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.)
White House is Backpedaling on Trump’s Remarks to Pull Troops Out of Syria
Despite President Trump’s recent calls to remove troops from Syria “very soon,” the White House issued a statement on Wednesday to clarify the president’s statements, but did not actually announce an immediate withdrawal of troops from the region or timeline for withdrawal, ABC News reports.
“The military mission to eradicate ISIS in Syria is coming to a rapid end, with ISIS being almost completely destroyed,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, adding, “The United States and our partners remain committed to eliminating the small ISIS presence in Syria that our forces have not already eradicated. We will continue to consult with our allies and friends regarding future plans.”
“We expect countries in the region and beyond, plus the United Nations, to work toward peace and ensure that ISIS never re-emerges,” Sanders said.
In a press briefing later that day, Sanders told reporters that the president wasn’t going to put an “arbitrary timeline” on the withdrawal of the troops, ABC News reports.
Last week during a speech on infrastructure in Ohio, however, Trump surprised the crowd and his Cabinet members by announcing that the U.S. planned to remove its troops from Syria “very soon.”
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his call from withdrawal, remarking that the U.S. will be making a decision “very quickly in coordination with others in the area as to what we’ll do,” and that if the countries of the region want the U.S. to remain there, they should pay for it, ABC News reports.
“I want to get out. I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation,” Trump said during the press conference. “It’s time. We were successful against ISIS. We’ll be successful against anybody militarily, but sometimes it’s time to come back home — and we’re thinking about that very seriously.”
China Threatens to Place a 25% Tariff on $50 Billion of U.S. Goods
Only a day after the United States proposed placing a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods from China, China reciprocated the tariff plan, ABC News reports.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a list on Tuesday, outlining 1,300 Chinese products, including industrial robots and telecommunications equipment, that it would place a tariff on. The tariffs would not take place right away, however; a public comment period would last until May 11, with a hearing on the tariff taking place on May 15. During this time, companies and consumers would be able to express their opinions and lobby for certain products to be removed or added to the list.
According to ABC News, China’s Ministry of Commerce released a statement listing 106 U.S. goods — ranging from food to alcohol to aircraft — that it plans to tax.
However, the Ministry of Commerce did not specifically state when it plans to implement this tariff on U.S. goods.
“This measure of the United States clearly violates the relevant rules of the World Trade Organization and seriously violates China’s legitimate rights and interests under the rules of the World Trade Organization and threatens China’s economic interests and security,” the Ministry of Commerce said in its statement.
“In order to safeguard China’s legitimate rights and interests in violation of international obligations of the United States, the Chinese government will rely on laws and regulations of the ‘Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China’ and other basic principles of international law,” the statement said.
Apple May Be Releasing An iPhone With a Curved Screen & I’m Ready to Upgrade
The iPhone X is amazing with all its top-of-the-line features, but Apple may still have some surprises in store. According to HelloGiggles, Apple may be releasing an iPhone with a curved screen in the future. And while it hasn’t exactly been announced yet, I’m totally down for Apple to do this.
According to a report from Bloomberg, future iPhones could be curved inward from top to bottom. But that’s not the only awesome part. Future iPhones might be able to be controlled with gestures. Whaaaaat?
RT technology: What does a touchless screen mean for Apple and iPhone? https://t.co/L5wNN6drYP pic.twitter.com/dpwwwepvuQ
— Elaine Heng (@ejyheng) April 4, 2018
Yeah, you would be able to tell your iPhone what you want it to do by gesturing your fingers in the air, just above the screen. So you wouldn’t even need to actually touch your phone!
According to HelloGiggles, however, this technology probably won’t be available for another two to three years, if this is what Apple decides to do for its future iPhones.
Either way, this sounds like it would be totally awesome, and I’m ready to upgrade whenever Apple is ready with this super cool iPhone. I’m just hoping it also has a longer battery life, because I know I’m going to need it.
What to look out for…
170-million-year-old dinosaur footprints were discovered in Scotland, and whoa.