GEORGIA

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins absent at Athens town hall

On Tuesday evening, Democratic organizations and Indivisible District 10, a local progressive group, held a town hall meeting in which members of the district would hear from and question U.S. Representative Mike Collins. However, Collins declined to attend as, earlier in March, House Speaker Mike Johnson encouraged Republican lawmakers not to attend town hall meetings due to several high-profile protests.

The approximately 350 in attendance first heard from 3 University of Georgia professors and a veteran who spoke on bird flu, special education, women in the military, and the impact of recent funding cuts. State Representative Spencer Frye then fielded audience questions. He later invited State Senator Josh McLaurin and Representative Ruwa Romman to take additional questions, which were sent to Collins’ office in Monroe. A spokesman for Collins reaffirmed his commitment to the district and highlighted some of Collins’ legislative achievements.

Georgia Senate passes state income tax rebate and income tax rate cut

On Thursday, the Georgia Senate passed another state income tax rebate and income tax rate cut under House Bill 112. Under this bill, income tax rebates of up to $500 are paid back to Georgia residents. While there is some concern that benefits will go to the richest taxpayers, the rebates will send up to $250 to individual taxpayers, single people leading households will receive up to $375, and married couples will receive up to $500 if Governor Kemp signs the bill into law.

The state currently has an $11 billion cash surplus, which helps the process of passing income tax cuts. Kemp and other Republican lawmakers are pushing larger cuts after a law in 2022 proposed annual 0.1% cuts until a 4.99% cut was achieved. Income tax rate has dropped to 5.29%; the goal is to reach 5.19% in 2025. In the next 10 years, the accelerated tax cuts hope to save Georgia residents about $7.5 billion.

GOP lawmaker loses job hours after opposing Brian Kemp’s priority bill

Governor Kemp’s priority bill has started political firestorms over this past week. District 10 State Representative Vance Smith, who is a Republican and CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce, was removed from his post after voicing his opposition to the bill. The board later released a statement stating that there was just a difference “in visions” for how the organization was going to operate in the future.

There are three house Democrats in support of the bill, though they are receiving backlash from their party. Meanwhile, Representative Smith is one of eight GOP members opposing the bill. As a result of this opposition, Governor Kemp has stated that he is willing to threaten support for a primary challenger. More updates are expected as to how the bill will proceed.

NATIONAL

Trump signs order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education

On Thursday, March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the United States Education Department. The Education Department was established in 1979 during Jimmy Carter’s administration as president. Although it has many responsibilities, its main tasks are administering federal aid to educational facilities and providing grant money and loans to students.

Supporters of the Education Department believe it protects educational equity and gives necessary financial support to educational systems. However, opponents of the department believe education should remain directly under state/local control, and they support Trump in his endeavor. A full abolishment of the department would require Congressional approval—something that has never been achieved by past efforts to dismantle the department. Though Trump expressed faith in his order, the executive order instead directs Linda McMahon, current education secretary, to take steps to “facilitate the closure” of the department rather than abolish it directly.

INTERNATIONAL

Israel launches extensive strikes on Gaza, ending ceasefire

On Tuesday, March 19, Israel launched a series of extensive strikes against Gaza. The strikes were in response to Hamas’ refusal to release the 59 remaining hostages— a stipulation of the former ceasefire deal, which has since been broken. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 424 Palestinians were killed in the strikes. Among the dead, 130 were children.

After the attacks, Netanyahu stated: “From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire…this is just the beginning.” After echoing this sentiment, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that the operation is not “a one-day operation.” He also noted American support prior to the attack.

Fire disrupts travel at Heathrow Airport

Arrivals and departures were canceled Friday, March 21, after a fire erupted near Heathrow Airport in London, causing power outages and disruption for thousands of travellers. The airport, one of the busiest in the world, was left in darkness for almost a day with roughly 200,000 passengers stranded. The fire was located at a power substation 2 miles away from the airport. It was likely caused by a fault in a transformer and subsequently, the failure of the systems designed to prevent it. Even so, British authorities said they do not consider the fire suspicious.

The British government for years has faced increasing pressure to increase spending on infrastructure modernization and development. However, the pressures of healthcare and military spending have overshadowed the country’s ability to invest in that infrastructure. The fire raises concerns of Britain's capacity to withstand natural disasters and other national security crises.

CULTURE

Hollywood director arrested on charges of defrauding Netflix

On Tuesday, March 19, Hollywood director Carl Erik Rinsch was arrested on charges of defrauding $11 million from Netflix. Best known for the 2013 film 47 Ronin, Rinsch was paid to create the White Horse TV series. He demanded the $11 million in March 2020, after he argued that the initial show budget was “not sufficient”.

However, Rinsch allegedly transferred these funds to his personal bank accounts, after which he invested in several expenditures: cryptocurrency, luxury items, furniture, and credit card bills. The indictment also believes that $1 million was sent to lawyers in hopes of suing Netflix for more funds. Nonetheless, Rinsch was released on a $100,00 bail. He is expected to attend his trial in New York, date TBD.

Kirsty Coventry elected President of the International Olympic Committee

On Thursday, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was elected President of the International Olympic Committee. Coventry’s presidency welcomes many firsts; she is the first female IOC president, the first African IOC president, and the youngest to ever hold the position.

In addition to being the apparent successor to current IOC president Thomas Bach, Coventry was propelled to victory through her incredible Olympic story. During her first games at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, she became the first Zimbabwean to reach the semifinals, and she would later win three medals at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and four at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Coventry would later return to the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, in London and Rio. After retiring, she became an iconic Minister in the Zimbabwean government.

Coventry has been prepared by her predecessor, who has worked on future Olympic games through 2032 and helped promote equality for female athletes. Moving forward, Coventry has promised to strengthen collaboration among IOC members, prioritize athletes, and embrace greater environmental responsibility as climate change challenges loom.

Contributors: Sophia Nguyen, Jackson Bost, Alizah Mudaliar, Aviella Schwartz, Jason Eappen

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