News Roundup 11/23/19
Seeking Asylum
In 2017, the United States was named the top country for immigrants to travel to in hopes of seeking asylum, many coming from South America. Nkeze, a college student, fled his home country to seek asylum in the U.S due to his government wanting to arrest him for participating in a protest. He traveled through harsh environments to escape to the U.S - Mexico border. Nkeze waited for five months upon trial due to the immigration bans being in place. He was placed on a list of 9,000 people, but is now currently in a detention center located in Arizona.
Source: AP News
Vice President Visiting Soldiers
In celebration of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Vice President Pence took a trip to Iraq to visit with U.S troops stationed there. This visit was not publicised ahead of time due to a safety concerns. Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the current Iraqi Prime Minister, declined to meet with Pence in person and instead the two spoke over the phone. Vice President Pence met with other administration officials to show the U.S appreciation for the Kurdish allies. Many have criticised the decision to pull U.S. troops from the region, which would put Kurdish soldiers in danger. Pence has commented on this criticism, implying that there is no bad blood due to the issue.
Source: NPR
New Approaches to Cancer Care
Geriatric assessment is a new form of evaluation used for elderly cancer patients. This approach takes many aspects of a patient’s life into consideration, including: physical activity, mental stability, and social activities. This assessment then leads to new way for a physician to approach a new patient in a manner that is right for them. Geriatric assessments are not completely accurate, but are better than an educated guess. There is not much research done on how drugs will affect the elderly, so Geriatric assessment gives a doctor a better vision for a treatment plan. It is predicted to help many.
Source: NPR
Remembering An Inspiration
Wataru Misaka, known for being the first nonwhite professional basketball player for the New York Knicks, has passed away this Wednesday. He is being remembered throughout the week for his influence on the game and his everyday life. Misaka attended the University of Utah, leading the school’s basketball team to the NCAA championship. During this time, many Japanese-Americans were being sent to camps in the U.S. While Misaka did not fall victim to that fate, he was a victim of racism on the court. After his time at the University, he was awarded by the school by being put in their Hall of Fame.
Source: NPR
Supporting Transgender Youth
The question of whether transgender youth should have their own gender reveal parties as a means of coming out has lead to the creation of charity, Transform, formed by Tristan Vaught and Nancy Dawson. The charity aims to provide free clothing to transgender children in need in order to help with their transition. Vaught works with transgender youth by helping at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as well as forming clothing exchanges for college campuses. Dawson has a daughter who is transgender which inspired him to co-found the charity. The success of the charity has lead to the two founders looking at possibly opening a store front.
Source: NPR