Weekly News Briefs: Oct. 23

Local

Rep. Betty Price suggests quarantine for people with HIV
Georgia State Rep. Betty Price, wife of recently-resigned Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Price, brought up the possibility of quarantining people with HIV, according to The Guardian. Price said there would be no other legal possibility, during a legislative committee meeting last week, adding that there are no other methods to “curtail the spread.”

National

Trump to give over $400,000 for legal fees
President Donald Trump said he will spend at least $430,000 from his personal funds to help cover White House legal costs of the ongoing Russian meddling investigations, a White House official told The Washington Post. The RNC reported last month that they spent $100,000 on Trump’s personal attorney, and $131,000 on another member of his legal team, and another $200,000 for Donald Trump Jr.’s legal costs. Former Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, tweeted out that Trump’s refund may be a conflict of interest.

Global

U.S., Russia, accused of bombing Syrian civilians
Russia is accusing the U.S. of bombing the Syrian city of Raqqa “off the face of the earth”, while fighting off the Islamic State. Syrian Democratic Forced (SDF) announced the re-claiming of ISIS-held Raqqa last week, sending out pictures that show the city entirely in ruins. The U.S. responded by saying it tried to minimise risks to civilians, according to BBC, but Syrian activists say over 1,000 civilians were killed as a result of U.S. airstrikes. Russia has been accused by the UN of committing war crimes as well, after bombing Aleppo last year and taking hundreds of civilians’ lives.