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.)
Governors Won’t Send Guards to Border if Family Separation Continues
Three governors have said they won’t send National Guard units to the U.S.-Mexico border if children keep being separated from their families.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation in April authorizing the National Guard to assist Customs and Border Protection secure the border, ABC News reports.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Monday that the state of New York “will not be party to this inhumane treatment of immigrant families.”
In the face of the federal government’s inhumane treatment of immigrant families, New York will not deploy National Guard to the border. We will not be complicit in this ongoing human tragedy. pic.twitter.com/a2tTzjNisR
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 18, 2018
“Day after day, I am increasingly disturbed by the reports of disgraceful tactics used by ICE both in our own state and along our nation’s border,” Cuomo said.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday that separating children from their families was “inhumane” and that the state’s National Guard would not be sending any more troops to the border.
“Governor Baker directed the National Guard not to send any assets or personnel to the Southwest border today because the federal government’s current actions are resulting in the inhumane treatment of children,” Baker’s communications director, Lizzy Guyton, said in a statement.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order that proclaims no state resources will be used for separating children from their families, ABC News reports.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s policy and practice of separating children from their parents when arriving at the southern border is offensive to our core values as Coloradans and as a country,” the executive order says. “The administration announced a ‘zero tolerance’ policy in the spring of 2018 resulting in family separations. The administration has recently stated that the purpose of the policy is to intimidate immigrants and deter crossings.”
Other governors have weighed in on the issue.
A spokeswoman for Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said the governor does not support separating children from their families and calls on the administration and Congress to reform immigration policies.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Twitter that the administration should focus on criminals instead of separating families.
Washington has failed again & again to deliver needed immigration reform – Congress and the administration must step up and work together to fix our broken system. Immigration enforcement efforts should focus on criminals, not separating innocent children from their families.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) June 18, 2018
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called on Trump to end the policy.
The recent policy of separating children from their parents at the border is unconscionable and goes against what our country stands for. The President can stop this right now – and he should. – RC
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) June 18, 2018
Trump Threatens Additional Tariffs on $200 Billion of Chinese Goods
The White House said on Monday evening that if China follows through with its promise to retaliate against the U.S. tariffs announced last week, the U.S. will impose tariffs on an additional $200 billion Chinese goods, CNN reports.
“Further action must be taken to encourage China to change its unfair practices, open its market to United States goods, and accept a more balanced trade relationship with the United States,” President Donald Trump said in a statement.
The Trump administration announced Friday that it would impose a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of Chinese exports. China quickly outlined its own tariffs on $50 billion of U.S. goods, claiming the U.S. had “launched a trade war.”
The Chinese Commerce Ministry accused the U.S. of “extreme pressure and extortionist behavior” and warned it would “strike back hard,” following Trump’s announcement.
Trump said Monday that China’s response “indicates its determination to keep the United States at a permanent and unfair disadvantage.” According to CNN, China’s tariffs would target agricultural products, cars and seafood and other items.
“China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology,” Trump said. “Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong.”
Trump instructed Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to identify $200 billion worth of Chinese goods for an additional 10 percent tariff in the event “China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced.”
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement Tuesday: “If the United States loses its senses and comes up with a new list, China will be forced to strike back hard, and launch comprehensive measures that match the U.S. move in quantity and quality.”
Justice Department IG Investigating Comey Memos
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced publicly on Monday that his office is investigating the private memos that former FBI Director James Comey wrote, and whether classified information in them was properly handled, ABC News reports.
“We received a referral on that from the FBI, we are handling that referral and we will issue a report when the matter is complete,” Horowitz said in response to a question from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.
Comey had detailed his interactions with then President-elect Donald Trump, and some of the memos were shared with a law professor friend with the intent to share the information to The New York Times.
Grassley noted that Comey had been invited to attend, but could not due to foreign travel, ABC News reports.
Horowitz also appeared with FBI Director Chris Wray in a hearing on last week’s release of the IG’s report about the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
President Donald Trump claimed that the report exonerated him.
“It totally exonerates me. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction,” Trump told reporters during a press conference Friday.
However, Horowitz said that they did not “look into collusion questions.”
What to look out for…
This video of a 2,000 pound bath bomb dissolving in a pool is oddly very satisfying.