News
The Herald Briefing - Recent News
Staff of The Meredith Herald
Healthcare - Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConneii has
announced an end to the Graham-
Cassidy biii, the newest attempt by
the GOP to accompiish President
Trump’s campaign promise to
“repeai and repiace” the Affordabie
Care Act This round was defeated
by the firm opposition of Senator
Susan Coiiins (R-Mn); the ioss of
her “yea” wouid have ieft the biii
unabie to pass if a vote was caiied.
This was the fifth and possibiy
finai attempt to scrap or seriousiy
undermine the ACA; Senator
McConneii aiso announced
Repubiican iawmakers’ intention of
moving on to a tax overhaui effort.
removai and emergency services.
The island’s agriculture has been
decimated, and a region that was
already facing significant financial
crises is now attempting to prepare
for a long and difficult recovery.
Puerto Rico - The island is without
electricity and scarce on food and
water after a devastating pass by
Hurricane Maria last week. Cn
Tuesday Sept. 26, around 3:00pm,
President Trump agreed to provide
federal aid for 100% of needed
cleanup, rather than the usual 75%
(with the remaining 25% normally
being paid for by the state itself).
According to the Washington
Post, the aid is allocated for debris
Saudi Arabia - The country
decided to repeal its notorious ban
on women driving, possibly more
for public relations purposes than
egalitarian concerns. The measure
will not go into effect until June of
2018. Multiple justifications have
been given in the past for the
law forbidding women to drive,
including male family members’
concerns about cars breaking
down and women being stranded.
known to have used private email
accounts for work purposes. This
is not illegal, as long as the work-
related emails are fonwarded to
government accounts for recording
and oversight; the current
Justice Department request for
documents from the administration
revealed this personal use and
will theoretically uncover any
mishandled information.
Sept. 24, the NFL had a variety
of responses; some players
knelt, other teams locked arms
in solidarity, some stayed in the
locker room altogether, and some
declined to acknowledge the
issue at all. It remains to be seen
how NFL owners and players will
respond in the weeks to come.
White House - On Monday, Sept.
25, the White House disclosed
that at least six of Trump’s close
advisors used private email to
communicate about government
business, as did lower level White
House employees who often
engage with the public. Jared
Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Steve
Bannon, and Reince Priebus,
along with other officials, are
NFL Protest - On Sept. 1,
2016, Colin Kaepernick, former
quarterback of the San Francisco
49ers, began a streak of kneeling
during the national anthem as
a form of protest against racial
injustices and police brutality in
America. The debate that arose
tended to focus not on racial
injustice but whether the decision
to kneel during the anthem was
disrespecting the American flag.
President Trump inflamed the
issue recently with comments in
a speech and on Twitter, where
he tweeted #StandForOurAnthem
and suggested that players should
be “fired or suspended” if they
choose not to stand. On Sunday,
Local Sports - The Carolina
Panthers suffered a defeat this
past Sunday against the New
Orleans Saints, lowering their
record to 2-1. If you were watching
and caught the end of the Detroit
Lions V. Atlanta Falcons game
after that, you found out that some
losses are worse than others as
the Lions made what they thought
was a game-winning touchdown,
but had it overturned after review
of the play. On the upside, if you’re
an NO State fan, the Wolf pack left
the weekend with an improved
winning record of 3-1 and a
great win against Florida State.
Elsewhere in the Triangle, UNO
and Duke faced off, and the Blue
Devils came away with a 27-17
victory over the Tarheels.
Festi-Fall: Your Guide To The Best Events Of Fall
Teressa Berton, Staff Writer/Social Media Coordinator
Fall is a season of
changes, celebrations, and coming
together. This fall in the Triangle
will be full of opportunities to
explore and make the most of the
season, get to know the city, and
most importantly have a good time.
mature evening, take a trip down
to the North Carolina Museum of
Art. Drink in the masterpieces, and
if are 21+, you may responsibly
drink in a variety of wines. Even if
you aren’t over 21, you can try the
cheese and chocolate pairings.
during this weekend-long event
featuring shopping, fashion, dance,
and food. Take full advantage of
this opportunity to learn about
various international populations
that are part of the Triangle.
know downtown Durham. To
put it simply, for all of you who
speak meme: much doggos, such
puppers, lots pets, many fun-
toberfest.
