"Words matter. Leadership matters. Organization matters. Those who threaten the status quo will become targets for those who don't want change. Courage is necessary. Persistence pays off," she said in an email.

Tatum, author of "Assimilation Blues: Black Families in White Communities: Who Succeeds and Why?" and "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race," came to Ball State's Pruis Hall for a conversation about the way race relations and civil rights have changed in America.

The conversation, moderated by Bobby Steele, director of the Multicultural Center, and Marsha McGriff, associate vice president for inclusive excellence, focused in part on the very question her book asks - Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?

According to Tatum, the reason why this metaphorical and actual phenomenon continues to happen is due to the way people internalize racial cues from childhood onward.

She used the example of a black child growing up and internalizing the question of how he is perceived by others, as all children eventually do, but from the viewpoint of a person with pre-existing stereotypes leveled against them.

"When he's 14, he's 6 feet tall and now people are walking across the street to avoid him," Tatum said. "Not because he's not good looking, but because they are perceiving him as potentially dangerous. And that response is not unnoticed by him."

That psychological response is part of one of several factors to which Tatum attributed many of the modern civil rights struggles: "Four P's" - population, politics, polarization and psychology - and used the four most recent U.S. presidencies as an example.

Despite former President Bill Clinton's assurance in 1997 that it was the best time to address the racial tensions in the country, she said the next two decades would prove too tumultuous to make progress.

The events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks threw the country into a state of war, which pushed off the discussion, and the 2008 housing collapse caused further economic inequality that disproportionately affected African Americans, she said.

Eventually, Tatum said, the election of the country's first African-American president would also set back the country from having a discussion on race.

"Immediately after this election, we heard commentators on the news talking about whether or not we were now in a post-racial society, and so we don't have to talk about it because we're post racial, right?" Tatum said. "Now, of course we know that a lot of things happened following President Obama's election that reminded us we were not post racial."

That reminder, she said, is an example of the pushback to racial equality that has been seen over the last several years, referring to King's 1967 book "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?"

According to King's book, Tatum said, every time social progress is made, there is a pushback against that progress, and, following that pushback, a subsequent reversal.

"First, the line of progress is never straight," King says in the book. "For a period a movement may follow a straight line and then it encounters obstacles and the path bends. It is like curving around a mountain when you are approaching a city. Often if feels as though you were moving backwards, and you lose sight of your goal: but in fact you are moving ahead, and soon you will see the city again, closer by."

That feeling of King's vision of a post-racial America was shared by Angela Jackson-Brown, assistant teaching professor of English and community engagement liaison for the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Jackson-Brown said in an email that pushback against racial equality has been reflected in the political landscape of the United States over the course of the last few election cycles.

"Had you asked me that question [of how race relations have changed] in November of 2008, I would have said we have entered to the King Dream years. Now, I wonder if we have made any strides at all," she said.

Additionally, the larger public perception of King and the movement he championed were areas both Tatum and Jackson-Brown said are often a simplified version of what King and the civil rights movement stood for.

They said King should be remembered for more than the fight for racial equality, citing his interest in ending economic inequality and improving education.

"In my observation, the average person does not know much about Dr. King," Tatum said in her email. "Most people know that he was a civil rights leader who believed in non-violence, that he gave a famous 'I have a dream' speech at the March on Washington, and that he was assassinated. That's about it."

Similarly, Jackson-Brown said King's modern perception should be more in line with his strengths as an organizer and planner than the purely ideological figure he is known for being.

"Many of the modern day activists do not have a plan beyond the hashtag or the march," she said. "King did more than gather up his friends to take a walk with him. He made sure that if people were going to put their lives on the line, that there was a purpose behind it."

Former President Barack Obama, in a conversation at the Obama Foundation Summit in October 2019, also reflected on this issue, saying there is a sense sometimes that the way to make change is to be as judgemental as possible about other people.

"That's not activism. That's not bringing about change," Obama said. "If all you're doing is casting stones, you're probably not gonna get that far. That's easy to do."

However, Tatum said she feels that every person has the ability to affect change if they take the initiative to do so.

"I sort of felt that was beyond my charge as a professor to say you must become an activist, but we all have a sphere of influence," she said. "If you recognize that you have the power to influence others, how are you using it?"

Contact John Lynch with comments at jplynch@bsu.edu or on Twitter @WritesLynch.

