Presidential Problems: Jan. 14-Feb. 6 2020

Hi Teen Resisters! These past few weeks have been news heavy, with a lot of it unfortunately out of our control. This week's list, therefore, is a little more info-based as opposed to action-based, which we don't love to do, but don't have much of a choice with. However, we've included a bunch of cool things to do that aren't necessarily related to the biggest stories of this week at the end of the list and we hope you'll check those out too!
We also wanted to welcome everyone to 2020 Black History Month. We're getting excited for our third annual Black History Month list later this month.
And also, it's primary season! This is a reminder that primaries are oh-so important, and if you're passionate about this election, you should stay in the loop, vote/encourage family and friends to vote, and even phonebank for a candidate you love. (We're gonna have a lot to say to you about phonebanking pretty soon, too.)
So let's jump in! 

What Went Down:

Impeachment Update (A Big One!): On Friday, January 31, the Senate ruled to close Trump’s impeachment trial without calling additional witnesses and instead proceeding straight to the final vote. The 49-51 vote on whether or not to subpoena witnesses was almost perfectly along party lines, with Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins joining the 47 Democrats. Because a simple majority was not reached, no witnesses will be called.
Democrats wanted to call four witnesses in particular: national security advisor John Bolton, former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, senior advisor to acting White House Chief of Staff Robert Blair, and Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffey. 
Not all Republicans were completely opposed to witness testimony: some had talked about subpoenaing the Bidens (even though there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens). 
Prior to Friday’s vote, Trump’s impeachment managers and Trump’s defense lawyers both had three days to make their cases. The managers––Representatives named by Nancy Pelosi––made their case long and intentionally repetitive: they wanted to stretch out the process, as opposed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who wanted the trial to end in a speedy acquittal. Democratic Rep. Schiff alone would sometimes speak for hours at a time, while Trump’s legal team took up less than two hours on January 25. During the arguments, senators were observed falling asleep, playing with fidget spinners, talking, and breaking other rules of the trial. 
Democratic arguments centered on Trump’s actions as alleged by the two articles of impeachment (obstruction of Congress and abuse of power), while Trump’s lawyers argued that the President had done “absolutely nothing wrong.” In particular, they argued that Trump’s asking Ukraine's President Zelensky during the July 25 phone call to “do us a favor” proved that he was acting in the public interest, since he didn’t say “do me a favor.” 
After the arguments wrapped up, senators were given the opportunity to ask the teams questions in writing. During the questioning, Trump’s lawyers argued that it was difficult to prove that Trump wasn’t acting in the public interest, and that if he was, then he committed no impeachable offenses. 
The final vote on Trump’s fate took place on February 5th-- Trump was unsurprisingly acquitted. 
Worth watching, however, is Mitt Romney's speech explaining why he was voting in the minority to convict Trump. 

What You Can Do:
What's important is that we continue to call attention to everything that he has done wrong, and use it to fuel tireless work for 2020. It's still good that we set a historical precedent of impeachment in a time where the president committed an egregious wrong. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about impeachment now.
For now? Start studying up on 2020: ​https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/2020-election

Coronavirus Outbreak: Currently, the global focus is turned to news of coronavirus. Allegedly caused by bats, countries such as China, the USA, Australia, France, Japan, and Korea are a part of the 27 countries housing sick citizens, who are being quarantined and hospitalized accordingly. Symptoms of the coronavirus include flu-like characteristics such as fever, cough, runny nose and more. It has currently affected a few tens of thousands of people, with more than 300 death cases confirmed. The city of Wuhan, China, where the virus outbreak started, is under quarantine, and citizens are running out of protective gear such as face masks, hospital supplies, and more. However, the Chinese government has constructed an emergency hospital specializing in treating and finding a cure for this pandemic. 
Multiple reports show that there have been survivors of coronavirus, and reports show that there is a 2% mortality rate if diagnosed. 
    People can protect themselves by making sure to frequently wash their hands, staying hydrated, and boosting your immunity system. There is obviously very little we can do about this, but it's something being talked about quite a lot, so we wanted to include it here.

Ways to Help:

• Stay updated and aware of the issue, and try not to spread propaganda around the virus that could be seen as racially insensitive-- in the chaos around the disease, we have to be careful that it is not portrayed as a racialized disease, as this could contribute towards discrimination against Chinese and other Asian people.
• Donate directly to a Coronavirus Relief Fund here. 
  
• Donate here to support children affected by epidemics around the globe.

Brexit: In June of 2016, the British public voted on whether or not Britain should leave the European Union (EU), and the majority vote sided with Brexit, deciding that the United Kingdom would in fact leave the EU. Two and a half years later, on January 31st, 2020, Britain finally officially left the EU. Firstly, the European Union is a group comprised of twenty eight European nations. This political and economic union has a variety of benefits for its participants, including access to free trade, as well as immigration laws allowing for free movement of people from these countries within the nations in the union.

So what does the United Kingdom leaving the EU really mean? Now that Britain is no longer a part of this union, they will enter an eleven month transition period during which many of their foregin policies will be reviewed and negotiated. Although, during the transition period, Britain will continue to follow EU regulations, so not much will change in terms of Britain’s short term political and economic standing. One of the primary renegotiations that the United Kingdom will undertake is a new free trade agreement. The previously established free trade agreement between Britain and the EU allowed goods to circulate without international tariffs. The transition period also provides a time to England to reconsider agreements concerning access to fishing waters, law enforcement, and medical regulations, amongst other things. The separation between the United Kingdom and the EU provides an opportunity for England to protect the country’s self-interests, although it threatens to damage the economy, largely due to trade restrictions and a reduction of opportunities for jobs and businesses. Though, current prime minister, Boris Johnson, has strongly denied this negative possibility. 

While Brexit began during Theresa May’s time as prime minister, in 2019 she was voted out and replaced by Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson is in strong support of Brexit, even considering it unnecessary to follow the EU’s trade regulations during the transition period. Additionally, Johnson insisted that full renegotiation would be possible during the following eleventh month period, although skepticism has arose in relation to this deadline. 

Ultimately, while Great Britain has now officially left the European Union, many questions surrounding how England’s policies and agreements will change are left unanswered. The upcoming transition period will be crucial to understanding what role the United Kingdom will be taking within global politics.

More resources on this topic:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51351914

Things You Can Participate In: Because these were three out-of-control news topics... we wanted to include a few cool things you can be doing this week: 

• Riley's Way, an amazing organization dedicated to spreading kindness, is now accepting applications for its Call For Kindness initiative. Youth can apply for a 3,000 dollar grant to work on a project that will make a difference. More information can be found here.
• Youth Progressive Policy Group is leading high school voter registration drives in New York State in early March. This is super exciting, especially because 16 and 17 year olds are now able to pre-register to vote in New York! If any NYC or NYS people are interested in hosting a drive at your school or anywhere else, email yppg.ny@gmail.com and YPPG will send you step-by-step instructions on how to get everyone involved! You can also DM @yppgofficial on Instagram.
• Integrate NYC is holding a Youth Council Event on Friday in NYC. You can visit integratenyc.org for more info.