COVID Update

US COVID cases have been reportedly declining in the past few days. In the Northeast and the South, there has been an increase in cases as the BA.2 variant has been introduced. Though most states are seeing a decline, New York, Connecticut, and Arkansas have all witnessed an increase of more than 20 percent in the past two weeks. On a better note, fewer than 1,000 deaths are currently being reported each day; this is the lowest daily average since the omicron variant emerged.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that about 255 million people have had at least one dose of the vaccine as of Wednesday. The CDC also reports that 65% of the US  population is fully vaccinated.

Gas Prices Rise

Over the past few weeks, gas prices have steadily increased, reaching record highs, peaking nationally on March 11. Generally, gas prices follow crude-oil prices, and since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, those crude-oil prices have sharply increased due to the concerns about limited supply from Russia, the world’s second-largest supplier of crude oil. Thankfully, gas prices are on the decline, but not for everyone. In California, on Thursday, prices hit $6 per gallon in LA and continue to soar. Why? Complications in the refineries of California’s cleaner fuel blend have somehow set the state’s prices out of line with the national trend. Multiple relief proposals have been in question, but no one knows just how long it will take to increase the imports needed to truly solve the issue. 

Republican Senator Mike Braun on Interracial Marriage

Indiana senator Mike Braun made a shocking statement recently, saying that he was okay with overturning the 1967 Supreme Court ruling that legalized interracial marriage. He, instead, believes that it should be up to the states to decide if they want to pass this law. Several hours later, he released a statement saying that he “misunderstood” the question and hates racism. To many, his second statement was not genuine, as the question pertaining to his thoughts on interracial marriage was asked multiple times. Additionally, Braun stated that he believed the Supreme Court should never have passed Roe v. Wade.

Madeleine Albright Passes Away

Madeleine Albright, the first female to serve as secretary of state in the US, passed away on Wednesday, March 23, at age 84. She was the daughter of Czech refugees who had fled the Nazis, yet she was kept hidden from her family’s full history until after she was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations by Bill Clinton in 1993 and became Secretary of State in 1997. Her parents converted to Roman Catholicism during World War II, and she grew up this way. Later, her Jewish heritage was revealed, and she gained knowledge that 23 of her relatives, including her grandparents, were killed in the Holocaust. Albright was an advocate for the global interests of the United States and was dedicated to demystifying foreign policy as well as the expansion of NATO. Her contributions to foreign policy and forever applicable lessons will long be remembered.