LOCAL

Minnesota’s environmental sectors are planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through new opportunities. Reforestation and cover cropping are just a few examples of what could cut up 1/5 of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Nature Conservancy sent out a report regarding their new plans of adding 13 new practices to cut down emissions, seeing as Minnesota has failed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in many environmental sectors.

(Source: The Star Tribune)

Many people worry that the COVID-19 testing kits around the state may be more inaccurate in detecting the new more contagious strain of the virus, however, Thermo Fisher Scientific, which creates the COVID-19 test used in community testing sites, has stated that the tests may actually be more accurate in detecting the new strain. Three confirmed cases of the new strain were discovered in Minnesota that were only found because these tests reported back a specific test result that led scientists to the new strain.

(Source: The Star Tribune)

NATIONAL

Many experts believe that the anger of the 2020 election from many Americans will live on past President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Even after all of the chaos of the past few weeks and the upcoming inauguration, recent interviews have shown that the rage of the Americans who believed in the election fraud has intensified. A Washington Post poll showed that 8% of adults and 15% of Republicans supported the actions that took place at the Capitol weeks ago.

(Source: The New York Times)

The Trump administration has executed more than three times the prisoners than the federal government has in six decades. Until July there hadn’t been an execution of an inmate in 17 years but since this summer the Trump administration executed 13 inmates. The Supreme Court has done little these past few months to analyze these cases or hasn’t taken the time to perform their deliberative processes leading to controversy within the government.

(Source: The New York Times)

INTERNATIONAL

China’s economy is growing much faster than before the pandemic.  China’s economy has grown by 2.3% in 2020 becoming the only major economy to grow significantly during the pandemic that took an economic toll on other major countries. Additionally, China’s GDP rose 6.5% in 2020 which was more than before the pandemic. China’s containment processes for the virus have helped their economy stay afloat during 2020.

(Source: The Washington Post)