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On the ninth of October, President Trump released a proclamation about Columbus Day that retells the idyllic creation myth of the United States, starring Christopher Columbus and the settlers that “tamed the wilderness” and built the foundation of our country. The diverse and sophisticated Indigenous societies that inhabited this “wilderness” were not mentioned once, and neither was the genocide Columbus and later figures waged against them.

As of October 17th, there are 16 days to go until Americans finalize their votes in arguably the most important election in 160 years. So, how do things look right now?

In the aftermath of the 2016 election and through the impeachment of President Trump (which seems like a lifetime ago but took place shortly after this year began), foreign interference and misinformation campaigns were the main topic of concern ahead of the 2020 election. While coronavirus may take that mantle this year, election misinformation is incredibly harmful to our democratic institutions and it hasn’t gone away for the time being like school dances or crowded movie theaters. Whether foreign interference from Russia or Iran, or domestic misinformation coming from the White House, social media companies have been put in an uncomfortable position; how do you police millions and millions of users to prevent the spread of lies, and how do you label such misinformation when it comes from public figures like the president?

Governor Cuomo has set stricter regulations in NYC, which went into effect October 8th. In state-identified cluster zones with increasing rates of positive cases, large gatherings have been banned and nonessential businesses closed. These restrictions will remain in place for a minimum of 14 days but could last up to a month or more depending on the community’s response and trends in COVID rates.

By Jonah Ruddock Source: Pius Utomi Ekpei/ AFP- Getty Images The death of George Floyd last May inspired nationwide protests and highlighted systemic racism and police...

By Seth Gellman Source: Blue Origin, NYT Blue Origin, a rocket venture owned by Jeff Bezos, launched its space tourism rocket to the edge of Earth’s...

By Grace Hwang Source: TheStreet Due to the coronavirus, the US entered a steep economic recession in February. But now that some businesses have reopened, it...

Emmanuelle Charpentier, a French professor, and Jennifer Doudna, an American biochemist, are the 6th and 7th women to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 is a molecular tool that can be used to make precise incisions in the genetic material, making it easier to edit genetic code. This discovery revolutionized molecular life sciences, bringing new opportunities with breathtaking potential.

By Grace Hwang Source: Associated Press On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to normalize relations with Israel after Israel agreed to...

By Seth Gellman Source: TASS Belarus, a former Soviet republic bordering Russia, has been experiencing turmoil since the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko on August 9th....