Mother Nature is still furious for some reason, and she doesn’t seem to be letting up. Mexico and Puerto Rico are now her newest victims; but before we get into all that, there’s a lot of other stuff that’s been creeping up on the headlines.

Oh, and welcome to the first real installment of this series. 🙂

Equifax:

Hurricanes and earthquakes have been clouding every headline, which is perhaps why the huge Equifax security breach quickly became old news. This past summer, between May and July, criminal hackers pounced on a security weakness, consequently obtaining and compromising the credit info of about 143 million people.

This information was discovered on July 29th, yet interestingly enough, Equifax only just recently decided to announce the breach. Furthermore, it just so happens that in the time it took for Equifax to go public, several major executives sold large portions of their stock. However, Equifax maintains that these two events are unrelated, and the execs were unaware of the largest known breach in the U.S. that occurred within their company.

All things aside, the most important thing is that those who could possibly be affected keep their information safe. Equifax has provided a link where people can verify whether their information was involved in the breach (equifaxsecurity2017.com/potential-impact). It is also crucial that people obtain copies of their credit reports to monitor any possible unusual behavior.

DACA:

A few days ago we also received updates on the current state of the DACA issue. DACA, of course, is the program set in place by Obama that protects those who were illegally brought to this country by their parents at a young age. Recently, we got word that it could possibly be shut down by the Trump administration.

But as of recently, it appears that this is not the case. It seems that Trump has been attempting to come to a decision with Democratic leaders Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi. Trump is evidently fighting for amnesty for the Dreamers, on condition that funding for the infamous wall must be included in any deal. Schumer and Pelosi obviously oppose the latter.

In short, no deal has been made as of yet. That is still in the works. Our leaders are now working towards legislatively enforcing the protections of DACA.

Shockingly enough, Trump even took to Twitter to defend the Dreamers. It seems his initial tweets boasting of the imminent end of DACA were solely attacking the way in which DACA was enacted, as many Republicans disagreed with Obama’s decision to enforce it as an executive order. But, Trump’s decision to publicly defend the philosophies of DACA is quite interesting. Obviously many of his more conservative followers- his core support base- were enraged. Usually, Trump is more tentative when it comes to voicing opinions that alienate his more radical followers (as we saw with his weak response to the Charlottesville mobs). But I suppose the unexpected should be expected when it comes to our president.

Jason Stockley

Several days ago Jason Stockley, the cop who shot Anthony Lamar Smith, was acquitted.

In December of 2011, Smith engaged in a car chase with police over a suspected drug deal. The chase ended with Smith’s death. When the chase ceased, Smith was ordered to open his car door. Stockley maintains that rather than complying, Smith began to reach for something in his car. Smith presumed his to be a gun, and in turn shot Smith five times. Heroin and a gun were later discovered in Smith’s car. Only Stockley’s DNA, not Smith’s, was found on the gun.

During the chase, dashboard cam footage captures Stockley muttering under his breath, “going to kill this mother******, don’t you know.” Later on, following Smith’s shooting, the footage features Stockley rummaging in his car for an unseen object. The prosecution and Smith’s family argue that this was Stockley reaching for a gun to plant in Smith’s car; Stockley claims he was retrieving a first-aid kit.

A white cop being acquitted for a black man’s death incited inevitable protests. Protesters flooded St. Louis, and what was initially a peaceful protest soon turned violent. Roads were blocked, rocks were thrown at the mayor’s house, and several cops were injured. In the end, only violence prevailed, and a family continues to mourn the loss of their loved one as another family rejoices.

Mother Nature, give us a break

America continues to suffer in the aftermath of Irma and Harvey. And the destruction just keeps on coming. Yesterday, an earthquake ravaged Mexico City, leaving 200 people and counting dead. The earthquake had a massive magnitude of 7.1– and it’s only been two weeks since the last, more powerful earthquake hit Mexico’s coast (which left 90 dead). The damage in Mexico City is staggering.

Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, another hurricane has come to town: Hurricane Maria. It hit early this morning, measuring as a Category 4. They are continuing to bear the storm, though the eye has officially passed. As of recently, it has come down to a Category 3. The damage is indescribable, electricity has been wiped out across the island, and as of now, Maria has taken seven lives.

I sit here in lovely, quiet, Grand Rapids, Michigan sending all the love and prayers to those who have been affected by Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the earthquakes. Here’s hoping to a calmer two weeks.