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.)
North Korea Has Threatened to Cancel Its Meeting With President Trump
After it gained knowledge of military drills between the US and South Korea, North Korea called them a “provocation,” reportedly threatening to cancel its June 12 meeting with President Trump, BuzzFeed News reports. The country has already canceled its talks with South Korea, which were scheduled to take place tomorrow amid tensions that were beginning to relax between North Korea and the rest of the world, including the US and South Korea. However, the White House has yet to confirm either way. “We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday.
North Korea suspends talks with South Korea, threatens to cancel Trump meeting over military exercises https://t.co/MHIS59m1sW pic.twitter.com/REcClxUaPf
— The Hill (@thehill) May 16, 2018
Former Texas Representative Says He Won’t Repay Sexual Harassment Settlements
As if it weren’t disgusting enough that former Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold drunkenly sexually harassed multiple women in the workplace and used $84,000 in taxpayer money to pay for their silence, Farenthold now says he won’t be repaying that money. When it became public that Farenthold had made the settlements and he subsequently resigned in December, he said he planned to pay back the money — but even after securing a new six-figure lobbying job, he told the Huffington Post, that he no longer plans to do so, and um excuse me?
“I will say this on the record: I have been advised by my attorneys not to repay that,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s why it hasn’t been repaid.”
Great to know that these are the types of people in power in this country. Lovely.
SCOOP: Former Rep. Blake Farenthold tells ABC he won’t repay U.S. Treasury for $84K sexual harassment settlement, despite accepting six-figure lobbying gig: https://t.co/RqvTTWPowt
— John R Parkinson (@jparkABC) May 15, 2018
Trump’s CIA Nominee Gina Haspel Will Likely Be Confirmed
Following her letter to Virginia Senator Mark Warner, in which she denounced the torturing of suspects while she was a senior agency leader with the CIA, Gina Haspel, President Trump’s controversial nominee to lead the CIA, will likely be confirmed Wednesday the New York Times reports. Warner has already announced that he will support her confirmation, and Democrats, Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Bill Nelson of Florida were quick to follow, likely giving her enough votes to be confirmed. The Senate is expected to hold a vote sometime before the end of the week.
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, will vote for Trump pick Gina Haspel to be the next CIA director — all but ensuring she’ll have enough votes to win Senate confirmation https://t.co/8EqcJQID0K pic.twitter.com/tlMVMSNoUO
— CNN (@CNN) May 15, 2018
Meme of the day:
Because there’s a Kris Jenner for every single one of my moods