The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.

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U.S. Courts Block Trump’s Transgender Military Ban

by the Web Editors 10-30-2017

President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. military personnel at Naval Air Station Sigonella following the G7 Summit, in Sigonella, Sicily, Italy, May 27, 2017. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

"I am directing the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the U.S. Coast Guard, to return to the longstanding policy and practice on military service by transgender individuals that was in place prior to June 2016."

Weekly Wrap: 10.27.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 10-27-2017

1. A Complicated Reformer

On the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, a look at some of the details of its most well-known leader’s life — a reformer, though far from modern: “Unless we appreciate his thought in its own, unfamiliar and often uncomfortable terms, we will not see what it might have to offer to us today.”

2. The Dark History Behind Letting Male ‘Geniuses’ Get Away with ‘Bad Behavior

“The convenient narrative by which male artists are able to claim that this case of seducing a young female artist is so special that it is unlike all the others that have come before it, or will come after, is exactly that — convenient. Not only is this untrue in a moral sense, it’s also historically untrue.”

25 Percent of Troops See White Nationalism in U.S. Military, Poll Shows

by the Web Editors 10-26-2017

Image via Infinite_Eye / Shutterstock.com

Of 1,131 active-duty service members, 30 percent surveyed that white nationalism poses a greater threat to U.S. national security than ISIS conflicts in Syria and Iraq, as additionally reported by Newsweek. 

Study Shows Conservative Support of Death Penalty On the Decline

by the Web Editors 10-25-2017

Image via Conservative Concerned About the Death Penalty study named "The Right Way: More Republican lawmakers championing death penalty repeal." 

“This is a system that is broken; we shouldn’t trust this system when we’re got the evidence to show that it doesn’t work,” said former Nebraska state Sen. Colby Coash. Nebraska was the first red state to abolish the death penalty.

3 White Nationalists Arrested After Shooting at University of Florida

by the Web Editors 10-20-2017

Image via Shutterstock.com/Katherine Welles

The three white nationalists, Tyler Tenbrink, William Fears, and Colton Fears, were charged with attempted homicide by Gainesville police.

Pollution Linked to 1-in-6 Deaths Globally

by the Web Editors 10-20-2017

Image via Shutterstock.com

Global pollution accounts for approximately 9 million premature deaths every year, according to a report by The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health.

The comprehensive study found that pollution is linked to 1-in-6 deaths globally — accounting for three times more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, The Guardian reports.

Weekly Wrap 10.20.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 10-20-2017

2. On the Political Uses of Evil

The trouble with contemporary political uses of evil isn’t the concept itself, but rather the intentional vagueness thrust upon it by an era without any well-defined theory of the good.”

Thousands in Somalia Demand Reform After Deadly Mogadishu Bombing

by the Web Editors 10-19-2017

Image via Reuters/Abdi Sheikh.

In the aftermath of a Oct. 14 truck bombing that killed over 300 people in Mogadishu, Somalia, thousands of people took to the capital's streets in response to mayor Thabit Abdi's call to unity, according to The Guardian. 

How 'Me Too' Began—10 Years Ago

by the Web Editors 10-18-2017

Image via Shutterstock.com

"On one side, it's a bold declarative statement that 'I'm not ashamed' and 'I'm not alone.' On the other side, it's a statement from survivor to survivor that says 'I see you, I hear you, I understand you and I'm here for you or I get it," says Tarana Burke.

23 Arrested in Lancaster Demonstration Against Planned Pipeline

by the Web Editors 10-17-2017

Image via Shutterstock.com

23 protesters were arrested at a demonstration against the Atlantic Sunrise gas pipeline in Lancaster County, Pa., on Oct. 16, according to the York Daily Record.

Weekly Wrap 10.13.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 10-13-2017

9. My Book Is About Race. Of Course It Is.

“Now my world is still on fire, but people keep applauding my ability to describe the flames.”

What Is Prison Like for Women and Girls?

by the Web Editors 10-12-2017

Image via The Marshall Project

The United States holds the title for having the highest incarceration rate in the world with 2.3 million incarcerated people. And the most rapidly increasing population imprisoned are women and girls.

Weekly Wrap 10.6.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 10-06-2017

1. How the Elderly Lose Their Rights

A heartbreaking report on how guardians can sell the assets and control the lives of senior citizens without their consent — and reap a profit from it.

2. FEMA Buried Updates on Puerto Rico. Here They Are.

“At some point this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency removed information from its website documenting how much of the island of Puerto Rico still lacked power or access to drinking water. Instead, our Jenna Johnson reported, the federal agency was relaying only positive information, documenting how many federal workers were on the ground and the extent to which roads had been cleared.”

Mass Shootings Occur Every 9 Out of 10 Days, Data Shows

by the Web Editors 10-03-2017

Image via Shutterstock.com

The attack at a country music festival in Las Vegas that left at least 58 people dead is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history – but there were six other mass shootings in America this past week alone.

Weekly Wrap 9.29.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 09-29-2017

3. Bullet Holes and Rosé: Exploiting Black Pain for Profit
How one new Crown Heights “boozy sandwich shop” exemplifies the ongoing pain of gentrification: “In the case of Summerhill, not only do residents view the new bar as a sign of a rapidly changing neighborhood; many also view it as a commodification of black stereotypes rooted in a layered and painful history that has long plagued the country.”

4. When Police Officers Don’t Know About the ADA
The recent police shooting death of Magdiel Sanchez, a deaf man who often communicated with a metal pipe, highlights the increasing problem of police interactions — and miscommunication — with the deaf community.

Who's Affected by DACA Changes? Interactive Map Shows DACA Recipients by Congressional District

by the Web Editors 09-27-2017

Image via USC Dornsife Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration

An interactive map, courtesy of USC Dornsife's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, illustrates estimated numbers of populations who are DACA eligible, and numbers of actual DACA recipients by congressional districts. In the aftermath of the abolishment of DACA, the Department of Homeland Security has set a deadline for all individuals eligible to renew DACA by Oct. 5. 

Weekly Wrap 9.22.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 09-22-2017

1. The Juggalo March Is Not a Joke

"What's unique about Juggalos is that they embrace and throw their class status in everyone's face—they’re flaunting their own disenfranchisement. ...They've recognized that the American dream is unattainable and made new dreams for themselves. That scares people. That scares the FBI. This is not what poor people are supposed to do."

Trump Administration the Most Male-Dominated in Nearly 25 Years

by the Web Editors 09-21-2017

Image via Flickr/NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Conversely, George W. Bush's administration in his first term had three men to every one woman, and two women served for every five men in the Obama and Clinton administrations. 

Faith Leaders and Aid Organizations Respond to Mexico City Earthquake

by the Web Editors 09-20-2017

Rescuers and people work at a collapsed building after an earthquake hit Mexico City. REUTERS/Henry Romero

“We pray for all those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Mexico. And we pray for those working tirelessly on rescue and recovery efforts. May God grant them strength and courage in the days and weeks ahead.”

5 Wheaton College Football Players Facing Charges for Battery, Mob Action Against Teammate

by the Web Editors 09-19-2017

Image via rchdj10/Flickr

DuPage County Judge Joseph Bugos signed arrest warrants and set $50,000 bonds against the players — James Cooksey, Kyler Kregel, Benjamin Pettway, Noah Spielman and Samuel TeBos — late Monday afternoon. Prosecutors charged the athletes with aggravated battery, mob action, and unlawful restraint.