Five people were killed when a plane crashed during takeoff at Kennedy International Airport on Thursday night.

Forty-five passengers and crew members were aboard the TWA jet. Aboard the plane was John Dumont and George Johnson, who are professors from Backwater State University. Both professors were not harmed during the crash. Dumont and Johnson were returning from separate conferences in New York City.

Texas Judge’s Ruling Puts Free Preventive Care in Jeopardy

On September 7, 2022, federal judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the process used by the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The Affordable Care Act is used to determine what kinds of preventative health care must be fully covered by private health insurance. This new ruling could restrict millions of Americans’ access to procedures like cancer screenings, alcohol abuse counseling, and drugs that help prevent H.I.V.

The kinds of preventative care that must be covered under the law is recommended by a volunteer panel of experts called the Preventive Services Task Force, and Judge O’Connor concluded that this panel violates the constitution because its members are not appointed by the president or confirmed by the Senate.

The case was brought into question when a lawsuit was filed by Christian business owners and employers with the argument that the preventive care mandate violates their constitutional right to religious freedom. The ruling took specific aim at the H.I.V. drug regimen known as PrEP, because this regimen “facilitates and encourages homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman.”

“It’s unfortunate to have it appear that there are some groups trying to politicize such an important health intervention,” said Jeremiah Johnson, PrEP program manager of PrEP4All, an advocacy group. Judge O’Connor’s ruling against the Affordable Care Act has primarily made him a target for progressives and gay-rights activists.

Overall, I think this was a well-written news article. The author did well with getting straight to the point and organizing facts in a way that makes sense for their audience. The author also includes statements from both sides of the argument, which portrays and attempt to give an unbiased explanation of the topic. While I think this article was well organized, there is a section towards the middle that explains Judge O’Connors background and previous statements, which I do not think is entirely relevant. Even with this unneeded information, the author is still able to portray an important political decision that could impact the access to healthcare for millions in the future.

The European Union moves to restrict visas to Russians, but does not ban them.

European foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday, August 31 2022 to suspend an agreement with Russia that made it easier for Russians to receive visas to travel to the European Union. The suspension of the previous agreement will now make visas for Russians more expensive, require more paperwork, and involve long delays. This new decision was actually somewhat of a compromise between the ministers, as countries including Poland, the Czech Republic, and Finland all argued for a complete ban of Russian tourists from the European Union. The goal of making it more difficult for Russians to obtain visas is to show Europe’s disagreement with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, the foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles made it clear that individual countries can still choose how to control their own borders, and since then the Czech Republic and numerous other countries have stopped issuing visas to Russian travellers. While Russians are now facing increased restrictions and delays, Borrell stated, “We don’t want to cut ourselves off from those Russians who are against the war in Ukraine.”

Overall, I think this is a newsworthy topic. This article brings attention to how the war on Ukraine is impacting almost all aspects of life, not just Ukrainians and Russian soldiers. Due to the suspension of the agreement, it is now difficult for Russians who oppose the war to escape their country. While I feel sympathy for people in this situation, I also understand the European Union’s decision and see that they are actively opposing the Russian invasion. In my opinion, this was a well-written article that got straight to the point. Based on the tone of the article, it seems that the intended audience is people that are sympathetic for and side with Ukraine in this conflict. This is implied because there are no statements made to sympathize with Russians after this new decision. I think the author did a great job in bringing light to a decision that I am sure many people were unaware of. Even though this article was just published, I think it would be interesting to see an update that describes Putin’s response to the European Union.

Lucia Kruize is a sophomore attending Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. Unlike most other students that attend Morningside, Lucia had to travel across the world to attend her classes. She is from Jaegerspris, Denmark. After taking multiple flights, navigating airports, and sitting through boring layovers, Lucia said that it can take anywhere from thirteen to twenty hours to make the trip from Denmark to Sioux City.

Lucia was originally motivated to travel to the United States to pursue soccer opportunities. She usually plays striker or winger, and has found her place on the Morningside Women’s Soccer Team. While her initial motivation was soccer, Lucia figured that it would be beneficial to study and take classes while living in the United States. She is currently majoring in Mass Communications, because she has an interest in journalism and she is learning skills that can be applied anywhere in the world.

Lucia said that she was mainly surprised by the major cultural differences between Denmark and the United States. She said the food is much different, and people in the United States are usually nicer and less blunt than people at home. While she said that she thinks people in the US tend to be more friendly, she also thinks that they act more fake than people in Denmark.

After living in the United States for her entire freshman year, Lucia has visited eight states. She still really wants to see Michigan, because she appreciates the nature, and thinks it is a very underrated state. She could take her time and enjoy herself there without worrying about large crowds and too many tourists.

With the experiences Lucia has had living in the United States and traveling across the world to play soccer and attend school, she would highly recommend studying abroad. She said that you definitely need to prepare yourself for the cultural changes you will experience, but through studying abroad she has learned so much more about herself and the world, and she would recommend that experience to anyone.