"The classroom is a special place. It is a place of invigorated learning, and it should always be a welcoming environment for all of our students," Mearns said in the email. "In the incident this week, we did not meet that important standard."

A video posted on Barstool Ball State showed a student being asked to move seats in his Marketing 310 classroom. When he refused to move seats, the professor had a student worker call the University Police Department (UPD).

"The [professor's] choice was a gross error of judgement and it was simply and unwarranted overreaction," Mearns said about the incident.

When the president learned of the incident, he said he worked with the dean and the chair of the marketing department, at the request of Rivera-Mills, to speak to the professor, Shaheen Borna, about their concerns that the situation had unnecessarily escalated.

Mearns said the dean established corrective actions - including appropriate training and oversight for the professor going forward.

Apart from the the apology sent by Borna to the students in the class, the department chair met with the student to make sure the university fully understood the student's experience and how it can best support him. The chair met with all the students in the class Thursday morning.

Once Mearns returns to campus, he said he hopes to be able to meet with the student to hear his account of the event first-hand and work with Ro-Anne Royer Engle, interim vice president for student affairs, to meet with student leaders to hear suggestions and how the campus can improve.

Additionally, he said that he will be meeting with the Black Faculty and Staff Association Jan. 30 "to seek their guidance on how we can continue to create a more inclusive campus community." Mearns said he will also seek advice from Black Alumni Constituent Society.

Finally, Mearns said he will attempt to get into contact with "local community leaders" to obtain their input as well.

Scoring a career-high 13 points, freshman forward Annie Rauch found her groove to spark the Cardinal offense. Points weren't the only category Rauch had a career high in. The forward also collected nine rebounds for a new personal best.

"We knew in the game plan that post play was going to be really important. We knew that rebounding was going to be big," Rauch said. "Just being able to get in there and get physical with their big girls was really important."

Although she didn't lead the team in rebounds, rebounding was a big factor against the Bulls, as the Cardinals outrebounded their opponent for just the second time in conference play. Ball State took the rebounding advantage, 42-40, against Buffalo.

"We identified before we ever played that if we didn't outrebound them, we weren't going to win," head coach Brady Sallee said. "I think they bought into that. They understood here is what we have to do to win."

Going 4-for-6 from the field, efficiency was key for Rauch in getting to double figures. This season, Rauch has shot over 50 percent from the field in seven total games. That includes three games where she went perfect from the field. Rauch has also been able to make in-game adjustments that have allowed her to be more physical and find open looks.

"I think when I got in there at first, I wasn't ready for it," Rauch said. "Really quickly, I learned that I had to adjust my game, and once I did that, we were good."

The contest remained a one-possession game throughout the final 1:15, and rebounding was critical to the Cardinals' success. Rauch pulled down nine rebounds to help Ball State hold off a late surge from Buffalo. Grabbing her ninth defensive rebound with 9.8 seconds left on the clock earned her a trip to the free-throw line, as the Bulls were forced to foul. She went 1-for-2 on that trip, but that was enough to give the Cardinals a two-possession advantage.

"Our post play with the way they were defending it and how spread out they were in their zone, they were really trying to keep us from shooting open threes," Sallee said. "We talked to Annie about how she had to post hard and occupy one of those defenders, so when Osh came over, she would be one-on-one."

Another reason behind Rauch's recent success as been her mentor in practice and during the games. Sophomore forward Blake Smith has used her experience to help the freshman make in-game adjustments as well as work on new post moves during practice. The two players have developed trust in each other.

"Me and Blake go against each other every day in practice for the whole practice," Rauch said. "She's really vocal with me too, telling me what she has learned already, so I've learned from her."

Rauch has been trending in the right direction since the start of conference play. If you take out the game against Bowling Green, Rauch is averaging 7.8 points per game. Becoming more assertive in the post has helped Rauch reap the offensive benefits. The Cardinals are a perfect 3-0 when Rauch gets into double-digit scoring.

Contact Grant Covey with comments at gacovey@bsu.edu or on Twitter @grant_covey.

"It is fun, especially now that my nephew is there," Welsh-Jeselskis said. "He shares things about the school and campus that are new, and my husband [who's] also a Ball State grad and I get to ask him if certain things are still standing - like The Chug."

While Welsh-Jeselskis was a student, she said she began pursuing her law career when she learned about organizational psychology and became familiar with several employment cases.

Since graduating from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2000, Welsh-Jeselskis has spent nearly 20 years primarily representing individuals with employment-related matters, such as discrimination, sexual harassment and contract issues.

