US Senate Incapable of Action, Experimental Hope on Zika

PNUT GALLERY

The Brexit vote is one of the most important decisions the UK will face. And what better way to discuss a decision of this magnitude than with cat memes! BBC reported that the hashtags #CatsForBrexit and #CatsAgainstBrexit have let our pets become key players in the discourse. 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

US Senate Incapable Of Doing Anything Useful

The US Senate voted on four gun-related measures yesterday, but, as expected, the measures didn’t pass. The vote comes in the wake of the Orlando nightclub massacre and just a few days after Democratic Senator Chris Murphy stood on the Senate floor for a 15-hour filibuster, demanding that Congress act on gun control. All that exercise for nothing! Two of the gun measures were sponsored by Republicans while two measures were sponsored by Democrats. Thus, partisan politics stood in the way of anything getting passed. Still, the fact that a vote took place is a monumental shift in American politics, known for shying away from discussing the matter.

And speaking of discussing the matter…

The FBI released a partially redacted transcript of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen’s 911 calls. The full, un-redacted version is now online, following criticism of the FBI’s attempt at removing mentions of ISIS from the record. Similar to how Thomas Mair, the man who shot and killed Jo Cox, told a court room “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain,” Omar Mateen took a similar approach in confusing his ideologies for his identity. “My name is I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State,” he told the 911 operator. 

Good Read: Here Are The Four Gun Proposals The Senate Voted On 

Experimental Zika Vaccine Now Testing On Humans

Be it out of innovation or desperation, researchers will be allowed to test an experimental Zika vaccine on humans for the first time. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a clinical trial to determine if the vaccine is safe to use on healthy humans. If it proves successful, they will try it on humans who are infected with the virus. Sounds safe enough right? When Inovio, one of the two companies behind the vaccine, tested it on large animals, it caused “a strong anti-body response.” That’s a good sign, apparently. 

Pnut Read: Everything You Need To Know About The Zika Virus

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Austria’s Far Right: Still A Bunch Of Sore Losers

Austria’s constitutional court just kicked off the four-day trial that will decide whether last month’s presidential election should be rerun because of far-right claims of electoral fraud. Ultra-conservative candidate Norbert Hofer lost by roughly 31,000 votes to Green candidate Alexander Van der Bellen. Unable to accept defeat, Hofer argues that many of the votes were tallied by unauthorized people. “We are not sore losers,” said far-right leader and sore loser Heinz Christian Strache. “This is about protecting the foundations of democracy.” Bold words from the Freedom Party, a group whose central platform was denying democratic rights to immigrants. 

#pnut4prez: Lewandowski Is No Longer Trump’s Apprentice

Donald Trump just fired his controversial campaign manager and unofficial Red Bull spokesman Corey Lewandowski. Corey was always considered a wild man on the team but identified himself as a real “straight shooter.” By straight shooter, he might be referring to that time he was arrested for bringing a gun to Capitol Hill. But his abrupt departure from the Trump campaign is the most significant staff change to date, and might even imply that Trump is actually listening to the several advisors telling him a campaign overhaul is much needed. Lewandowski was looking more and more toxic on the team, as Trump continues to face snubs from major donors and Republican party leaders. 

Good Read: The Mystifying Triumph Of Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s Right-Hand Woman

All Are Welcome At Brazil’s Corruption Party

Talking about corruption in Brazil is beginning to sound like a broken record that gets more broken each time someone tries to fix it. Brazil’s construction multinationals, Odebrecht and OAS, who were at the center of a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal, are now competing to secure a plea bargain from federal authorities. The plea bargain we speak of could implicate nearly 30% of Brazilian lawmakers. The two companies are in a contest to see who has the most corrupt friends they can turn in to get off the hook. We’re not sure who the winner will be but it won’t be the massive chunk of the Brazilian government that is about to get arrested en masse. The Brazilian task force in charge of the plea bargain thinks the two executives can provide details of about $13 billion in dirty contracts. 

KEEPING OUR EYE ON…

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Astronaut Returns With ‘World’s Worst Hangover’

Turns out, six months in space is a lot like going on a bender. British astronaut Tim Peake is experiencing the “world’s worst hangover” now that he’s returned to Earth. Peake can barely walk, suffers intense dizziness and is prone to nausea… basically a typical Saturday morning for most of us. He’ll have to spend the next three weeks at a rehabilitation center in Germany where he’ll presumably enjoy the common cure of sweatpants and pizza deliveries. We’ve all been there, Peake! And the nausea, headaches and rethinking of one’s life choices doesn’t seem as grim when the hangover is due to an epic space-bender.