Welcome back to another week of Robertson’s Reportings! The government shutdown that began on December 22 has officially ended – for the moment. President Trump signed a short-term bill that will be effective until February 15. If a compromise is not made by then, the government will likely go into a shutdown once again. Unfortunately, the economic impact of the shutdown is beginning to set in. Economic growth began to decrease drastically, more than any economists expected, as the shutdown went on. Luckily, the National Zoo’s “Panda Cam” is back online now that national organizations are back open.

Israeli scientists believe that a cure for cancer is close after the number of deaths of the disease has decreased by 27% of the past 25 years. United States scientists have questioned this, but some Israeli scientists believe that the cure could be found within a year. Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Limited is responsible for possibly creating this treatment that relies on peptides for each cancer cell. It is said to eliminate the chances of evasion through mutations. With this treatment, the company claims that the result is extremely quick, in almost a day, and there are little to no side effects.

This week, the temperatures in cities across the United States have broken records. Some temperatures are even colder than parts of Antarctica. So far, eight people have been recorded as dead from this polar vortex. In Chicago, temperatures were under 20 degrees below zero, and the wind chill was under 50 degrees below zero. Many homeless shelters have reached their maximum capacity due to people desperately in need of shelter, as uncovered skin can get frostbite within ten minutes. On the other hand, temperatures have reached 116 degrees fahrenheit in Australia this week. At 105 degrees, the body begins shut down. Health warnings have been issued throughout the country, and people, in both the Midwest of the United States and in Australia, are advised to stay indoors because of the extreme temperatures.

Heated debates have recently taken place throughout all of America as a result of Virginia’s proposed abortion law. Kathy Tran, democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, came up with a bill that allows pregnant women to have an abortion until the moment before the child’s birth. Scientific research has proven that fetuses can feel pain at about 20 weeks old, proving that an abortion, especially at that late time, would be extremely painful for the child. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that legalizes abortion until birth, whereas the previous law legalized abortion until 24 weeks after pregnancy. However, in Ohio, abortions have officially been banned, as a law called the “Heartbeat Bill” was passed on February 1.

A long list of 2020 presidential candidates is beginning to compile. Most candidates are part of the Democratic Party and are already politicians. A few independent runners have been announced including Howard Schultz, former Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks. President Trump is also planning to run for president next year, alongside no other definite Republicans. Democratic runners include Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Julian Castro. The list will continue to grow as the year moves forward. See you next time on Robertson’s Reportings, coverage you can count on!