"Currently myself and my two other partners represent the four women who have sued the Attorney General Curtis Hill for sexual harassment," Welsh-Jeselskis said. "It is still pretty early on, but our hope is that it will make an impact on how these issues are treated with legislative officials and employees."

In the beginning of her career as an attorney, Welsh-Jeselskis said, technology has greatly changed. People did not text, instant message or email much, but now, "it's all about electronic discovery and making sure you collect it and preserve it."

"I don't think I've ever thought of [the job] as being hard, definitely not representing my clients, but you do have to deal with certain issueslike unpleasant opposing counsel that can make the cases not fun," Welsh-Jeselskis said.

Halfway through her career, Welsh-Jeselskis met her colleagues BJ Brinkerhoff and Hannah Joseph.

First introduced by a mutual friend, Joseph and Welsh-Jeselskis would co-counsel cases together. For several years, Joseph said, she tried convincing Jeselskis to practice law at the firm where Joseph worked. After agreeing, Welsh-Jeselskis met Brinkerhoff, and the three began working together at the same law firm.

Within the last several months, the three coworkers decided to branch out and open their own law firm, now known as Jeselskis, Brinkerhoff and Joseph Legal Firm (JBJ Legal) in Indianapolis. According to its website, the law firm will "focus on representing individuals, small businesses and entrepreneurs" with "employment issues, corporate transactions, and dispute resolution."

"We have all been practicing for a while, and we are pretty fortunate to have a book where we have our clients that came with us, so we were able to continue providing them with services," Welsh-Jeselskis said.

By being centrally located in Indianapolis, Welsh-Jeselskis said this allows JBJ Legal to easily help their clients located in Downtown Indianapolis and litigate cases in the federal court right down the street from their office.

"My favorite part [about being an attorney] is helping people," Welsh-Jeselskis said. "I feel very lucky to have been able to help people navigate through difficult workplace situations for my entire career. The majority of people have to work for a living. Our jobs impact our daily lives, emotionally and financially. When an individual's job or career is impacted by discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or even a breach of an agreement, I am very honored that they turn to me to help resolve these issues."

Associate attorney Alexandra Blackwell also joined forces with Welsh-Jeselskis, Joseph and Brinkerhoff after interviewing to work at JBJ Legal.

"[Welsh-Jeselskis] helps me everyday," Blackwell said. "She is unbelievably bright, motivated and hardworking. [Welsh-Jeselskis] also is a very good teacher. She is good at knowing when to make you try to work it out on your own… The special thing about law is that you are never really done learning. [Law] evolves over time. Your clients change, the laws change and the issues are constantly changing so it is never boring."

Throughout the transition process of moving to JBJ Legal, Blackwell said, they figured out what their policies and procedures are and how they want to execute them.

"Everyone was able to use their background of what they did and didn't like in previous offices [we worked at], and we were able to cherry pick and figure out what was going to work for us," Blackwell said. "It was fun because all hands were on deck. Everyone's working and helping make everything start which will give us an interesting perspective."

Blackwell said she believes that the set up at the new law firm is very unique and believes that it will benefit their team going forward.

As law continues to interest her because of new cases constantly coming out, Welsh-Jeselskis said, she has remained passionate about her work because it "clicks with who [she] is and what's important to [her]."

"Ball State students [who are] thinking about going to law school, even though it has changed in the last twenty years I have been doing this - it is still a great profession and a great place to land," Welsh-Jeselskis said.

Contact Kamryn Tomlinson with comments at kptomlinson@bsu.edu on Twitter @peachykam.

In the forest of 6 feet, 4 inches; 6 feet, 6 inches all the way up to 6 feet, 8 inches, it's 5-foot-10-inch senior libero Nick LaVanchy who speaks for the trees.

"Nick, in spite of being surrounded by a bunch of alpha males and guys that want to take the reins, he's been able to get ahold of them," Walton said. "The energy he brings is respected by the team, and the guys do a good job of listening to the input he has to offer."

Walton described LaVanchy as a vocal leader, and he's been that way since he first joined the team.

Early in LaVanchy's freshman season at Ball State, Walton said, he was already showing his outspokenness and suggesting ways to make practice drills more effective.

"I've always been a leader ever since I can remember," LaVanchy said. "I'm trying to stay focused and keep everybody's mind straight, realizing there's an end goal we're working for … Volleyball can be a rollercoaster of emotions at times."

