What in the World Wednesdays #13: Dropping Truth Bomb Cyclones

By: burgundy bug

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Blue Flowers

Source: Blue Flowers 02 | Penelope Peru Photography P3

Aaaand we’re back!

Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand reflected upon her previous conservative views during the CNN town hall on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Lori Loughlin and 16 other parents were indicted over the college admissions scandal; scientists are revving to reveal the first real images of a black hole; and another bomb cycle is forecast to hit the central-northern United States.

What in the World of Politics

Gillibrand: “I was ashamed”

Source: Kirsten Gillibrand explains why she flip-flopped on immigration | CNN

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reflected upon her political stances at CNN’s town hall in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

Naturally, Gillibrand was put under the microscope for her previous views on immigration and gun rights.

“When I was a member of Congress in upstate New York, I was really focused on the priorities of my district,” Gillibrand said. “When I became senator of the entire state, I realized that some of my views really did need to change.”

Gillibrand said she learned from her previous views, which weren’t “thoughtful” enough of the citizens outside of her congressional district.

In 2006, Gillibrand’s campaign website touted her support of tighet borders and her promise to “catch illegal immigrants.” An archived copy of the site is still available via The Wayback Machine.

“For people who aspire to be president, I think it’s really important to be able to admit when you’re wrong,” Gillibrand continued. “That is something President Donald Trump is unwilling to do… I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s such a cowardly president.”

This isn’t the first time Gillibrand has showed remorse for her conservative past on issues such as immigration.

Gillibrand: “I was not fighting for other people’s kids the same way I was fighting for my own. I was wrong to feel that way.”

Source: Tapper to Gillibrand: You’ve called Trump’s comments racist. How about yours? | CNN

“[My previous positions] were not empathetic and they were not kind. I didn’t think about the suffering of other people in their lives,” said Gillibrand during Jake Tapper’s State of the Union on Jan 20. “When I became Senator… I realized a lot of places in my state were different. I needed to understand what those constituents needed, too.”

What in the World of Arts and Entertainment

Lori Loughlin, alongside her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and 14 other parents were indicted in “Operation Varsity Blues,” the college admissions scandal, The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday.

These 16 defendants are being charged with conspiring, bribery, and fraud.

Actress Loughlin is no exception. She is being charged with mail and wire fraud, as well as bribery, the USDOJ reports.

Loughlin’s indictment followed Felicity Huffman and 13 other defendants agreement to plead guilty, which theUSDOJ announced on Monday.

Huffman has agreed to plead guilty for violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 by committing fraud via wire and mail services.

For her violation, Huffman faces a penalties of up to 20 years in jail, 3-years of parole, a mandatory special assessment of $100, or forfeiture.

Huffman also faces $250,000 in fines or twice of the gross gain / loss, depending on whichever is greater.

What Else is Going on in the World

Scientists are set to reveal the first non-computer generated images of a black hole at six press conferences across the globe today at 9:00 A.M. EST, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration announced on Apr 1.

By linking telescopes together across Earth, the EHT to set out to capture groundbreaking photographs of a black hole, according to the EHT panel at SXSW in March.

In Brussels, Lyngby, Santiago, Shanghai, Taipei, and Washington D.C., scientists will present the results of the EHT. Five of these major conferences will also be streamed online.

In other news, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning effective today through Friday for states across northern-central US.

This warning was issued hardly one month after the bomb cyclone that hit the midwest in the middle of March.

A bomb cyclone, also known as an explosive bombogenesis, is a cyclone spanning over multiple latitudes that rapidly intensifies and drops at least 24 millibars in at least 24 hours, according to the National Ocean Service.

The National Weather Service also warned of potential thunderstorms in the midwest and extreme fire damage in the Southern High Plains.

In Conclusion

• Gillibrand reflected upon her previous positions on immigration and gun rights during the CNN town hall on Tuesday
• Loughlin, her husband, and 14 other parents were indicted in Operation Varsity Blues, the college admission scandal, on Tuesday
• Felicity Huffman and 13 other defendants agreed to plead guilty in Operation Varsity Blues on Monday
• Scientists will reveal the first non-computer generated images of a black hole today at 9:00 A.M. EST
• A blizzard warning has been issued for northern-central US, effective through Friday. The midwest and Southern High Plains have also been issued thunderstorm and extreme fire danger warnings, respectively.

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