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.)
Adam Rippon Declines Offer to Work With NBC for the Rest of the Olympics
After winning over America’s heart through his work on the ice and his wittiness on Twitter, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon has declined an offer to work as a contributor for NBC for the rest of the Olympics. Although PEOPLE reported earlier on Sunday that the 28-year-old would help the network with TV, digital and social media projects, Rippon later turned down the offer when he realized accepting it would mean that he would have to leave behind his teammates in Olympic Village.
“If I took this opportunity, I would have to leave the Olympic team and I’d have to leave the [Olympic] Village,” he said in an appearance on NBC’s sports network on Monday in PyeongChang. “I worked so hard to be on this Olympic team, and my teammates and my friends were there for me during my events and that meant so much to me, that I really feel like I need to be there for them during their events as well.”
Before he earned a bronze medal alongside other American skaters in the team skating competition, Rippon, who is openly gay, earned praise for his criticism of Vice President Pence serving as the head of the American delegation for the Olympic Games. Known for his sassy Twitter persona, Rippon addressed haters in a post last week, saying, “I’ve learned from every setback, proudly own up to my mistakes, grown from disappointment, and now I’m a glamazon bitch ready for the runway.”
Rippon later explained his decision to turn down NBC’s offer in another tweet.
I love being on Team USA and representing our country. My teammates were there for me during my events, and now I NEED to be there for them. I look forward to being with them, and I’m very excited for the rest of the competition. Go Team USA!!!
— Adam Rippon (@Adaripp) February 19, 2018
President Trump Blames the FBI for Parkland Shooting
In a late night tweet on Saturday, President Donald Trump blamed the FBI for “spending too much time” on its Russia investigation and not looking into a tip about the young man who would kill 17 people at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. NBC News reports that Trump blasted the FBI for missing “all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter.”
Earlier on Twitter last week, Trump also seemingly suggested that people at the gunman’s school and within his community should have done more in response to his troubling behavior. On Friday, the FBI confirmed that someone connected to shooter Nikolas Cruz called its tip line in early January about the 19-year-old’s “gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting.”
The FBI admitted that protocols of following up on the tip were not followed.
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign – there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Harry Potter Dueling Wands Are Now Available
If you grew up obsessed with the dueling feature of Harry Potter computer games, get ready for a nostalgic blast to the past. BuzzFeed reports that toy company Jakks Pacific will debut a series of motion-sensing toy wands that have the ability to “cast spells.” Three different kinds of wands, styled to match those of Voldemort’s, Harry’s and Dumbledore’s, will be available upon the product’s launch. The toys will also include three different game modes, including a “laser-tag-esque” mode called Wizard Tag. Sign me up!
The wands will sell for $24.99, so if you have a younger child in your life, I definitely wouldn’t judge if you also budgeted for your own wand in addition to theirs.
Harry Potter Dueling Wands Exist Now And Merlin’s Beard, I Want One https://t.co/6iI0ATcHb0 pic.twitter.com/o7Qsg11vG4
— BuzzFeed Entertainment (@BuzzFeedEnt) February 17, 2018
What to look out for…
Before the women take the Olympic ice later this week, check out the ice dance skating finals in PyeongChang tonight. Working with less technical requirements than the pair figure skaters, ice dancers‘ routines are even easier to follow and evaluate with an untrained eye.