150th Annual NC State Fair
October 12-22 — This event is a
staple for the fall semester. Come
prepared for food, thrills, and fun
at the fairgrounds — a short walk
down the road from MC. Take a
night off from Cornhuskin’ practice
during this week-long event to try
out a freaky fried food, take a turn
on the tilt-a-whirl, or just spend
the evening people-watching on
the midway. This is a great way to
have a fun night out with your gals.
Midtown Pumpkin Palooza
October 21 — For those of you
who love the fall and embracing
your inner child, head downtown to
get your fill of fall activities. From
pumpkin carving, checking out the
canine costume contest, listening
to live music, or just getting
the perfect shot to post to your
Instagram with your #PSL, this is
the ultimate fall event!
Raleigh Groove in the Garden
October 21 — Didn’t make it
to Coachella this year? Try this
local night of music at the Raleigh
Little Theatre’s Amphitheatre to
benefit Girls Rock NC, a non-profit
from central North Carolina that
empowers girls and women by
teaching them to embrace the arts.
Durham Art Walk November
18-19 — Treat yourself to a break
before the beginning of the end
of the semester and head back
to downtown Durham. Spend the
day exploring the galleries, small
businesses, and local artisans who
make the triangle a unique and
wonderful place to live.
Wine Cheese and Chocolate
Night October 14 — For a more
Raleigh International Festival
October 20-22 — Get to know
more about the diverse community
surrounding us here at Meredith
Durham Barktoberfest 2017
October 29 — This event in
Durham brings together pups
and people for a barking good
time. If you have been missing
your pooch, this event is a great
way to get your fix and get to
We hope you will take
advantage of these events
and seek out your own
opportunities to explore out city.
Tag your instagram photos with
#MHexpiores for your chance to
be featured on our Instagram,
@meredith_herald.
The Equifax Hack: What Should We Do?
Abigail Ojeda, Staff Writer
A massive digital hack
that compromised almost half of
Americans was discovered on July
29, 2017 when Equifax realized
that social security numbers, credit
card information, and driver’s
license numbers had been stolen
between May and July 2017,
affecting 143 million people.
Equifax is one of three national
companies that gathers personal
financial information and reports
credit scores, often partnering with
banks and credit card companies.
So for students who have never
directly given personal information
to Equifax, it is probable that
Equifax has their information.
So how does one know
if they have been affected, and
what can they do about the issue?
According to a CNN Money article
by Katie Lobosco, “Equifax will not
be contacting everyone who was
affected, but will send direct mail
notices to those whose credit card
numbers or dispute records were
accessed.”
However, the site www.
equifaxsecurity2017.com is a
place to check if you have been
affected, and will offer a security
service if you give up your rights
to sue the company. Business
Insider’s Lauren Lyons Cole writes,
“It’s safer to assume — and to
act as though — your personal
information is already out there,
than to count on companies to
protect your data.”
How does one accomplish
Cole’s advice? First, she
recommends using secure
passwords, even for the accounts
you might not use regularly (like
the one you made for a random
online order). She also advises to
learn how to freeze your accounts
if needed to prevent a hacker from
draining your account or taking out
a loan in your name.
However, she strikes
a balance between taking the
Equifax breach seriously and
realizing that in some ways these
information thefts are “the new
normal.” Cole states: “The only
thing we can really do is the one
thing we should be doing anyway:
Stay on top of your money, and fix
any issues as soon as you can. No
one is going to be more interested
in your financial situation than you
are. Not even a hacker.”