News Brief: Week of Sept. 22-28

National

Trump impeachment inquiry begins

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 24, following a whistleblower’s complaint claiming the President made an inappropriate political request over a phone call with the president of Ukraine.

News broke of the phone call on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The whistleblower claimed President Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden’s son for corruption during the call, alleging the president violated foreign policy with a quid pro quo. Biden is the leading Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election.

The controversy prompted Pelosi to order an impeachment inquiry, stating, “the President must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

President Trump criticized the impeachment inquiries, describing them in a statement as a “disgrace” and a “terrible thing for our country.” He claims the inquiry is an attack from political revivals, describing it in a tweet as a “witch hunt.”

Refugee numbers to be cut

President Trump announced on Thursday, Sept. 26, plans to cut the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States next year. If the changes take effect, the United States would allow 18,000 refugees into the country during the 2020 fiscal year, down from the previous 30,000.

The new limit marks the lowest number of allowed refugees to the United States since the modern refugee program was created in 1980. In the last year of Obama’s administration, 110,000 refugees were allowed into the country. One of Trump’s first acts as president in January 2017 was to cut the number to 50,000.

The State Department explained the proposed change in a statement, saying, “the current burdens on the U.S. immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle large numbers of refugees.”

The change would reserve 4,000 spots for Iraqis, 5,000 for those fleeing religious persecution and 1,500 for people from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. The remaining 7,500 spots would be open for all others.

State/Local

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds rallies in Oklahoma

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders made his first Oklahoma campaign stops on Sunday, Sept. 22, in Norman and Lawton. Thousands attended the rallies.

Sanders first stopped in Norman to address over 4,000 supporters in Reaves Park. He primarily addressed climate change, universal health care and eliminating college debt.

Later in the evening, Sanders addressed the Comanche nation in Lawton at the 28th annual Comanche Nation Fair Powwow. He praised the nation for its contribution to the United States, saying “you have enriched the American people. You have educated the American people… you have taught us that as human beings we are part of nature and we cannot destroy nature and survive.”

Sanders did not mention Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, at his rallies. Warren has received criticism for claiming Native American ancestry and identity despite having little actual Native heritage.

Scissortail Park opens

Scissortail Park was ready to welcome Oklahoma City residents at its grand opening on Friday, Sept. 27.

The new park, located in downtown Oklahoma City, opened with a concert by Oklahoma-based band Kings of Leon and drew approximately 15-25,000 visitors. The 70-acre park is expected to draw 500,000 to one million visitors annually.

The park is home to the Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn, a large pavilion for concerts and performances. In addition, a lake for paddle boating, playgrounds, gardens and walking trails welcome visitors.

Upcoming events at the park include food truck days, a weekly farmer’s market, yoga and children’s classes.