Israel/Gaza ceasefire

On Oct. 10, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first stage of a ceasefire deal. In this first stage, Hamas would release the remaining hostages currently held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israel and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, according to the New York Times. On Monday, Oct. 13, 20 living Israeli hostages began to be exchanged for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detained Gazans, according to CBS News. However, on Saturday Oct. 18, the Israeli military fired at a vehicle in Gaza after claiming that the vehicle had crossed a boundary, according to the New York Times. Due to the violence, the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza is currently fragile and will likely require outside intervention to help maintain it.

Government shutdown

The federal government is heading into its third week of being shut down after midnight on Oct. 1, when Congress was stuck in gridlock over the cost of healthcare, according to The New York Times. Since the government shut down, President Donald Trump has issued about 4,000 layoffs of federal workers over seven agencies and another 600,000 federal workers jobs are suspended. “I don’t think our leaders appreciate or even acknowledge some of the things their workers do. My mom did a lot of stuff in the government but she never was acknowledged for a lot of it or was just brushed off,” senior Bella Monarez said.

National Guard

Trump has mobilized the National Guard across several, primarily Democratic cities in the United States, to protect federal buildings and end the rampant crime he has described as happening in major metropolitan cities. As of Oct. 1, there were nearly 2,200 National Guard troops in D.C., according to The New York Times. Recently, the National Guard has arrived in Memphis, TN, and Portland, OR.

White House demolition

President Donald Trump is adding a $250 million ballroom to the East Wing of the White House, according to The Washington Post. In order to build this ballroom, part of the East Wing, which is traditionally part of the social side of the White House, will be torn down. Trump noted that the ballroom would be paid for only with private donations and not any taxpayer money.

What students can do

Maryland has the third highest number of federal employees, according to the World Population Review. As a result, students and their families are directly impacted by the government shutdown. “It doesn’t have to be financial aid all the time, but I think if you let a neighbor borrow something or you just give someone a helping hand, it shows that you care and that you are there for them,” Monarez said.

Students can also take more direct action in the government. One way students can do this is by “writing letters or emails to members of Congress, expressing concern about shutdowns and urging bipartisan cooperation,” sophomore Julia Mvete said.