Weekly News Briefs: Sep. 10

LOCAL

Ex-cheerleader who knelt for national anthem sues KSU after failing to make new squad

CBS46 reported that Tommia Dean, a former Kennesaw State cheerleader, filed a lawsuit on Sept. 5 against her university. She alleges that Kennesaw State violated her first amendment rights and that members of the university were participating in a private conspiracy actionable under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. The ex-cheerleader is one of five to take a knee during the national anthem last season. Dean’s filing claimed the experience caused her to suffer an increase in migraine headaches and emotional distress.

NATIONAL

Separated families suing the Trump administration for the cost of mental health

CNN reported that a class-action lawsuit was filed by a group of lawyers in federal court that seeks to hold the Trump administration accountable for the children affected by the now-reversed zero-tolerance policy at the border. The lawsuit argues that the U.S. government should cover mental health treatment costs for the children they separated from their parents.

INTERNATIONAL

Death toll rises to 37 after Japan earthquake

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Japan on Thursday, Sept. 6. Reports from CNN stated that Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the death toll has risen to 37. Two people remain missing, and at least 401 people were injured, according to the agency. Evacuation centers are still holding 5,788 people. As many as 40,000 people, including 22,000 troops from the country’s Self Defense Forces, have been involved in the rescue efforts.