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.)
Trump Lashes Out at Pelosi for Rejecting His Shutdown Proposal
In a series of tweets on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump lashed out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats for rejecting his government shutdown proposal, which offered temporary protections for undocumented immigrants in exchange for the funding for the border wall.
Claiming that Pelosi was behaving “irrationally,” Trump wrote on his personal Twitter account: “Nancy Pelosi has behaved so irrationally & has gone so far to the left that she has now officially become a Radical Democrat. She is so petrified of the ‘lefties’ in her party that she has lost control.”
Nancy Pelosi has behaved so irrationally & has gone so far to the left that she has now officially become a Radical Democrat. She is so petrified of the “lefties” in her party that she has lost control…And by the way, clean up the streets in San Francisco, they are disgusting!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
During an address on Saturday from the Diplomatic Room, the president presented a “compromise” bill that would extend protections for some young immigrants in exchange for border wall funding, and bring the government shutdown to an end, ABC News reports. However, Democrats quickly shot down the proposal, saying the offer was not good enough to end the shutdown.
Pelosi said the proposal “unacceptable,” calling it a “non-starter” that would not pass in Congress.
The House Speaker said Trump’s offer did not “represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives,” especially since the proposal only offered temporary solutions for DREAMers.
“It is unlikely that any one of these provisions alone would pass the House, and taken together, they are a non-starter,” Pelosi said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the proposal, saying it was “not a compromise but more hostage taking.”
“It’s clear the president realizes that by closing the government and hurting so many American workers and their families, he has put himself and the country in an untenable position,” Schumer said. “Unfortunately, he keeps putting forward one-sided and ineffective remedies. There’s only way out: open up the government, Mr. President, and then Democrats and Republicans can have a civil discussion and come up with bipartisan solutions.”
Responding to Pelosi’s and other Democrats’ criticism of his proposal, Trump accused Democrats of being blinded by the upcoming 2020 election, and that they “should do the right thing for the country & allow people to go back to work,” USA Today reports.
“Nancy Pelosi and some of the Democrats turned down my offer yesterday before I even got up to speak. They don’t see crime & drugs, they only see 2020 – which they are not going to win,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
Nancy Pelosi and some of the Democrats turned down my offer yesterday before I even got up to speak. They don’t see crime & drugs, they only see 2020 – which they are not going to win. Best economy! They should do the right thing for the Country & allow people to go back to work.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
Trump also defended his proposal on Sunday after some conservatives had accused him of offering amnesty.
The president said amnesty “is not a part” of his shutdown proposal, and that there will be “no big push” to remove undocumented immigrants. However, seeming to refer to potential deportations, he ended his tweet by threatening Pelosi, writing, “Be careful Nancy!”
No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer. It is a 3 year extension of DACA. Amnesty will be used only on a much bigger deal, whether on immigration or something else. Likewise there will be no big push to remove the 11,000,000 plus people who are here illegally-but be careful Nancy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
Amid the government shutdown, Pelosi also requested that Trump postpone his State of the Union address, but on Sunday, Trump said he is looking at “so many options” for the address, including delivering it on Capitol Hill.
Nancy, I am still thinking about the State of the Union speech, there are so many options – including doing it as per your written offer (made during the Shutdown, security is no problem), and my written acceptance. While a contract is a contract, I’ll get back to you soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
Nancy, I am still thinking about the State of the Union speech, there are so many options — including doing it as per your written offer (made during the Shutdown, security is no problem), and my written acceptance. While a contract is a contract, I’ll get back to you soon!” Trump tweeted.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Says Wall is Key Part of Border Security
A border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has been a promise the President Donald Trump has held since he was on the campaign trail, and the reason for the recent government shutdown as Congress and the president continue to be unable to reach an agreement on a funding deal.
Trump announced a new proposal on Saturday in an attempt to bring a resolution between Republicans and Democrats to end the government shutdown, with the president asking for $5.7 billion to build an additional 230 miles of a steel-barrier system along the border in “high priority locations,” according to Vox.
While apprehensions at the border have decreased over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the past year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but it isn’t necessarily considered a trend.
ABC News Chief Global Affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz spoke with CBP San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodney Scott about the situation at the border. Even though the border wall wouldn’t be a complete solution, Scott said CBP needs more areas with barriers to “slow down illegal entries.”
Some migrants say a wall wouldn’t stop them from entering the US, but some Customs and Border Protection officials say it’s a key part of the solution. @MarthaRaddatz traveled to both sides of the border, from Tijuana to San Diego, to get a firsthand look: https://t.co/WlcrO7wzpW pic.twitter.com/YwnYuskP5w
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 20, 2019
“We cannot effectively control the border without barriers to slow down illegal entries,” Scott told Raddatz. While he said the wall wouldn’t necessarily stop the flow of drugs, which typically come through at legal port of entries, the wall would allow Scott “to free up personnel to focus on that threat.”
While Scott said he feels compassion for individuals who try to come across the border, he also “feel[s] compassion for the several thousand people that have been in line at the San Ysidro port of entry for several weeks, waiting to do it right, and those people literally just cut in line in front of them.”
But for some immigrants who are fleeing violence and wish to seek asylum in the United States, a border wall wouldn’t stop them, according to ABC News.
Native American Veteran Harassed by Teens Wearing MAGA Hats
In a video that spread across the internet over Saturday and Sunday, a group of teens, mainly from an all-male Kentucky Catholic school, wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, appeared to mock and chant over a small group of Native Americans that were singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. at the conclusion of the first Indigenous Peoples March on Friday.
Video posted online shows a group of teens surrounding Nathan Phillips, harassing the Native American Vietnam War veteran as he the American Indian Movement song, ABC News reports.
In particular, one teen is seen standing directly in front of Phillips, smirking at him for the nearly three minutes that he stood mere inches away from Phillip’s face. But Phillips remained composed during the distressing confrontation.
The Indigenous Peoples March happened to take place on the same day that the pro-life March for Life rally took place, and some students had attended the rally, The Huffington Post.
In an interview following the confrontation that was posted to Instagram, Phillips said he wished the teens would put their energy into something important, like feeding the poor.
“I heard them say, ‘Build that wall, build that wall,’ you know?” Phillips said in the interview. “This is indigenous lands, you know. We’re not supposed to have walls here. We never did. Before anybody else came here we never had walls. We never had a prison.”
“We always took care of our elders, took care of our children,” Phillips added. “We always provided for them, you know? We taught them right from wrong. I wish I could see that energy of the young men to, you know, put that energy to make this country really great. Helping those that are hungry.”
As fury began to boil over as the videos quickly spread, users were able to identify the teens as students from Covington Catholic school in Kentucky based on the insignia on their clothing, HuffPost reports.
Confirming that the students were from Covington, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington said in a statement Saturday, “We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general,” the statement, obtained by WLTW, said. “The matter is being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.”
In a statement Saturday, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes called the videos “horrific.”
“In spite of these horrific scenes, I refuse to shame and solely blames these children for this type of behavior. Instead, I turn to the adults and administration that are charged with teaching them, and to those who are silently letting others promote this behavior,” Lundergan said. “This is not the Kentucky we know and love. I call on the Covington Catholic High School to denounce this behavior. As a proud alumnae of a Catholic High School, I hope a school that stands for ‘Building Minds. Living Faith.’ would not stand for this.”
“This Veteran put his life on the line for our country,” Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), one of the first Native American women to be elected to Congress, said on Twitter. “The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking.”
What to look out for…
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Make sure to take the day to serve your community.