Week In The News: Border Emergency, Boeing, Brexit, Buying Your Way To College And More

Published March 15, 2019 at 9:00 AM CDT

Handout photo issued by UK Parliament of Prime Minister Theresa May during the Brexit debate in the House of Commons, London. (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor /PA Wire)

Senate rejects Trump’s border emergency declaration. Boeing jets. No Brexit deal. The college entrance scam. Pelosi on impeachment. Venezuela in the dark. The roundtable is here.

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Guests

Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor at Politico. ( @anitakumar01)

Dave Lawler, world news editor at Axios. ( @DavidLawler10)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. ( @JackBeattyNPR)

From The Reading List

Axios: “ U.K. Parliament votes for Brexit delay” — “The U.K. Parliament has passed a motion calling for the March 29 Brexit deadline to be pushed back. The vote was 412-202.

“The backdrop: On Tuesday, Parliament voted down the deal Prime Minister Theresa May reached with the European Union by a huge margin. On Wednesday, it emphatically voted to reject the idea of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. Now, it has voted to request more time. The EU would have to sign off on that proposal, and while it has strong incentives to avoid a “no deal,” leaders are immensely frustrated by the gridlock in Westminster and want to see a clear path forward.

“What’s next: May plans to bring her plan up one last time next week, in hopes hardline Brexiteers are so fearful of a delay that they’ll back it. If it fails again, a long delay might be needed to settle on a new course. That could mean a cross-party compromise deal. It could also mean a fresh general election — or even a second referendum.”

CNN: “ Senate passes resolution to overturn Trump’s national emergency declaration” — “The Senate delivered a high-profile rebuke to President Donald Trump over his signature agenda issue Thursday when 12 Republicans joined Democrats to overturn the President’s national emergency border declaration.

“The vote was 59-41, an overwhelming vote against the President’s executive action.

“Lawmakers don’t have enough votes, however, to override a certain veto from the President, but passage of the resolution in the Senate after it passed the House last month is nevertheless an embarrassing blow to Trump delivered by his own party over the President’s top campaign pledge of a wall at the US-Mexico border.”

USA Today: “ Power out, water scarce, looting: Venezuela in crisis. Will Trump administration react?” — “Looting is rampant. Clean water is running low. Mass blackouts continue. And the potential for political violence is ever present.

“That is the quickly deteriorating situation in Venezuela – where Nicolas Maduro clings to his presidency despite massive American and international pressure for his ouster.

“In Washington, top Trump administration officials sharpened their rhetoric and hinted at a more aggressive posture. Democratic lawmakers prepared a proposal that would bar President Donald Trump from any military intervention without congressional authorization – fearing that such a step is in the works and that it would be disastrous.”

Tania Ralli produced this hour for broadcast.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.