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.)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Removes “A Nation of Immigrants” From Its Mission Statement
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) no longer uses the phrase “a nation of immigrants” in its mission statement, an agency official said Thursday, NBC News reports.
In a letter sent by the agency’s director, L. Francis Cissna, to employees, the director wrote that the USCIS, which grants visas and citizenship, had changed its mission statement so it “clearly defines the agency’s role in our country’s lawful immigration system and the commitment we have to the American people.”
The previous mission statement said that the agency “secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.”
The new statement reads: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.”
Cissna, who was sworn in as director in October, developed the mission statement, and a USCIS public affairs officer told NBC News that the statement “reflects the director’s guiding principles for the agency.”
“This includes a focus on fairness, lawfulness and efficiency, protecting American workers, and safeguarding the homeland.”
Cissna also said that the statement will no longer refer to visa applicants as “customers” because the term “promotes an institutional culture that emphasizes the ultimate satisfaction of applicants and petitioners, rather than the correct adjudication of such applications and petitions according to the law.” He added that the agency serves the American people.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Has Been Indicted
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted on Thursday amid allegations sexual misconduct and blackmail after he admitted to an affair last month, CNN reports.
According to CNN, Greitens was charged with first-degree felony invasion of privacy.
Last month, Missouri’s KMOV released a report where a man said that his ex-wife had had an affair with Greitens, along with a recording of a woman saying that Greitens had blackmailed her to stay quiet about the affair. Greitens admitted to the affair, but denied ever blackmailing the woman.
Greitens released a statement on Thursday, writing, “As I have said before, I made a personal mistake before I was Governor. I did not commit a crime.”
“With today’s disappointing and misguided political decision, my confidence in our prosecutorial system is shaken, but not broken. I know this will be righted soon. The people of Missouri deserve better than a reckless liberal prosecutor who uses her office to score political points. I look forward to the legal remedies to reverse this action. This will not for a moment deter me from doing the important work of the great people of Missouri,” his statement read.
The indictment, according to CNN, alleges that Greitens took a picture of the woman in “full of partial nudity” without consent, and that picture was transmitted “in a manner that allowed access to that image via a computer.”
Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, Floor Leader Rob Vescovo and Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr released a statement following the indictment, announcing they have begun an investigation.
“We will carefully examine the facts contained in the indictment, and answer the question as to whether or not the governor can lead our state while a felony case moves forward,” the statement read. “The people of Missouri deserve no less. We will begin the process of tasking a group of legislators to investigate these serious charges.”
Disney Announces the Gender and Name of Its New Baby Hippo
Disney revealed that its new baby hippo in the Animal Kingdom is a boy! And his name is Augustus.
According to ABC News, a dozen guests were first invited to learn the baby hippo’s gender and name on a special Kilimanjaro Safaris event.
Baby Augustus currently weighs 168 pounds, is very close to her mother, Tuma and “is already winning over guests on Kilimanjaro Safaris and during the Wild Africa Trek experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”
Augustus is the first hippo born at the Disney park in 13 years.
“The Nile hippopotamus is a vulnerable species with a declining population. This birth is an important contribution to the worldwide conservation and understanding of these amazing creatures,” the Disney park said in a statement. “We hope guests will see this adorable hippo calf and be inspired to take action to protect them in the wild.”
What to look out for…
The Olympic Closing Ceremony is this Sunday. Make sure to check it out!