Parasite won big at the Oscars

The South Korean film won four Oscars on Sunday night for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay. Parasite was the non-American film in the Oscars’ ninety-two year history to win Best Picture, beating its more traditional contenders 1917 and The Irishman.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate

President Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Wednesday, with Senators mostly voting across party lines. Trump became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by the House in December but was largely expected to be acquitted by the majority-Republican Senate. Notably, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah was the only Republican to vote to convict the president for Abuse of Power; in a speech, he evoked his religion and belief in God as the reason he voted against President Trump.

Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders nearly tie at the Iowa Caucuses 

After days of confusion and disorganization at the Iowa caucuses, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg appeared to have tied for first place, followed by Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. On Thursday, D.N.C. chairman Tom Perez voiced his frustration at the Iowa Democratic Party and called for a re-canvass, but later clarified that he believed only a few districts needed a recount. Mayor Pete Buttigieg was eventually given the most delegates.

Rush Limbaugh was Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

During President Trump’s “State of the Union ” address, right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an unprecedented move in the yearly address. Limbaugh is controversial for his radical views and once said that Africa benefited from the AIDS crisis since they were receiving international aid. The accolade came days after Limbaugh announced that he had late-stage lung cancer. Other recipients of the award include Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder and Nancy Raegan. 

Medical worker who blew the whistle on coronavirus died

On Thursday, 34 year-old Doctor Li Wenliang died from the coronavirus after being the first person to warn people about the disease in December. According to reports, Li messaged a group chat of other medical professionals that he was treating several patients with a disease they picked up at a meat market in Wuhan. Some in China consider Li a martyr and have reposted his pictures and quotes on WeChat. 

Over the weekend, the death toll from coronavirus rose to 910, surpassing that of the SARS outbreak in 2003. 

… Plus thousands of cruise ship passengers were quarantined and exposed to virus

A Diamond Princess cruise ship that was stalled in the Japanese city of Yokohama has 65 new cases of coronavirus, increasing the ship’s toll to 135 cases. Those infected include visitors from the United States, Australia, Canada, England, the Philippines and Ukraine.

Gayle King and Oprah faced backlash

Gayle King is facing backlash after an interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie, in which she pressed Leslie to talk about rape allegations made against Kobe Bryant. 

“I think that the media should be more respectful,” Leslie said. “If you had questions about it, you’ve had many years to ask him that.”

Many have taken to social media and accused both King and Oprah of generally antagonizing black men while largely ignoring accusations against white men. King later released a video saying she was disappointed in CBS’ decision to publish a clip “out of context” that made her appear more confrontational.