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Your Summit Weekly Briefing

By Ashwath Vimal, Angela Hwang and Ethan Ignatovsky

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:

Next week, the weekly briefing will be taking a week off due to President’s week (or ski!) break. We urge everyone, in honor of President’s Day, to research what the 46 presidents of the United States have done for this country. However, do not just recognize the good, but also recognize the bad things that our leaders have done, no matter what the outcome was in the end. Educate yourself on American history and how it has been shaped over the last couple of centuries.

General News:

Last year, on Aug. 27, an Alameda County Superior Court judge “froze” enrollment at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The reason for this was because residents nearby the university complained about the “environmental impact” of Berkely expanding its campus, along with the growth of traffic and housing prices that will be sure to come as more people enroll. For this coming year, Berkeley will lose $57 million in tuition and must cut admissions down by 3,050 slots to get enrollment down to pre-pandemic levels (back then, enrollment was lower due to the unexpected circumstances COVID-19 caused). While they did appeal the court ruling, they were rejected, but as of now, they are in the process of appealing the denial to the California Supreme Court. Berkely has said that things such as financial aid, campus operations and more will be negatively affected. Fortunately, the people who filed the lawsuit said they are open to negotiations as long as Berkely promises to build more housing for students so the city’s resources do not continue to be drained by incoming acceptees.
Former police officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao both, two of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd, testified in court this past week. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges of “deprivation of rights under color of law” along with “willfully failing to intervene with Chauvin [Derek Chauvin] use of unreasonable force”. During his cross-examination, Thao said that the reason Mr. Floyd was restrained by a Derek Chauvin’s knee to make sure he did not harm himself or innocent bystanders as he was “obviously” under the influence. He also said he did not intend to hurt Mr. Floyd, but that using a knee was a protocol he learned at the police academy. On the other hand, Kueng stated that he was not aware of this protocol and that Chauvin had most likely been trained to do it “at some point”. Kueng also did not seem to think that Mr. Floyd passing out was a “serious medical concern” at the time, but agreed he and the officers could have performed CPR at the scene.

Covid-19:

An article written by the Associated Press earlier this week shows we might be starting to move past the pandemic and heading back towards normality, or at least a version of it. Omicron is waning, hospitalization rates are dropping hundreds of thousands in just weeks and nearly 65% of Americans are fully vaccinated. Businesses, cities and states are lifting mandates and restrictions across the country; the federal mask guidance policy will be reviewed soon according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Of course, it will not be an immediate change: the CDC wants to “get to a point where COVID-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives,” Dr. Walendky said. “Rather something we can prevent, protect against, and treat.” And of course, if the situation worsens in the U.S., we will go back to more mandates and restrictions, but Walensky said the CDC wants to give Americans “a break from things”.
Since late January, Canada’s capital city Ottawa has been overrun with Canadian Truckers, who organized a giant protest of the country’s vaccine mandate. However, it has now become a protest against all Covid-19 safety protocols. In response, the Canadian government has invoked the Emergency Act, which states that the military could be brought in to deal with the protest (although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this would not happen) and citizens can have their right to assemble suspended. During a news conference, Prime Minister Trudeau said his actions were “about keeping Canadians safe, protecting peoples’ jobs and restoring faith in our institutions.”

Politics:

President Biden issued an executive order to release $3.5 billion to be used for Afghan “humanitarian relief”. About $7 billion Afghan assets have been frozen by the U.S. since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. This order frees about half of that money to be given to the families of 9/11 victims who have sued the Taliban. The other $3.5 billion is slated to be used for the famines and collapsing economy plaguing Afghanistan.
The trial regarding the death of Ahmaud Arbery began on Monday. Arbery was jogging when he was shot and killed by three men. The murder has been labeled as a hate crime as Arbery was Black and the three men were white. According to the prosecutor, all three men had a history of “making racist comments and slurs in text message”. The defense claimed the men were shot because they thought he was the suspect responsible for the recent break-ins in the neighborhood. The judge has rejected a plea deal that would have avoided this trial.
Judge Jud S. Rakoff has said he would dismiss the Sarah Palin libel case if the jury rules in favor of Palin. He went on to say he believed Palin’s arguments do not prove “actual malice”. Currently, he is allowing the jury to continue deliberations.

Sports:

NBA:

Jonathan Kuminga was one of the most notable snubs from this year’s Rising Stars game during the All-Star festivities. However, this year’s number 7 overall pick will be added after Pacers guard Chris Duarte injured his toe. Kuminga has improved as the year has gone on and he has gained more playing time, he is averaging 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in just over 14 minutes per game this year, he is also third in rookie field goal percentage.

