Roxy Neset
Staff Reporter

Brexit Need to Knows

Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson’s original Brexit date of Oct. 31 has come and gone, relieving fears of a no-deal exit from the EU. A no-deal exit would mean all trade, personal rights, and financial agreements with the EU would become obsolete and leave British administrators scrambling to put border laws in place. The EU has granted an extension on the Brexit process despite Mr. Johnson’s urge to withdraw rapidly. This extension will give Parliament more time to craft and ratify a withdrawal deal. 

Prime Minister of Iraq to Resign

Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi announced his decision to resign on Oct. 30. Grievances from the public mostly displayed in the form of protests forced Prime Minister Mahdi’s hand. The protests have been going on since Oct. 1, and have resulted in roughly 200 casualties. Prime Minister Mahdi will resign after a successor to the position has been decided to “Prevent a constitutional vacuum,” said President Saleh. Although Mahdi has agreed to step down, the protests have continued, which has created immense pressure on the search for a new candidate for the Prime Minister position.

California Wildfires Cause Nation-Wide Concern

Extreme winds in Southern California have lead to the uncontrollable spread of wildfires. An estimated 206,000 homes and businesses did not have electricity on Oct. 30 due to concern that electrical sparks could ignite more fires. A count on Oct. 29 reported 30,000 people were under mandatory evacuation for safety concerns. For further updates, go to https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/reagan-library-evacuated-new-wind-driven-fire-breaks-out-north-n1073876?cid=eml_nbn_20191030 

Death of ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died on Oct. 26, following President Trump’s announcement of pulling U.S. troops from Syria, leaving the Kurds, a military partner of the United States, without military support. A raid was carried out with intelligence gathered from one of al-Baghdadi’s wives. “Last night the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world,” said President Trump in his 10 minute brief on the event. Al-Baghdadi brought himself and three of his young children into an underground tunnel and detonated a suicide vest. There were no United States casualties, but al-Baghdadi and his three children were killed in the blast.

Update on President Trump’s Legal Battle

On Nov. 4, U.S. President Donald Trump lost an important legal battle regarding his tax returns. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance had requested access to Mr. Trump’s tax returns. Mr. Trump and his legal team have fought the requests viciously, even claiming that indictment of the acting president is unlawful “if, for example, he did pull out a handgun and shoot someone on Fifth Avenue,” said Mr. Trump’s lawyer William Consovoy. He and his legal team will bring their case to the Supreme Court, hoping to overturn the previous verdict to make the tax returns accessible.