News Roundup: Here's What You Missed
By Brody Salazar
@Brody_Salazar
1. United Airlines CEO Apologizes:
Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines, issued an apology for the forcible removal of a passenger. Munoz called the incident "horrific" and promised a full review by April 30th to "fix what's broken." Munoz attempted to make two other apologies previously. In the first, Munoz apologized for the customer having to be removed, and in the second Munoz stated the customer was "disruptive and belligerent."
- Source: CNN
2. Texan Voter I.D. Law Found Discriminatory:
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos decided two years ago that the ID law was targeted at minorities and put them at a disadvantage, comparing it to a poll tax. Upon request from an appeals court, Ramos reviewed the case and upheld her ruling on the Republican law. The ruling may increase the probability of Texas having to receive pre-clearance, approval from the federal government, before it is allowed to change state voting laws in the future.
- Source: NBC News
3. North Korea Warns of Nuclear Attack If Provoked:
Following the reassignment of a U.S. Navy strike group to the western Pacific, North Korea threatened nuclear war against any hint of aggression. With rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, the thought of the U.S. engaging in military action is becoming increasingly plausible, especially after the missile strikes in Syria ordered by President Trump.
- Source: NBC News
4. White House Accuses Russia of Attempting to Cover Up Syrian Gas Attack:
A declassified intelligence report was released by the Trump administration, which provided evidence that Russia's explanation of the recent chemical attack in Syria was false. Russia is an ally of Syria and the declassified documents accuse Russia of trying cover up what happened to protect the Assad regime. Despite this, the Defense Secretary James Mattis said that he could not say if Russia had contributed to the attack in any way. “It was very clear the Assad regime planned it, orchestrated it and executed it,” said Mattis. “Beyond that, we can’t say right now.”
- Source: The Los Angeles Times
5. Sean Spicer Forgets Hitler Used Gas Chambers:
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer received backlash after he claimed President Bashar al-Assad of Syria was worse than Hitler because Hitler "didn't sink to using chemical weapons." The comparison came as Spicer was attempting to defend Trump's decision to bomb an airbase in Syria following the chemical attack that affected many of Syria's own citizens. The comment lead to many criticizing not just Spicer's sensitivity but his knowledge of history. “We didn’t use chemical weapons in World War II,” Spicer said. “You know, you had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons. So you have to, if you are Russia, ask yourself: Is this a country and a regime that you want to align yourself with?”
- Source: The New York Times