Those emotions, senior outside attacker Matt Szews said, can get to players when they're out on the court, so it's nice to have someone like LaVanchy around - someone with a fiery personality who constantly provides positive energy and brings his teammates up.

"He's a bit of a firecracker," Szews said. "It definitely helps relax me. I know it helps relax other people on the team too. To have someone who's always bringing a smile and joking around a little bit … If we're having a rough match or things aren't going well, it's kind of nice to step back a little bit."

LaVanchy said his energetic, chirpy personality comes naturally and is something his teammates should consider adopting in a sport that requires up to 20 or more hours of work a week.

He related it to an everyday job, saying your life will be a drag if you hate what you're doing. Inversely, finding the positives will encourage you to perform to the best of your abilities.

"I like to just have fun on the volleyball court," LaVanchy said. "The biggest thing is keeping the mood light whenever possible because when you get too serious, guys tend to get tense and worry too much about mistakes … It's all about finding fun in volleyball. Otherwise, you're just going to go crazy."

LaVanchy's animation doesn't slow down when he comes off the court either. After high-fiving everyone down the line on the bench, he comes right back to the front, leading his teammates in cheers and celebrations. Walton said LaVanchy's court presence is missed when he goes to the bench, but his leadership on the sideline is just as important.

"I think that's where his personality and level of energy is very evident because he's not checking out," Walton said. "If our bench can give our guys energy, it keeps everyone involved, engaged and moving forward. Nick, for sure - if he's on the bench, he's one of the leaders there the same way he would be on the court."

There are times, LaVanchy said, when he isn't a nonstop ball of energy. Whether it's watching film, doing homework or just hanging around the house, he said he needs to find ways to decompress to avoid burnout.

"I like to be pretty easy-going and have fun with a lot of things, but, especially during matches, there's a switch that turns on," LaVanchy said. "Being that energetic all the time is just impossible. I got to find time to relax. Just finding a way to turn that switch on and off is essential."

Szews said he's relieved when LaVanchy takes a break because being wired up all the time "might be a little exhausting after a while."

For LaVanchy, he doesn't see his style changing anytime soon.

"The energy I bring is always pretty positive, and I try to keep it that way," LaVanchy said. "There's a fine line between just being stupid and having fun and bringing the energy up of the rest of the guys. I don't think that's ever been an issue, and I don't plan on it being an issue."

Contact Zach Piatt with comments at zapiatt@bsu.edu or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.

SGA's Diversity and Multicultural Committee Chair Jordyn Blythe said the committee was interested in hosting a town hall event with the Black Student Association (BSA) to discuss the incident involving marketing professor Shaheen Borna.

Borna had UPD officers called during his class because a student would not move seats when instructed to do so.

"There's a potential for us to be partnering with BSA on hosting a town hall, like with the John Schnatter situation," Blythe said. "We want to keep a conversation open for students."

In 2018, after the Ball State Board of Trustees voted to remove John Schnatter's name from the university, SGA and BSA decided to host a forum to discuss diversity, inclusivity and racial relations at Ball State.

SGA President Aiden Medellin said there was no official contact between SGA and BSA regarding a town hall. If so, he said an announcement would be made via social media.

In other SGA-related news, no new legislation was introduced, but committee and caucus chairs reported their prospective projects.

The Diversity and Multicultural Committee announced it is working to host a donation drive for African-American hair care products in February for Black History Month.

Senator Mariah Bowman announced from noon to 1 p.m. every Friday of the spring semester, there will be climate change strikes at Shafer Tower.

Additionally, the Student Services Committee is advancing its plan to put an ice machine in the recreation center for athlete and visitor use.

Finally, as SGA's election begins its early stages, committees and caucuses are agreeing on meeting times between prospective slates. SGA adviser Jim Hague said he would like to meet with anyone running for the position of SGA president to ensure they understand the budget allocated to SGA.

"I want to make sure every slate that is running understands our budget moving forward," Hague said.

He said he is looking forward to meeting with all presidential candidates for the upcoming election in March.

Contact Grace McCormick with comments at grmccormick@bsu.edu or on Twitter @graceMc564.

A Ball State professor issued an apology to his students after having police called on one of them during his class. The incident was not how that student said he wanted to start his final semester.

"I haven't had the police called on me for throwing parties. I had the police called on me for sitting in class, learning," said Sultan "Mufasa" Benson. "That's something I can tell my grandkids one day."

