Read about what really matters from the news last week. We provide you the least-biased news about current events so you can go about your day informed, not brainwashed.

What to avoid:

• Twitter has captivated the minds of the masses once more. Paul Ryan deleted a tweet in which he applauded the Republican Tax Bill for its saving a secretary $1.50 a week and it’s causing quite the media storm…Luckily, we all know, nothing written with a max of 240 characters can be that important, so let’s avoid this one.
• The other hot topic to avoid is the memo from Representative Nunes. Prior to the release, both sides acted as if the memo was of epic proportions, with the Republicans insinuating it vindicated President Trump in the Russia probe, and with the Democrats fearing its release would be the destruction of our Constitutional Republic. After it’s release, it all seemed to be over-hyped. As usual, let’s wait for Special Counsel Mueller to complete his investigation. If you’re super interested, please read the memo for yourself, not one of the talking heads’ takes on it.

What to focus on:

• School shootings have been in the news a lot this year already, and it’s just the beginning of February. On January 28th, in Benton, Kentucky, two children died and 14 others suffered gunshot wounds after a classmate opened fire. Then, on the first of February, a young girl negligently discharged a firearm wounding 5. All are expected to recover. It’s time we all admit there is a gun problem in America. However, it’s also time to admit the Right and Left won’t solve this, unless they work on a nonpartisan solution.
• Another constant in 2018 are Amtrak crashes. On 4 February, another Amtrak crash occurred, this time an Amtrak train collided with a freight train causing 2 fatalities and leaving over 115 injured. This comes right on the heels of an Amtrak crash last week involving GOP members of Congress.
• Janet Yellen departed the Fed this week and Jerome Powell is stepping in to take charge. As inflation seems ready to make a comback, it’ll be interesting to see how Mr. Powell conducts his duties. At his Senate confirmation hearing, Powell stressed his intention to carry on the cautious approach to interest rate hikes that his predecessor, Janet Yellen, pursued in four years as Fed chair.
• The flu epidemic is raging and 42 states have reported high flu activity last week. So far this season, 53 children died from the flu, as vaccinations seem to be performing poorly. If you come down with the flu, it’s recommended you start antiviral medications as soon as possible. A flu shot is recommended for those 6 months and up.

After catching up on the events of the week, check out what Independent political candidates and organizations did by visiting our Independent Action post located here.

© 2018 Free Wheel Media. This article originally published on FreeWheelUs, and has been republished in its entirety with permission and by request of Free Wheel Media.