TODAY'S TALKING POINTS 11-12-15

TODAY'S TALKING POINTS

Virginia became the first state in the U.S. to end veteran homelessness. This means there are officially no veterans who lack housing, except those who have refused the offer, and that the state has resources to take in any veterans who want housing within 90 days. If you're wondering how such a massive goal was achieved, they simply gave people housing and support instead of making them jump through hoops to earn a home.

It has been a big week for vets. On Tuesday, the Senate approved a bill that would allow (for the first time ever) doctors to OK medical marijuana for some veterans. And the White House announcedWednesday that all recent U.S. military vets and their families will beoffered in-state tuition rates to public colleges and universities across the country.

#PrayForMizzou started trending as death threats hit MU’s campus. After several racially charged incidents at the University of Missouri, the chancellor and system president stepped down — but students barely had a chance to celebrate their victory. Soon after, a series of threats were posted to the social media app Yik Yak, spreading fear throughout the student body. Despite the panic, one professor challenged his students in an email to come to class to defeat “the bullies.” After his email went viral, he submitted his letter of resignation. Two students have been arrested for making the threats.

Hundreds of Ithaca College students joined Mizzou and Yale in the fight against racism by holding their own “Solidarity Walk Out” Wednesday. They’re calling for the resignation of the college’s president, Tom Rochon, over several alleged racial injustices.

Kurdish forces launched an offensive against the Islamic State group in Iraq. Backed by a U.S.-led coalition, the forces are trying to take back Sinjar, the town seized by the extremist group last year. This is major since it's a step toward breaking up the group's caliphate.

Shootings by the LAPD doubled in an "alarming trend." Los Angeles officers opened fire 23 times in 2014. This year, that number rose to 45, and it has the police commission super worried. The board plans to take a hard look at the use of force in the department, and is calling for training, less-lethal equipment and a review of body cameras.

Police are sweeping up your tweets and friending you on Facebook — whether you know it or not. Police have been using digital masks to take down criminals on social media for years, but now that’s reached a whole new level. Officers are using an algorithm to scrub social media posts and map them to figure out where crime is most likely to occur. This is how police are using social media to predict crime.