• Teachers and parents in Puerto Rico won a brief reprieve as a judge blocked the government’s move to close 9 public schools in the island’s northeast and rural districts. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, ravaged by Hurricane Maria and a decade-long debt crisis, has ordered the closure of 25 percent of all public schools on the island due to falling enrollment. It’s estimated that the planned closures will displace 60,000 students.
(“Puerto Rico Looks at School Reform,” Christian Science Monitor, April 17, 2018; “Judge Halts 9 School Closures in Puerto Rico,” AP, June 12, 2018; “Puerto Rico’s Schools Are in Tumult, and not Just because of Hurricane Maria,” New York Times, June 1, 2018)
• In response to Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Congressional Republicans have turned their attention to environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, alleging that they may be advancing the interests of Russia and China.
(“Is that Environmental Group a Pawn of Beijing? Nonprofits Wary of Being Branded ‘Foreign Agents,” Los Angeles Times, June 14, 2018)
• Canada will become the second nation in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana this October. The move is a major victory for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who says that undercutting the black market for the drug through taxation, and limiting sales to government stores is among his goals.
(“Senate Passes Pot Bill, Paving Way for Legal Cannabis in 8 to 12 Weeks,” CBC, June 19, 2018; “Canada Just Legalized Marijuana. That Has Big Implications for US Drug Policy,” Vox, June 21, 2018; “Canadians Brace for Cultural Changes as Marijuana Becomes Legal,” New York Times, June20, 2018)
