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HC Wake-Up Call: Michael Cohen Agrees To Testify, Jayme Closs Has Been Found Alive, & Trump Claims He Never Said Mexico Would Pay For The Wall

Carissa Dunlap

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.) 

Michael Cohen Agrees To Testify Before Congress About His Work For President Trump

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer agreed to publically testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month. Before Cohen starts his three-year prison sentence in March, he will speak in front of the committee on Feb. 7. According to The New York Times, he will detail all the work he did for the president. 

Cohen voluntarily decided to testify, as CNBC reports. He believes that it will give him the opportunity “to give a full and credible account of the events that have transpired,” according to his statement.

“In furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers,” Cohen said, according to The New York Times. “I have accepted the invitation by Chairman Elijah Cummings to appear publicly on Feb. 7. I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired.”

Thirteen-Year-Old Jayme Closs, Who Was Missing For Months After Her Parents Were Killed, Has Been Found Alive In Wisconsin 

A 13-year-old girl, who was reported missing after her parents were fatally killed in their Wisconsin home, has been found alive, authorities said on Thursday. She had been missing for three months. 

The Barron County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin said Jayme Closs was found by deputies in Douglas County on Thursday afternoon. She was found around 100 miles from her home. According to CNN, a suspect was also taken into custody. Authorities have yet to release details about her condition or the circumstances of her disappearance. A press conference is scheduled for Friday morning BuzzFeed News reports. 

In a Facebook post, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald thanked law enforcement agencies for their assistance in Jayme’s search. “We want to especially thank the family for their support and patience while this case was ongoing,” he wrote. “We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise.”

Closs disappeared back in October after her parents, 56-year-old James Closs and 46-year-old Denise Closs, were fatally shot in their home. A 911 call had been placed from the house, but no one had spoken to the dispatcher, CNN reports. Authorities, at the time, couldn’t find their daughter.

Trump Claims He Never Said Mexico Would Pay For The Wall…Despite Saying So On Multiple Occasions 

Despite constant promises made on the 2016 campaign trail to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it, President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday at the White House that he “never said” that Mexico would actually pay for it. 

“When during the campaign, I would say ‘Mexico is going to pay for it,’ obviously, I never said this, and I never meant they’re gonna write out a check, I said they’re going to pay for it. They are,” he said, according to CNN.

He continued, “They are paying for it with the incredible deal we made called the United States, Mexico, and Canada deal. It’s a trade deal. It has to be approved by Congress.” 

Trump’s campaign detailed in April of 2016 how he would make Mexico to pay the U.S. ‘$5-10 billion’ to fund the border wall, USA Today reports. He repeated it at nearly every campaign rally, according to BuzzFeed News. 

“We’re gonna build a wall, and Mexico’s gonna pay for the wall. Believe me,” he said at a rally in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 2015. “You know, a lot of politicians that said, ‘Oh, they’re not gonna pay, he don’t know anything about—’ They never read The Art of the Deal.”

After he won the election, Trump still floated around the idea of Mexico paying for the wall. 

“I don’t feel like waiting a year or a year-and-a-half [to build the wall],” Trump said at a press conference on Jan. 11, 2017. “We’re going to start building. Mexico in some form—and there are many different forms—will reimburse us, and they will reimburse us for the cost of the wall. That will happen, whether it’s a tax or whether it’s a payment—probably less likely that it’s a payment. But it will happen.” 

Now, Trump has back away from his rhetoric. “When I said ‘Mexico will pay for the wall’ in front of thousands and thousands of people—obviously they’re not going to write a check,” he said. “But they are paying for the wall indirectly many, many times over by the really great trade deal.”

What To Look Out For…

Lauren Jauregui released her new single “More Than That,” and it’s honestly incredible! 

Carissa Dunlap is a Her Campus News X Social Intern for Summer 2018. She is a current Publishing major and Journalism minor at Emerson College (Class of 2020). When she isn't perusing the YA bookshelf at the bookstore, she can be found watching dog videos on Facebook, at her favorite coffee shops, or relaxing on the beach. Follow her on Instagram @dunlapcarissa or Twitter @Caridunlap.