Thursday Update — Elliott Mag

Quote of the day

“Love is a grave mental disease.”

--Plato

Today’s Holiday

It’s Valentine’s Day, in case you couldn’t tell.

If you’re flying solo: Feel free to buy yourself chocolates, go to a swanky restaurant unaccompanied, or take the time to do one of your favorite things. This day can be a nice reminder to unplug and strengthen your relationship with yourself. Get creative. If you’re in need of more ideas of how to celebrate your independence, check this out. However, if you do choose to ditch the holiday all together and remain completely oblivious to all of the ~nauseating~ love around you, make sure you at least hit up your local Target tomorrow to take advantage of the marked down candy.

If you’ve got a hot date: Order some roses from Whole Foods for your sweetheart. It’s a simple yet classic gesture and only costs $19.99 for two dozen roses, which is the cheapest Valentine’s Day flower deal on the cyber market. If you’re looking to skip the elaborate dinner but still want to grab a bite with your significant other, consider Waffle House. For the 12th year in a row, select Waffle Houses will be taking reservations for Valentine’s Day. Find out if you’re near one of them here.

The Anniversary of a National Tragedy…

Today marks a year since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida. In the past year, students have taken the lead on the movement for gun control in America. Just weeks after the shooting, Stoneman Douglas students brought their case to the Florida capital and to Washington, where they headed up their March For Our Lives campaign, which inspired many rallies, protests, and a national school walkout. The students spoke directly to the White House, calling on President Trump to properly defend schools and restrict access to guns. Parkland students traveled the country on a Road to Change tour, which empowered young voters to register and vote in the November midterm elections. The students also projected their voices through social media and consoled sufferers of a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas just three months after the massacre in Parkland. This movement has seen success unlike any other, as it takes measures to hold public officials accountable, and is truly proving that youth activism is more important now than ever.

Stay In The Know…

Yesterday morning, U.K. citizen and rapper 21 Savage was freed from a federal immigration detention center in South Georgia after he was arrested for overstaying his visa. The musician, born She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested last week while during what has been called a “targeted operation” intended for Young Nudy, whose legal name is Quantavious Thomas. DeKalb County police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were involved. 21 Savage happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he was with Thomas during his arrest. ICE has previously claimed that it focuses on the detainment of people with criminal records, which 21 Savage possesses. In 2014, the rapper had a felony drug case in Fulton County. However, 21 Savage is currently back home in the Atlanta area and was granted a $100,00 bond during a closed hearing in an Atlanta Immigration Court.

Progress At The Border…

President Trump is expected to sign a bipartisan border deal. Yes, bipartisan. The word does still exist. After demanding 5.7 billion dollars for fencing along the United States border with Mexico, for which construction is expected to begin this month, Trump and Congress seem to have compromised with a 1.38 billion dollar budget. With that money will come fifty five miles of Trump’s desired 1,000 mile fence along the Mexican border, which spans 1,954 miles. Although the president did say he was "not happy" with the deal, he has not declared another government shutdown, leading those around him to believe he will reluctantly support it.

What is already in place at the border? There are 654 miles of existing barriers at the border that were put in place before President Trump. Some existing barriers have been replaced since Trump came into office, but none have been added. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Congress had approved of 124 miles of new and replacement barriers before this year. 40 of these miles of replacement barriers have been started or established. An additional 61 miles of barriers are expected to be put in place by the end of 2019. President Trump may shock us all and find “other methods” to pay for his steel or concrete wall, but only time will tell.

What else is going on?

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: The 143rd dog show took place on Tuesday night, its winner being a Wire Fox Terrier named King. Wire Fox Terriers have won 15 times, which is more than any other breed.

The Grammys: The 61st annual Grammy Awards were hosted on Sunday by Alicia Keys, the first woman to host the Grammys since 2005. Want to know if your favorite artist took home an award? Look here to find out.

El Chapo Found Guilty: Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known to many as El Chapo, could be looking at life in prison after being found guilty on 10 counts at his drug conspiracy trial in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Read this article to learn more.

That's all for today’s update! Tune in every friday for ‘Fun Facts Friday’ starting next week.