News in :90 – March 14, 2019

The Republican-led Senate is set to deal President Donald Trump a rebuke on his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border, with the only remaining question how many GOP senators will join Democrats in defying him.

Republicans are predicting that Thursday’s vote will result in Congress sending Trump a resolution blocking the border emergency he proclaimed last month.

Trump tweeted early Thursday about “the big National Emergency vote today” saying, “I am prepared to veto, if necessary,”

William Singer, alleged mastermind behind a wide-ranging college admissions scandal, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court Tuesday in Boston.

William Singer, is accused of taking donations from wealthy parents through his foundation, then using that money to bribe coaches and others to get their children into elite universities.

Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke announced Thursday that he’s running for president in 2020, pledging to win over voters from both major parties as he tries to translate his political celebrity into a formidable White House bid.

O’Rourke has promised to travel the country listening to voters, then will return to El Paso, on the border with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 30 for an official campaign kickoff.

St. Thomas’ Ireland Hall, Vandals shattered a statue of the Virgin Mary last week, prompting a response from university president Julie Sullivan. The statue had been in Ireland Hall, the university’s oldest dormitory, for many years.

According to Sullivan’s email, the students involved in the incident have been identified in a St. Thomas Public Safety investigation and will be subject to the student conduct process. The Ireland Hall area director sent out an email to residents condemning the act and reminding students about the Code of Conduct they all agreed to.

Drew Bouman can be reached at boum7042@stthomas.edu.