HC Wake-Up Call: Beto O'ourke Debates Cruz, USA Gymnastics Interim Pres Resigns, & Canada Pardoning Minor Marijuana Convictions

Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

Beto O'Rourke & Ted Cruz Face Off in Second Debate

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke debated on Tuesday for the last time before the Nov. 6 election. The two argued over issues ranging from abortion to climate change, and the sparring often got personal. For example, after Cruz tried to use O'Rourke's supposed support for higher taxes on oil against him, O'Rourke brought up something that President Trump used against Cruz in the 2016 presidential race. "Senator Cruz is not going to be honest with you," O’Rourke said. "He’s dishonest, and it’s why the president called him Lyin’ Ted, and it’s why the nickname stuck — because it’s true."

Throughout the debate, Cruz argued that O'Rourke is too "radical" for Texas, a state typically controlled by Republicans. However, the race has been unexpectedly close. Though Cruz still has a narrow lead over O'Rourke in most polls, the Democrat far out-raised his opponent in the third quarter by reaching a record-breaking $38 million in donations. 

According to Vox, the two candidates also discussed Medicare for All, the GOP tax cuts, and border security. The latter resulted in Cruz attacking O'Rourke for opposing what he considered to be basic security. "Congressman O’Rourke not only opposes a wall...he wants to tear down the ones we have," Cruz said, referring to the wall currently separating O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. "There’s a wall there, that wall is one of the tools you use to protect us." O'Rourke countered, explaining that he cares about the safety of Texans but also believes in immigration policies that include a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers. 

Though the debate was likely be the candidates' last — they were initially scheduled to participate in three, but scheduling issues ensued — O'Rourke will appear in a live town-hall event on CNN on Thursday. Cruz was invited too, but his campaign reportedly asked CNN to change the format of the event so it would serve as the third debate. CNN said it would convert the event if the O'Rourke campaign agreed, but there's no word on if they have yet. 

USA Gymnastics Interim President Resigns After Days on the Job

Just five days after being appointed as interim president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, former congresswoman Mary Bono resigned on Tuesday. The news comes just after high-profile Olympic gymnasts like Aly Raisman and Simone Biles expressed their concerns about Bono. First, Biles called attention to a tweet of Bono's which served as her response to Nike's recent ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. Bono had used a dark marker to cover up the Nike swoosh on a pair of her shoes. Biles quoted the now-deleted tweet, writing, "Don't worry, it's not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything."

Before Bono's appointment to USA Gymnastics, she worked at law firm Faegre Baker Daniels — the same firm that employed Scott Himsel, who "helped to craft excuses" for onetime team doctor and now convicted felon Larry Nassar. More than 250 women accused Nassar of sexual abuse, including Biles and Raisman. Prior to Bono's resignation, Raisman quote tweeted fellow gymnast Kaylee Lorincz — who also alleged that Nassar sexually assaulted her — asking if USA Gymnastics was "just going to sit back and not say or do anything again." Lorincz had initially tweeted Bono saying, "You owe me an explanation of why you and your firm allowed Larry to abuse me in 2016 after you were well aware that he was abusing little girls."

Bono never responded to Raisman or Lorincz, but she did tweet her regrets about her Kaepernick post. On Tuesday, Bono released a statement about her resignation, which the USA Gymnastics board of directors later accepted. Read the board's full statement here. 

Canada Plans to Pardon Those With Minor Marijuana Convictions

According to numerous reports from Canadian news outlets, Canada's federal government will announce on Wednesday a plan to grant pardons to citizens who have past simple possession charges. Canada's previously announced new recreational legalization of marijuana just went into place at midnight on Tuesday. 

The pardons — not record expungements or amnesty — won't be granted immediately; however, CTV News reported that the ministers involved are "expected to outline options that could be used to facilitate the pardon process, and potential ways to expedite the sometimes protracted endeavor."

What to look for...

Different ways to celebrate and embrace your body. It's "Love Your Body Day," an annual observance created by the National Organization for Women to combat dangerous beauty standards and encourage self-love.