Over winter break, there were quite a few striking headlines in the news while students were away from campus. Ranging in topics from a 13-year-old beating Tetris, to the abdication of Queen Margrethe II from Denmark, The Review is here to help get you up to date.
Donald Trump: To be or not to be on the ballot?
On Dec. 19, 2023, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump’s candidacy in the upcoming primary is “prohibited on constitutional grounds,” according to NBC News. The decision stems from a lawsuit directly focused on the third section of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which disqualifies those from running for particular offices if they have previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then committed any form of insurrection. Since Colorado’s ruling, Michigan has refused to hear a case on the matter, and Trump is currently attempting to appeal the Secretary of State’s decision in Maine to ban him from the ballot as well. The Supreme Court has since faced immense pressure to take on the case to address questions this case itself has raised. Some of these questions focus on the nature of supporting the constitution, as well as what is needed to prove insurrection. As of now, the Supreme Court has yet to take on the case, and Trump continues to work on appealing Maine and Colorado’s bans.
Willis Gibson, 13, crashes Tetris
Willis Gibson, a 13-year-old from Stillwater, Oklahoma, was the first player to reach Tetris’ “kill screen” on Dec. 21, 2023. Gibson reached level 157 when the game crashed and there was no way to continue. Streaming on Twitch, Gibson’s reaction to the crash came with him stating “Oh my god,” repeatedly and placing his head in his hands. “I’m going to pass out.” The story took off, being covered on CNN, NPR, and The New York Times. Even Maya Rogers, the CEO of Tetris and daughter of founder and chairman Henk Rogers, took to the Associated Press to congratulate Gibson on his “monumental achievement.” On Jan. 5, 2024, Gibson was able to meet the creator of Tetris, Alexey Pakitnov via Zoom. On Facebook, Gibson’s mother, Karin Cox, posted, “It’s crazy to think he is a professional Tetris player and one of the best in the world. He makes more money every month from this than I ever did as a teenager.”
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announces abdication after 52 years on throne
The longest-reigning monarch in the history of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II announced on New Year’s Eve 2024 in her annual speech that she would be stepping down as the queen on Jan. 14, 2024. Her son, Crown Prince Frederik will succeed her and become the new King of Denmark. According to the Danish Royal House back in Feb. 2023, Queen Margrethe underwent an “extensive back surgery,” which was successful, but led to the queen stating that it “gave rise to thinking about the future — whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation.”
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