What Happened This Week
1) 45 days later, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. After intense national protests and non-stop discussions in the media, Florida Special prosecutor Angela Corey charged Zimmerman on Wednesday. The second-degree murder holds a minimum sentence of 25-years in prison. If the jury fails to convict Zimmerman of second-degree murder, they will still be able to convict him on a lesser charge such as manslaughter.
2) The inevitable Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee. Rick Santorum dropped out of the race for Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, leaving Romney with an insurmountable lead over his two remaining opponents, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Santorum, who with little money and a small campaign staff managed to win 10 states, has at least highlighted one clear lesson: Traditional Republican voters have no enthusiasm for Mitt Romney.
3) Obama vs. Romney Week I: Women and taxes at the forefront. In what can be considered the first week of the general elections, the candidates engaged over women’s issues and taxes. Ann Romney took the spotlight in an attempt to regain the all-important women vote, which her husband is losing badly. Obama pushed his Buffett Rule (millionaire pay minimum of 30% of income in taxes) while Romney supports across-the-board 20% cut in income tax marginal rates.
4) Chinese scandal rocks political class. Bo Xilai, a powerful member of China’s Communist Party with big ambitions, was suspended from the Politburo, the 24-member group that oversees the ruling party, and removed from his post as ‘governor’ of Chongqing. Xilai’s populist brand made him a popular with the people and his heritage as a son of one of China’s revolutionaries made him an eventual contender from the top job in China. Now, his wife has been arrested in connection with the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Top Stories – How it Feels to be Racially Profiled (Kristian Davis Bailey) – I'm only 20 years-old, and I've been racially profiled and lived through two highly publicized cop shootings of innocent black men in New York City. (Part II following “The Weight of Being Black)
Exclusive: Interviews With Wounded Teenage Free Syrian Army Fighters (Naeem Meer) – TRIPOLI, LEBANON – My surreal experience with wounded Free Syrian Army fighters. One thing is clear; this is a political coming of age for Syrians.
Sen. Dick Durbin Fights For Millennials With Smart Student Debt Bill (Paul Zuradzki) – Durbin advocates eliminating the bankruptcy code's special treatment of private student loans. This will encourage lenders to play smart with their money and play nice with borrowers.
What We’re Reading This Weekend – The subversive charm of day drinking (NYT); College students now prefer reading on digital (Gigaom); The popular science star, Jonah Lehrer (FT); My so-called ex-gay life (American Prospect).
Desert – Food's biggest scam: The great Kobe beef lie (Forbes).
