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 Reportedly Set to Appoint Replacements for Nikki Haley & Jeff Sessions
With Nikki Haley set to leave her post as United Nations ambassador by the end of the month, President Donald Trump has reportedly tapped State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as her replacement. According to POLITICO, Nauert’s possible selection “came as something of a surprise,” as John James, a Republican who recently lost his senate bid in Michigan, was thought to be a serious contender, along with others such as ambassador to France, Jamie McCourt, and former White House deputy national security adviser Dina Powell. Even Ivanka was being considered at one point.
Prior to joining the State Department in 2017, Nauert worked as Fox News host and at ABC. She’s faced public backlash before, like when she posted a “tourist-like Instagram post” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while on a trip that was meant to focus on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, NPR reported. Back in November, Trump described Nauert as “excellent.”
“She’s been with us a long time, she’s been a supporter for a long time,” Trump said. Nauert had no government or foreign policy experience prior to joining his administration.
Meanwhile, Trump is also reportedly preparing to nominate a replacement for former attorney general Jeff Sessions. According to The Washington Post, the president’s leading candidate is former attorney general William P. Barr, a “well-respected Republican lawyer who served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush.” Sources familiar with the situation told the Post that Barr is a favorite for many Trump administration officials, including senior lawyers in the White House Counsel’s Office. The announcement regarding his nomination could be made as early as the next few days.
Democrat Withdraws Concession in North Carolina Race That’s Facing Possible Election Fraud
Dan McCready, the Democrat who conceded a North Carolina congressional race to his Republican opponent Mark Harris after it appeared that he was down about 900 votes, withdrew his concession on Thursday amid a possible election fraud scandal. The state elections board has refused to certify the results from the 9th District race, and “potential misconduct with absentee ballots” is currently being investigated, CNN reported.
“I didn’t serve overseas in the Marines to come home to NC and watch a criminal, bankrolled by my opponent, take away people’s very right to vote,” McCready tweeted, announcing the change with a video. “Today I withdraw my concession and call on Mark Harris to end his silence and tell us exactly what he knew, and when.”
According to NBC News, The Charlotte Observer and others throughout the state have called for a new election. This could happen should the state Board of Elections or the U.S. House of Representatives order one. “We think the board of elections should hold a public hearing and fully lay out the facts,” Dallas Woodhouse, the executive director of North Carolina’s Republican party told NBC News. “If they can show with certainty that the outcome could not have been changed, they need to certify Mr. Harris and continue to support all state and federal criminal investigations. If they can show a substantial likelihood it could have changed the race then we fully would support a new election.”
Large For-Profit Colleges Randomly Closes
Education Corp. of America, one of the largest for-profit college chains in the United States, said on Wednesday that it plans to close roughly 70 locations nationwide. According to NBC News, approximately 19,000 students are now unable to complete their programs, all because ECA’s accreditor apparently suspended recognition for the schools.
The New York Daily News reported that the company is the latest in a series of for-profit colleges to cease operations after “allegations that they were loading students up with debt wile not providing them with marketable skills.” It’s currently unknown if students will be able to cancel the student loans they took out to attend ECA schools.
One student, Jasmin Cantú, told NBC News that all of the colleges she’s talked to say they won’t take the credits she’s earned at Brightwood College. “Instead of taking the next few months to close in an orderly fashion, ECA took the easy way out and left 19,000 students scrambling to find a way to finish the education program they started,” an Education Department spokeswoman, Liz Hill, told the Daily News.
What to look for…
If you’re a Spotify user, your #2018Wrapped. People have been sharing their streaming habits since the platform released their listening data for the year.