December 16, 2024 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
Local:
-Toga Varsity Hockey Begins their Season: Since December 4th, the Toga Hockey team has filled the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink with its school spirit for a new season on the ice! Already 4 games into their season, the team is off to a great start- winning their first game. With two away games this week on Friday and Saturday, Toga Hockey won’t play another home game until the 30th.
Check out their schedule at Saratoga Springs High School — ScheduleGalaxy.
National:
– President Biden Commutes the Sentences of Around 1,500 people and Pardons 39: On Thursday, December 5th, President Joe Biden announced that he used his presidential clemency power to reduce the punishment (commuting a sentence) for over 1500 individuals and pardoning 39 people (plus is son Hunter Biden earlier this month) in a matter of a day. All the people Biden has pardoned were convicted for non-violent crimes and have been recorded for giving back to the country in some way. As his presidency comes to a close, this act is recorded as the “biggest single-day act of clemency in modern history” by cnn.com.
-Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Raises Questions for the American Public: On December 4th, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in Midtown Manhattan. At the crime scene, an unregistered 3D-printed gun and its shell casings engraved with the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose” were found, suspected to allude to a book written in the early 2000s critical of the insurance industry. The suspect? 26-year-old and Ivy League Graduate, Luigi Mangione. Mangione was arrested last Monday at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s and is currently being held in custody after being charged for second-degree murder in New York. The event has raised questions about the healthcare industry and the regulation of 3D-printed guns. With a motive presumed to be anger towards the health insurance industry, Mangione is anticipated to plead not guilty alongside his newly hired attorney, Thomas Dickey at a later date. Source: fastcompany.com
-Donald Trump Named as 2024 TIME Person of the Year on December 12th: Since 1927, Person of the Year has been an annual tradition of TIME magazine. While not necessarily considered an honor or award, “Time describes its picks in terms of influence and importance” states CBS News. For the second time now, once in 2016 and now in 2024, President-elect Donald Trump joins world figures like Bill Clinton (1992), Jeff Bezos (1999), Vladimir Putin (2007), Barack Obama (2008 & 2012), Pope Francis (2013), Greta Thunberg (2019), Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (2020), Elon Musk (2021), and Taylor Swift (2023) in the books as one of the most influential people in the world.
Photo Source: Time.com
Trump named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ for second time | CNN Politics
Global:
-South Korea Votes to Impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol: After many South Koreans protested against their government in early December, President Yoon declared martial law on 12/03, wanting to eliminate “anti-state forces”, banning political activity, restricting media, and controlling the press-threatening anyone who violated this with arrest. “Martial law powers can include suspending civil rights such as freedom of the press and assembly and temporarily limiting the powers of the courts and government agencies”, says AP News. While Yoon explained that his motions were an act of governance, police and prosecutors investigated if Yoon and the others involved in this event committed crimes of rebellion and abuse of power. On Saturday, South Korea’s parliament impeached the country’s president, where the National Assembly passed the motion 204-85. Crowds all around South Korea are now celebrating this act and the country’s “resilient” democracy. Yoon’s presidential powers are currently suspended and transferred over to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo until further notice. Photo Source: apnews.com
What to know about South Korea’s short-lived period of martial law | AP News
Why did South Korea declare martial law and what’s next for President Yoon? | Reuters
South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol | AP News
-Syrian President Bashar Assad Overthrown: Last Sunday, Syria’s government fell due to a series of rebellions that captured the capital of Damascus, sending Assad to flee Syria. Syrians have “since torn down statues of Assad and ripped back the veil from his murderous regime” states NBC news. Multiple thousands of people have since been released from grueling prisons, searching for loved ones after Assad’s overthrow. While warring with Israel for 14 months, the Hezbollah militant group is now left weak and with no strong support from Syria. With all this chaos after the loss of its leader, what is next for Syria? Will this affect Hezbollah in their war efforts against Israel?
Syria: What just happened in the week after Assad was overthrown?
Syrian government falls, ending 50-year rule of Assad family | AP News
Diminished Hezbollah is weaker by toppling of Bashar Assad | AP News