The battle for Baghdad begins: On Wednesday, American troops prepared to enter what has been described as the “red zone,” some 50 miles outside Baghdad. The Republican Guard defends this area, and American commanders have described the area as the “most strategically vital and treacherous of the war.” Entering this zone brings Allied forces closer to their goal of capturing the capital of Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein from power. Military leaders said this area as particularly dangerous because this would be the target area if Republican Guard forces use chemical weapons. A New York Times article said, “The current attack followed almost two weeks of bombing, the capture of more than 4,600 prisoners and the deployment of more than 100,000 allied troops in Iraq, many of whom have traversed hundreds of miles and defended against persistent efforts by fedayeen and other Iraqi paramilitary units to attack allied supply lines.”
American Airlines flight is quarantined: Tuesday, an American Airlines flight arriving in California from Tokyo was temporarily quarantined as it was suspected that some passengers were carrying SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Although no one on the jet was found to have the disease, 69 cases of SARS have been reported in the United States, among the approximately 1,800 cases reported worldwide. So far, the cases reported in the United States have not lead to fatalities or near-fatalities. Doctors are having a difficult time diagnosing what constitutes a case of SARS, as they do not know what causes it or how to test for it. A New York Times article said, “At the moment, unexplained pneumonia, or even a dry cough and fever, plus a recent visit to China, Hong Kong or Southeast Asia or contact with a recent visitor, is as close as health officials can get.” Around the world, it is believed that 64 people have now died of this disease that is more prevalent in China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Supreme Court examines affirmative action: As the University of Michigan defended its programs that utilized affirmative action this week, it appeared that the U.S. Supreme Court was leaning in favor of affirmative action practices “in a world where color still matters and where senior military officers describe affirmative action as essential for national security.” The opposite argument put forth by opponents to affirmative action is that organizations should act on a “color-blind principle.” It is still uncertain if the University of Michigan’s specific programs will survive. According to a New York Times article, “The university’s undergraduate admissions program gives an automatic 20 points on a 150-point scale to applicants who are black, Hispanic or American Indian. The highly selective law school does not use a formula, but regularly admits students from those three groups who have lower grades and test scores than many white students it admits.” The Bush administration said the school failed to show that they cannot create diversity on campus through a “race-neutral alternative.”
Data compiled by Paige Wassel with information from the New York Times.