Trump Accepts Offer to meet Kim Jong-Un

President Trump agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un this past Thursday. The two leaders have agreed to meet by May, but no exact date has been set yet. The talks would be the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, which is a big deal, especially considering that the two countries just threatened to bomb each other to extinction not too long ago. The White House said Trump had agreed to the encounter. “He will accept the invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Trump tweeted that “great progress” had been made but there would be no prospect of lifting sanctions until a deal was reached.

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/politics/donald-trump-kim-jong-un/index.html

Salmonella Outbreak

An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium has struck seven states and has sickened 105 more people just this past week. Those 105 people brought the total up to 170 people struck with the disease in just seven states. No deaths have been reported as of yet, but at least 62 people have been hospitalized. After a thorough investigation by the US Department of Agriculture, the outbreak has been linked to chicken salad produced by Triple T Specialty Meats Inc., sold from January 4 to February 9 at Fareway grocery stores in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. All chicken salad produced between January 2 and February 7 was recalled. The CDC recommends that people do not eat the recalled chicken salad; instead, throw it away or return it to the store. If you don’t remember the date when you purchased chicken salad from Fareway, do not eat it.

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/health/outbreak-salmonella-chicken-salad-bn/index.html

West Virginia Strike Over

After nine days on strike, the teachers of West Virginia are back at schools statewide. The teachers are back at school because West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill Tuesday that gives a 5% pay raise to state teachers, school staff, and police. The bill put an end to the consecutively canceled nine school days throughout the whole state. The bill was approved unanimously by both the House of Delegates and the Senate, and Justice signed it into law. Legislators also agreed to give all state employees a 5% raise during upcoming budget negotiations.

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/06/us/west-virginia-teachers-strike/index.html

Stormy Daniels Sues Trump

Adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, sued Donald Trump because of a non disclosure agreement (NDA) that she entered into before Trump took office. The NDA prohibited her from discussing any alleged relationship she had with the President. Clifford isn’t seeking money from the court, but she is instead asking for a “declaratory judgment” on the validity of the NDA. Clifford’s NDA involved three parties; one being Clifford, named in the contract as “Peggy Peterson” and “David Dennison,” whom Clifford claims is a pseudonym for President Trump. The NDA prohibits Clifford from discussing any aspect of her alleged relationship with “David Dennison” in exchange for $130,000, which Essential Consultants (represented by President Trump’s private attorney, Michael Cohen) paid her. Whether Clifford succeeded on her legal claims is yet to be determined.

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/opinions/stormy-daniels-trump-lawsuit-could-be-trouble-rangappa-opinion/index.html

China Eliminates Presidential Term Limits

Nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC) voted on a series of proposed amendments to add to their constitution. One of these amendments was stopping China’s term limit for their president, President Xi Jinping. To pass the amendment, there was a required two thirds of the vote to be for the stoppage. Out of 2,964 ballots, just two delegates voted against the move and three abstained, suggesting minimal opposition to Xi’s push to rule for life. By adding this new amendment, President Xi Jinping can essentially be president til the day he dies. some critics say the move is not only against the public interest but also makes Xi politically vulnerable in the long run. President Xi disagrees and calls the new amendment a reflection of the “common will of the party and the people.”

For more information: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/11/asia/china-presidential-term-limits-intl/index.html