Welcome to Optimize, a weekly update to keep you informed on what has happened during the week. Here are five national/international stories (and one local one) that you should know:
Trump cancels Pelosi’s trip to Afghanistan
This past week, President Donald Trump grounded representative Nancy Pelosi’s military flight to Afghanistan to visit troops and divulged the itinerary. This led to a delay in her trip due to security concerns.
Rihanna sues father over Fenty name
Singer and cosmetic brand owner, Rihanna, shocked her fans by announcing she has filed a lawsuit on her father over the Fenty name. Fenty, being both Rihanna and her father’s surname, was trademarked by Rihanna for her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty in 2017. Her father, Ronald Fenty, is being sued because he used the Fenty name for his “talent development” agency in Hollywood, Fenty Entertainment. Although Fenty Entertainment also launched in 2017, sources say that Rihanna has had the Fenty name trademarked since 2012. The lawsuit claims that [Ronald] Fenty falsely claimed affiliation with Fenty Beauty and Rihanna. Unlike Rihanna’s very public statements, Fenty Entertainment has not made a statement regarding the lawsuit.
Kelly dropped from Sony label after sexual misconduct accusations
R&B/Hip Hop artist R. Kelly has been dropped from Sony Music after years of public outrage. The culmination of various allegations of abuse, pedophilia and predatory behaviors was the recent documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly.” The series includes interviews from his former partners and other artists. Kelly’s misconduct has been evident for years, but recent shifting attitudes and climates towards these behaviors have been the reason for additional attention to his past behaviors.
Michigan State names new interim leader
This Thursday, Michigan University accepted the resignation of John Engler, the university’s interim president. Engler wrote an 11 page resignation letter to the Michigan State board after making insensitive comments about Larry Nassar’s victims. Last year Nassar was accused and confirmed of sexually assaulting athletes which brought a derogatory image to the university. Michigan State accepted Engler’s resignation and has assigned a new interim president.
Trump’s new system to down any missile
On Thursday, Trump spoke at the Pentagon pledging to shield every city in the country and protect against every type of missile regardless of where it was coming from. This was a response to a plan made by the Pentagon themselves, but it turned up a few extreme notches. His plan involves goals that were similar to what Reagan wanted to do during the Cold War – intercept and completely destroy the missiles.
Somali terrorist group al-Shabab leaves over 20 dead in Nairobi
The terror organization claimed responsibility for five jihadists that killed 21 and injured 28 with 19 still unaccounted for in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan security forces “eliminated” the attackers.
Local Bonus: fatal shooting
A shooting at Knight’s Landing apartment complex left one dead and one injured. Police have arrested two suspects. They believe that this case was a marijuana sale turned fatal robbery.
