The Longest Government Shutdown
We started the week going into the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The Political Union debated the effects of government shutdowns on democracy. The government shutdown spurred over a disagreement between President Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion dollars for a border wall and Democratic lawmakers standing in firm opposition against it.
Syrian Troop Withdrawal
Trump recently called for an official withdrawal from Syria on Jan. 11. The culmination of these events, Trump’s foreign policy and the reactions from all sides were broken down in this week’s TATA.
Title IX Changes
In response to the new Title IX changes, Northwestern students and faculty held a panel to raise their concerns. The new changes created a new protocol, which includes limiting the definition of sexual misconduct to “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive.” Members of the community have a 60-day period to submit comments about the new changes.
BuzzFeed Report
A BuzzFeed News article reported that President Trump had directed Michael Cohen, his former lawyer, to lie to Congress about negotiations to build real estate in Moscow. The report led to talks among Democrats about the possible impeachment proceedings.
Brexit Challenges
Britain is still trying to figure out the plans to withdraw from the European Union. After the defeat of her plan and Prime Minister Theresa May’s survival of a no-confidence vote in Parliament, there is still no plan in sight.
Van Dyke Trial
On Friday, the former Chicago police officer, Jason Van Dyke, was sentenced to almost seven years in prison for the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, which had raised racial tensions for several years.