Benson's comments came while he reflected on the incident that took place Tuesday morning during Professor Shaheen Borna's marketing 310 class. Borna called University Police Department (UPD) officers on Benson for not moving seats. The incident was caught on video, posted on social media and currently has more than 140,000 views.

Barstool Ball State, local affiliate of the platform Barstool Sports, posted the video on its Twitter account showing UPD officers arriving to a classroom during class. It shows Borna complaining about a student's refusal to move seats.

Benson responded to the Twitter post and claimed he was the student in the video.

He said the incident began when he arrived at the classroom in the Whitinger Business Building and found another student sitting in his assigned seat. He said Borna told him to sit in an empty seat at the back of the class. The seat was near an electrical outlet, so Benson plugged in his computer charger.

Halfway through the class, he said, another student sitting in the front row left early, and Borna asked Benson to take that student's seat. Benson refused because his laptop was still charging.

Borna gave him two options - move to the front-row seat, or he would call UPD. When Benson refused to move again, the professor left the class and returned minutes later.

A student worker, at the request of Borna, made the phone call to UPD, said Kathy Wolf, vice president of marketing and communications at Ball State. Following the call, she said, two UPD officers arrived to the classroom without much information to work with.

"Based on the limited information they had, they believed that there was a student in distress," Wolf said. "That's what they had in mind when they responded."

Benson began recording the scenario on his Instagram Live prior to the officers' arrival. When the officers arrived, they asked Benson if he was a Ball State student and if he was disrupting class.

Both videos about the incident show other students in the class standing up for Benson and claiming he was not disrupting class. Benson said because the class supported him, he left on his own accord so he wouldn't escalate the situation.

He spoke with the UPD officers in the hallway, who he said appeared confused about the incident.

Wolf said the officers were able to speak with Benson and offer him suggestions, advice and further steps for him to take.

Benson said he was afraid during the incident because of his perspective of the situation - he is a large, African-American man, and a white professor called the police on him.

"I'm from the south side of Chicago. I wasn't supposed to make it to college if [I'm] being honest," he said. "I made it to college, and I got the police called on me for being in the classroom. It scared me to say the least. You don't know what's going to happen in that 20 seconds. If I hadn't kept my composure, I could've been riddled with bullets, tased, beat down, handcuffed - there's no telling."

Despite his initial fears of law enforcement and social media comments alleging police use of profanity, Benson said UPD did not use any racial slurs toward him during the incident.

In the email Borna sent to Benson and his marketing class apologizing for the incident, the professor said he "mishandled" the situation.

"As a professor at Ball State University, it is my responsibility to ensure that you and all of my students receive an excellent educational experience," he said in the email. "I am sorry that my actions today did not contribute to that."

Borna has refused to comment any further on the incident.

According to a statement released by Ball State, during such incidents, the university works to understand what happened and how to improve based on what is learned - including talking with those who were involved and putting into place measures that will prevent future situations.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Benson said university administrators had not contacted him.

In an email sent out Thursday morning, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns said he wishes to meet with Benson to hear his account of the situation.

Also in the email, Mearns said he wants to meet with student and community leaders to get their advice on how Ball State can improve.

On Wednesday, Benson said he met with Russel Wahlers, chair of the marketing department, and was moved to another Marketing 310 class.

After speaking with his family lawyer, Benson said he and his mother are thinking about taking legal action.

Contact Hannah Gunnell with comments at hrgunnell@bsu.edu or on Twitter @hagunnellNEWS.

Ball State Women's Basketball (12-6, 4-2 MAC) found itself down in the game, but its effort never faded, as the team pushed on and beat Buffalo (12-5, 3-3 MAC), 69-65.

"It's kind of been our story all year … We have found ourselves in these situations," head coach Brady Sallee said. "That's what happens when I get in the way, but when I step out of the way, they just start playing and make me look good."

Another slow start for the Cardinals found the team down in a hole early, being down as much as 14 points. However, with energy on both sides of the ball, Ball State dug out of the dirt and completed a comeback.

Ball State started to come alive toward the back end of the second quarter, as it went on a 15-5 run to end the half, only down 32-29.

The momentum carried over into the second half, as junior forward Oshlynn Brown took over in the third quarter, and she could not be denied. Brown put up 14 points in the quarter alone, as she made 6-of-9 attempts in the quarter.

