Coast Guard ends search after 20 hours
Following 20 hours of searching a 1,400 square mile area, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for five people that went missing after a fishing boat sank off the coast of Alaska on New Year’s Eve. Rear Adm. Matthew Bell told the New York Times, “The decision to suspend an active search and rescue case is never easy, and it’s only made after careful consideration of a myriad of factors.” Only two of the five people on the boat were rescued. The last known location of the ship was less than 200 miles southwest of Air Station Kodiak.
Unidentified drones found flying over Colorado and Nebraska
Local sheriff’s departments in both Colorado and Nebraska have reported instances of “Large drones with blinking lights and wingspans of up to six feet flying over rural towns and open fields,” according to The New York Times. While these drone flights are completely legal in both states, their mysterious nature has unnerved residents. The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed regulation that would require drones to be easily identified with the administration currently investigating these reports. The sheriff of Yuma County, Colorado, Todd Combs, claimed that, based on the footage seen, the drones do not encroach more than 150 feet from people or buildings.
Harvard Ethnic Studies Coalition protest school’s treatment of ethnic studies
Following Harvard University’s decision to deny tenure for Professor Lorgia García Peña, a professor of Latino and Caribbean studies who — according to the New York Times — “devoted time to mentoring students of color.” Students have begun protesting the university’s treatment of ethnic studies and its use of race-based action during their admissions process. Students have claimed that the university has used their stories in the defense of their affirmative action lawsuit. However, they claim that the university refuses to acknowledge their students outside of this context. Both Peña and representatives from Harvard Admission declined to comment on the protests.
Following embassy attack more US troops deployed to the Middle East
Following an attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq on New Year’s Eve, 750 U.S. troops were deployed to the Middle East, with 3,000 more soldiers ready for future deployment in the next few days. In a statement, Mark Esper stated, “This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today.”
Photo: J. Theodore
