During last week’s blizzard, you were probably more concerned with the weather forecast than the news. But a lot of important things happened. So here’s everything you need to know, that you might have missed during the three days we had off from the snowstorm.
Kellyanne Conway, Fox & Friends, Ethics Rules, Nordstrom, and Ivanka Trump— What Happened
When featured on Fox & Friends last Sunday, President Trump’s adviser Kellyanne Conway responded to Trump’s criticism that daughter Ivanka and her clothing line were treated “unfairly” by Nordstrom when the store dropping her line. Nordstrom responded, issuing a statement that they have a great relationship with Ivanka, and only ceased to sell her line for business reasons (most likely poor sales). Conway refused to believe that, and argued the company is doing this to irritate President Trump. What she did wrong was suggest that viewers “go out and buy Ivanka’s stuff,” which she was scolded for, as it breaks government ethics rules. These rules say that officials shouldn’t use their position to advertise. TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and Burlington Coat Factory’s website followed Nordstrom’s direction and stopped selling Ivanka’s clothes as well.
Trump Meets With More World Leaders
Trump had talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in Palm Beach, Fla., and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House. He told Abe that “We [The U.S.] are committed to the security of Japan” and that the relationship between the United States and Japan is “very crucial.” Trump spent his time with Trudeau talking about the importance of women in the workplace and the need for a good relationship between the two countries. Trump also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when they talked about the ideas of a two-state and one-state solution for Israel. All his meetings seemed to go smoothly, but the media seems to be more concerned with his talks with Putin after the election, and the strange handshake between him and Trudeau.
Adele Wins Four Awards At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards
The 59th annual Grammy Awards show was an especially good night for Adele. She won Record of the Year, Album of The Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album, all for her song “Hello” and its respective album, 25. The controversy surrounding the event seems to be that Beyoncé was overlooked for Album of the Year. But Beyoncé didn’t go home empty -handed, winning Best Music Video for her song “Formation,” and Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade. She even got half a Grammy from Adele, who broke hers in half and said she wanted to share it and that she is a “major Beyoncé fan.” Other notable wins include Drake’s “Hotline Bling” for Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Rap Song; Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out” for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; and The Chainsmokers’ and Daya’s “Don’t Let Me Down” for Best Dance Recording. Both Adele and Beyoncé preformed at the show, Adele running into some technical difficulties when she had to restart her tribute to George Michael, who died in December. Not surprisingly, throughout the night many of the stars got political in their performances—which is a shame, because it should be a fun night.
Saturday Night Live Continues to Mock Trump and White House
In his 17th time hosting Saturday Night Live, Alec Baldwin played his most well-known character, Donald Trump. The show also included a reappearance of Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Before the show Rosie O’Donnell offered to play the role of Steve Bannon, the White House’s Chief Strategist, and changed her Twitter profile picture to one of her made up as Bannon. But SNL chose to use a grim reaper for the part. This episode mostly focused on Trump’s travel ban and Spicer’s ‘passive aggressive’ press conferences.
One skit was based on Trump going on a TV court show to fight the judges who overturned his travel ban. (Remember his tweet “See you in court” after the decision.) The show criticized him for being a “TV President,” and had the judge in the courtroom wishing for one day without “a CNN report scaring the hell” out of her.
Trump’s Cabinet- Adds 5 and Subtracts 1
Trump’s cabinet has slowly started taking form. He has filled five positions including Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, and Secretary Veteran Affairs David Shulkin. The most controversial in the Senate seemed to be DeVos, whose vote resulted in a tie that had to be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. (Although Senator Elizabeth Warren had her own controversy when fellow senators silenced her in Congress when opposing Sessions.)
The one who is definitely getting the most attention from the media is Michael Flynn, who was President Trump’s National Security Adviser, until he resigned . Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, said Flynn resigned because of a trust issue, after lying to Vice President Mike Pence about talks with Russian officials about lifting sanctions. Spicer also said that Trump had known about the issue for two weeks before insisting that Flynn resign. Pence had only recently been made aware of the issue. Flynn also had other ties to Russia, strong enough that critics argued they could result in him being blackmailed by the country. This is the latest event to unfold in the “Trump-Russia Conspiracy” saga. Flynn’s replacement is now Keith Kellogg, a person who had served as a part of Trump’s transition team for defense, and before that, a foreign policy adviser for his campaign. The media is still questioning Trump and his administration’s ties with Russia.
The Hawk 