National News

• Title X is a national program that provides birth control and reproductive care to low-income citizens in America. It is vital to those who can’t afford contraceptives, and over 4 million people rely on the program annually. However, the Trump administration aims to take away the right to different forms of birth control from low-income Americans with a new restriction announced on August 19. The president says that the government would not continue to allocate funding to clinics that provide abortions. This would prevent women from getting information on abortion from Title X doctors, and it would make it harder for patients to access birth control at government-funded facilities. Planned Parenthood, one of these nationwide clinics, announced they would not stop referring or providing abortions, but will instead drop the program.
• The opioid crisis has been a problem for years now, but a landmark case in Oklahoma may help fight back against widespread drug abuse. Large corporation Johnson and Johnson was sued in a 17 billion dollar lawsuit by Oklahoma’s attorney general because they deceptively marketed addictive painkillers. The judge ruled that the company owed a 572 million dollar fine, but they intend to appeal.
• There are over 20 democratic candidates running for president in 2020, all competing to be the commander in chief. However, Kirsten Gillibrand has just become the first to drop out of the race. She failed to qualify for the third Democratic debate, which she considered fatal to her campaign, so she announced her withdrawal Wednesday. Gillibrand has yet to endorse a candidate, but says she will at a later date as the race develops.

Local News

• Tropical Storm Dorian started as a tropical depression off the coast of Africa and is rapidly moving towards North America. It has now evolved into a category 5 hurricane that poses a threat to Florida. It is currently over the Bahamas, and current models show the storm heading north of Miami, to the relief of locals.
• Floridians are being urged to have a plan in place and stay alert in case the storm makes landfall in America.

International News

• Indonesia’s current capital Jakarta will no longer be the capital due to environmental issues. The rising sea levels mean it could be completely submerged by 2050, making it the “fastest sinking city in the world.” Jakarta is dealing with various issues, including overcrowding, pollution, and traffic congestion, which is why president Joko Widodo decided to build a new capital city. Jakarta is located on the island of Borneo and the yet to be named city will be on the same island in the Province of East Kalimantan, and is to be completed in 2045.
• The new city will be a so-called “green city,” with 50 percent open green space and zoos and parks built into the landscape, juxtaposing with the polluted and densely populated city of Jakarta. The government claims there is too much of a “burden” on Jakarta, but the decision to move also has its critics. Many environmentalists say the current plot of land for the proposed city is a carbon-rich wetland, so workers will need to dig and solidify the peatland before starting construction, which could lead to fires and air pollution.

Extraterrestrial News

• In all of human history, Homo Sapiens have only inhabited Earth, but new research shows that some exoplanets could be even better suited for life than Earth. Oceans on planets outside our solar system could have a wider variety of species and more biological activity. Oceanic life relies on “upwelling,” which is a term for the upward flow that brings nutrients from the depths of the ocean where few creatures can survive to the photic zone where photosynthetic organisms thrive. The more nutrients received, the more biological activity. The purpose of the research study was to determine which conditions are associated with efficient upwelling and apply this to the search for life on other planets. The scientists found that higher atmospheric density, slower rotation rates and presence of continents mean higher upwelling rates. A conclusion can be drawn from this study that exoplanets might have optimal conditions for life, even more so than Earth, and life is likely thriving in other solar systems.