Trump-Kim Summit Ends Without Agreement

The summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam ended without a signed agreement Thursday. Neither side could come to agreement, with Kim reportedly wanting the removal of all sanctions and Trump wishing to implement more accountability on North Korea’s denuclearization efforts.

Trump claimed that while Kim had agreed to close the major nuclear site Yongbyon, he was unwilling to destroy others, including secret sites. North Korean officials pushed back on his claims, saying Kim had agreed to close other sites and had only requested partial, not full, lifting of sanctions.

The lack of a signed agreement at the end of the meeting was a disappointment for the White House, which had hoped to build on the momentum from last year’s summit in Singapore, in which Kim said he was open to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Many, however, accused the North of being disingenuous, especially after the country was revealed to have been building more nuclear weapons and missile sites even after the Singapore summit.

Trump has made peace on the Korean Peninsula a central foreign policy goal for his administration, which has largely been preoccupied with domestic issues such as immigration and investigations into alleged Russian collusion during the 2016 election. The failure of this week’s summit to achieve a further step in the denuclearization process, while a blow to Trump, is unlikely to be the end of peace talks and diplomatic efforts for rapprochement between the two countries, but will likely shift focus from the issue for now.

Jussie Smollett Alleged Attack Investigated as Hoax, Actor Arrested

Actor Jussie Smollett, best known for his role on Fox television series Empire, has been arrested in Chicago, Illinois, after officials believe he filed a false police report relating to an alleged assault back in January. Smollett had claimed that two men had attacked him during a late-night run to Subway after identifying him. They reportedly used racial slurs, said “This is MAGA (Make America Great Again) country, put a rope around his neck, and poured an unknown substance on him.

While Smollett initially received sympathetic coverage from many media outlets and support from celebrities, others began casting doubt on his claim. Eventually, two brothers, who had been identified as persons of interest, told investigators Smollett paid them to stage an attack on the actor. Smollett denies the allegations.

Mining Dam Collapse in Brazil Leaves Dozens Dead

At least 84 have died in a Brazil dam collapse at a mining site, with many more missing. The resulting mudflow crashed into a surrounding area and destroyed numerous homes.

The company responsible, Vale, was involved in another dam collapse in 2015, which killed 19.

Newly inaugurated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro dispatched ministers to aid with the relief effort, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent over 100 personnel to help in the search for survivors.

The union of mining workers has claimed that the dam was clearly unsafe before the incident; Vale has denied the accusation.

Deep Chill Hits Northeast, Midwest

A polar vortex has brought chilling air to the parts of the US this week. State of emergencies have been declared in several Midwestern states as record low temperatures are threatened to be broken.

In Chicago, workers have set fire to some of the rail lines to keep the trains running. Across the region, officials have closed schools until the cold air passes.

The cold air has led to extremely low wind chills being recorded. Wind chills in the Chicago area have reached below –50 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind chills well below –20 degrees have been recorded and forecasted across the Midwest.

Officials have warned that the low temperatures could be life threatening and urged people to take shelter.

Shutdown Ends, For Now

The longest federal government shutdown in history ended last Friday, with no permanent concluding agreement reached. Under the temporary agreement, funding for federal government agencies was restored until February 15, after which government funding will expire unless a new agreement occurs.

The shutdown began on December 22, after President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, failed to come to a agree on funding for a wall along the US-Mexican border. Trump wanted at least $5.7 billion in funding for building a barrier and increased border surveillance, while Democrats criticized such measures, with Pelosi going as far as to call a wall an “immorality.”

During the shutdown, Trump and Pelosi tussled over other areas of government, including Trump’s refusal to authorize a trip by Pelosi to the Middle East and Pelosi refusing to allow Trump to give the State of the Union speech in the House chamber.

Trump agreed to end the shutdown last week, without receiving any promise for funding, but also saying that he will attempt the same fight again next month. If Congress does not allocate funding for a border wall, Trump has threatened, he will declare a national emergency to divert funding to begin some of the construction. Trump cites the number of people crossing illegally and crime committed by those in the country illegally as justifying such a decision. Democrats have criticized Trump for this threat, as have some Republicans, saying that such as move creates a bad precedent for future administrations.