She was able to show a new part of her skillset, extending her range and knocking down three mid-range jump shots. She also took a step back on one, making her first 3-point shot of the season.

"I felt like the way that the defense was playing me was kind of disrespectful, like I can't shoot, so when I saw that, I felt like I should take advantage. I worked on it all summer," Brown said. "I didn't even think about it [on my first 3-point basket]. I just did it."

Although it was Brown's first made 3-pointer, Sallee said he wasn't surprised by the result.

"Nobody is going to believe this, but when she shot it and made it, I had like a proud dad moment because I see her do it every day," Sallee said. "We trust her, and I think that's the story of this group is that they all trust each other."

Brown finished the contest leading all scorers with 24 points, but she wasn't only active in the scoring column. She was all over the court, coming up with effort plays and dominating on the glass with 11 rebounds.

"In the second half, I started to realize what they were doing, and how they were playing defense and how they were playing our shooters, and I knew that's when I had to step in," Brown said. "Being able to play defense, talk to each other and all of that, I just felt like that's what a leader is being able to step up for the team."

Ball State was able to get production offensively as a collective group. Freshman guard Sydney Freeman scored 15 points, freshman forward Annie Rauch and sophomore forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir both recorded 13.

The Cardinals' defense is what changed the direction of the game. At the beginning of the contest, the Bulls were finding open shooters and taking advantage, which gave them the early lead.

However, Ball State was able to apply continuous pressure on the Buffalo offense, and the Bulls seemed uncomfortable at times, which led to 18 team turnovers in the game.

"The first quarter, we were a little bit soft in our plan, but once we got motivated after a couple timeouts, we started to defend," Sallee said. "We have been able to defend at this level all year, so we have a lot of faith on what we are doing defensively, and we can shut teams down."

The Cardinals will defend their home floor again Saturday as they take on Miami (Ohio).

Contact Daric Clemens with comments atdiclemens@bsu.eduor on Twitter@DaricClemens.

Welcome to a new season of The Coven AND Input2! This week we are hosting a crossover episode to discuss the newly released Oscar nominations and how they are creating controversy in the masses this year. How do these nominations encourage issues of patriarchy and racism? Do all of these nominations deserve their placings? Were there other movies that were overshadowed and deserved a nomination? Find this out and more in this week's episode of The Coven and Input2!

Hosted by: Ashley Curry, Tanner Kinney, and Shwetha Sundarrajan

Edited by: Kellyn Harrison

Graphic by: Katherine Simon

Katie Catterall is a freshman journalism major and writes "In Between the Lines" for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.

War. It's what the youth of America has known most of their lives. It's what I have known nearly my whole life with the War on Terror.

As a college student, I should not have to deal with the economic fallout from another war, a potential war with Iran, and neither should anybody else - not to mention the fact that war is immoral.

The belief that war is good for the economy is bolstered by the fact that increased military spending during times of war leads to employment, additional economic activity and adds to the development of new technologies, which can make their way into other industries - but what about after the war?

The temporary economic boom experienced from war, in my opinion, is not worth the economic situation that results after the war. As the government pays for war through debt, taxation or inflation, this affects students like me entering an economy with low growth rate and investment.

Being forced to enter the workforce after graduating college in a poor economy is not a situation I want to find myself in. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, an interdisciplinary research center at Brown University, does research on the economic costs of war and explains how this system of borrowing affects the economy.

"This borrowing has raised the U.S. budget deficit, increased the national debt and had other macroeconomic effects, such as raising consumer interest rates," the institute said.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affair isn't the only expert informing people that war is not ideal for the economy. Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan predicted in 1991 the conflict in the Middle East would lead to a poor economy. Greenspan believes instead of spending endless amounts of money on wars, we should invest that money into other areas, such as education and transportation.

And I agree with Greenspan - instead of spending money on these wars, we should be working on improving our education systems, our outdated transportation systems, our crumbling infrastructure and our outrageously expensive healthcare system.

The evidence suggesting war is harmful for the economy is clear when looking at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the Department of Defense's budget doubling during the 2000s, jobs were created at such a slow pace that it was comparable to when the United States' unemployment rate was at a high of 24.9 percent under President Hoover.

This clearly shows war does not help the economy. In fact, the Congressional Research Service states the Iraq and Afghanistan wars added over $1.4 trillion to deficits.

