5 stories you need to read this week [3/29]
From misinformation on the war in Gaza plaguing Americans to the Supreme Court listening to oral arguments about birth control, here are five important stories you need to read this week.
Most Americans don’t know if more Israelis or Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza
A new poll by the Pew Research Center found that people who were asked about whether the death toll was higher among Palestinians or Israelis, 48% answered incorrectly or did not know. One-third, 34%, selected “not sure,” while 7% chose “higher among Israelis” and 7% chose “about the same.” Another poll found that 50% of Americans now don’t support Israel’s war on Gaza—a 16% increase since November.
Context: Over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, since the Israel-Hamas war began. Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a terror attack on Oct.7 and over 150 remain captive.
Supreme Court seems unlikely to restrict access to abortion pill
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court held oral arguments for Mifepristone, a pill used in 63% of abortions nationwide and first approved more than two decades ago. According to Axios, the justices seemed reluctant to overturn the FDA’s approval and expansion of the drug, questioning if anti-abortion doctors had sufficient legal grounds—or standing–to bring the lawsuit. They will issue an official ruling over the summer.
Police fatally shoot and kill autistic 15-year-old, per body camera footage
A 15-year-old boy with autism was shot and killed by deputies in San Bernardino County, California after he charged at them with a gardening tool.
The incident happened before 5 p.m. two weeks ago when deputies responded to a domestic disturbance. The officer said family members called 911 because the 15-year-old, Ryan Gainer, was “actively assaulting family members and damaging property at the residence.”
DeWitt M. Lacy, the Gainer family’s attorney, said Gainer became upset because he needed to do his chores, which affected his normal routine, PEOPLE reported. Lacy also told PEOPLE that by the time deputies arrived, Gainer had become apologetic and apologized for breaking the window.
In body cam footage released, the first deputy is heard asking where the teenager was before he emerged from inside the house. Gainer ‘without provocation’ raised the five-foot-long garden tool and ran toward him.
As Gainer charged, the officer ran away and told him to get back before he got shot, according to the police.
783 million people face chronic hunger. Yet the world wastes 19% of its food
A new report by the UN found that over 783 million people face chronic hunger, yet nearly 19% of the world wastes its food.
The report also found that each person wastes about 79 kilograms (about 174 pounds) of food annually, equal to at least 1 billion meals wasted worldwide daily.
By the numbers: Food loss and waste generate 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Court ruling effectively outlaws Islamic schools in India’s most populous state
A court in India issued a ruling that would outlaw Islamic schools in Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states and home to 20% of Muslims, weeks before a nationwide election that could polarize the world’s largest democracy along religious lines. The ruling also ordered the state government to move students enrolled in the Islamic school system into mainstream schools.
Madrasas provide a system of education in which students are taught about the Quran and Islamic history alongside general subjects like math and science. Some Hindus also send their children to a similar system called Gurukuls, where students learn about Vedic scriptures with a “guru” or teacher. The court ruling, however, won’t affect Hindu-specific schools.
Friday’s court order affects 2.7 million students and 10,000 teachers in 25,000 madrasas, Reuters reported.
(Photos from Canva)