News Roundup 8/31/18

Photo Courtesy: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

By: Kenya Staley

1. Hundreds gather to celebrate the life of Aretha Franklin

On Friday August 31st, friends and family gathered at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple to celebrate the life of the "Queen of Soul". Among the stars in attendance were Tyler Perry, Clive Davis, Reverend Al Sharpton and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The celebration lasted for several hours with performances from Yolanda Adams, Ariana Grande and Fantasia. During Al Sharpton's remarks he read a letter from former U.S. President Barack Obama honoring the impact the late singer had on the country. Several outlets such as CNN, BET, and NBC will be streaming her service throughout the day.

Source: CNN

2. STD's are on the rise in the U.S

Earlier this week the CDC reported that gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia have hit a record high in the U.S. 2017 was the fourth year that STD's had a gradual rise among Americans. According to the CDC, all three STD's are curable with antibiotics but most cases go un-diagnosed and untreated. If not treated properly these STD's can lead to infertility and higher risk of contracting HIV. This is alarming for officials because gonorrhea could soon become antibiotic resistant. There have been several cases of gonorrhea being resistant to a number of different antibiotics.  The CDC reported that chlamydia is the most common STD while syphilis and gonorrhea are on the rise. 

Source: CBS News

3. Colin Kaepernick is getting a formal hearing against the NFL 

Colin Kaeprnick's lawyer, Mark Geragos, tweeted out a photo yesterday confirming that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback will receive a formal hearing against the NFL. In 2016 Kaepernick began to protest against police brutality and the oppression of people of color by kneeling during the national anthem. His protest attracted the attention of angry fans and most notably President Donald Trump who was vocal about his disapproval of Kaepernicks protest. Once the season was over, the quarterback found himself struggling to find a team to sign him. Last year the quarterback filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing them of conspiring together to keep him out of the NFL as a result of his protests. 

Source: NPR

4. Pennsylvania Grand Jury accuses the Vatican of covering up abuse in the church

According to a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report, several leaders in the Pennsylvania Catholic Church have covered up child sexual abuse from over 300 priests. The report found over 1,000 victims of sexual abuse and claims that that there are 1,000 more victims who's files have been lost or are too afraid to speak out. The reports come after Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington resigned when allegations rose that he sexually abused minors and adults for over 30 years. 

Source: New York Times

5. Twitter CEO removes threatening image of Meghan McCain

Earlier this week a twitter user doctored a photo of Meghan McCain and posted it to their profile. The photo pictured Meghan McCain crying over her father, Senator John McCain's casket as a gun was pointed at her. The photo was captioned, "America this one's for you". Meghan's husband Ben Domenech went on Twitter to express his disappoint in Twitter for taking so long to acknowledge the violent tweet. He tweeted on Friday, "No one should have to raise a ruckus or highlight this sort of thing publicly to get their attention". The photo has since been taken down. 

Source: People.com