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Your Summit Weekly Briefing

By Ashwath Vimal, Lia Bhas and Angela Hwang

Staff Writers

Disclaimer: Though the Weekly Briefings are no longer tagged in the Opinions section of Summit News and we try to remain as unbiased as possible, our opinions may show through in this article, especially in the “Actions” section.

Summit:

Expeditions have started at Tahoma, with one week gone already! We wish Tahoma a great last week of Round 1 and are excited to introduce new journalists to the news team and publish student articles as Expeditions continue throughout the year!

General News:

Trigger Warning for sensitive content:

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was accused of sexual abuse and is being taken to court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The alleged victim has said that she was forced to have sexual relations with the Prince while being trafficked by Jefferey Epstein, who was a former friend of the Prince. Papers notifying him of the lawsuit were said to have been left at the Prince’s home, with Buckingham Palace not commenting on the lawsuit and whether the papers were received. They and Prince Andrew have also previously refuted the validity of the accusation. A pre-trial hearing will occur on Sept. 13.

Popular online food services DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats are suing New York City over making the limit on fees they charge restaurants permanent. This suit is occurring because the limit was supposed to be just during the pandemic, with the companies also saying this will hurt consumers. Additionally, this will also most likely mean that some of their contracts with restaurants will be terminated or re-negotiated and that consumer fees might increase as well. Supporters of the cap argue that it is vital for restaurants to be able to thrive. On a related note, this lawsuit follows a similar one against San Francisco for also making their cap permanent.

North Korea hit a new milestone by successfully test-firing its latest long-range cruise missiles. A report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported this past weekend along with the fact that they have been in development for over two years. Both the U.S. and South Korea are looking into the validity of this and officials from both countries are meeting Japanese officials to discuss the danger these missiles might pose to other nations. North Korea has already seemed to send indirect and direct threats to the U.S. and South Korea this year, to whom the U.S. has been supplying resources as well.

The FBI has officially released the first of many documents related to their inquiry into the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Despite multiple redactions (removed text), the document identified multiple connections between people in the U.S. who supported the terrorists and uncovered the fact that many Saudi government officials helped coordinate the attack. Suspicions about Saudi involvement in the attacks have been around for over a decade, with affected families of 9/11 agreeing with these suspicions in a letter to Biden asking to release these documents (which he ordered). Saudi involvement has always been denied, but hopefully, the families of the victims of the attacks will get proper closure and answers.

Covid-19:

California:

San Mateo County: 1,930 cases
San Francisco County: 2,192 cases
Marin County: 432 cases
Alameda County: 4,822 cases
Santa Clara County: 5,201 cases

Washington:

King County: 8,123 cases
Pierce County: 6,092 cases

Please make sure to wear your mask when you’re out in public places and maintain a 6 feet distance from others to protect not only yourself but others around you. If we work together, we can beat this virus and slowly get back to normal. Do your part and get vaccinated! For more information, visit the CDC website to learn more about vaccination effectiveness and Covid cases in the world.

Politics:

The California recall election ends on Tuesday, Sept. 14. If you are eligible, please go vote!

The DOJ sued Texas over the new abortion law. Some of what the New York Times reported the law would include are blocking nearly all abortions, though there are exceptions for “medical emergencies”; allowances for anyone that performs a patient to be sued, although the patients themselves are protected; and if any single part of the law falls, the rest would stand. The Supreme Court has not blocked this law. Now, the Biden administration is suing Texas, arguing the law is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause and the 14th Amendment.

China has decided to give Afghanistan and the Taliban government $31 million in emergency aid. This follows previous Chinese attempts to foster the relationship between China and Afghanistan. This is in contrast to the U.S.’s President Biden who maintains that the U.S. is still a “long way off” from recognizing the Taliban government. When the Taliban took control, many international groups “froze aid”, which means “health care in Afghanistan is crumbling.”

CBS News reported the Biden administration has pressured 18 Trump appointees to the U.S. military academy boards to resign. Their options were to resign or be fired. Many of the appointees have stated they will not be resigning.

