More from Mahmoud Bennett
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New data links raccoon dogs to early spread of COVID-19
As the world marks three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, reports and theories about the origins of the virus continue to garner international attention. A new report suggests that raccoon dogs, a fox-like creature native to East Asia, may have played a role in the early spread of the virus. According to a summary… -
Senators Murphy, Lee look to pressure Saudi Arabia on human rights record
A coalition of Democratic and Republican U.S. senators has introduced a resolution that would require the White House to critically assess Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and potentially re-evaluate American security assistance to the kingdom. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the resolution under a provision of the Foreign Assistance Act. If… -
Microsoft lays off its ethics and society team as it furthers AI push
Microsoft has laid off its entire ethics and society team responsible for ensuring the company’s innovations are both ethical and sustainable. The move is part of the recent layoffs that have affected about 10,000 employees across the company, according to The Verge. The tech industry cut more than 128,000 jobs so far in 2023. Despite… -
South Carolina lawmakers push bill to link abortion to homicide
Republican lawmakers in South Carolina have proposed a bill that seeks to redefine the term “person” to include the unborn. The South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023 would consider an “unborn child” which is aborted at any stage of development the victim of homicide, with protections afforded under the state’s assault laws. The change… -
Biden admin approves controversial Willow oil project in Alaska
The Biden administration has granted approval to a controversial oil project in Northern Alaska, despite criticism from climate activists who have described it as a “carbon bomb.” The approved $8 billion Willow project, which has the potential to drill up to 600 million barrels of oil from the federally controlled National Petroleum Reserve, has drawn widespread… -
Indonesia unveils the planned site of its new sustainable capital city
Indonesia has unveiled the construction site for its new capital city, which proposes to be a sustainable “forest city” and carbon neutral by 2045. The new city, named Nusantara, will be built in Borneo and replace the current capital, Jakarta. Jakarta is congested, polluted, and has been sinking into the Java Sea at a rate… -
Gov. Ron DeSantis: Florida banning books is a ‘hoax’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference this week defending his state’s record of removing books from school shelves. DeSantis branded the characterization of “book bans” as a hoax, claiming that schools are only “removing” books that are inappropriate. The press conference began with a roughly five-minute video that showed sexually graphic illustrations of… -
Poll shows Americans are divided on the meaning of ‘woke’
As the term “woke” gains increasing prevalence in the Republican political arena, a new poll suggests that Americans are divided on its true meaning. The phrase, which gained popularity during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, is being used by many on the right to describe the far-left. A recent USA Today poll framed… -
Tucker Carlson airs first batch of exclusive Jan. 6 footage on Fox News
Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired newly released footage on his show of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Part of the footage shows Capitol Police officers walking alongside Jacob Chansley, the notorious “QAnon Shaman,” as he made his way towards the U.S. Senate floor. The exclusive footage is part of the… -
Nations reach ‘High Seas Treaty’ to protect the world’s oceans
More than 190 countries have reached a landmark deal to protect marine life across international waters, a move followed by several rounds of applause at the United Nations. The legally binding agreement, being referred to as the “High Seas Treaty,” will designate 30% of the world’s oceans as protected areas by 2030. Currently, only 1.2%… -
UK considered exterminating cats early in COVID-19 pandemic: ex-official
As countries around the world took extraordinary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, health officials in the U.K. reportedly considered culling the country’s cat population. According to the country’s former health minister Lord Bethell, there was an idea at one moment when they considered asking the public to exterminate all the cats… -
Finland begins building a fence along its border with Russia
Finland has begun constructing a 124-mile fence along the country’s 800-mile border with Russia, in an effort to boost security. The move comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second year and reports of Russians fleeing the military draft continue. Some in the Nordic nation have expressed concerns of Russian threats, as the invasion… -
China warns Elon Musk after his COVID-19 lab leak comments
Elon Musk’s recent comments on Twitter about the origin of COVID-19 have drawn a warning from the Chinese government, which implied that the Tesla CEO’s remarks could damage the company’s relationship with the country. This warning comes just hours after the U.S. Energy Department assessed with “low confidence” that the virus likely originated in a…