It's not just our economy to consider when talking about the consequences of war, though. We also have to look at the immorality of war and how it destroys countless innocent civilians' lives, effectively creating more terrorism. Many forget that during World War II, the results of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 135,000 people, and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 50,000 people. In the more recent years, wars with Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan alone have killed at least 244,000 people.

What does this all mean for college students like me? It means after graduation, we will be dealing with a high-stress economic situation. We should be investing that money into public services that could benefit the people, because the money that is being drained for pointless wars would instead be invested back into the economy.

But this isn't just about economics for me; it is about being a decent human being and standing up to say I will not support the slaughter of innocent people in accordance with whatever reason the United States gives for another war.

As college students, we are working hard to achieve success in the workforce. However, that is not possible if the United States keeps choosing to start interventionist wars. I am on the side of the student who is just trying to achieve their dreams, and if that makes me unpatriotic or anti-military, then so be it.

I am on the side of the countless innocent civilians whose lives are destroyed in these endless and pointless wars.

I am on the side of peace.

Contact Katie with comments atkhcatterall@bsu.edu.

212 degrees Fahrenheit boils water. It creates steam. It powers the engine. The analogy means doing the small things and taking the extra step can lead to bigger accomplishments. This is what head coach James Whitford has preached to his team all season.

The 1-degree difference has left a long-lasting impact on junior guard Ishmael El-Amin. This time last season, he was watching his team play from the bench with a wrist injury, and he knew he had to improve his body.

"I wanted to get stronger. I was in the weight room a lot over the summer," El-Amin said. "On the court, I knew this team was losing scorers after last year, so I knew this team was going to need a scorer on the offensive end. I got in the gym, got some shots up, worked on my ball handling and as the season went on, the team needed me to be a defender."

Ball State lost its leading scorer last season in Tayler Persons along with another prominent player in Trey Moses. El-Amin said he knew his role was going to increase, and he was ready to take that next step.

"Since the first day I came here as a freshman, I told coach Whitford, 'I will be ready for any role that you give me, and I will embrace it and give you 100 percent and give you my all,'" El-Amin said. "Whether that is starting or coming off of the bench, I was going to do whatever I needed to help the team get a win."

His hard work and positive attitude have paid off, as El-Amin sits seventh in the entire country in 3-point efficiency at 46 percent. He is the team's second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game after averaging just 6.9 last season and is currently looking to solidify a spot on the All-Mid-American Conference First Team.

However, El-Amin said it isn't about the numbers. It's about his team and adjusting his game by whatever means necessary to win. This even means weathering the storm of an ankle injury early in the season on redshirt senior guard K.J. Walton, who is considered the team's "defensive stopper."

"With K.J. going down, we lost our stopper," Whitford said. "Ish came to me and said, 'Hey coach, I'd like to do that role.' Those are the types of things that make a catalyst for a team. You see younger guys watching someone like Ish and how valuable he is for us, and they want to take the mantle on as our defensive stopper."

While El-Amin has the offensive numbers, it is the defensive side of the ball he is most proud of.

"I take the most pride in my defense," El-Amin said. "I wasn't really looked at as a defender, but I feel like I have shown in a quiet way at the end of non-conference and the start of conference play, and I feel like I have answered the bell for my coaches with who I need to guard. I am excited to be able to show them that I can be a defender and still be there offensively."

Whitford praised El-Amin's ability to be a great teammate and a responsible role model for the younger players in the locker room by taking what the game gives him and running with it.

"He continues to be a great person, and he continues to be incredibly responsible," Whitford said. "He has always been those things, but he has amped it up a little bit more, and the game has slowed down for him."

The Cardinals currently sit at 11-7 and are 4-1 in the MAC in large part because of El-Amin's selflessness. He was given his moment to shine, and he is remaining humble about it.

"It took me a little longer to be able to get out here and let the fans and my teammates know that I have been capable for a while," El-Amin said. "It just feels great to see the success. I don't shy away from any moment, but I am also not tooting my own horn. I stay confident but remain humble and continue to feel blessed about the opportunities given."

He was given the formula, and he made steam with it. Now, the train is rolling, and El-Amin is having the best season of his collegiate career.

Contact Ian Hansen with comments at imhansen@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ianh_2.

Because of the cold weather, it can seem difficult to keep this promise to exercise. Instead of letting winter limit your exercising options to the gym, consider visiting these destinations to enjoy the fresh air while walking around Muncie.

