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.)
Lindsey Graham Says He’ll Support Trump on Birthright Citizenship
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday backed President Donald Trump’s vow to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to noncitizen parents, saying he’ll introduce legislation along the lines of Trump’s executive order proposal, The Huffington Post reports.
“Finally, a president willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship,” Graham wrote in a tweet. “I’ve always supported comprehensive immigration reform — and at the same time — the elimination of birthright citizenship.”
Finally, a president willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship. https://t.co/kCa0ko7P76
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 30, 2018
During an interview with “Axios on HBO” taped Monday, Trump said he was considering issuing an executive order to end birthright citizenship, calling birthright citizenship “ridiculous” and saying that the system “has to end.”
Birthright citizenship is specifically written into the text of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and has been affirmed by the Supreme Court, and would most certainly require a change to the constitution, not just an executive order or legislation, experts said.
Graham, who had called for a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship in 2010, said that it “is a magnet for illegal immigration” and “needs to come to an end.”
“I plan to introduce legislation along the same lines as the proposed executive order from President,” Graham added.
According to HuffPost, Vice President Mike Pence spoke on the matter Tuesday, saying that the language of the 14th Amendment does not specifically lay out whether it applies to people who are not in the country legally.
“We all cherish the language of the 14th Amendment, but the Supreme Court of the United States has never ruled on whether or not the language of the 14th Amendment subject to the jurisdiction thereof applies specifically to people who are in the country illegally,” Pence said. pic.twitter.com/r2r65vQeT7
— POLITICO (@politico) October 30, 2018
“We all cherish the language of the 14th Amendment,” Pence told Politico Playbook, “but the Supreme Court of the United States has never ruled on whether or not the language of the 14th Amendment subject to the jurisdiction thereof applies specifically to people who are in the country illegally.”
Pharrell Williams Threatens to Sue Trump Over Use of His Song Following Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
Pharrell Williams is not too “happy” that President Donald Trump used his song during a rally following the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting.
Williams sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump after the president played the singer’s popular 2014 hit “Happy” at a political rally in the Midwest, just hours after nearly a dozen people were shot and killed in a synagogue.
“On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged ‘nationalist,’ you played his song ‘Happy’ to a crowd at a political event in Indiana,” Williams’ lawyer, Howard King, wrote in the letter, according to USA TODAY.
The singer’s lawyers noted that not only was the song played at an improper time, it was also in violation of “copyright infringement” and “trademark rights.”
“There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose,” the letter read.
The cease-and-desist letter made it very clear that Williams does not want Trump to use any of his music in the future.
“Demand is hereby made that you cease and desist from any further unauthorized use of Pharrell Williams’ music,” the letter said.
Grandfather Makes Cool School-Bus Costume for Grandson Who Uses a Wheelchair
Blake Mompher, 5, was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal column does not completely close during pregnancy, requiring the preschooler to use a wheelchair. Blake loves Halloween and the color yellow, so this Halloween, Blake will be celebrating in a cool, one-of-a-kind school-bus costume that his grandfather, Gary Mompher, made.
Gary Mompher, the family’s “handyman,” told ABC News that he likes to “tinker around a lot so I thought it would be fun to make it.”
“I love to see Blake smile,” he added.
Blake’s mother, Megan Mompher, said that they had “always had a bus in mind because [Blake] really likes school buses,” and she should an image from Pinterest to her father-in-law.
Gary Mompher went to work on the school-bus, adding hand-painted red lights and custom lettering on the side of the bus.
“Blake lives in a county and it’s a school bus so we threw in the words together and named it ‘Blake County Schools,’” he said. “It was that easy.”
“Blake sees other kids running around and they’re able to wear full-on costumes and he just can’t do that,” Blake’s dad, Aric Mompher. said. “Our goal as parents is to make Halloween special for him and it so happens that my dad is very talented.”
According to ABC News, Gary Mompher’s talents shined in 2016 when he made his grandson a yellow bulldozer for Blake; however, the crawler was too heavy, and made it difficult for Blake to move freely on his own.
Last year, health problems prevented Blake from celebrating his favorite holiday, so they made sure to go all out this year.
“It was like a miracle to see him get in the school bus,” Gary Mompher said of Blake trying on his costume for the first time. “He immediately started rolling the chair and trying to run me down and everybody down.”
Blake showed off his nifty school-bus costume at a school Halloween function on Friday, and was met with high-fives and M&Ms, his favorite candy.
“Just to see him happy, it means the world to us as parents,” Megan Mompher said. “The joy in his face and the smile that Blake brings. It outweighs the hard that he goes through.”
Blake already has his Halloween costume idea ready for next year: a yellow fire truck.
What to look out for…
Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a SPOOKtacular and BOO-tiful day!