Entertainment:
The Good: Demi Lovato Opens Up About Relapse
As more artists are coming forward speaking their truths about their addictions and battles with mental illness Demi Lovato used her music to reveal her sobriety status. In her newest single “Sober” Lovato sings: “Mama, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” over heartbreaking piano she continues: “And I’m sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again / I wanna be a role model, but I’m only human.”
Lovato has historically been very open and candid in interviews about her issues with cocaine and alcohol, even recently celebrating her six years of sobriety this past March on Instagram. In 2010 she entered into a rehab center after a falling out which occurred while on tour with The Jonas Brothers which resulted in a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder. Lovato hasn’t officially released a statement beyond her lyrics however Iggy Azalea was quick to give her support saying that she was “proud” of her friend’s bravery.
The Bad: XXXTentacion Fatally Shot, 1 Suspect Arrested
In what appears to be a armed robbery, Florida rapper Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, also known by his stage name XXXTentacion was fatally shot this past Monday afternoon. Fans, friends and family took to the streets in several cities across the country to pay tribute to the late artist leaving memorials at the sight of the shooting in Florida and playing his music through the streets of Washington D.C. Tweets from artists and supporters poured through social media sharing how Onfroy impacted their lives, and authorities in Boward County seemed just as passionate about finding the individuals responsible.
Today, authorities announced they have taken one suspect named Derrick D. Williams into custody. The story is continuing the develop.
To the family, friends, fans and all those who loved XXXtentacion, we express our deepest condolences.
Enjoy all of XXXTentacion’s music
Politics:
The Good: Recreational Marijuana Will Officially Be Legal In Canada
This week marked a milestone in Canada’s history as they became the 2nd nation to legalize recreational marijuana. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted the update saying:
“It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept”.
The new regulations will require that anyone who wishes to purchase marijuana must do so through approved and licensed businesses and must be at least 18 years of age. Residents may also carry and share up to 30 grams in public may keep grow up to four plants in their homes. Individual territories will be responsible for rolling out particular regulations for their respective constituents. The original bill was presented in April of 2017 and passed the House of Commons in November, the final step of the process was passing the senate which was largely helped by Trudeau’s campaign pledge to keep marijuana away from children and reduce marijuana related crimes; the senate overwhelming passed the bill 52 – 29.
The Bad: Although Trump Signs Order, Children Still Not Returned To Parents
As President Trump’s administration continues to suffer political and social backlash after adopting it’s “zero tolerance” policy on illegal immigration, it’s latest move hasn’t seemed to help. The Department of Homeland Security is accused of detaining at least 2300 children and keeping them separated from their parents awaiting trial. Reversing his initial stance, Trump signed an executive order preventing families from being separated, however the confusion and outrage only seemed to intensify as officials are still unclear about what to do next. An earlier case ruling states that a child cannot be held for more than 20 days which will likely create a long list of lawsuits on behalf of families kept in holding centers for longer than the designated time, currently the only other recourse is allowing the entire family to leave and excuse the charges or separate the child once again.
Source: texastribune.org
Although Trump’s signature gave hope to thousands of families directly effected, along with millions across the country witnessing the cruel separations via social media or other news outlets, several high ranking officials are saying the new bill is doing more to frustrate the situation than anything else. The former head of The Department of Health & Human Services Mark Greenbergthe said: “So at this point there are probably several thousand children in the custody of (HHS) in shelters for unaccompanied children and large numbers of them probably don’t know where their parent is and don’t know how to communicate with their parent,”. He later continues: “When the family separation policy was implemented, there doesn’t seem to have been any planning as to how parents were going to know where their children were, how children were going to know where their parents were, how they were going to be able to communicate and how they would be able to be reunited.” Combined with the backlog of cases congesting the system which is already plagued by a lack of immigration judges, the executive order seems to have been more of a worthless concession.
Finance:
The Good: Amazon Shareholders Want To Stop Face Recognition Software Sale To Police
This week the online mega store Amazon came under fire from the ACLU and were joined by Amazon shareholders who are opposed to the sale of Amazon’s facial recognition software “Rekognition” to law enforcement. A letter to Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos was sent from the ACLU that read in part:
Amazon hasn’t officially made a statement concerning working with the government however if Amazon did decide to terminate sales it wouldn’t be the first digital company to give in to pressures from investors concerning the topics of morality and justice. Earlier this year, Microsoft came under fire for working with ICE to track illegal immigrants and Google also took heat from investors for it’s project Maven which was used to increase accuracy of drone strikes, which Google has since terminated.
The Bad: Supreme Court Says States May Collect Sales Tax On Online Orders
This week the Supreme Court made a decision to reverse decades of tradition by allowing states to require websites to collect taxes from online companies for out of state purchases. The final count was 5 votes for the reversal and 4 against the proposal. One judge who championed the idea of states having the ability to remit taxes was Justice Anthony Kennedy who originally voted against the same proposition back in 1992. “The Internet’s prevalence and power have changed the dynamics of the national economy,” said Kennedy.
On the other side of the argument, judge John G. Roberts Jr. says that he agrees the past desicion was wrong however a matter of this magnitude should require the input of the United States Congress.
The ruling so far only applies to companies with at least 200 transactions or $100,000 in sales within the state. Individual states are expected to begin altering their own states to accommodate the historic change.
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