Week in Review–2/19/16

This week in the news: Senator Bernie Sanders becomes the new Democratic Frontrunner, racism takes a new toll in America, and Pope Francis comments on Trump’s immigration policy.

1. Senator Bernie Sanders, the new Democratic Frontrunner

According to a Fox News national poll released Thursday night, Bernie Sanders has now surpassed Hillary Clinton for the first time in percentage of people favoring him to become the next president of the United States. Sanders comes ahead three points at  47%, while Hillary now has 44%. This is a significant increase of voters now interested in Sanders, compared to his 37% percent voter support just last month.

2. Racism takes a new toll in America

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (a Legal and Advocacy Center that tracks extremism within the US) Americans are becoming more extreme with a 14% increase in the number of hate groups operating in America. American’s attraction to groups like the Klu Klux Klan (a rise of 72 chapters in 2014 to 190 chapters in 2015) and black separatist groups (113 groups in 2014 to 180 in 2015) have lead to the increase.

3.Pope Francis comments on Trump’s immigration policy

Pope Francis said Thursday that GOP front-runner Donald Trump “is not Christian” if he calls for the deportation of undocumented immigrants and pledges to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel,” the Pope told journalists who asked his opinion on Trump’s proposals to halt illegal immigration.

 

 

 

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Joyce Chu is a policy corner writer who has a passion to bring awareness to important social and political issues happening in the world. She graduated from University of California, Irvine with a double bachelors in International Studies and Journalism. Joyce discovered her passion for journalism when she was studying abroad in Israel. While there, an unruly conflict took place as Israel and Gaza stated to bomb one another. Through this experience she realized that she desired to be in places of action/ areas of conflict, and to tell the stories that are happening on the ground. Joyce hopes to not only bring social awareness, but to inspire change through music and other art forms. Hope comes from inspiration, and inspiration is the mechanism that will drive people towards action and empowerment.