News and updates

Trump Acquitted: Divided along party lines, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both impeachment charges. Although notably Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was the only Republican to vote in favor of conviction, Democrats still didn’t have the backing to remove the President. The acquittal ends months of impeachment proceedings, although the House Democrats have promised to continue investigating the President’s alleged wrongdoings. More at Politico.

Coronavirus Fears: Trade with China and travel throughout Asia has been slowed down by the proliferation of coronavirus. The first death outside China, in the Philippines, was reported. Although it was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organizations, officials caution the public to be wary of misinformation and avoid unnecessary panic. Read at Washington Post.

Iowa Debacle: The Iowa caucuses, the first primaries of the Presidential Elections, ended in disarray for Democrats as technology failed and they were unable to produce a clear winner until late the next day. Candidate Pete Buttigieg was deemed the winner, very narrowly beating Bernie Sanders, although some outlets declined to name a winner due to the irregularities. The next primary will be on the 11th in New Hampshire. More at Politico.

Debt Relief for Disabled Vets: The Department of Education plans to forgive student loans for some 2,500 disabled veterans by July 2020. Some argue that while this is a positive step, more can be done. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) signaled the Department should discharge loans for many more people whose disabilities will likely prevent them from working. More at Inside Higher Ed.

Whistleblower on Coronavirus Dies: Anger erupted on Chinese social media after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, who contracted coronavirus while treating patients in Wuhan. Dr. Li was one of the first doctors to warn of the emergence of coronavirus, and he was apparently quickly censored by the Chinese government for being outspoken with his concerns. More at NYT.

UK Appoints First Female Ambassador to the US: Dame Karen Pierce, currently serving as the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, has been appointed the UK Ambassador the US. She is a career diplomat and will be the first female to hold the position in Washington. Dame Karen replaces Sir Kim Darroch, who resigned after emails calling the Trump Administration “clumsy and inept” were leaked thereby damaging his ability to carry out his job. Read at BBC.

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Senate Impeachment Trial: Despite recent revelations of possible damaging evidence from Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to President Trump, it appears Senate Republicans will move to swiftly acquit President Trump as early as Friday afternoon or Saturday. The key question has been whether or not Republicans could muster enough votes to block witnesses, which they seem to now be able to do. Updates at Washington Post.

Scientists Working to Understand Coronavirus: Less than two weeks after coronavirus emerged from Wuhan, China, scientists worldwide are making significant headway to understand the virus, including its genetic profile. The global collaboration is being lauded as more potential cases emerge. Meanwhile, the CDC has elevated its travel alert recommending against nonessential travel to all of China and the Department of State has advised travelers not to visit China. Global airlines are also canceling flights to and from mainland China. Global panic has increased as the death toll exceeds 200. More at Inside Higher Ed and Washington Post .

Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant Dies: Kobe Bryant, a basketball star and American pop culture icon, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday with his daughter and several other people. More at NYT.

Supreme Court Lifts Green Card Injunction: In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court lifted an injunction barring the Trump Administration from enforcing a “public charge” test to issuing green cards. The test will consider the applicant’s age, level of education, English proficiency, among others. USCIS is expecting to release more information shortly. Full story at Reuters.

Brexit is Happening: At 11:00pm GMT on Friday, January 31st the UK will officially leave the European Union after a years-long and vicious debate over the terms of exit. There is still much work to be done to reconcile domestic divides in the UK and ensure a smooth transition for people and businesses. More at Associated Press.

Below is a selection of articles the federal relations team has read this week.

Impeachment Goes to the Senate: The House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate. Seven House Democrats were selected as prosecutors in the case, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The Senate trial began when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts and all 100 United States Senators were sworn in. The White House has already indicated they expect it to be quick, although there has been no official decision as to whether witnesses will be called. Live updates at the Washington Post.

Russian Government Resigns: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the Russian Parliament resigned abruptly in an effort to “facilitate” sweeping constitutional changes proposed by President Vladimir Putin. The changes would extend term limits for the President, shift power to the lower house of Parliament, increase the number of children born in Russia, and give tax breaks, among many other changes. Limited details have been made available, but updates continue at BBC.

Report Shows US Scientific Enterprise Falling Behind: A new report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, an agency within NSF, revealed that the US is losing its footing as the global dominant player in science. Specifically, the US continues to fall behind powers such as China. The report notes that while the US outspends every other country in fundamental research, we are not spending as much in “experimental development” of technologies. Full story at Washington Post.

College Still Pays Off: A report from the College Board, a nonprofit agency, revealed that college graduates still enjoy a higher employment rate and significantly higher earnings compared to those who did not attend college. Read at Inside Higher Ed.

DoE Pondering Foreign Risk Matrix: The Department of Energy is apparently developing a risk matrix which would restrict certain sensitive technologies from being shared with researchers from four countries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It is unclear how the matrix would actually be deployed, or what the restrictions would be. The DoE says it wants to work closely with other federal agencies and the White House interagency council to develop uniform policies. More at Science Magazine.

Congress Back: Congress is back in session for 2020 as of January 7th. Catch live updates at Roll Call.

Trump Battling Iran: Tensions with Iran escalated over the past few days after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at military bases in Iraq which housed US troops. Live updates at CBS.

Ukraine International Airlines: A Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran bound for Kiev. The US and Canada both announced that they had evidence the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile. President Trump and Canadian PM Trudeau both expressed that it was likely unintentional. More than 60 of the passengers were Canadians, and dozens had ties to Canadian universities. Read on at Washington Post.

New York Beer Tax Could Help State Schools: New York State politicians are considering a levy which would increase tax on beer and direct the revenue towards the State Universities of New York. It is estimated to raise $50 million per year. Details at Bloomberg.

Impeachment: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not yet turned over articles of impeachment to the Senate, as she explains she is waiting to know what the “terms of engagement” will be. Top Democrats are concerned because Republican Senate leaders have expressed a desire to coordinate closely with President Trump in executing his own trial. However, Congresswoman Pelosi did signal that impeachment could move forward soon. More at WSJ.

Florida State Begins Probe into Foreign Academic Ties: The Florida State Government has began an investigation into researchers in the state who failed to disclose ties to China’s Thousand Talents program. The investigation mirrors efforts at the national level from federal agencies and law enforcement. More at Science Magazine.