Weekly News Briefs: April 17

Local

One dead and three injured in West Lake MARTA shooting

The AJC reported that one person has died and three have been injured in a “targeted” shooting in a West Lake MARTA train. The victim of the shooting was identified as 38-year-old Zachariah Hunnicutt. The shooter, Chauncey Lee Daniels, has been arrested, but waved his first court appearance. The three that were injured, two men and a woman, were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, but sustained no lethal wounds. When the shooting occurred the West Lake station closed down until 8 p.m. and by 9:20 p.m. buses returned to their normal operating schedules. As a result of the shooting, MARTA police have promised to increase their presence across their entire system.

 

National

States now have the choice to deny Planned Parenthood funding

According to NPR, President Trump signed House Joint Resolution 43 (H.J Res 43) into law on April 13. The resolution reverses an Obama-era ruling that protected federal funds for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide legal abortions. States can now block funds going to Planned Parenthood so long as the funds are to be used for Title X services. Title X subsidizes organizations that provide contraceptive services, pregnancy care, fertility and cancer care to low-income households. Anti-abortion activists saw the resolution as the first step in redirecting tax payer money away from Planned Parenthood.

 

Global

“Storm Clouds” in Korean, U.S standoff

The New York Times reported that China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, is wary of the tensions building between the U.S and North Korea. Wang pointed out that North Korea could let a nuclear bomb off at anytime and the U.S. navy is nearing the peninsula. Japan and Russia have called for all parties to act with caution regarding North Korea’s weapons tests and its ability to spark war. However, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reached a preliminary understand of what China could do to change the actions of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jung-un. China reportedly agreed to crack down on their second-tier banks that have financed North Korean trade.