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Today, we once again address gun violence. There have been over 40 mass shootings so far this year, which is more shootings than days this year! They have left over 70 people dead, and pressure is increasing on government officials to increase restrictions on guns like assault rifles, which seem to be the gun of choice for many shooters. On a different note, Former President Donald Trump's social media accounts are coming back. After Elon Musk allowed Trump back onto Twitter, Meta has now announced that they will be restoring his Facebook and Instagram accounts as well. Lastly, Google is being sued by the government, for using unlawful means to monopolize the digital ad market with their big subsidiary, Google Ads. The case will go on soon, and we'll come back in the coming days on future updates on this big lawsuit..

There was some serious severe weather early Wednesday, smashing the southeast. Over a dozen tornadoes were reported across Texas and Louisiana, and over 100,000 people are in the dark after the storm knocked down power lines and stripped the roofs off homes and businesses. Cleanup crews then started working to fix the damage as the storm moved east, hitting Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia with heavy rain and strong winds. It also caused some serious snow farther north, in the Ohio Valley. On a more delicious note, Oreo® has announced that they are having a presale for their new Oreo® flavor! They call it The Most Oreo Oreo®, and it is limited edition! The presale is happening now, but it will be in stores soon for a limited time! Woohoo!

Gun violence needs to stop. This is one of the biggest issues in the country right now, and it seriously has to stop immediately. Two more mass shootings took place in California in the past two days, after the tragedy in Monterey Park. In Half Moon Bay, a 67-year-old suspect killed at least seven people in two confirmed attacks at separate locations in the same area. Just a few hours later, another person was killed and seven others injured after another mass shooting in Oakland. That was California's third mass shooting in three days, which just proves the point that gun violence needs to stop--again and again. On another note: The 2023 Oscar nominations have been released, some of the big nominations including Top Gun: Maverick (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects), Naatu Naatu by M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose (Best Original Song), Lift Me Up by Rihanna, Tems, and Ryan Coogler from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Best Original Song), Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga and Bloodpop (Best Original Song), Turning Red (Best Animated Feature), Guillermo de Toro's Pinocchio (Best Animated Feature), The Sea Beast (Best Animated Feature), Babylon by Justin Hurwitz (Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design), Angela Bassett from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Best Supporting Actress), Steven Spielberg from The Fabelmans (Best Director), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling), Avatar: The Way of Water (Best Visual Effects, Best Picture, and Best Production Design), The Batman (Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling). Read the full nominations here.

Today, we come to offer our condolences to the families in California that were affected by the devastating Monterey Park shooting on Lunar New Year, killing 10 people and injuring 10 others, one of which died later in the hospital. A 72-year-old man has been confirmed as the main suspect for the case, and he was tracked down and found dead, as he committed suicide by killing himself with his own gun in his car. The shooting was at a popular dance studio where the man himself used to go, but his motive is still yet to be determined. To honor the victims of the tragedy, President Joe Biden has announced that all American flags will fly at half-staff today. Two more small bits of news: Avatar: The Way of Water has officially surpassed the $2 billion mark in the global box office, making it the fifth highest grossing movie of all time, after Star Wars VII, Titanic, Avengers: Endgame, and the first Avatar. The IRS will start accepting the 2022 income tax returns today, and the deadline is April 18. Of course, if you need more time to send those federal income tax returns, you can always apply for a 6-month extension until October 16 if you need more time. On another note, you may be wondering why gas prices are making a jump again. To answer your question, it is because demand is rising. With milder weather coming as we start to transition into an early spring, many drivers are fueling up and hitting the road, to get a break from their recent hard work. This has led to a jump in gas prices lately, with the national average rising to $3.42 today. As of right now, Texas has the lowest gas prices in the country, with about $3.04, and Hawaii has the highest prices, with almost $5.00. Now, onto our last news story for today: Egg prices. Because of a serious flu outbreak that is spreading through many chickens around the country, egg prices have soared, with one carton of eggs reaching up to $15 in some states. Because of this, there has been a huge spike in the number of attempts to smuggle eggs across the US-Mexico border. Federal law requires you to declare whether you have any agricultural items or not, and lying can result in a fine up to $10,000.

Enjoy Lunar New Year!

