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.)
South Korea Announces Meeting Between U.S. & North Korea
A top South Korean official has announced that President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May, The Boston Globe reports. South Korean national security director Chung Eui-yong shared the leaders’ plans on Thursday night, saying in a statement, “I told President Trump that in our meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he is committed to denuclearization. He pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. He understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue.”
Eui-yong continued, “He expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible. President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization.”
According to CNN, Trump will become the first sitting U.S. president to meet a North Korean leader if the meeting occurs as planned. Eui-yong briefed the president about Kim Jong Un’s wish late Thursday afternoon, after which Trump informed White House press that South Korea would soon make “a major announcement.”
Trump confirmed on Twitter that sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until he discusses a new agreement with Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2018
A Trump Accuser Is Named in Stormy Daniels’ Nondisclosure Agreement
Following the attention Stormy Daniels’ nondisclosure agreement detailing her relationship with President Donald Trump has received after she filed a lawsuit alleging it was invalid, the name of another Trump accuser has also been found in the NDA. HuffPost reports that actress Jessica Drake, referred to in the document as “Angel Ryan,” is listed in the NDA as one of four people who knew of adult-film star Daniels’ affair with Trump.
Also an adult-film star, Drake previously accused Trump during the 2016 presidential election of inappropriately touching her and offering her $10,000 for sex. She claimed that the encounter happened in July 2006, reportedly at the same Lake Tahoe event where Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, allegedly met Trump.
Daniels filed her lawsuit against Trump with claims that he never signed their agreement, hypothetically making the NDA null and void.
NEW: A woman named in Stormy Daniels’ NDA as having confidential info about Stormy’s affair with Trump — “Angel Ryan” — is Jessica Drake, an adult film performer who herself accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) March 8, 2018
Twitter May Let Anyone Become Verified One Day
Twitter has had plenty of hiccups in the past few months, and one of its possible upcoming changes may lead to more trouble for the social media platform. According to tech news website The Verge, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced in a Periscope livestream that literally everyone could have the power to verify their own Twitter account someday.
“The intention is to open verification to everyone,” Dorsey said in the livestream. “And to do it in a way that’s scalable, where [Twitter] is not in the way and people can verify more facts about themselves and we don’t have to be the judge or imply any bias on our part.”
Twitter director of product David Gasca said, “The main problem is, we use [the checkmark] to mean identity. But in user research … users think of it as credibility, [that] Twitter stands behind this person and what they’re saying is great and authentic, which is not what we meant.”
Recently, the company has received flak for having verified white supremacist leaders’ accounts.
Twitter is working to expand its verification to everyone (yes, that means you) https://t.co/u87rt48Xwp pic.twitter.com/eZnbzpRvgB
— Mashable (@mashable) March 9, 2018
What to look out for…
If you’re like me, you simultaneously hate and love your cell phone. I hate how much I rely on it for things, but phones genuinely make aspects of life easier. In an attempt to cut down on how often I turn to it for help or entertainment, I think participating in the National Day of Unplugging is perfect for me. Beginning at sundown tonight and ending at sundown tomorrow, March 10, the National Day of Unplugging encourages you to put away your digital devices and reconnect with people in real time. Depending on your weekend plans, unplugging for a day may help you more than you expect!