Obama chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court
On Wednesday, President Obama announced his choice to succeed the recently deceased Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Merrick Garland, a well-known centrist judge, is currently serving on the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. His resume includes cases ranging from the Oklahoma City bombing to the Unabomber trial. Republicans in Congress vowed weeks ago to refuse to approve any Obama nominee to the Court and affirmed this position not long after Garland’s nomination was announced on Wednesday.

Marco Rubio suspends presidential campaign
Following a demoralizing loss in his home state of Florida during Tuesday’s primary election, former potential Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio announced his decision to suspend his campaign. Rubio, who racked up 164 delegates during his campaign, went on to announce that he will not serve as vice president for the eventual Republican nominee or seek reelection as governor of Florida. Rubio’s exit from the campaign trail leaves only three contenders (Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and the rising John Kasich) left for the Republicans as July’s nominating convention rolls closer.

Suspect in Paris terror attacks finally captured
After being on the run for more than four months following the November 13th, 2015 terror attacks in Paris, Salah Abdeslam was finally captured in Belgium on Friday. The 26 year old was believed to be the only suspect in the ISIS- coordinated attacks still on the run. The November terror attacks killed over 130 people in the center of the City of Lights on a Friday night, just another in a string of ISIS connected terror attacks.

Putin announces withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria
Following United Nations negotiations to end the long and bloody civil war in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his plan to withdrawal troops from the war-torn country on Monday. “The task presented to the defense ministry and the armed forces has been completely fulfilled,” Putin declared, mere hours after peace talks resumed the Syrian government and the opposition. The civil war is Syria has created a flood of refugees seeking amnesty in Europe, an ongoing immigrant crisis that has lawmakers in the European Union scrambling to find solutions.

SeaWorld ends killer whale breeding program
Taking what it called a “new direction” amid changing social attitudes surrounding killer whales held in captivity, SeaWorld announced its plans to end its current killer whale breeding program. The cessation of breeding means that the 24 whales currently residing within SeaWorld will be the popular company’s last generation of live orca performers. Backlash against the Orlando, Florida company has been strong since the 2014 documentary “Blackfish,” which argues that keeping killer whales in captivity has detrimental effects on the animals, was released.