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.)
Nothing Says Dinner Of Champions Like Fast Food — At Least According To Donald Trump
The president celebrated the Clemson Tiger’s national championship on Monday night with a curated meal….of fast food.
“I think we’re going to serve McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger Kings with some pizza,” President Trump said to reporters on Monday, per Huffington Post. “I really mean it. It will be interesting. And I would think that’s their favorite food. So we’ll see what happens. But they’re coming tonight, the national champions, subject to the weather.”
Here’s a video I shot of President Trump showing off his 300 hamburgers. pic.twitter.com/P06S6I5w07
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) January 14, 2019
It’s tradition for collegiate national championship winners to visit the White House, but many were puzzled by POTUS’s fast-food choice. According to CNN, President Trump paid for the fast food out of pocket because most of the White House food staff have been furloughed.
“The President wanted to host a fun event to celebrate the College Football National Champion Clemson Tigers,” said deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley in a statement to CNN. “Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed—so the President is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone’s favorite fast foods,” he said.
The menu had many people seriously confused on social media.
To be correct 300 cold nasty burgers and the first 250 are all Trump’s for later.
— DGrimes (@DGrimes2) January 15, 2019
Clemson players when they have to sit through a dinner with Trump only to get McDonald’s and Wendy’s (no disrespect @Wendys) : pic.twitter.com/2Kff6m7S4J
— Nick, from Earth (@ChildishGingino) January 15, 2019
Steve King’s House Committee Seats Taken Away Over His “White Supremacists” Remarks
Republican leaders have taken away Rep. Steve King’s (R-Iowa) House Committee seats On Monday night after he spoke with The New York Times and questioned when phrases such as “white supremacist” became offensive. According to The New York Times, he will lose his seat on the Judiciary and Agriculture Committee.
“We will not be seating Steve King on any committees in the 116th Congress,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California), per The Huffington Post, following the unanimous decision.
King argued his comments were “mischaracterized” and responded to his removal, saying, “Leader McCarthy’s decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth.”
“Ultimately, I told him ‘You have to do what you have to do and I will do what I have to do.’” King wrote, per Alex Moe from NBC News. “I will continue to point out the truth and work with all the vigor that I have to represent 4th District Iowans for at least the next two years.”
JUST IN: Rep @SteveKingIA statement after losing his committee assignments –> pic.twitter.com/zDDYi76luE
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) January 15, 2019
This decision follows King’s comments on Thursday, in which he said, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization—how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
In an official statement on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor through Fox News, “There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind.”
He went on, “I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. Rep. King’s statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position.”
Bernie Sanders To Meet With Former Women Staffers About The Sexism & Harassment On The 2016 Campaign
Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet on Wednesday with former female staffers who have alleged they faced sexual harassment and sexism while working on his 2016 presidential campaign.
BuzzFeed News first reported Sanders meeting, and a spokesperson for Sanders later confirmed it to CNN. Following reports by Politico and the New York Times, the Vermont senator and his current staff will meet with a number of the women in Washington, D.C. Sanders reportedly paid for their flights and hotel accommodations via his campaign account, BuzzFeed News reports.
The meeting will be led by Jenny Yang and Pamela Coukos from Working IDEAL, which is a group that improves workplace inclusivity and diversity.
Bernie Sanders apologized, again, last week to the women that have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and sexism while working on his 2016 presidential campaign, according to CNN.
“What they experienced was absolutely unacceptable, and certainly not what a progressive campaign or any campaign should be about,” Sanders said. “When we talk about—and I do all of the time—ending sexism, and ending all forms of discrimination, those beliefs cannot just be words…They must be based in day to day reality and in the work that we do. And that was not the case, clearly not the case, in the 2016 campaign.”
This comes amid a potential 2020 presidential campaign bid.
Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet on Wednesday with former staff members who alleged they faced harassment and sexism on his 2016 campaign https://t.co/iKmqcoRLwT pic.twitter.com/5tO74b4mcr
— CNN (@CNN) January 15, 2019
What To Look Out For….
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story has finally found its Maria, according to Deadline. Seventeen-year-old New Jersey High School student Rachel Zegler will star alongside Ansel Elgort, who plays Tony, in the film.
someone: you use autotune????
me: pic.twitter.com/9sPBkDj2kf— rachel zegler (@rachelzegler) December 14, 2018