News Roundup 9/25/2017
By Andy Gutierrez
1. North Korea Accuses Trump of Declaring War:
North Korea’s Foreign Minister, Ri Young Ho, accused President Trump of declaring war on his country via a tweet. The tweet was posted by the president over the weekend and is quoted as saying that North Korea would not "be around much longer." Ri later made a statement that the country had the right to take all self-defense measures including shooting down strategic bombers, now that the US declared war. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sara Sanders denied the claims that the US has declared war. The State Department hopes that things can be resolved peacefully, but the US military stays committed to protecting the US and our allies. These accusations come after a week of verbal remarks between the two leaders.
Source: CNN
2. Health Bill Appears Dead:
An attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act collapsed on Monday after senator Susan Collins of Maine declared her opposition to the bill. Senator Collins opposed the bill, as she is concerned about cuts to Medicaid and the limited protections for people with preexisting medical conditions. Republicans have until the end of the month before a Democratic filibuster expires which is allowing the passage of the bill without Democratic votes. Different solutions are on the table, with some suggesting that they create a whole new bill, and others insisting that the doomed bill should still go to vote. If Republicans fail to find a solution before Oct. 1, it is likely that Trump’s first year in office will conclude without delivering one of his biggest campaign promises.
Source: New York Times
3. Fire Forces Evacuations in California:
1,300 residents of Corona California were forced to evacuate their homes Monday afternoon as the Canyon Fire approached their homes. The fire is burning near the Corona-Anaheim California borders and is only 5 percent contained as of 9:15 p.m. Authorities directed evacuees to a local high school as more than 300 fire fighters were left to battle the flames. Sgt. Daron Wyatt said that the flames began around 1 p.m. and that several helicopters and aircrafts were dropping water on the flames as bulldozers were there to slow the flames. No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Source: Los Angeles Times
4. Anthony Wiener Sentenced for Sexting Scandal:
A federal judge handed down a 21-month sentence to former Congressman Anthony Wiener, for his illicit online content with a 15-year-old girl. The judge gave him until Nov. 6 to report to prison for his sentence. Wiener apologized to the teen, and told the judge that he was in therapy. Prosecutor Amanda Kramer continued to urge the judge for a significant sentence. His scandals cost him his Senate seat in 2011, his run for mayor in 2013 and potentially hurt Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, as his wife was one of her closest aids. Once finished with his sentence, Wiener must undergo internet monitoring, register as a sex offender and pay a fine of $10,000.
Source: AP News
5. White House Advisers Using Private Email Accounts:
On Monday, Officials announced that they have found that at least six of President Trump’s closest White House advisers have been occasionally using private email accounts to discuss White House affairs. These advisers include former chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Ivanka Trump among others. Officials can use private email accounts, if work emails are forwarded to government accounts for public oversight. The use of private email accounts was a topic of debate during the 2016 presidential campaign after it was discovered that Hilary Clinton was storing classified information on a private server and sent and received emails from this personal account. Both political parties have fought and accused each other of using private email accounts going back as far as President George W. Bush’s administration.
Source: New York Times