Kentucky County clerk released from jail, asked by many to resign
After Kimberly Davis was held in contempt of court and remains jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, she was released Tuesday and must begin issuing same-sex marriages licenses under federal law. She states that issuing same-sex marriage licenses conflicts with her religious beliefs. Pro-Davis rallies were held outside the Carter County Detention Center, where she is being held, on Saturday, drawing the attention and approval of Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. Aside from this, there is widespread public outrage at Davis’s actions. Many have called for her to be fired for her failure to follow federal law, but as an elected official, Davis can only be impeached by state legislature. She does not intend to resign. Davis has refused to allow subordinate clerks to provide licenses in her absence. Despite her protestations, said deputies began issuing the licenses on Friday. However the long-term legitimacy of these documents might be called into question because they lack the signature of a county official.
2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign Update: Trump, Biden and Clinton
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Beau, passed away this year. He hoped that his father would run for the U.S. presidency. Joe Biden, spoke candidly at a foreign policy lecture on Friday, stating, “I can’t look you straight in the eye and say now, ‘I know I can do it.” He questioned the capacity of his and his family’s, “emotional energy,” to handle a campaign. After being booed by attendees of the Republican presidential primary debate in August for his non-committal position in the party, Donald Trump announced that he will no longer consider running as an independent should he lose the Republican nomination. He signed a loyalty pledge to the Republican Party on Thursday. Hillary Clinton used her recent interview with MSNBC to take responsibility for her use of a private email account to handle sensitive communications. She expressed that she is, “sorry this has been confusing,” that she didn’t, “stop and think,” and wished she had made a, “different choice.”
Chancellor wants U.K. to ‘fundamentally rethink’ its international aid budget
British Chancellor George Osborne suggested that a cut of the £12bn be used to help incoming Syrian refugees secure housing while the Prime Minister has announced that thousands more displaced persons will be able to come into the United Kingdom directly from camps along the Syrian Border. The increase in refugees and potential increase in funding occurs even when Britain has already spent roughly £1bn to help those fleeing war and violence, bringing basic necessities and medical attention to refugee camps in Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. His statement followed a massive petition for Britain to accept more Syrians, the Scottish Government’s pledge of £1m for aid purposes, as well as the release of a photo of Aylan Kurdi, a three year old Syrian boy who drowned as his family attempted to reach Greek shores.
Lebanon’s trash crisis spurs protests against government
When the Naameh landfill shut down this summer, piles of garbage began to accumulate in Beirut’s streets. Sukleen, Lebanon’s primary waste management company, has claimed that there is nowhere for them to put the refuse. This has drawn public attention to the stark polarization of the government, which cannot agree on where to dispose of the accumulating trash, despite having known of the landfill’s imminent closing deadline long prior to the crisis’s July onset. Not only was July 17 the closing date for the landfill, but also for Sukleen’s operating contract. The government still has not renewed the contract, and no temporary dumps have been approved. These events, in addition to successive government failures to improve other basic services, utilities and infrastructure for over a decade, have drawn people to the streets in protest.
