National News
President Obama Sends Guantanamo Bay Plan to Congress
In an attempt to fulfill a campaign promise, President Barack Obama sent a plan to Congress on Tuesday to close Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Experts and lawmakers say Congress will almost certainly reject this plan, since many Republicans, including presidential candidates, believe it should remain open. The nine-page plan outlines where the 91 prisoners currently at the military prison will go. Many of the prisoners are not eligible for transfer to other U.S. military prisons, and have been banned by Congress from entering the U.S. nytimes.com
Court Order in California Requiring Release of Education Records Raises Concerns
Earlier this year, a federal court ordered the release of personal data of over 10 million students in California as a part of a lawsuit claiming disabled students in the state have not been served according to federal standards. This has sparked controversy because the order was justified with a 1974 privacy law stating educational information can be released by order of a federal court, but much less information was collected from students when this law was written. The data requested includes students’ grades, test scores, specialized education plans, names, Social Security numbers, addresses and health records. abcnews.go.com
Texas Court Drops Charges on Rick Perry
Two felony corruption charges against former Texas Governor Rick Perry were dropped Wednesday in the highest court in Texas. The ruling threw out one charge and reaffirmed the dismissal of another. This came after a grand jury indicted him in 2014 of coercing a public servant and abusing his official capacity, both felony charges. The case relates to an incident in 2013 when, after District Attorney and Democrat Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested for a DUI, Perry threatened to veto a $7.5 million anti-corruption bill if she did not resign. nytimes.com
International Spotlight
Women Now Allowed to Serve in Combat Roles in the Indian Armed Forces
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee announced Tuesday that women will be allowed to serve in combat roles in the country’s armed forces. Women have already been allowed to be short-serving pilots in the Indian Air Force, and this announcement signals a shift allowing women in all combat roles. The Indian government has resisted the movement in the past, due to concerns of the mental health and safety of women, especially if they are captured. Prior to the announcement, only 2.5 percent of India’s over one million strong armed forces are females, and they primarily serve medical or administrative roles. aljazeera.com
Jeremy Clarkson Apologizes to ‘Top Gear’ Producer
Former presenter of the internationally popular BBC show “Top Gear” Jeremy Clarkson publically apologized to one of the show’s producers, Oisin Tymon, after he assaulted him physically and verbally almost a year ago. The incident led to an out-of-court settlement of over $140,000 and the removal of Clarkson from the show. His co-presenters, Richard Hammond and James May, although not involved with the incident, decided to leave the BBC as well, after over a decade on the show. The three men have since signed a deal to present a motoring show on Amazon.com’s streaming service. The BBC has since cast presenters to replace the three for future productions. topgear.com
Ukraine Plane Disaster Report Released
The UK-based Bellingcat team published a 115-page report Tuesday about flight MH17, a plane that was downed in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The report links personnel from the 2nd Battalion of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a group of Russian militants who brought Buk surface-to-air missiles into Ukraine that year. Russia has previously blamed Ukraine for the incident and has not commented on the report yet. The country has also used its power in the UN Security Council to veto an international tribunal into the disaster, with President Vladimir Putin stating it would be counterproductive and premature. bbc.com
A version of this story appeared on p. 5 of the Thursday, Feb. 25 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
