Good morning, Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Trump Adviser Says We Shouldn’t “Panic” Over Recent Climate Change Warning
A top economic adviser to President Donald Trump responded to a recent U.N. climate change report warning that drastic action must be taken over the next 12 years to prevent irreversible consequences, saying of the report: “I think they overestimate.”
Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, in an interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday said, “We're always studying these things. The issue here though is magnitudes and timing. Personally, I think the U.N. study is … way, way too difficult. I won't say it's a scare tactic but I think they overestimate.”
The U.N. report by 91 scientists from around the world said we must take “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” to try to stop environmental damage, including significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Kudlow said he wasn’t “denying any climate change issues,” but questioned the accuracy of report’s findings.
“George, I'm just saying, do we know precisely? And I mean, [is it] worth modeling things like how much of it is manmade, how much of it is solar, how much of it is oceanic, how much of it is rain forest and other issues?” Kudlow said. “I think we're still exploring all of that.”
“I don't think we should panic,” Kudlow continued. “I don't think there's a, you know, imminent catastrophe coming, but I think we should look at this in a level-headed and analytical way.”
In a separate interview on “This Week,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said Kudlow’s comments were “so irresponsible, so dangerous that it’s just hard to believe that a leading government official could make them.”
“We are in crisis mode,” Sanders said. “And you have an administration that virtually does not even recognize the reality of climate change and their policies, [like] working with the fossil fuel industry, are making a bad situation worse.”
When asked about the Republican Party’s approach to climate change, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona told Stephanopoulos that he thinks the party is going in the wrong direction.
“There’s been more recognition among Republicans, [but] the administration hasn’t taken the view of the some of us that this is something we really need to deal with,” Flake said.
“I hope that we can move along with the rest of the world and, and address this,” Flake said. “Obviously that report that came out is, is pretty dire, but there are things that we can do and should do, and I think Republicans need to be at the forefront if we want to keep ... our place and keep our seats.”
Jared Kushner Paid Little to No Federal Income Tax for Years
Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump and White House adviser, paid little to no federal income tax between 2009 and 2016, according to a New York Times report.
via Pablo Marintez Monsivais/AP
The publication reviewed tax bills and found what it calls a “common tax-minimizing maneuver” that allowed Kushner and his real estate firm, Kushner Companies, to mark losses on forms without actually losing money. While the White House adviser did not break the law, when he marked his losses through depreciation, it allowed his company to deduct a portion of the cost of its buildings from its taxable income.
The Times spoke with 13 tax accountants and lawyers who agreed that Kushner likely didn’t pay much — if any — federal income tax.
This latest report comes after a massive report from the Times that accused Trump of “outright fraud” in regards to his own tax schemes.
In regards to the report on the president, James Gazzale, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, said the department is now “reviewing the allegations in the New York Times article and is vigorously pursuing all appropriate avenues of investigation.”
Kushner Companies was recently fined $210,000 in August for lying about rent-protected tenants.
Chief of Staff John Kelly’s Leaked Emails Reveal Sexist Comments About Sen. Warren
A recently leaked email from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has drawn criticism for sexist remarks against Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
BuzzFeed News reported that a February 2017 email exchange between Kelly, who was the Secretary of Homeland Security at the time, and Kevin Carroll, a senior counselor for the department.
In the email exchange, Kelly mentioned a phone conversation he had with Warren regarding the Trump administration’s travel ban, saying it was “most insulting conversation I have ever had with anyone.”
“What an impolite arrogant woman,” Kelly wrote about Warren. “She immediately began insulting our people accusing them of not following the court order, insulting and abusive behavior towards those covered by the pause, blah blah blah.”
As Buzzfeed News reports, Warren, who was one of several public officials who opposed the travel ban, had contacted Kelly about constituents who had been barred from entering the U.S. as a result of the ban.
On Friday, Warren took to Twitter to say that Kelly had been ignoring her calls at the time about the travel ban, and had refused to give her his office number. The Massachusetts senator eventually got ahold of his cell phone number and called him to confront him about the travel ban.
“Was I tough on John Kelly in that phone call? You bet I was,” Warren wrote. “Apparently he thought I was an ‘impolite arrogant woman.’ ‘Blah blah blah’– that’s all he had to say when he was called out for breaking the law and destroying lives.”
Before we got off the phone, I gave John Kelly something back for his troubles: a message on behalf of the American people that it was time to follow the court order and allow people stranded abroad to board planes into Logan Airport.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) October 12, 2018
Was I tough on John Kelly in that phone call? You bet I was. Apparently he thought I was an “impolite arrogant woman.” “Blah blah blah” – that’s all he had to say when he was called out for breaking the law and destroying lives.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) October 12, 2018
There are some men who can only hear “blah blah blah” whenever a woman’s talking. But there’s nothing impolite about people’s right to speak out and hold their government accountable. And sometimes, people are right to be angry.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) October 12, 2018
Warren said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump “can’t shut [her] up,” and neither can Kelly.
“There are some men who can only hear “blah blah blah” whenever a woman’s talking,” Warren said of Kelly’s sexist remarks. “But there’s nothing impolite about people’s right to speak out and hold their government accountable. And sometimes, people are right to be angry.”
What to look out for…
These three sisters dressed up as the Sanderson sisters from “Hocus Pocus,” and they’ll give you major Halloween costume inspo.
