College Athletes Try To Unionize

A controversial topic rising in the world of college athletics is whether or not athletes should be paid. In 2014, some of Northwestern University's football players created a labor union. The Chicago division of labor relations board decided that the athletes should be considered "employees of the university." The players have recently threatened to unionize again, but the board wouldn't even consider and said allowing the team membership wouldn't "promote stability in labor relations." When questioned about the topic, Chris Webber stated:"Bill Russell told me any system that gets free labor is slavery. So, I'm sure they have the right to unionize." Northwestern is a private school and could potentially have special rules and regulations against unionization, however according to the state law, players at state schools could still be considered union members. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-webber-ncaa-slavery_55d348ade4b055a6dab17304?utm_hp_ref=sports&ir=Sports&section=sports&kvcommref=mostpopular

Planned Parenthood

States are moving to cut government funds going to Planned Parenthood. Money will be put towards covering for services such as contraception, cancer diagnosis, and treatment of STDs, with the exception of Medicaid patients who have been raped or if their pregnancy could lead to their death. Investigations have begun in reaction to videos claiming Planned Parenthood has been profiting from fetal tissue sales, which is against the law. The recordings, however, were actually made by anti-abortionists pretending to be Planned Parenthood officials. Planned Parenthood in certain locations has also been accused of performing abortions during the second-trimester rather than first-trimester. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/us/states-move-to-cut-funds-for-planned-parenthood.html?ref=us&_r=0

Lamar Odom Challenges Media's Representation Of Black People

Lamar Odom accuses TMZ of depicting black artists and athletes differently than those who are white. Cynthia Frisby, a professor of strategic communication, has done tests on how sports journalists usually represent white athletes more positively than black athletes. Media coverage for the acclaimed black population has suggested that black people are less morally successful, have higher crime rates, and accomplish less in life than famous white people. This test is reason enough to prove Odom may have some legitimacy in his idea of the media being biased and racist in their representation of races. 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lamar-odom-tmz-coverage_55cccbfee4b064d5910abfe9?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media&section=media&kvcommref=mostpopular

Questionable Police Behavior In South Carolina

Nineteen year old Zachary Hammond was shot and killed by police officers in Seneca, South Carolina. Police claim they shot Hammond while he allegedly tried to run over an officer with his car, which is being questioned due to bullet holes on his side and back - not front. The police approached Zachary initially due to his possession and attempt at selling marijuana, however he was unarmed so it is suspicious why guns were drawn in the first place. Police cameras recorded Hammond's death, but investigators are refusing to release the video. The shooting hasn't received much publicity due to it's lack of video evidence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/zachary-hammond-police-shooting-south-carolina.html?ref=us&_r=0

Trump Releases Plan to Combat Illegal Immigration

Donald Trump shares his views on illegal immigration and his plans to eliminate it. Trump has made a point in his speeches that he believes “a nation without borders is not a nation.” Trump explains his belief that Mexico has been sending criminals to the United States to export crime from their own country, and has made enemies with Latino voters with these ideas. While Mr. Trump has many ideas as to how to end illegal immigration, at times he struggled to answer how he would do so.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/politics/trump-releases-plan-to-combat-illegal-immigration.html?ref=us