This Saturday, we come to address the trouble in California. Californians are recovering from the major storm that passed through the area last week, where some areas received a year's worth of rain in just two weeks. However, it still isn't enough to neutralize California's severe drought, as the rain was immediately soaked up by the soil, and reservoirs did not fill up as much as expected. This is still an ongoing problem in California and most of the Western US. On another note, we have some big news for India! India has now become the most populous country in the world with 1.42 billion people, surpassing China's 1.41 billion. Over 67,000 people were born in India on New Year's Day alone, which was the highest number of people born on that one day around the world. In contrast to that, China's population has been declining, as their population declined by about 850,000 people in 2022. So India, enjoy the new title of most populous country! Also, Lunar New Year is approaching, and many people are gearing up to celebrate this popular holiday. It takes place on Sunday, January 22, so if you hear fireworks this weekend, don't be surprised. Enjoy Lunar New Year!

Yet another snowstorm is moving in, to the New England region this time. Many states in the region are preparing for snow, hail, heavy rain, and sleet, and over 7 million people have already been affected as it rolls into Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Multiple storm warnings are now in effect, and they warn that over 6 to 9 inches on snow are expected in some areas. On another note, Google's parent company, Alphabet, is announcing more job cuts this week. They say that they are laying off about 6% of their employees, which is about 12,000 people. This follows Microsoft's remark earlier this week about how they are also laying off about 5% of their workforce. Finally, some happy news this Friday: Lunar New Year is coming! Millions of people over the world will be celebrating this popular, fun holiday soon. Also, the people who believe in the Chinese zodiac will be now bringing in the Year of the Rabbit. Enjoy Lunar New Year!

It's all not-so-good news today, so let's dive in: The US economy is in a crisis right now. A huge crisis. The United States government is about to reach their debt limit today, which could invoke massive repercussions throughout the US. The government has something called a debt ceiling, which is the maximum amount of debt the government can be in at any one time. Right now, the debt ceiling is about $31.4 trillion, and if the US reaches that limit, it would cause the government to not have enough money to pay all of its bills. Then, the limit would start impacting many government-and-money-related things, like Social Security payments, federal agents' salaries, and veterans' benefits, and this follows the day when they had just announced that there would be free emergency healthcare for all veterans. This might also cause them to delay some of their payments. To switch to another topic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is planning to try to permanently ban vaccine and mask mandates in the Sunshine State, as COVID cases rise across the country. DeSantis has always been skeptical about COVID-19, and he has started to influence other people and enact laws that ban vaccine and mask mandates, plus starting to threaten businesses with a fine if they do put a vaccine or mask mandate into place. Many scientists are now worrying that this could negatively affect many people's health, and they expect COVID cases to keep rising if the ban goes through. Lastly, the US has approved an enormous $2.5 billion military package for Ukraine to help combat Russia in their ongoing war, and Ukrainian President Zelensky states that these new weapons will be crucial in holding off Russia's next drone attack, which is expected to move in soon.

More shock and sadness in Ukraine has emerged after a helicopter crashed in a suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killing 16 people, including their interior minister. However, Ukraine continues to fight back, and the US has hinted at the fact that they will most likely release another aid package for Ukraine's citizens as soon as the end of this week. More not-so-good news: Microsoft is planning some job cuts today. Big job cuts. They are not the only big company to have been shrinking their workforce lately. Because of inflation on the rise and sky-high interest rates, many large companies have been enacting some big job cuts. Today, Microsoft is planning to cut thousands of jobs; about 5% of their total workforce. To get all of the bad news over with before we get to the good, we address the topic that has been bubbling in people's minds since the end of 2019: COVID-19. COVID has killed over 1 million people in the three years that is has been here, and life expectancy has reduced by 2.5 years. It is also still the third-largest leading cause of deaths in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. So let's take a moment to commemorate all of the people who suffered through COVID. Lastly, the good news! Veterans can now get free emergency healthcare, according to an announcement made by the Department of Veterans Affairs. After all, we do need to protect our veterans and give them the credit they deserve for protecting our country! If you are a veteran, enjoy your free emergency healthcare!

The stormy, fierce rain has finally given Californians a much-needed break from the flooding and lightning and thunder that has been battering their homes for over a week now. However, the storm system is continuing on, next heading to the Four Corners region with some serious snow. Over 2 feet is expected, so make sure to PREPARE! Continuing with the bad news, gun violence is ramping up. Massively. Yesterday was the 29th and 30th mass shooting of 2023, in 17 days, so we are averaging a little less than two mass shootings per day in 2023. So be warned, and stay safe and away from guns. To get to some less tragic news, many people (including the players) at the Australian Open were extremely annoyed with how many matches were postponed due to the searing heat, as it reached over 97 degrees Fahrenheit during the afternoon. Also, in a match between a Ukrainian and Russian player, a Russian flag was displayed, and this sparked a lot of dispute over the currently ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Russian and Belarusian flags are now banned at the Australian Open. Lastly, if you are a Star Wars fan: the Season 3 trailer of The Mandalorian is out! Enjoy the trailer!