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.)
Mueller’s Investigation Apparently “Close to Being Completed”
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said on Monday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is “close to being completed.” Though Whitaker didn’t elaborate on the investigation’s potential end-date while speaking at a Department of Justice news conference, he added, “I hope that we can get the report from Director Mueller as soon as possible.”
Mueller began his investigation when he was appointed in May 2017. Since then, Whitaker has been critical of his investigation. However, on Monday, Whitaker said his earlier comments were “made as a private citizen,” NPR reported.
The same day, legislation was filed that would require Mueller to summarize his findings in a report to Congress and the public, according to CNN. “This bipartisan legislation ensures that Congress and the American people have oversight of and insight into activities and findings of special counsel investigations under any administration,” said Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
Trump to Deliver SOTU on February 5
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited President Trump to deliver his State of the Union address on February 5, and on Monday evening, he accepted. “When I wrote to you on January 23rd, I stated that we should work together to find a mutually agreeable date when government has reopened to schedule this year’s State of the Union address,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Trump. “In our conversation today, we agreed on February 5th.”
Trump wrote back later on Monday, saying, “It is my great honor to accept. We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!”
The two initially clashed over when Trump would deliver the State of the Union due to the partial government shutdown, which ended last Friday. The president was scheduled to deliver the speech this Tuesday, but on Jan. 16, the speaker asked him to delay until the closure ended.
The legislation that Trump signed into law to reopen the government is currently only set to last three weeks. He hasn’t backed down about his proposed $5.7 billion border wall, and he’s even threatened to let funding lapse again — or declare a national emergency — if a deal isn’t made to build it.
Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Floats 2020 Run & Draws Criticism from Trump
Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz revealed that he’s considering running for president in 2020 as a “centrist independent. “I think lifelong Democrats and many, many more lifelong Republicans than Democrats realize are looking for a home,” Schultz said on NPR’s Morning Edition. “If there is a choice between President Trump and a progressive liberal-minded person on the Democratic side, it would kill me to see President Trump be re-elected, and I believe that is what would take place.”
Though Schultz hasn’t announced that he’s running, CBS News reported that he has hired two political strategists to help him should he choose to do so.
However, Schultz has already drawn criticism from people on both sides of the aisle, including President Trump. After Schultz was interviewed on 60 Minutes about a potential run on Sunday, Trump tweeted the following morning: “Howard Schultz doesn’t have the ‘guts’ to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the ‘smartest person.’ Besides, America already has that!”
Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s former mayor who is reportedly considering running for the Dem nomination in 2020, also tweeted about Schultz. “Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the Electoral College system, there is no way an independent can win,” Bloomberg wrote. “In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the president. That’s a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can’t afford to run it now.”
What to look for…
Toy Story‘s Bo Peep, because she’s back with a new badass look.