Local

Know: Fourteen EHS students will be recognized at the Glory of Missouri awards ceremony, Monday, February 25.

Inform: The awards recognize students that have displayed one of the 14 virtues engraved in the House Chamber. The following are those from EHS that are being recognized:

• Jensen Bee – Knowledge
• Alexis Kleekamp – Liberty
• Zayaunna Brady – Equality
• Matt Sauer – Law
• Antonio Sanders – Justice
• Anna Grimshaw – Fraternity
• Edrance Emmanuel Jr. – Education
• Shane Lockwood – Progress
• Ja’nia Lewis – Honor
• Moriah Ellis – Truth
• Victoria Penick – Virtue
• Alexis Irwin – Temperance
• Lauren Jeffress – Enterprise
• Lauren Pacino – Charity

Care: The awards ceremony will be held on the floor of the House of Representatives in Jefferson City. Congratulations to those being recognized!

National

Know: The U.S. will be sending 2,000 additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Inform: The Pentagon and President Donald Trump announced that 3,750 soldiers will be sent to the border, both joining and replacing troops that have been there since November. The units are being deployed on 90-day increments. A caravan of 7,000 Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence seeking asylum in America began, Oct.  21, 2018. The caravan began when immigrants seeking asylum in Mexico found the asylum application process too long and chose to head even farther north. That figure has shrunk to as many as 5,000 camped in Tijuana, a city just south of California. The U.S. shut down the San Ysidro border, only five-and-a-half miles from Tijuana after immigrants began storming the border, throwing rocks and bottles at Customs and Border Protection officers, Nov. 25, 2018. The officers also fired tear gas onto the immigrants. While the exact number of immigrants who stormed the border is unknown, news sources estimate the number to be a few hundred, a relatively small amount compared to the 100,000 that visit the San Ysidro border each day. CBP reopened the port of entry only seven hours after they initially closed it. The newly deployed troops will be keeping peace and order at the border while immigrants attempt to come into the U.S.

Care: President Trump has called the situation at the border a “crisis,” even shutting down the government for a record 35 days after not receiving funding for a border wall. Trump has also said that the border is a gate for bringing drugs, trafficking and criminals into the U.S.  Research estimates that by 2050, 93 percent of working Americans will be either immigrants or children of immigrants. Twenty-million Americans today are second-generation immigrants alone. With nearly all Americans being some product of immigration, the issue of immigration laws can become very personal.

International

Know: Iraq has shot back after President Donald Trump said that he wanted to put a U.S. military base in Iraq.

Inform: Trump originally said that the base located in Iraq would be used to watch over Iran, however Iraqi President Barham Saleh said that the U.S. never asked Iraq if this was a possibility. The U.S. currently has roughly 5,000 military personnel in Iraq assisting in the fight against the Islamic State.   The efforts to combat IS coincide with Trump’s promise to withdraw troops from Syria while keeping pressure on IS, but reports show that troops in Syria have actually increased in 2019. Trump claims that by placing a military base in Iraq, the U.S. could quickly strike back against IS.

Care: The Islamic State has proven itself to be a threat time and time again. IS is estimated to have around 3,500 slaves, according to a United Nations report. From the Orlando Pulse shooting that killed 49 to the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14, the Paris attacks that killed over 130 and the countless bombings in the Middle East, IS has made a point to make themselves known. While it is important for the U.S. to closely monitor potential threats, imposing on others’ privacy or infringing on others’ basic rights is no way to handle the situation.