The former 41st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush, has died at the age of 94. His death occurred during the night between Friday and Saturday. The Washington Post says Bush was at his home surrounded by friends and family. It was also reported that his last words were “I love you, too,” which he said to his son, former 43rd president George W. Bush, at the end of their call. Bush served one presidential term from 1989 to early 1993, and his legacy arguably lies in the fact that he was the last in a series of eight U.S. presidents who negotiated with the Soviet Union in one form or another. Bush was president during the fall of the Berlin Wall and when the Union officially ended in 1991. He was well-liked during his first couple of years as president, but when he unexpectedly began to raise taxes, he lost popularity with Republicans and Democrat Bill Clinton defeated him when he ran for re-election in 1992. Nevertheless, most would still agree Bush and his family lived and still live successful lives, as his eldest son would become president after Clinton in 2001. In response to Bush’s passing, President Trump called for a national day of mourning on Dec. 5, the day of his funeral. After the service in Washington, Bush’s body will be buried in Houston.
Local News-
A Rhode Island woman was accused of causing a bus crash on Route 24 in Berkeley, Massachusetts on Saturday night. WPRI reports that the bus was carrying over 20 passengers and that a few are still hospitalized with serious injuries. The bus was reportedly traveling back from La Salette Shrine in Attleboro to Tiverton, Rhode Island. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Christy Gilpatrick caused the crash because she was driving drunk. Her blood-alcohol level was found to be almost twice the legal limit that night. Gilpatrick was arraigned on Monday morning on multiple charges including DUI.
WJAR has reported that all DMV locations in Rhode Island now give residents the option to update their driver’s licenses to meet the federal requirements in accordance with their new identification program. Officials say that there is no need to go to the DMV right away, but residents with expiring drivers licenses will be getting slightly updated ones. They also say that updated IDs will be needed in order to enter federal buildings and board flights starting in 2020.
National News-
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Anchorage, Alaska Friday morning. The Washington Post reports it happened just before 8:30 a.m. Alaska Standard Time and caused roads to break apart and the power to be knocked out for about 50,000 people. No deaths were reported. Alaska’s governor Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration directly after the quake and reportedly spoke to president Trump about the damage. The Post claims the governor believes the damage to Anchorage’s roads will take a long time to fix, certainly longer than just a few weeks.
There were multiple new revelations in Washington this week that will affect Special Council Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. National Public Radio explained that last Monday, the first major event occurred when prosecutors said President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was lying to prosecutors when he previously pledged in a plea agreement to tell them the truth. Additionally, it is believed that Manafort’s lawyer has been telling one of Trump’s lawyers the information Manafort has been disclosing to the government. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen admitted to lying to Congress about not being involved with Russia. He now says he negotiated with top Russians over the possibility of building a Trump Tower in Moscow. NPR claims that both of these events could help prove that Trump and his colleagues are connected to Russia more than he says they are.
International News-
In France, rising gas taxes and poor conditions for the working class have outraged civilians, sparking violent protests that reached Paris over the weekend. These demonstrations have been dubbed the “Yellow Vest” protests due to the crowd wearing fluorescent jackets in order to be seen. The New York Times showed pictures of damaged cars and vandalized buildings all over Paris and says that 260 people have been injured so far and over 400 arrested. The British Broadcasting Company says at least one person has been killed. Riot squads used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the protestors. The Times also reported that the protests have been going on for three weeks and started in the more rural areas of France and that protests this violent in the country have not been seen in a decade. President Emanuel Macron of France says he is considering issuing a state of emergency. As of Tuesday, the BBC says Marcon has suspended the tax.
A feared trade war between the U.S. and China seems to have been averted in the aftermath of the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China met during the summit, and according to The New York Times, this resulted in Trump agreeing to hold off on tariffs on Chinese goods while Xi Jinping agreed to purchase more products made in the U.S. The White House claimed this was a “highly successful meeting.” The truce is expected to positively impact the American stock market, which has recently been sharply declining over the fear of a fallout during trade negotiations.