The Looming Iranian Nuclear Threat

This week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that monitors within the country of Iran have detected Uranium within the Iranian nuclear program reaching 86% enrichment, just four points less than the standard weapon-grade needed for a nuclear weapon.

Iran has, since their 1979 Revolution, set themselves up to be a longtime adversary of the United States and has pursued a policy of sponsoring terrorism across the Middle East, most notably Yemen and Palestine. Iran has also been in the news for their violent crackdown of major protests throughout the previous year.

The US Department of State has treated Iran’s nuclearization as a clear and present danger, and everything from sanctions to Obama’s previous “Iran Nuclear Deal” show great effort taken to try to put a stop to Iran’s nuclear program. All of these measures have fallen short it seems, and with this level of enrichment the most recent benchmark for Iran to have hit, their nuclearization may only be a matter of time.

Norfolk Student Brings Firearm to Elementary School

Norfolk Police have charged Letty M. Lopez, the mother of a 6-year-old student of Little Creek Elementary, with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and allowing access to a loaded firearm by children.

This charge follows an incident where the 6-year-old had brought the gun to the school. The incident has been picked up by nationwide news networks, such as CNN and NBC, whose reporting on this event has provided further details. Faculty discovered the weapon within the child’s backpack and immediately confiscated it, before turning it over to the police.

No one was injured in this incident, but deep-rooted fears around incidents of this kind persist among school faculty, with the memory of the recent shooting at Richneck Elementary School still very fresh. With recent attention on this subject, these incidents are becoming increasingly common in the press – with two other incidents of young children gaining access to their parent’s firearms in North Carolina and Philadelphia receiving national attention as well.

 Train Derailment in Ohio Causes Release of Hazardous Chemicals 

On Feb 3, 38 cars from a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, 11 of which were carrying hazardous materials such as vinyl chloride, according to the National Transportation and Safety Board. 

Northeastern Global News interviewed Phil Brown, professor of sociology and health sciences at Northeastern University, who said that “Exposure to vinyl chloride through drinking water is frequently associated with liver cancer, and, when burned, it produces highly toxic phosgene gas.” 

  Due to the risk of the gas already leaking, Norfolk Southern Railroad made the decision to instigate a controlled release to burn off the deadly chemicals rather than wait for them to dissipate naturally, according to Brett Bachman, an independent film editor. An evacuation of the town was issued, and has since been lifted by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine earlier last week. 

According to NBC, at least six residents of East Palestine have filed class action lawsuits, claiming loss of income due to evacuations, exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, and no longer feeling safe in their homes. 

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) says it’s continuing to investigate the cause of the derailment, however, according to the agency, a faulty wheel may be to blame. The wheel is currently under examination.