Welcome to Optimize, a weekly update to keep you informed on what has happened during the week. Here are five national/international stories (and one local one) that you should know:
China vs. U.S. tariff war
With the continual exchange of trade threats between China and the US, fears of a trade war are present. Although China’s leaders have been adamant about their unwillingness to go to war, they have continued to defend their plans. This combined with Trump’s threat to increase tariffs on Chinese imports indicates little sign of compromise.
Da Silva ordered to begin prison sentence in Brazil
On Thursday, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former president of Brazil, was ordered by a judge to start his 12 year prison sentence on Friday. However, da Silva still intends to run for a third term in the fall.
Trump claims he didn’t know Stormy Daniels received payment
President Donald Trump denied all accusations that he knew about the $130,000 payout to Stormy Daniels for her silence about her affair with Trump.
Former South Korean president sentenced to jail
Park Geun-hye, an impeached president of South Korea, was sentenced to 24 years in jail for multiple charges, including abuse of power and bribery.
Shooting at YouTube headquarters
Nasim Aghdam opened fire in the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, Calif., injuring four people. Aghdam was later found dead inside the headquarters.
Local bonus: Bloomington fire captain accused of having sex with underage girl
A Bloomington fire department captain resigned from the fire department after being accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