The Supreme Court has “stayed the execution of Texas inmate John Henry Ramierez”, who sought the touch of a pastor as he died so that it could hear the case in October or November. Ramierez argues the policy prohibiting spiritual leaders to touch inmates during an execution violates his First Amendment right to religion.

The new Missouri law (Second Amendment Preservation Act) may legally jeopardize local police departments should they cooperate with federal investigations. Part of the law states that state gun laws “exceed” the “federal government’s power to track, register and regulate gun and gun owners,” the New York Times stated.

Sports:

NFL: Washington Football Team quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick hurt his right hip during this week’s season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday, Sept. 12. He has been ruled out of this game and is questionable in his next game against the New York Giants on Thursday. San Francisco’s Running Back, Raheem Mostert left the game against the Detroit Lions with a knee injury and has been set not to return. He is coming back from an injury season last year, when he missed 6 games due to a high ankle sprain. Though the Niners won in an insane victory 41-33!

NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers traded Marc Gasol, 2024 second-round pick and 250,000 dollars to Memphis on Friday, Sept. 10th. The Grizzlies are planning to work on a waiver and release to “allow Gasol to remain in Spain with his family”, according to sources telling ESPN. Paul Pierce and Chris Bosh along with many others were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021. Bosh discussed his time in Miami and took time to thank the late Kobe Bryant. Other members of the Miami Heat championship team like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Ray All were all in attendance to support.

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Scherzer reaches the 3,000 strikeout milestone with his family and numerous fans present and watching. He almost threw a perfect game as well until the 8th inning beating the San Diego Padres 8-0 completing a 3 game sweep. New York Yankees, Aaron Judge left Sunday’s game against the New York Mets during the 3rd inning due to dizziness. He needed some help from his athletic trainer.

NCAA Football: The Oregon Ducks win over Ohio State got them to No. 4 from the No.12 position in the Associated Press college football poll. The Iowa Hawkeyes have pushed from the No.10 position to the No. 5 position. Alabama stands at first place with 60 of the 63 first-place votes with Georgia getting the other 3. Jacksonville State shocks Florida State University with the final touchdown play. FSU head coach, Mike Norvelle finds this loss incredibly unacceptable and felt the need to apologize, to the fanbase and the university, as FSU has not lost to a small team since 1951 against Southern Miss.

Entertainment:

1) In a turn of events, Brtiney Spears’ father Jamie Spears filed a petition to end his daughter’s 13-year conservatorship, claiming that he only wants what is best for his daughter. On Sept. 29, the case’s next hearing will occur addressing the petition. Ms. Spear’s attorney Matthew Rosengart has stated that he thinks that Mr. Spears is trying to “avoid accountability and justice” by filing the petition, as he has been accused of being abusive and cruel by Ms. Spears.

2) Popular Netflix show “Lucifer” has officially came to end on its sixth season. Lucifer is among the many shows that Netflix has revived after being dropped by other broadcasting companies. After being moved to Netflix, Lucifer, while having fewer episodes per season, has had the chance to show off “a bit more flesh” as said by lead actor Tom Ellis (Lucifer). Netflix has also revived other shows in a similar manner such as “Cobra Kai”, “Manifest” and “You”.

3) The big question that is plaguing many fans of online content is this: Why are the top Twitch Streamers moving over to YouTube? Well, one big reason may be because Twitch is no longer giving out extremely lucrative contracts for big streamers. This could be because two of Twitch’s top streamers, Shroud and Ninja, have come back to the platform after leaving it for Microsoft’s now obsolete platform, Mixer. Another cause for the moves is that now that some of the top streamers like Dr. Lupo and TimTheTatman are getting older, they want to spend more time with their families. As a result, older creators are moving to YouTube because they are getting offered contracts that require them to stream less for a still considerable amount of money

4) For the rest of 2021, all Disney films will be released in theaters first then on Disney+ second instead of simultaneously. Kareem Daniel, the Disney media and entertainment distribution chairman, said, “As confidence in moviegoing continues to improve, we look forward to entertaining audiences in theaters”. With the recent success of Marvel blockbuster “Shang-Chi” and the Scarlett Johanssen lawsuit, Disney has most likely been motivated by these things and took them as an opportunity to release their movies exclusively in theaters.