MLB:

After three weeks the jury has reached a decision in the case of US V Kay. Eric Kay is a former communication director for the Los Angeles Angels, and was found guilty of distributing Fentanyl to former Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, leading to Skaggs death. He was officially charged with one count of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Kay faces a minimum sentence of 20 years. Matt Harvey, who testified against Kay, was granted witness immunity to testify. He admitted that used cocaine while pitching, and shared drugs with Skaggs. Harvey will most likely face a suspension .

NFL:

This past weekend was the Super Bowl, one of the biggest American events of the year that blurs the line between sports and entertainment. This year’s Super Bowl was held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home to one of the two teams playing, the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams would be making their first Super Bowl appearance after returning to LA, and it would be a true mark of a successful season if the beat the opposing team, the Cincinnati Bengals. In the beginning, the Ram’s defense was able to hold the Bengals from scoring, and scored the first touchdown of the game (Stafford to Beckham). Cincinnati eventually answered back with a touchdown on a pass from their Running Back Joe Mixon. Going into the half the score was 13-10 to the Rams. The very first snap of the second half though led to a lead change as Burrow and Higgins connected for a 75-yard touchdown. After trading field goals ,the score was 16-20 to the Bengals. However, the Rams were able to take the lead when Cooper Kupp caught a one yard pass for a touchdown. The Bengals would have a chance to come back down the field to win, but they were forced to commit a turnover with time running out. It wasn’t pretty, Matthew Stafford threw two picks and OBJ tore his ACL, but the Rams won Super Bowl 56 23-20 with Cooper Kupp taking home MVP honors.

Entertainment:

“Stranger Things” will officially be ending on a fifth season after a six-year, three-season run. “Stranger Things” is one of Netflix’s most popular franchises, second only to “Squid Game” in terms of viewership on the platform. Season four of the series will have its first part released on May 27 of this year, with the second part coming on July 1. The reason for this is because season four is “twice the length” of any other season and has taken nearly two years of filming, according to the franchise’s creators, the Duffer Brothers. While Stranger Things ending its run will most definitely have a big impact on Netflix, the Duffer Brothers have said spin-offs series are likely and that there are “new mysteries, new adventures and new unexpected heroes to uncover.”
Two of the world’s most popular festivals, Coachella and Stagecoach, have both lifted their vaccine and mask requirements. Stagecoach shared the news through Twitter, while Coachella updated its health, safety and rules section on their website. This could be an indicator of a progression back to normalcy, but we have to be hopeful that the relaxed guidelines will not result in a surge of COVID-19 cases.
“Uncharted”, a movie based on a video game series of the same name, hit theaters this Friday. While many were excited to see the star power of Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, the movie has not lived to the hype. While the stunts and action scenes are very captivating, the constant “juvenile” bickering failed to provide the comic relief it aimed to and the movie overall had weak dialogue. Furthermore, the cliche treasure hunt trope was not used very well, as many scenes that involve figuring out where the treasure was were very dull and “tedious”. All the same, the acting from Tom Holland was just as quality as it was in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.

Weather:

Atlas and Sierra (Seattle): Highs will drop slightly this week: 49℉ on Thursday, 48℉ on Friday, 45℉ on Saturday, 46℉ on Sunday and 47℉ from Monday to Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 42℉ on Thursday, 41℉ on Friday, 39℉ on Saturday, 36℉ on Sunday and Monday and 37℉ on Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be rain Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday and the rest of the week will be cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the mid 40’s, lows in the mid 30’s, rain and clouds.

Olympus (Tacoma): Highs will drop this week: 50℉ on Thursday, 49℉ on Friday, 46℉ on Saturday, 47℉ on Sunday and Monday and 48℉ on Tuesday and Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 41℉ on Thursday and Friday, 40℉ on Saturday, 36℉ on Sunday, 37℉ on Monday 36℉ on Tuesday and 38℉ on Wednesday. There will be rain Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday and the rest of the week will be cloudy.

Summary: Highs in the upper 40’s, lows in the mid 30’s, rain and clouds.

Denali (Sunnyvale): Highs will drop overall this week: 69℉ on Thursday and Friday, 65℉ on Saturday, 61℉ on Sunday and Monday, 62℉ on Tuesday and 64℉ on Wednesday. Lows will hold relatively steady throughout the week: 42℉ on Thursday and Friday, 45℉ on Saturday, 40℉ from Sunday to Tuesday, and 41℉ on Wednesday. It will be sunny all week.

Summary: Highs in the mid 60’s, lows in the low 40’s, sunny.

Everest and Prep (Redwood City): Highs will drop overall this week: 66℉ on Thursday and Friday, 61℉ on Saturday, 59℉ on Sunday, 58℉ on Monday, 59℉ on Tuesday and 61℉ on Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 43℉ on Thursday, 45℉ on Friday, 46℉ on Saturday, 43℉ on Sunday and Monday and 41℉ on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be sunny all week.

