The Government Shutdown
The president and Congress recently have been at what has been widely considered a stand-still over the border wall and budget. Congress doesn’t want to give Trump the 5.7 billion USD he has been asking for, and in return he shut the government down for a record 35 days. That may sound normal: disagreements over budget are why most shutdowns happen. This shutdown, though, that left over 200,000 government workers without paychecks, happened after the senate (Republican controlled) had already approved spending.
What does the shutdown mean for you? What does the shutdown mean at all?
When the government has a shutdown, federal agencies and organizations close or the workers are left without pay. Some mailing services were shut down, some military personal weren’t paid, the Department of Homeland Security was closed, parks and reserves were closed off, and many other agencies (about 9 executive departments). Any shutdown is bad, a 35 day long one was nearly catastrophic. Essentially the government is a bunch of gears turning and working together to run the country and the shutdown was a gear thrown in to halt nearly everything.
Conclusion?
As of February 18, 2019 President Trump has declared the southern border an emergency. According to CNN, 16 states have filed a lawsuit against him for this decision. The end, it seems, is not in sight just yet.
Source(s):
CNN - lawsuit, CNN - shutdown and wall, Politico
Jayme Closs
Jayme Closs recently made headlines when she rescued herself from her kidnapper and parent’s murderer. Jayme Closs was held against her will for 88 days by 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson. Patterson broke into her home on October 15, 2018 and shot Denise and James Closs, 46 and 56 respectively. Denise and James Closs died and there daughter was missing. Patterson saw Closs boarding a school bus on his way to work and decided she was who he wanted to kidnap. He had two other attempts at kidnapping her, but says he backed away due to how many people were around the home. On the 15th of October he broke into the Closs home and shot James Closs and then Denise Closs. Some reports say that James was shot while Denise and Jayme hid in a bathroom, Patterson broke into the bathroom and ordered Denise to tape her daughters mouth before he murdered her too. For 88 days Jayme was forced to hide under Patterson bed for up to 12 hours without food, water, or bathroom breaks. On January 10, 2019 he left and while she hid under his bed, she waited to escape. Once she was sure he was gone, she grabbed a pair of his shoes and she made a run for it. Neighbors found her and alerted the police and now she’s at home recovering while her kidnapper is held on a $5 million bail.
Patterson was set in court on February 6. He admits to the murders and kidnapping Jayme by saying “I did it.” Patterson smiled in court, his confidence and smugness on full display. While Jayme was held against her will in his childhood home, Patterson happily went about his life. He was confident no one suspected him and that he had fully gotten away with his crimes: this was ultimately his downfall. By being confident, he left Jayme alone and this allowed her to escape and leave him to rot in jail.
Jayme Closs is described as “badass” for saving herself and rightfully so. She was given the $25,000 award that was set for the person who found her by the company her parents had worked for: “Jennie-O.”
Source(s):
Peoples Magazine, Green Bay Gazette
The Grammys
On February 10, 2019 the 61st Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles, California. The awards started with celebrities walking the red carpet, stopping for pictures, and interviews with various reporters. Kacey Musgraves snagged a Grammy for her song ‘Rainbow,’ Cardi B won one for Best Rap Album, Drake won an award for Best Rap Song. Miley Cyrus had an arguably beautiful performance with legend Dolly Parton and Diana Ross sang for her 74 birthday coming up in March.
On the surface, the Grammys were as plain and straightforward as ever: celebrities dressed up to win awards and do a few performances.
When you take a closer look, much more is revealed. Drake’s speech about the award and the Academy was cut off, Joy Villa wore a “Build The Wall” dress, and Cardi B’s win resulted in her Instagram account being deactivated.
In all truth, the Grammys were just as messy and dramatic as any other year.
Source(s):
Grammy, Vogue, USA Today , Variety
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