Missing in Action: The Week’s Overlooked News Stories

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Trump, blah blah, Marco Rubio’s yuge resignation from the 2016 presidential campaign, whatever. Believe it or not, there’s a whole world out there. Here’s three other stories that caught my attention this week…

– On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced Judge Merrick Garland as his nominee for the Supreme Court, replacing recently deceased Justice Antonin Scalia. To understate the situation, the controversy surrounding the move is vast. Should a lame duck President (with nearly a year left in his term) be allowed to nominate a justice? Is Congress obligated to give a nominee fair hearings? Are the Executive and Legislative branches of government capable of agreeing on anything? While the media spotlight was focused on these questions, President Obama sat down with Time Magazine for an in-depth discussion on race and body image in which he acknowledges slowly changing standards of beauty. He hopes these shifts inspire the next generation to view themselves and their dreams differently. Read an excerpt of this uplifting interview here.

– Ok fine. This is related to Trump. But we found a unifying issue! On the heels of this month’s Super Tuesday success for The Donald, Google announced that searches for answers to the question, “How can I move to Canada?” went up 350%. This week we witnessed Super Tuesday Part 3 in which the rise of Trump continued and talk of a contested Republican Convention was amplified by members of the GOP establishment. While the nation watched this unfolding mess, the World Happiness Report Update 2016 from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations was released. If you are horrified by the 2016 election cycle and want relocation options to consider besides Canada, you may find inspiration here.

– The world of entertainment is littered with celebrities fighting for more exposure, more money, more everything at the expense of anything else (I’m looking at you Kardashians). But this week, one sports figure stood out for his humble sanity. NBA star and San Antonio Spur Kawhi Leonard still drives the same car he drove in high school despite having signed a $94 million contact extension last summer. Read about his fascinating discipline and love for chicken wing coupons here.

What was on your radar this week?

Missing in Action: The Week’s Overlooked News Stories

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Welcome to a new weekly feature at BeckySarwate.com! 2016 has been a pop cultural, political and global whirlwind. How are busy people supposed to keep up? I’m here to help with commentary and links directing readers to the stories that may be worth a little weekend investment. Here’s three that caught my attention this week…

– While we’ve been watching presidential campaign debates on both sides of the party divide, the trading of insults via press conference, town halls and the like, a situation has been brewing between the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Secretary of State of Ohio, John Husted. Sanders’ team filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Husted changed rules in order to block 17 year-olds from voting in next Tuesday’s winner-take-all Ohio primary. It doesn’t appear to be a cut and dry issue. Read about it on CNN.

– Have you been enjoying the feud between Bette Midler and Kim Kardashian over nude selfies? While that’s been taking place, Lane Bryant has been grappling with what looks like actual injustice. According to sources, the company created a sultry lingerie campaign – in the vein of Victoria’s Secret ads – featuring their plus-sized models. Disappointingly, the ad was rejected by at least two major networks and the reasons given were vague. View this TMZ video report and judge for yourself: is this a case of too fat for TV?

– And while Chicago’s local television news reports have been dominated by another rise in gun violence, you may have missed a very touching viral video. The clip was originally posted by a suburban Chicago girl on her Facebook page. She surprised the man who raised her with something very special – so special that Ellen DeGeneres caught wind of it and shared the video on her own official Facebook page. Grab some tissues and watch it here.

What do you think of our new feature? Anything else happen this week that you think we might have missed? Tips and suggestions welcome!