House Speaker Paul Ryan to retire
Paul Ryan announced on April 11 that he will not seek re-election, though he will complete his term. The Wisconsin Republican said in a statement that he wants to spend more time with his family, according to USA Today. Many GOP lawmakers supported Ryan’s decision to retire. Leadership in the House will not be decided until November.
Parkland shooter requests inheritance money to go to victims
The 19-year-old charged with killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has asked for his inheritance money to be donated to the victims. Defense lawyer Melisa McNeil stated in court that the suspect, “would like the money donated to an organization that the victims’ family believes would be able to facilitate healing in our community or an opportunity to educate our community about the issues that have ripened over the last four or five months,” according to USA Today. According to ABC News, the suspect may have inheritable annuity potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mark Zuckerberg testifies to Congress
Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees on April 10 and House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11. The billionaire took responsibility for mistakes made. Senators criticized the lack of privacy on the website since as many as 87 million users had their data compromised. According to the New York Times, Zuckerberg’s calm appearance helped Facebook stocks to rise.
Excess drinking can shorten a person’s life, study finds
According to BBC, having 10 to 15 alcoholic drinks every week could shorten a person’s life span between one to two years. Those who consume more than 18 drinks a week could lose up to five years of their life. The study published by Lancet observed 600,000 drinkers and did not find an increased risk of death for light drinkers. The study backed up 2016 UK guidelines for drinking, which recommends no more than 6 pints of beer or 7 glasses of wine.