Summary: Highs in the upper 50’s, lows in the mid 40’s, sunny.

K2 (El Cerrito): Highs will drop overall this week: 66℉ on Thursday, 65℉ on Friday, 63℉ on Saturday, 60℉ on Sunday, 61℉ on Monday and Tuesday and 62℉ on Wednesday. Lows will also drop overall: 44℉ on Thursday, 46℉ on Friday, 47℉ on Saturday, 44℉ on Sunday and Monday and 42℉ on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be a sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the mid 60’s, lows in the mid 40’s, sunny.

Tam (Richmond): Highs will drop overall this week: 66℉ on Thursday and Friday, 64℉ on Saturday, 61℉ on Sunday and Monday and 62℉ on Tuesday and Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 43℉ on Thursday, 45℉ on Friday and Saturday, 43℉ on Sunday, 42℉ on Monday, 40℉ on Tuesday and 41℉ on Wednesday. It will be a sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the mid 60’s, lows in the mid 40’s, sunny.

Shasta (Daly City): Highs will drop overall this week: 62℉ on Thursday, 61℉ on Friday, 58℉ on Saturday, 56℉ on Sunday and Monday, 57℉ on Tuesday and 58℉ on Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 44℉ on Thursday, 46℉ on Friday, 47℉ on Saturday, 44℉ on Sunday and Monday, 42℉ on Tuesday and 43℉ on Wednesday. It will be a sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the upper 50’s, lows in the mid 40’s, sunny.

Tahoma (San Jose): Highs will drop this week: 70℉ on Thursday, 72℉ on Friday, 67℉ on Saturday, 64℉ on Sunday, 60℉ on Monday, 62℉ on Tuesday and 65℉ on Wednesday. Lows will also drop this week: 42℉ on Thursday, 41℉ on Friday, 43℉ on Saturday, 40℉ on Sunday, 37℉ on Monday and Tuesday and 39℉ on Wednesday. It will be a sunny week.

Summary: Highs in the upper 60’s, lows in the low 40’s, sunny.

Cooking: Lemon Tart

By Shiran on Pretty. Simple. Sweet.

Yields 9-inch tart.

Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (180 g/6.3 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (55 g/2 oz) powdered sugar (or 1/4 cup granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract , optional

Instructions:

Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by using a pastry cutter. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. Add egg and vanilla extract and keep pulsing until the dough is no longer dry and starts to clump together, about 10-15 seconds. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed; rather the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps. Another way to check if it’s done is to take a piece of dough and press it between your thumbs – the dough should stick without feeling dry or crumbly.
Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. It should come together easily without being sticky. Flatten ball slightly with your hands to form a thick disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month and then thaw overnight in the fridge.
To roll out the dough: Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a 9-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom); you can do this by flouring a rolling pan and rolling the dough loosely around it, then unrolling it into the pan. Brush away any excess flour on the surface. With a sharp knife, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
To bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375F/190C and place rack in the center.
Press parchment paper or aluminum foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights/dried beans/uncooked rice, making sure they’re fully distributed over the entire surface.
Bake crust for 20 minutes, until foil no longer sticks to the dough. Transfer crust to a wire rack and remove weights and foil.
To fully bake the crust: Bake for about 10 minutes longer until golden brown and dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Lemon Curd Filling:

Ingredients:

2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs)
3/4 cup (150 g/5.3 oz) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons for both zest and juice)
2 tablespoons heavy cream , optional
1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:

In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and heavy cream, if using, and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick (mine was ready in 10 minutes, but it can take up to 20). If you have a thermometer, it should register 170°F/75°C; otherwise, it should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.
Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Take your time with it—the whisking makes for an airy and light texture. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the tart. (Lemon curd can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, place overnight in the fridge. Whisk the mixture to smoothen it before using.)
Fill the tart shell with lemon curd, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled. Serve with berries and whipped cream if you like. The tart is rich, so cut your servings small.

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.

This action section will be in honor of the death of Amir Locke, a 22-year old black man who was killed in a police brutality incident on Feb. 2. His funeral took place this past Thursday. The Locke family is advocating to “do away” with no-knock warrants so what happened to her son does not happen to anyone else.

Keep up with the news, be aware of the discrimination black people face to this day, especially by law enforcement.
Donate to the Amir Locke Memorial Fund to help the family of Amir Locke cover “funeral and burial expenses, mental health and grief counseling as well as help Amir’s family in their fight for justice, and provide support for the family.
Sign this petition to help protest against no-knock warrants!
Support social justice movements, advocate for racial equality, do your part!

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/.