumors have persisted that Shultz is planning a presidential run in 2020, though he has not made any decisions yet he has stated that he is looking for a way to give back.
• The Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup after defeating the Los Vegas Golden Knights in game 5 with a score of 4-3.   
• California announced that a bill would be on November’s ballot to split the State into three parts.
• President Trump announced a 25% tariff on Chinese goods.
• Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced that he will retire at the end of July.

July:

• President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.  
• Trump and Putin meet for a summit in Helsinki, Finland.  Little productivity was seen from the summit. President Trump indicated that the two leaders discussed Syria and a nuclear disarmament treaty.  Trump also did not criticize Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election.
• A $12 billion bailout for farmers is announced.  The bailout is to relieve pressure resulting from Trump’s trade policies.   

August:

• An 11 year old was able to hack into a replica of Florida’s voting website.  It took only 10 minutes and he was able to ballot data such as tallies. This took place at the DEFCON hackathon conference in Las Vegas.  Over 30 other youth were able to hack into simulated election sites. The National Association of Secretaries of State responded with a statement that the actual election systems were more secure than the simulations at the conference.
• Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania announced.  300 priests have been accused of the sexual abuse of over 1000 children.  The abuse had been going on for decades. Many of the cases were too old for trial, but some of the cases such as a priest in the Erie diocese have had charges filed.
• Senator John McCain has passed away at 81 after his struggle with brain cancer.  McCain was diagnosed last summer. McCain is considered to be a war hero, and an overall decent person by many on both sides of the political spectrum who have paid their respects to the Senator, including Barack Obama who will speak at McCain’s funeral.