27 | January | 2021 | Plaid Line

By: Aisha Dirie

Image taken from: https://www.businessinsider.com/macron-debuts-french-themed-face-mask-national-pride-2020-5

Over the duration of the pandemic, especially these past few months, world leaders have been contracting COVID-19.

Trump announced that he went into quarantine in early October 2020, after testing positive. This was right before the election, and the second presidential debate, but after the first presidential debate. This caused concern that it had been spread to other people at the debate, especially President-elect Joe Biden. Trump contracting COVID-19 cancelled that upcoming 2nd debate.

People close to Trump also contracted the virus including his family, and Ivanka, and some co-workers.

Trump was also hospitalized for his symptoms of COVID-19, as well as other world leaders who contracted COVID-19, like Boris Johnson.

Another world leader that contracted COVID-19 is Emmanuel Macron, the President of France. After testing positive for COVID-19 in mid December, Macron went into quarantine. Since meetings with other countries, and officials, had happened within recent days of his positive test, other European leaders also went into quarantine.

This diagnosis canceled a planned visit to Lebanon, and other planned events for Macron and other leaders in contact with him.

Although many major world leaders have caught COVID-19, many have recovered safely, including Trump and Johnson, who were both hospitalized for their symptoms. Along with these major world leaders contracting the virus, others include: the Prime Minister of Russia, the President of Bolivia, the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Poland, and many more, who have all caught COVID-19.

These events just prove how anyone can get COVID-19, and how important it is to take caution.

The COVID-19 vaccine is also starting to be distributed within these countries.

For more information, please visit:

“Macron Tests Positive for Covid-19, Sending Other European Leaders into Quarantine” https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/europe/emmanuel-macron-covid-positive-france-intl/index.html
“Infographic: World Leaders Who Contracted Covid-19” https://www.statista.com/chart/23091/world-leaders-who-contracted-covid-19/#:~:text=Boris%20Johnson%2C%20the%20British%20prime,post%20again%20on%20April%2027
“Boris Johnson and Coronavirus: the inside Story of His Illness” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/17/boris-johnson-and-coronavirus-inside-story-illness

By: Kayla Madison

Ariana Grande is the queen of pop. No doubt about it. She’s been killing it since her ‘Dangerous Woman’ era in May 20, 2016.

Even Nicki Minaj (the queen of rap) said so herself in the song “Side to Side” with the lyric “I’m the queen of rap, young Ariana run pop”.

Following the Manchester bombing (RIP) which left thousands of fans, and Ariana, traumatized, she released the album ‘Sweetener’ on August 17, 2018. It is said by her: I think that it was made to hopefully bring sweeter days.

She has a song “breathin” which she said is about anxiety, which she’d already had prior to the bombing, but that only seemed to heighten it.

Roughly 6 months later, on February 8th, 2019, she released ‘thank u, next’ which she made after her ex Mac Miller passed away (RIP, he was such a sweet hearted soul,) and the split from her then fiancé, Pete Davidson. All 12 of its tracks were on the Billboard Top 100 with “thank u, next”, “7 rings”, and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” occupying the top 3 spots.

After the release, it broke multiple streaming records, including largest streaming week for a pop album, and female album in the U.S., with 307 million on-demand streams.

Globally, this album was 8th in best selling in 2019, and 4th best selling for female artists.

About a month later, Ariana was set for the Sweetener World Tour that began March 18, 2019. The tour grossed $146.4 million from 97 shows. During 2020’s Grammy Awards, ‘thank u, next’ was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ and the song “7 rings” was nominated for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance’. Since the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards were rigged, she went home empty handed.

On October 30, 2020, she released the album ‘Positions’. Now, I don’t know about everyone else, but this album is in the top rank compared to some of the others that had dropped around this time.

My favorites from this album are “just like magic”, “west side”, and “love language”. Check them out, they’re great. Of course, those aren’t the only songs I listen to off of it. This album is not like many others, there isn’t a song on here worth skipping. They’re all great and have their own sense of style you could say.

It’s also really nice to see Ariana change vocally and see how she’s in more of a healed place mentally through the songs. She explains them all in the Zach Sang interview, which is quite long but worth watching if you love her.

She also just recently dropped her “34+35” remix with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. I’m not really into Megan like that, but her verse made me laugh (it’s very explicit so don’t play it around your parents).

On an unrelated note, she’s engaged to Dalton Gomez, so let’s hope that she actually gets married this time!