The Impeachment trial continues to the Senate
The United States’ House of Representatives’ prosecutors began the next portion of President Trump’s impeachment trial on Jan. 16 by reading the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The articles, abuse of power and obstruction of congress, were read by Representative Adam Schiff. Chief Justice John Roberts, as the justice presiding over the trial, oversaw the Senators’ oaths of impartial justice, according to The New York Times.
Puerto Rico still recovering from earthquakes
Puerto Rico is still recovering from a series of earthquakes that struck the island at the start of 2020. According to NBC, over 1,000 earthquakes have been recorded in Puerto Rico since the beginning of the year. At least 800 homes have been damaged, displacing hundreds of people to shelters where they continue to suffer from stress, anxiety and fear due to the aftershocks and continuing quakes.
Romaine lettuce safe for consumption again
The CDC declared Romaine lettuce safe for consumption last week after an outbreak of E. coli had plagued the produce since September. According to CNN, 167 people were infected, of which 85 were hospitalized and 15 experienced a form of kidney failure. The contaminated lettuce came from Salinas, California, and had impacted consumers across the United States.
2019-2020 flu season’s unusual factors
While different strains of influenza might go around the population, type B, a rare occurrence, emerged at the beginning of the flu season last year. According to Time, influenza type B is known to circulate at the end of the season, which has affected infection predictions and outcomes. This strain is more likely to affect children over the elderly. Due to the fact that more flu-related deaths occur in older populations, many have gotten sick with the flu, but a smaller portion have died.
Microsoft pledges to reduce footprint
Tech giant Microsoft pledged to become carbon-negative by 2030, according to the Associated Press. This will include both direct and supply-chain impacts as well. Previously, Microsoft had not lead the sustainable tech movement, but these new figures are a closer match to other corporations’ claims, like Google and Apple. The company claims to be working towards “net-zero” emissions across their supply chain as well as enforcing better treatment for their workers. Microsoft aims to remove all previously created emissions by 2050.