Weather:

Atlas (West Seattle): Highs this week dropping overall. 69℉ on Monday, 73℉ on Tuesday, 67℉ on Wednesday and Thursday, 60℉ on Friday and Saturday and 62℉ on Sunday. Lows this week follow a similar pattern: 52℉ on Monday, 54℉ on Tuesday, 49℉ on Wednesday, 50℉ on Thursday, 52℉ on Friday, 51℉ on Saturday and 50℉ on Sunday. It will be cloudy all week, with showers from Friday to Sunday.

Summary: Highs drop from lower 70’s early in the week to low 60’s towards the end, lows in the lower 50’s, cloudy, chance of rain.

Olympus (Tacoma): Highs this week dropping overall. 72℉ on Monday, 75℉ on Tuesday, 70℉ on Wednesday, 68℉ on Thursday, 61℉ on Friday and Saturday and 63℉ on Sunday. Lows this week fluctuate – 49℉ on Monday to 53℉ on Tuesday, 46℉ on Wednesday, 49℉ on Thursday, 50℉ on Friday and 48℉ on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be clouds most of the week, and expected showers Friday and Saturday.

Summary: Highs drop from lower 70’s early in the week to the low 60’s towards the end, lows in the mid-to-upper 40’s, partly cloudy, chance of rain.

Sierra (Seattle): Highs this week dropping overall. 70℉ on Monday, 74℉ on Tuesday, 67℉ on Wednesday and Thursday, 60℉ on Friday and Saturday and 62℉ on Sunday. Lows this week follow a similar pattern: 52℉ on Monday, 54℉ on Tuesday, 49℉ on Wednesday, 50℉ on Thursday, 52℉ on Friday, 51℉ on Saturday and 50℉ on Sunday. It will be cloudy all week, with showers from Friday to Sunday.

Summary: Highs drop from lower 70’s early in the week to low 60’s towards the end, lows in the lower 50’s, cloudy, chance of rain.

Denali (Sunnyvale): Highs this week dropping overall. 85℉ on Monday, 87℉ on Tuesday, 81℉ on Wednesday, 77℉ on Thursday and Friday, 76℉ on Saturday and 78℉ on Sunday. Lows this week are also dropping: 59℉ on Monday, 58℉ on Tuesday, 56℉ on Wednesday, 55℉ on Thursday, 57℉ on Friday and Saturday and 59℉ on Sunday. This week will be very sunny, so wear lots of sunscreen!

Summary: Highs in the upper 80’s, dropping to upper 70’s, lows in the mid-to-upper 50’s, lots of sun.

Everest and Prep (Redwood City): Highs this week start at 81℉ on Monday, dropping to 82℉ on Tuesday, 77℉ on Wednesday, before dropping further to 74℉ from Thursday to Saturday, and rising again to 77℉ on Sunday. Lows are holding pretty steady at 58℉ for Monday and Tuesday, 56℉ on Wednesday and Thursday and 58℉ Friday to Sunday. It will be partly cloudy on Monday, and mostly sunny throughout the rest of the week.

Summary: Highs in the upper 70’s, lows in the upper 50’s, mostly sunny.

K2 (El Cerrito): Highs this week will start at 76℉ on Monday and Tuesday before it drops to 72℉ on Wednesday and Thursday, rising to 73℉ on Friday, 75℉ on Saturday and 77℉ on Sunday. Lows this week: 58℉ on Monday, 57℉ on Tuesday, 55℉ on Wednesday and Thursday, 56℉ on Friday and 57℉ on Saturday and Sunday. It will be mostly sunny, except for Wednesday and Thursday where it will be partly cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the mid 70’s, lows in the mid 50’s, mostly sunny.

Tam (Richmond): Highs this week will start at 77℉ on Monday and Tuesday before it drops to 72℉ on Wednesday, 73℉ on Thursday, rising to 74℉ on Friday, 76℉ on Saturday and 78℉ on Sunday. Lows are holding pretty steady at 57℉ for Monday, 56℉ on Tuesday, 54℉ on Wednesday, 55℉ Thursday and Friday, and 56℉ Saturday to Sunday. It will be mostly sunny, except for Wednesday and Thursday where it will be partly cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the mid 70’s, lows in the mid 50’s, mostly sunny.

