Trump slams North Korea with sanctions

President Trump announced new sanctions against North Korea Friday. Trump stated that these new sanctions aimed at ensuring that North Korea cannot continue to fuel its nuclear ambitions by sidestepping existing sanctions. “Today we put the strongest sanctions on Korea that we have ever put on a country,” Trump said at a news conference with the Australian prime minister. “We must continue to stand together to prevent the brutal dictatorship from threatening the world with nuclear devastation.” These new sanctions target 56 vessels, shipping companies and other entities that U.S. officials say are used by North Korea to conduct trade prohibited under previous sanctions. Experts said new sanctions would not hit the country as hard as previous measures targeting their exports. However, the sanctions may ensure better enforcement by disrupting the increasingly sophisticated steps Pyongyang takes to evade them.

For more information: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-to-impose-largest-ever-set-of-sanctions-against-north-korea/2018/02/23/42e1afb8-18a8-11e8-92c9-376b4fe57ff7_story.html?utm_term=.2b2a5329af14

Armed School Officer Waited Outside During Shooting

During the horrific massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week, armed school resource deputy, Scot Peterson, stayed outside of the school. “What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of building 12, take up a position, and he never went in,” Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said regarding video footage. Peterson took a position on the west side of the building but refrained from entering the building. Peterson resigned after he was suspended without pay by Israel pending an internal investigation into his actions. Peterson left 17 people dead, Israel said. Peterson was eligible for retirement.

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/22/us/florida-school-shooting/index.html

Delta and United Airlines cut ties with NRA

Delta, United, and TrueCar are just some of the companies who have recently cut ties with the NRA. Delta tweeted out “We will be requesting that the NRA remove our information from their website.” United announced that the company will no longer offer discounts on flights to the NRA annual meeting. TrueCar said late Friday that it would end its deal with the NRA as of February 28. These companies were the latest to abandon partnerships with the NRA amid a renewed public debate following a school shooting in Florida last week that left 17 dead. None of the companies gave details about why or when they decided to cut ties with the NRA, but the news comes as the hashtag #BoycottNRA has circulated widely on social media.

For more information: http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/23/news/companies/enterprise-nra-car-rental-discounts/index.html

Samsung Galaxy S9 Unveiled

South Korean tech giant unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ on Sunday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest phone show. Just like the S8 and S8+, the phones are water resistant and have an infinity display, wireless charging, and a headphone jack. The S9 and S9+ also feature enhanced facial recognition to compete with the iPhone X. The screens aren’t much different besides the S9’s being brighter than the previous generations. There is, however, an advanced camera and stereo speakers, along with fun new tools, such as AR emoji, photo language translation, and improved slow-motion video. Pre-orders start on Friday March 2, and the new phones will be available in stores on March 16.

For more information: http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/25/technology/samsung-galaxy-s9/index.html

Olympics Hold Closing Ceremonies

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics concluded Sunday evening in South Korea. “Although parting is sad, we will remember Pyeongchang with beautiful memories. Athletes, you are true champions,” said Lee Hee-beom, the Pyeongchang Olympics organizing committee president. “The seed of peace you have planted here in Pyeongchang will grow as a big tree in the not-distant future. The hope and aspirations of South and North Korean athletes together with cheerleaders will definitely serve as a cornerstone of the unification of the Korean Peninsula.” Even though these Winter Olympics are over, the Chinese capital, Beijing, will be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2022. In the meantime, the Summer Olympics are being held in Tokyo in 2020.

For more information: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2018/02/25/588637362/highlights-of-the-pyeongchang-olympics-closing-ceremony-in-photos