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.
BY: CHARLOTTE JONES / CHIEF NEWS EDITOR
Sweden Officially Becomes a NATO Alliance Member
After a two-year wait, Sweden has officially become NATO’s newest member. The country was forced out of its traditional “non-alliance” stance when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken received the official documents from the Swedish Prime Minister in Washington D.C. on Thursday, March 7.
Blinken said, “Good things come to those who wait… Swedes realized something very profound: that if Putin was willing to try to erase one neighbor from the map, then he might well not stop there.”
Sweden and Finland’s entrance into NATO increases the proximity of the organization's border to Russia, forcing the country into high alert.
Presidential Rematch: Super Tuesday Confirms it Will be Trump Versus Biden
Roughly a third of the United States voted in Super Tuesday's primaries and Donald Trump walked away with the majority of the wins. Nikki Hayley won in Vermont, but her victory was short-lived as she suspended her campaign the following morning. She did not endorse Trump, saying that he needed to “earn her vote.”
Joe Biden has no substantial democratic challengers, however, the party isn't thrilled with him either. Hundreds of thousands of voters have voted “uncommitted” instead of voting for him in the primary. His firm stance of support for Israel has strained the relationship between him and a significant number of young Americans.
“Tuesday’s showing of no confidence in Biden, anger with Biden and people’s willingness to use their vote to express that extreme discontent should have the Biden team and all Democrats very, very worried,” Huwaida Arraf spoke.
Governor Kathy Hochul Declares State of Emergency Regarding the Increased Subway Violence
After a 46% increase in violence in the New York City subway system, Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency. 750 National Guardsmen and an additional 250 NYPD officers have been sent to the busiest subway stations in the city to combat the violence.
“These brazen heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated,” Hochul declared, in response to last week's slashing of an MTA conductor. These officers will also be conducting mandatory bag checks of subway riders.
“No one heading to their job or to visit family or go to a doctor appointment should worry that the person sitting next to them possesses a deadly weapon,” Hochul said. “They shouldn’t worry about whether someone’s going to brandish a knife or gun. That’s what we’re going to do with these checkpoints.”
Union Strikes Threaten Olympic Games
A major French union has forewarned of strikes that could take place during the summer Olympic Games. Last summer, French President Emmanuel Macron passed legislation that raised the retirement age by two years, creating a tense social situation between the French government and the people.
Sophie Binet, a union rep, said that “We want the government to take immediate action to ensure the success of the Games. For this to happen, our warnings must be heeded and the Games must be prepared from a social point of view. We’ve been saying the same thing for months now, and no one cares. It’s getting very tiresome.”
The Union says the impact of the games on the people who have already been forced to work longer over there lifetime will be devastating.
Dune 2 Released, Immediate Success Story
Dune: Part 2, was released in theaters late last week and surmounted quite the success. The continuation was a ginormous hit amongst fans and pulled in a total of $200 million at the global box office.
The original hit theaters in 2021, and part two was supposed to come out in late 2023. However, because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the release date was pushed back into 2024. The film features award-winning actresses Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Rebecca Ferguson, alongside actors Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken. The movies are based on the award-winning series, “Dune.” The director has confirmed a third but the rest of the series is still up in the air.