This week in news

Alex Hanson
October 23, 2015

Here’s a recap of the weeks biggest stories. Read the quick recap below, then test your knowledge with our online quiz here.

Biden won’t run for president

Vice President Joe Biden ended speculation that he might mount a run for president and challenge frontrunner Hillary Clinton when he announced Wednesday he would not run.

Speaking at the White House with his wife Jill and President Obama at his side, Biden said the time he spent grieving about the death of his son, Beau, who died of brain cancer, made it impossible for him to run a successful campaign.

State Sen. Herman Quirmbach and Rep. Lisa Heddens, both Democrats from Ames, said in interviews Wednesday that they are “disappointed” in his decision but understand Biden has been through a lot personally that affected his decision.

Board of Regents discusses increase in international student fees

The Iowa Board of Regents hosted meetings Wednesday and Thursday in Iowa City, which included a discussion about a $500 increase in fees for international students.

“There are higher costs associated with providing services for international students,” said Jonathan Wickert, senior vice president and provost. “Nobody likes to increase tuition, but it’s really an issue of balancing the affordability with the quality of the education.”

Regents are also planning on freezing tuition for Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa this fall, while increasing it 3 percent for the University of Iowa.

The board also discussed Iowa State’s request to create a Center for Statistics and Application in Forensic Evidence, and a graduate and professional student financial retention initiative. The initiative would offer a 50 percent income tax break for Iowa-educated graduate and professional students who work in Iowa after graduation and a 75 percent income tax break for graduates who work in rural Iowa.

Paul Ryan all but certain to be next speaker

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., looks poised to be the next speaker of the House after negotiations with hardline conservatives in the House.

Ryan, who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012, said he is willing to serve as speaker under certain circumstances, including keeping time with his family each weekend and changing some House rules that he says are dividing the party.

The House Freedom Caucus, which includes a group of 30-40 conservative Republicans, originally endorsed U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., but said Wednesday after a meeting with Ryan that a “supermajority” was behind him.

The group said it would only endorse Ryan if 80 percent of the group supported him, which is still not the case.

U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican from the 4th District who represents Ames, has not said publicly if he’ll change his support to Ryan during the House floor vote next week, but did tweet Wednesday that he is still supporting Webster.

Republican U.S. Rep. Rod Blum’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story. An aide to U.S. Rep. David Young of Iowa’s 3rd District said Young would continue to look at every candidate before making a decision on who to support.

Mets headed to World Series after sweeping the Cubs

After four straight wins against the Chicago Cubs, The New York Mets are headed to the World Series next week.

After winning two games in New York, and then two more in Chicago, the Mets clinched the National League title with ease and will now head to the World Series against the winner of the Dodgers-Royals series.

Game one is set for Tuesday evening, game two Wednesday, game three Friday and four Saturday. If needed, game five will take place Sunday, and six and seven are scheduled for the following Tuesday and Wednesday.

Playboy will no longer feature nudity

Fans of Playboy magazine are in for a change beginning in March 2016: no nudity in the magazines.

According to Playboy, the main reason is that things like the Internet provide plenty of nudity, meaning the magazine no longer offers something unique for its readers.

“We haven’t seen what they are going to have in their content,” said Joel Geske, associate director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. “Just because the photos that they do have won’t have nudity, it does not mean that the images will not be sexualized.”