Monday Briefing | March 20

Stories to Follow

On Thursday, the Trump Administration released the “America First” fiscal plan. The budget has been met with seemingly negative responses across the aisle. A large portion of President Trump’s budget proposal has been allocated to increased Defence and Homeland Security spending, while slashing budgets across the federal government. The State Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency are some of departments facing the steepest cuts.

Rex Tillerson’s first Asia trip as Secretary of State saw him making a statement on pre-emptive action against North Korea’s nuclear activities. Speaking in South Korea after visiting the demilitarised zone, he bluntly stated that America’s policy of strategic patience had ended, and while military action is unfavorable, it is not inconceivable “If they elevate the threat of their weapons programme to a level that we believe requires action, then that option’s on the table”

On Friday, President Trump denied the opportunity to retract his wiretapping claims at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In early March, the President had tweeted that the Obama administration had allegedly been listening in on Trump Tower during the election cycle. During the news conference, President Trump deferred to Fox News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano, and went as far as to imply his administration was in a position similar to that of Germany’s during the NSA’s surveillance of European leaders. Since then, Fox News host Shepard Smith reported that the network could not confirm Napolitano’s report.

Despite a vow to “resist all forms of protectionism“, this year’s convention of the G20 saw finance ministers leave the two-day meeting without recommitting a pledge to bolster free trade or climate change reform. This did not come as a surprise to many, considering the Trump administration’s platforms on these issues. Saturday produced a watered-down pledge in the G20 communique to “[work together]to strengthen the contribution of trade to [their]economies.” Many international finance ministers hope to sway American policies in the G20 meeting in July.

This Week in JPI

Op-Ed | BLOCKED Muslim Ban 2.0 by Ionut Gitan

Heading down Manhattan Avenue to a favorite donut shop, I thumbed the Twitter feed on my mobile phone when a Tweet from the ACLU gripped me, “We’re en route to join the protest at JFK Terminal 4.” I stopped in my path, and reversed direction to the nearest convenience store. I purchased a permanent marker and poster board. With my makeshift sign in hand, I hailed a taxi to join the protest at JFK Terminal 4. Read More…

Happening This Week

Design-Based Thinking Workshop
Monday, March 20 at 12:00PM | Great Room, 19 University Place
In collaboration with the FAS Office of Educational Technology, this workshop will offer tips for increasing creativity and leveraging design strategies in your research. Attend to discuss best practices and learn how to leverage design-based thinking to build new audiences and boost the visibility of your humanities and social sciences scholarship. RSVP required.

2017 Alumni Reception for IR & Politics
Tuesday, March 21 at 6:30PM | Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East
NYU’s International Relations & Politics Association is hosting an alumni reception in the Graduate Student Commons (Room 120) of the Silver Center. IRPA invites students, faculty and alumni to mingle, network and learn more about career opportunities.

Film Screening: Moonlight
Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30PM | Global Center for Academic & Spiritual Life, 238 Thompson St
NYU’s is hosting a screening of Moonlight in Room C95 of GCASL. Moonlight follows the story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. This event is free for NYU Students.

In Your Free Time

A Night of Music from Aleppo
Monday, March 20 at 7:00PM | Roone Arledge Auditorium in Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway
Students Organize for Syria at Columbia University host Yousef Shamoun and the Tarab Ensemble for a Night of Music from Aleppo. The concert will feature Muwashshahat and Qudud Halabiya as well as vocal and instrumental improvisations. Doors open at 6:30PM. Light refreshments will be served after the concert. Tickets required.

A Universe of Fragile Mirrors
Through May 2017 | El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue
A Universe of Fragile Mirrors, a solo exhibition on the work of Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, is organized by the Pérez Art Museum Miami and curated by María Elena Ortiz. Through a series of films and videos, the exhibition captures the ironies of post-colonial conditions in the Caribbean—specifically in Haiti and Puerto Rico. NYU students have free access to El Museo del Barrio.

Making Faces: Images of Exploitation and Empowerment in Cinema
Through April 30 | Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street
The MoMA’s exhibition titled “Making Faces” is a study of screen characters and the performers who embodied them. Focusing on popular American films from the 1910s to the 1970s—from the era of silent movies to that of blaxploitation—this exhibition traces the attempts of commercial film studios to depict difference onscreen. NYU students have free access to the MoMA and its films.

This week’s Monday Briefing is brought to you by Rana Alotaibi.