Throughout our hectic student lives, we should always remain aware of what is happening around us. In this column, I find some of the most significant events happening in the world around us and provide you with a small blurb and nitty-gritty details. Here are some of the major events that have been taking place:
Israel orders 1 million citizens to evacuate the Gaza Strip.
The militant group Hamas unleashed a terrorist attack in Israel, killing 900 people and kidnapping soldiers and civilians, on Oct. 7. On Friday, Israel’s military ordered approximately one million people to evacuate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours. The Israeli military stated that in order, the measure was intended to minimize civilian casualties. The United Nations reports that there are more than 400,000 people in Gaza that were already internally displaced before Israel’s evacuation order. Following the order, 70 people were killed after Israeli airstrikes hit convoys of Palestinians fleeing south. As of Saturday, at least 1,300 people have been killed and more than 3,300 have been injured in Israel. At least 1,900 people have been killed and more than 7,600 have been injured.
Information from APNews, The Guardian and NBC News.
Republicans have no luck finding the new Speaker of the House.
Last week ended with Republicans unable to elect a new House Speaker. 217 votes are required to be elected. Last Thursday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced he was dropping out of the race. Although the GOP conference voted for Scalise over Rep. Jim Jordan, a group of Republicans blocked his path and stated there was no way they would vote for Scalise as speaker. Currently, Jordan is the GOP’s new nominee. However, he may face a similar fate as Scalise, facing an uphill battle to secure votes. There are serious concerns that no nominee can reach 217 votes. House Democrats have denied helping Republicans and are critical of Jordan for being a prominent ally of former President Trump. Jordan has been labeled an insurrectionist, election denier and extremist as a member of the 147 congressional Republicans, who objected to certify the presidential election results in 2021.
Information from CNN, NBC News and NPR.
Kaiser Healthcare Strike.
Last Wednesday, more than 75,000 Kasier Permanente employees walked off the job. It is the United States’ largest health strike in history. The workers hailing from California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon are represented by a coalition of unions that consist of 40% of Kasier Permanente’s staff. Almost 200 workers from Kaiser facilities in Virginia and Washington D.C. also joined the picket lines that Wednesday. The unions are bargaining for higher pay and other benefits to address a chronic staff shortage that has left many employees overworked and burnt out. This week, the healthcare workers reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser to raise wages 21% over four years and give greater support amidst the shortage to prevent further strikes after the intervention of acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. President Biden has praised the workers, citing the strike as an example of how collective bargaining is effective.
Information from CNN, NBC and NPR.
Sources:
Israel orders 1 million citizens to evacuate the Gaza Strip.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-c8b4fc20e4fd2ef381d5edb7e9e8308c
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna120252
Republicans find no luck finding the new Speaker of the House.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/14/politics/jim-jordan-house-speaker-race/index.html
Kaiser Healthcare Strike.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/05/business/union-workers-strike-kaiser-permanente/index.html