Shasta (Daly City): Highs this week holding pretty steady: 68℉ on Monday and Tuesday, 66℉ on Wednesday, 65℉ on Thursday and Friday, 66℉ on Saturday and 68℉ on Sunday. Lows will follow a similar pattern: 56℉ on Monday, 55℉ on Tuesday, 53℉ on Wednesday, 54℉ on Thursday, 55℉ on Friday and Saturday and 56℉ on Sunday. It will be mostly sunny all week, with some clouds on Monday and Saturday.

Summary: Highs in the low 60’s, lows in the mid-to-low 50’s, mostly sunny.

Tahoma (San Jose): Highs this week dropping overall. 90℉ on Monday, 91℉ on Tuesday, 85℉ on Wednesday, 81℉ on Thursday and Friday, 79℉ on Saturday and 81℉ on Sunday. Lows this week are also dropping: 61℉ on Monday, 59℉ on Tuesday, 56℉ on Wednesday, 55℉ on Thursday, 57℉ on Friday and Saturday and 59℉ on Sunday. This week will be very sunny, so wear lots of sunscreen!

Summary: Highs drop from the low 90’s to the upper 70’s, lows in the upper-to-mid 50’s, very sunny.

Cooking: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole with Gruyere

By Brenda Score on The Pioneer Woman

Serves 10

Ingredients:

Casserole:

1 ½ cup uncooked wild rice, preferably whole, uncracked wild rice

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

16 oz. button mushrooms, sliced ¼-in. thick

1 large yellow onion chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-in. thick

4 stalks celery, sliced ¼-in. thick

3 cloves (large) garlic, minced

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

2 cup low sodium chicken broth

⅔ cup half-and-half

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (and more for garnish)

1 tsp minced fresh thyme (and more for garnish)

1 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

6 oz. shredded Gruyere cheese

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Topping:

3 cup English Bread Muffin, cut into ½-in. pieces

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Cook wild rice according to package directions, until rice splits and curls into a “c” shape, exposing its chewy interior. Drain, if needed, and set aside.
While the wild rice is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe. In a large pot over medium to medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrots, and celery. Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softened, about 10–15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the pot and stir to incorporate. Cook for 2 minutes. Then stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 4–5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Stir in the half-and-half and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes to thicken again. Add the soy sauce, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine. Then fold in the drained wild rice and chicken. Add the Gruyere and Parmesan, and fold to combine. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Transfer chicken wild rice mixture to a large casserole dish. Cover with a lid or piece of foil, and cook for 20–25 minutes, or until it starts to bubble. Remove casserole from oven and top with bread cubes, leaving the outer edge of the casserole exposed. Slowly drizzle a fine line of melted butter over the tops of the bread cubes, aiming to hit as many of the bread cubes as possible. Sprinkle top of buttery bread cubes evenly with the 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Return casserole to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until bread cubes are nicely browned and the casserole is hot and bubbling. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional fresh parsley and thyme, and serve immediately.

Actions:

Editor’s note: The “Actions” section includes petitions to sign, prompts and scripts to write officials with as well as other opportunities to engage in your local, national and global communities.

The 20th anniversary of 9/11 just occurred this past weekend. In honor of the tragic event that took so many lives, here are some things you can do to commemorate it.

Donate through this link to help eight organizations that help honor 9/11
If you have not already, have a moment of silence for the lives of all the victims and public servants lost during the attack
To learn more about 9/11, click this link here that will provide you with a link of resources to educate yourself with.

And, as always:

Watch or listen or listen to this playlist. All advertisement revenue goes to Black Lives Matter. Do not skip the ads, the donations will not go through otherwise.

Watch or listen to this video. All advertisement revenue goes to various aid organizations easing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Please note it is blocked on school-issued Chromebooks due to being in the “Entertainment” category
- Learn more about the crisis at www.monareliefye.org/.