News Unplugged - Friday, Nov. 27

Laquan McDonald Case

Chicago Officer, Jason Van Dyke has been charged with the first-degree murder of 17-year-old Laquan MacDonald, which took place last year.

At the time of the incident, Van Dyke claimed that he had shot at MacDonald in an act of self-defense, once MacDonald had threatened police officers with a knife.

After over a year of pressure, the Chicago Police Department has released dash cam footage of the attack, exposing Van Dyke for shooting at MacDonald 16 times, even after he had collapsed, lying motionless on the ground.

Since the release of the disturbing video, Chicago civilians have taken to the streets to protest the unjust killing, as part of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. Laquan MacDonald’s death marks yet another act of police brutality against black teens in the United States, such as Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Canada’s Syrian Refugee Efforts

Yesterday, Canada’s Minister of International Development made the announcement that the country will contribute an additional $100 million to aid the United Nations in their efforts to help Syrian refugees.

According to the minister, the money will be used for shelter, protection, education and health, to help the refugees meet their basic needs.

In addition, Canada has also issued 928 permanent resident visas to Syrian refugees, although it is unclear when they will be entering the country.

Marijuana Regulations in Ontario

For those of you who were excited about Ontario’s recent announcement to allow medical marijuana vaping in public, don’t hold your breath. Just one day after their statement, the Ontario’s Liberal government has come out to say that they will be carefully re-examining their decision.

Associate health minister, Dipika Damerla spoke on behalf of the party, stating, “We’ve heard the concerns around this regulation, and we’re going to take this feedback and see if this regulation is the best way to move forward,”

Donald Trump Mocks Disabled Reporter

Donald Trump is in the news once again for being offensive. This time, the Republican presidential candidate is under fire for ridiculing a journalist for NBC News with a congenital joint condition that limits the movement of his arms. While speaking of the journalist, Serge Kovaleski Trump mocked him by contorting and jerking his arms.

The Ruderman family foundation for people with disabilities has since offered Trump sensitivity training sessions.

Yesterday, Trump tried to defend his behavior by denying that he knew anything about Kovaleski’s appearance or disorder.

Black Friday Comes to Canada

Black Friday – a tradition which originally started in America, is now slowly inching its way into Canada. Shopping malls and stores across Canada have been preparing for today’s black Friday sales, in an effort to attract American shoppers.

Storeowners reason that with the strength of the US dollar in comparison to ours, American shoppers could save approximately 25% on top of all the other sales.