News Roundup 3/21/18

Photo Courtesy: The New York Times

By: Joshua Gutierrez & Maranda Gonzalez

1) Austin Bombing Suspect Dies Following Three Week Long Man Hunt

Mark Anthony Conditt was suspected to be the bomber that has terrorized Austin, Texas since March 2. Conditt, 23, died Wednesday morning after driving into a ditch and detonating a bomb he had with him. It appears that some of the materials that were used in his spree were so simple that they were purchased at the Home Depot in Pflugerville, Texas, a small town 20 miles outside of Austin where the suspect lived. Conditt's makeshift explosives were used in an array of different places, ranging from doorsteps to a FedEx shipping center. Authorities began to close in on Conditt earlier this week after surveillance footage of him dropping off a package at a FedEx was recovered. Being that the explosives were carefully and meticulously made, authorities have warned that this ordeal may not yet be over. 

Source: NY Times

2) Congress Vote Keeps US Support in Violent Yemen Conflict

A resolution was rejected Tuesday by the Senate that would pull the United States' support from what has been called the "worlds worst humanitarian crisis," by the United Nations. The bipartisan legislation, which was introduced by Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Senator Mike Lee of Utah, was defeated 55-44. Yemen's civil war has become a proxy between the rivaling countries of Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to the U.N., an estimated 8,750 civilians have died as a result of the Saudi coalition airstrikes. These airstrikes have been directly aided by the United States through refueling of the coalition jets and even providing strategic and intelligence support.

Source: VICE News

3) Mark Zuckerberg Breaks Week Long Silence Following Data Breach Scandal

After the news broke this weekend about a Facebook break that actually occurred in December of 2015, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally broke his silence. In an interview with CNN, Zuckerberg promised to take steps to fix what he referred to as a "breach of trust" between online social network and its users. The data of around 50 million Facebook users was accessed without the permission of the owners by the data firm known as Cambridge Analytica. This data was gathered and then sold by a professor who Facebook claims originally gathered it for academic purposes that were in line with their rules at the time. 

Source: CNN Tech

4) Sacramento police Fatally Shoot Unarmed Man

After responding to reports of a break in on 29th Street, the police fired 20 shots at Stephon Clark, 22, after mistaking his phone for a weapon. No officers were injured, but Clark has been confirmed deceased. Footage of the incident was captured on a policeman body-cam and has been released. 

Source: The Root

5) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Requires Clear Backpacks

Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools Robert Runchie, decared that only clear backpacks will be allowed in the school once students return from spring break next week. If a student cannot purchase a clear backpack, one will be provided for them free of charge. The students will also be given ID badges that they must wear at all times. The school is also considering installing metal detecters and allowing staff to use metal-detecting wands. 

Source: NY Times