by Kathleen Wang

This week’s Spotlight Thursday column features a fresh feminist twist on the 2016 presidential campaign, as well as the race for the next Supreme Court justice. In other news, a recent development on the ZIKA virus prompted a recurrence of discussion. Here’s what we think of them:

2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: (May 2nd, 2016) No other candidate in the 2016 election has come close to matching Hillary Clinton’s female donor share of 53 percent.

Monica Colino – politics match well with the purpose and drive that women continue to find within themselves and their community. Wanting to build a strong and dominant network within the 2016 presidential campaign, many women are showing their support through financial backing of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The support given by their financial contributions not only speaks to women’s strong support of the candidate but also to the ability of these women to financially support candidates. A rise in women’s rank within the work place, larger salaries for women, and increased regard for women’s political opinions are all contributing factors that enable women to more strongly support their preferred presidential candidates.

THE RACE FOR THE NEXT SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: (May 11th, 2016) The death of Antonin Scalia has left a spot open for the next Supreme Court Justice.

The Supreme Court traditionally has nine judges – 4 Democrats, 4 Republicans, and 1 swing vote. For 30 years, judge Antonin Scalia has been the swing vote, the deciding factor in many controversial court cases. Now, with a spot open for nomination, many cases hang in the balance, from abortion and healthcare to affirmative action and climate change. It is absolutely crucial for Obama to nominate and the Senate to approve the next Supreme Court justice, in order to get the most complete and fair results. 

However, the gridlocked government is, as always, torn between Democratic President Obama and Republican dominated Congress. In March, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, current chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for D.C., to become the next Supreme Court Justice, yet the Senate has been more than stubborn on the matter. According to The Washington Post, only two Senators so far have stated support for Garland. The bottom line is, the gridlocked government needs to decide on and agree with the next justice – no matter who he/she is – before the next court case. Any other delays will only cause domestic tension and unfair court decisions.

HEALTH: (May 11, 2016) The ZIKA virus was first discovered in 1947, yet a recent development has prompted a recurrence of fear.

The ZIKA virus has been around for decades, yet it was not until this week that researchers in Brazil discovered new evidence showing that the virus has evolved into a new form, one more likely to damage brain cells and cause birth defects.

Unlike politics and countries, viruses knows no borders; ZIKA travels through mosquito hosts, and has already caused a pandemic in 2016. So far, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said the only treatment and prevention is protection from mosquito bites, but that is not enough. In order to most completely protect us from this dangerous virus, a vaccine needs to be developed. At the federal level, this effort would need to bring in the combined efforts to the EPA, the CDC, and more. This coordination is labor intensive and will not be easy, but if we don’t start now, it’s very likely we will soon see ZIKA in the US.