Three things for February 27
1. Anti-lynching bill passed by the House
A bill to formally criminalize lynching was passed by the House of Representatives yesterday.
The bill is titled the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act in acknowledgement of the murder of 14-year-old Till at the hands of a lynch mob in Mississippi in 1955.
Introduced last year by Illinois Representative Bobby Rush, the decision to name the bill in Till’s memory was due in part to the lingering impression left on Rush by graphic images of Till’s body in his casket.
The bill was passed in a vote of 410-4, garnering overwhelming bipartisan support from the House of Representatives.
2. CDC warns Americans to prepare for the spread of coronavirus
The recent spread of coronavirus to countries outside of China has prompted the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to increase their level of concern for the spread of the disease.
The CDC issued a statement warning Americans that day-to-day life could be disrupted should the virus start to spread within the United States.
This warning comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the number of new coronavirus cases outside of China now exceeds the number of new cases within China.
More than 80,000 people have contracted the virus, over 30,000 of which have since recovered from their illness.
The U.S. currently has about 60 reported cases of coronavirus, prompting President Donald Trump to appoint Vice President Mike Pence as the overseer of America’s response as the outbreak continues.
3. Disney CEO steps down in unexpected announcement
On Tuesday, Robert Iger stepped down from his position as CEO of The Walt Disney Company “effective immediately.”
Iger was originally made president and chief operating officer of Disney in 2000 before succeeding Disney’s previous CEO Michael Eisner in 2005.
It was during Iger’s tenure as CEO that Disney acquired several entertainment corporations, including 21st Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar and Lucasfilm.
No reason has been given for Iger’s departure, although his contract as CEO originally ended in June 2018, which was later extended by Disney to last until 2021.
Iger named Bob Chapek as his successor, who will serve as the company’s seventh CEO to-date. Chapek is the current chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc. — a business segment and subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.
Iger will serve out the remainder of his contract as executive chairman of the company until Dec. 31, 2021.
