News Round-Up: Monday, February 25, 2013

“Argo” wins Best Picture at the Oscars; South Korea’s first female president warns North Korea against their nuclear ambitions; the UK’s top cardinal is accused of “inappropriate” behavior by other priests; Rock the Vote President Heather Smith tells us why the Supreme Court should uphold the Voting Rights Act; and the White House releases a state-by-state breakdown of the sequester’s effects. Meanwhile, Oscar winners celebrate their achievements; Jennifer Lawrence comments on her fall up to the podium; and critics respond to Seth MacFarlane’s performance as host.

Caitlin + Liza

CRUCIAL: 

Oscars 2013: ‘Argo,’ ‘Life of Pi’ Win Big, http://rol.st/YQq9yW
Sunday night’s Academy Awards saw “Argo” claim the title of Best Picture, despite Ben Affleck’s notable nomination snub in the Best Director category. “It doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life…all that matters is that you get up,” Affleck said in a humble acceptance speech. Other major winners of the night included Daniel Day-Lewis, who picked up his third Best Actor accolade for his performance in “Lincoln, Jennifer Lawrence, who fell on the stairs as she walked up to claim her Best Actress Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “Django Unchained” for which Quentin Tarantino and Christoph Waltz both won.

New South Korean Leader Warns North Against Nuclear Pursuits, http://nyti.ms/13hXHM3
Park Geun-hye was sworn in on Monday as South Korea’s first female president, using her inauguration as an opportunity to warn North Korea against continuing the development of its nuclear weapons program. Park is the daughter of Park Chung-hee, who also served as South Korean president until he was assassinated 33 years ago. “North Korea’s recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and future of the Korean people, and there should be no mistake that the biggest victim will be none other than North Korea itself,” Park said. Park also vowed to bring “economic rejuvenation” to South Korea as she begins her five-year term.

UK’s top cardinal accused of ‘inappropriate acts’ by priests, http://bit.ly/15EJYhL
Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Catholic clergyman, resigned on Monday following accusations of inappropriate behavior with priests. One former Scottish priest alleged that O’Brien made sexual advances toward him in 1980. Three additional Scottish priests came forward to report inappropriate actions by O’Brien, who has been an outspoken opponent of gay rights and staunchly condemning homosexuality. O’Brien’s resignation means Britain will be without a representative as the Vatican begins papal elections for Pope Benedict’s successor, and fuels rumors that Benedict’s resignation could be connected to other scandals within the Church.

White House releases state-by-state breakdown of sequester’s effects, http://wapo.st/ZCJc4s
The White House released 51 fact sheets on Sunday detailing how the sequester would impact each state and the District of Columbia individually as part of President Obama’s effort to force Republicans into compromise on how to stop the huge spending cuts. The fact sheets show that if the $1.2 trillion in budget cuts go into effect, the Washington and Maryland areas will be hardest hit, due to a high number of government workers. Though the administration particularly highlighted negative effects on states important to conservatives, Republicans maintain the White House is exaggerating the sequester’s impact. Congress remains focused on a new deadline of March 27, which will mark the last chance for compromise on the sequester.

Ikea withdraws meatballs in 13 countries after horesemeat found in Czech tests, http://wapo.st/13Hvxpx
Inspectors discovered horsemeat in Swedish-style meatballs packaged to be sold at Ikea stores in the Czech Republic on Monday. Meatballs from the same batch had already been sent to 13 different countries across Europe, and were promptly removed from stores in those nations. The scandal is the latest in a series of inspections that found horesemeat in European packaged foods including lasagna and hamburgers. European Union officials will meet later on Monday to discuss food labeling rules. Ikea shipments to the U.S. were not affected, though they come from the same Swedish supplier.

Voting Rights Act Provision Defended by Obama Administration, Civil Rights Groups, http://huff.to/13i5uta
The Obama administration and civil rights groups are continuing to defend a a key provision of the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court this week, fighting to keep in place a section that requires states with a history of racial discrimination to get any changes to election laws approved by the Justice Department. The law’s opponents stress that the provision is unnecessary due to progress made on the issue of race, but the Obama administration holds that minority voters still need protection as the law grants against efforts to reduce their influence at the polls. Defendants of the Voting Rights Act highlight a “bailout provision” that allows counties governments that have changed their discriminatory ways to be free of Washington’s oversight. The Court will hear further arguments on Wednesday.

CULTURAL: 

Best 2013 Oscar Moments, http://thebea.st/Wd4NiX

Oscars Red Carpet Fashion, http://bit.ly/YPNfpk

Jennifer Lawrence: The ‘F’ Word Was All I Could Think When I Fell at the Oscars, http://bit.ly/12680DB

Seth MacFarlane: Why He Didn’t Work as Oscars Host, http://bit.ly/WmDu0a

The Onion Apologizes to Quvenzhane Wallis for C-Word Tweet, http://bit.ly/Yvezep

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Liza Dee Bio: Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

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