Shark Scoop - February 8, 2026
- Ethan Chahine
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY: ETHAN CHAHINE / STAFF WRITER
Shark Scoop is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in local, national, and global news, as well as a top headline in entertainment and sports.
LIU Fencer Takes Bronze in World Cup
A Long Island University fencer has made great strides in representing just how excellent our sports teams here at LIU are. Mohammad Elsayed, a member of our fencing team, brought home bronze from the Heidenheimer World Cup in Germany on February 6th. Elsayed represented the Egyptian national team in this competition.
Elsayed won in a landslide victory in the quarterfinal. He scored 15-10 against opponent Jakub Jurka from the Czech Republic. Elsayed and Jurka were neck and neck for the first two periods of the match. Elsayed managed to pull ahead in the third and secure his place in the semifinals.
Gaza Radio Station Returns to Service
Amid the rising conflict that arose within the Gaza Strip, every radio broadcasting station within Gaza City was destroyed. These radio stations had ceased operations, and this continued for two years. However, after all this time, radio stations have begun to broadcast again. These broadcasts are important for the people of Gaza as it allows for the spread of awareness messages and inform citizens about spreading diseases.
Mr. Al-Sharafi, host of the morning program, An Hour of Time, had this to say about the importance of continued radio broadcasts in the Gaza Strip to UN News.
“We need to deliver information to the population and guide them to the services that have stopped and are gradually being resumed,” he said, “especially in light of the difficult health conditions and the spread of epidemics.”
Rainbow Flag Removed From Stonewall by the Trump Administration
This week, under the Trump Administration, the LGBTQ flag has been removed from the Stonewall National Monument. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Manhattan borough president and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold that position, had this to say.
“On one level, removing a flag seems extremely, I guess, pedestrian. But the symbolism of doing it here at Stonewall is what is so profoundly disappointing and frightening,” APNews stated.
Since the 1960’s, Stonewall National Monument here in New York City has been a physical representation of the rise in advocacy for the LGBTQ community. After the bar was raided by police in 1969, the fire was lit for rebellion and the movement for LGBTQ rights.
In 2016, it gained the status of national monument under the Obama Administration shortly after gay marriage was legalized in the United States.
Trump Calls American Olympian “A Real Loser.”
Hunter Hess is an American-born Olympian on the USA’s Freeski Team. When asked, Hess shared his feelings on representing the United States in an international context, given recent domestic events.
"I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It's a little hard. There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't. I think for me it's more I'm representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S." He expressed to CBSNews
In response to this, Donald Trump made a post on social media and had this to say.
"U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn't represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics, If that's the case, he shouldn't have tried out for the Team, and it's too bad he's on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Wuthering Heights Casting Controversy
Emily Brontë’s novel, Wuthering Heights, is set to receive a film adaptation, and the casting is leaving some fans of the book upset. In the film’s adaptation, actor Jacob Elordi is set to play the character Heathcliff.
The controversy arises from Heathcliff being described in many contradictory ways, leading to the racial ambiguity of the character. An article by Forbes lists some of the ways the character has been described throughout the book.
“The text contradictorily describes Heathcliff as "a Lascar," “Spanish castaway” and a "dark-skinned gipsy," his “face as white as the wall behind him.” (Forbes)
Fans have also pointed out the discrepancy in interpreting a book from that time period in a modern lens, stating that with how language has changed over time, the author's intention may have been to portray Heathcliff as a white character, and that no color-blind casting was done at all when Jacob Elordi assumed the role.