A lot has happened in the world over the past week. Let’s catch up on the major news headlines:
House passes bill to ban TikTok
On Wednesday, the House passed a bill to force TikTok to split from its parent company or face a national ban. The vote for the ban was 352 to 65 to shut down the video sharing app and backed the choice saying it is a security risk to the nation.
This idea of banning TikTok is not new, as lawmakers have been trying for years to shut down the app. With recent growing support by the Biden administration along with growing suspicions about TikTok’s reach to influence American politics, the federal government has felt the need to intervene.
TikTok failed to come to terms with national security officials, fueling efforts in Congress to grant the federal government more power to restrict TikTok and other apps linked to U.S. adversaries.
Long Island nurses strike for better conditions
Members of the New York State Nurses Association announced the vote Wednesday at a rally outside of the Staten Island University Hospital. The union says that 97% of the 1,300 nurses at the hospital voted in favor of striking.
According to the union, the nurses are looking for higher pay and more staffing so that they don’t compromise patient care. The union says that the nurses are asking for four nurses to a patient in addition to a 12% increase of pay for 2024 and 10% increase for 2025.
The nurses will push forward with their strike and will continue to bargain their rights with the union while on contract. Their contract, as of now, ends March 31.
U.K. will no longer provide puberty blocking prescriptions
The National Health Service (NHS) England announced on Tuesday that they will no longer prescribe puberty blockers for children and young people with gender dysphoria.
There are fewer than 100 kids and teens in England who are on puberty blockers and will be allowed to continue their treatment. In addition to those teens, young people who are seeking the medication may still be able to access the treatment as a part of a clinical trial but will not be prescribed.
U.K. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins was supportive of the NHS England move and says she welcomes the decision to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers to children.
Skeletal remains found in South Jersey neighborhood
Skeletal remains were found on a property in a residential neighborhood in Monmouth County. They were located on a property a few days ago while work was being done at the location.
Crime scene tape blocked off the lot, closing off the space to allow the excavator dig up more of the land to search for more remains. It was not clear how long the remains were under the property, and the remains have yet to be claimed.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that excavators working at the site had uncovered a Native burial ground, but suspicions are not yet confirmed.
National Guard will now be present in New York subway
The state of New York called in hundreds of National Guard soldiers and state police officers to patrol the New York City subway platforms. The soldiers will help officers check patrons bags for any potential weapons to provide a sense of safety for commuters and visitors.
With the new plan, 750 members of the National Guard and an additional 250 personnel from the state police and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be scattered across the transit system.
This addition of law enforcement officers adds to the already large police presence in the subways. With a 45% spike in major crimes in January, additional officers were needed to help with safety for those using the subway system.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of EmerorOfNYC, Wikimedia
