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 declares the border debate “a waste of time”
President Trump is tired of the debacle over building the wall and said that he will just get it done himself. He once again is threatening to try to declare the wall as a national emergency in order to allow federal funding for it. However, if he does try to call for a national emergency, Democrats will immediately challenge him in court, making it a very risky deal.
American Midwest swept by Polar Vortex
This week saw much of the American Midwest struck by a substantial cold wave. In some parts of the Midwest, including Minneapolis and Chicago, the temperatures reached record lows. Chicago, in particular, saw “frost quakes,” which are when rock or soil bursts in response to extremely low temperatures. The death toll is not confirmed as of now but appears to be at least 21 people nationwide, mostly homeless people.
IU Hoosiers basketball drops seventh straight Big Ten game
The IU men’s basketball team took their seventh loss of the season after a 66-58 loss to Rutgers on Wednesday night. The team was once well known for being a powerhouse of the NCAA, but in recent years, the Hoosiers have dropped off – this year being a true indicator that the team is in need of a revamp. Archie Miller, in his second year as IU head coach, is trying to keep a grip on the team in order to reshape the latter half of their season.
Australian Open
Last Saturday, Naomi Osaka won her second consecutive grand slam at the Australian Open. This latest win confirmed that she will be the new number one female tennis player in the world. Next up for Osaka would be the French Open in late May. Female tennis players will be looking to take her down and claim the title of number one in the world.
Trump tweets “we need” global warming
In response to the record cold temperatures in the Midwest, Donald Trump tweeted “What the hell is going on with Global Wa[r]ming? Please come back fast, we need you!” Here is why that is wrong. Global warming is an issue of changing long-term, climate patterns rather than short changes within day to day weather. Although Midwestern states saw colder temperatures than ever before, the world is warming on average.
Local Bonus: Herald Times sold
The long time Bloomington newspaper that has operated under Schurz Communicates Inc. since 1966 has recently been sold to GateHouse Media. Some long term employees have already lost work; however, it is predicted that this change in ownership will not result in many employment changes. This sale represents a trend of difficulties “for small, family-owned newspaper group[s] to succeed and be profitable in this era of people merging,” editor Bob Zaltsberg said. (Zaltsberg will retire on Feb. 1 after 33 years of work as editor. His decision to leave is not connected with the change in ownership.) GateHouse will take control of operations on Feb. 1.
