Here are five new stories of the month that students should be aware of:

1. Tonga Volcano Eruption

The underwater volcano, Hunga Tonga, also known as Hunga Ha’apai, erupted and covered the Tonga region in hazardous ash. The Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa, was also affected even though it was 40 miles south from the eruption site. The capital also experienced a four-foot tsunami, and higher wave heights were reported. 

This eruption is considered an unprecedented disaster by the government. The full scope of the damage has been difficult to determine since the eruption cut off underwater telecommunications cables, and the ash has obligated the airports to shut down. 

Volcanologist Shane Cronin stated that this eruption “was matching the power of Pinatubo at its peak,” and Pinatubo has been documented as one of the most catastrophic explosions in the world. 

One thing has been confirmed by scientists around the world: this eruption “appeared to be the largest eruption in the world in three decades.” 

2. Brazil’s Deadly Cliff Collapse 

10 people were killed after a part of a Brazilian cliff collapsed onto leisure boats that were touring the region. 32 people were injured, and nine out of the 32 were admitted to a hospital. Three of the boats were struck by a falling rock, and one of the three boats sank. 

The accident occurred after days of rain in the State of Minas Gerais, which made the cliffs more likely to collapse. 

In a recording of the accident, a person was heard stating, “That piece will fall out.” Another individual said, “Get out of there,” prior to the collapsing of the cliff.  

Authorities are now attempting to identify the dead, including the bodies completely impacted in the cliff collapse.

3. Business Investigation into the Trump Organization

Former President Donald Trump is currently under investigation for allegations of his company exaggerating the value of their holdings. Trump’s company was reported for overstating the value of land donations in California and New York on paperwork that was submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. 

Attorney General Letitia James said, “Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit.”

Former Manhattan prosecutor Mark A. Bederow stated that white collar investigations can take years to pursue, so when the former president is involved, prosecutors are going to “take their time” and “spare no investigative resources.”

The Trumps are not immune to the law, and as said by James, “The Trumps must comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony because no one in this country can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.”

4. Free COVID Kits For Households

The government  has recently launched a website, offering free COVID test kits to every American, and each household is allowed to receive four kits in total. All tests that are distributed are FDA-authorized at-home rapid antigen tests. From the time of order, test kits are expected to arrive within seven to 12 days. 

These free COVID tests are a part of the Biden Administrations’ purchase of 500 million tests to combat the recent surge in cases. 

“We can’t guarantee there won’t be a bug or two,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “but the best tech teams across the administration and the Postal Service are working hard to make this a success.”

5. Los Angeles to Host the 2022 Summit of the Americas 

The Biden Administration has selected Los Angeles to host the 2022 Summit of the Americas. This crucial meeting will take place in early June, and President Biden will be attending. 

The Summit of the Americas is a gathering of leaders from the Western Hemisphere, in which shared regional problems are discussed and addressed. The last summit was held in Peru in 2018, where former President Trump did not attend the meeting. The Summit of the Americas is scheduled to meet every three years; however, due to the pandemic, the meeting was delayed by one year. 

The summit being hosted by Los Angeles is a monumental event. This is because it is “to be held on U.S. soil for the second time since the forum was created nearly three decades ago.” 

Graphic courtesy of Amanda Chang