A minute-long video of the incident put out by the twitter account Barstool Ball State shows Shaheen Borna, professor of marketing, speaking with University Police Department officers and the student speaking with the officers.

A caption with the video states the professor called the police because the student "wouldn't change seats in the middle of class."

The twitter account @TheRealMufvsa_ acknowledged that he is the student in the video.

"Really just had the police called on me in class, Ball State Im totally disappointed," he tweeted.

Ball State's official Twitter account responded to him stating the university is aware of the incident and is reviewing the situation.

"At Ball State, we are committed to a successful student experience," the tweet said. "Anytime a student does not have an excellent student experience, we care deeply, and review the matter thoroughly as we are doing at this time."

Marc Ransford, senior media strategist at Ball State, said in an email that anytime an incident like this happens, the university works to understand what happened and ways improve based on what it learns.

"This includes talking with those who were involved and putting into place those measures that will prevent future situations," Ransford said. "In this particular situation, in addition to talking with those involved and putting educational and preventative measures in place, the faculty member also sent his own apology to the students in the class."

As an institution, he said Ball State will use this situation to learn and improve.

When asked for a comment, Borna confirmed that he did send out an apology letter to his class. He said all information about the incident has to be referred through Ball State's Marketing and Communications.

This story will be updated.

Sophie Nulph is a sophomore journalism major and writes "Open-Minded" for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.

Move on over, Princess Diana - there's a new royal rebel in town.

With the latest news on Duchess Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, people have found yet another reason to scrutinize the royal couple. The family has decided to take a step back from the royalty scene, wanting to split their time living between Europe and North America.

Markle and the Prince will stop taking public funds from the country as well as drop their titles of "his/her royal highness." The loss of the title means Queen Elizabeth II will no longer be represented by the couple - however, she has stated they will always be viewed as family.

Meghan Markle is the modern-day Princess Diana, who was only admired and appreciated postpartum. We can't make this same mistake we made with Diana with Markle, and Prince Harry agrees. In a statement, the Duke said he would not let his wife fall victim to the same thing he lost his mother to, which in itself has sparked talk about Diana's death.

Markle comes from a biracial, divorced household in California, and because of this, the tabloids were quick to judge the 38-year-old actress. Headlines from these tabloids differ insanely between Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and Markle, even when they did the same things. One headline about Middleton read, "Why you can always say it with flowers" about flowers at her wedding, while Markle's headline for the same thing read, "Royal wedding: How Meghan Markle's flowers may have put Princess Charlotte's life at risk."
The press negativity got so bad after Markle and the Prince's engagement that the royal palace released a statement telling the tabloids their treatment toward the soon-to-be duchess was unacceptable.

Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana of Wales, was under fire by the press when she was alive, too. The young princess married Prince Charles of Wales when she was only 19, and though she is adored by people now, Diana was not very popular before she passed away. This is partly because of her separation and eventual divorce from Prince Charles but also because of how different she was from the rest of the royal family.

In the Netflix documentary, "Diana: In Her Own Words," Diana talked about the continuous tabloid hate she received. Diana's narrative in this documentary, produced by National Geographic, was monumental to getting an insight into the royal family. The narrative explained Diana was doing these interviews in secret. She was talking to a close friend that was relaying the information to journalist Andrew Morton, who was writing a book about the life of Lady Diana. The princess suffered from depression and bulimia while in the family and was very open about the overwhelming pressures of being in the royal family in the documentary.

Markle shows striking similarities to her late mother-in-law in struggles with the media. Markle, like Diana, was unafraid to be a human in the press. She has openly shown the struggles of becoming a new mother - much like Diana was open with her postpartum depression. Likewise, Markle and Diana were both subjected to constant press attention. When you have pictures taken of your every move, how could something not go wrong?

Meghan Markle is the modern version of Princess Diana, but society has not learned its lesson.

People hated Diana until she passed. Now, she is adored.

We have another chance to open our minds to change with Meghan Markle, and we can't miss this opportunity. Markle has taken over Diana's legacy of normalizing the royals, and the royal family is already benefiting by becoming more open-minded on normalizing the lives of the monarchy. Through her openness with the press and the latest news of the family taking a step back from everything, Markle is showing that even royalty isn't perfect, and Harry, unlike Charles, is with his wife every step of the way.

Contact Sophie with comments at smnulph@bsu.edu.

Welcome back everybody to a new season of Remixed! In this week's episode, we talk about concerning trends regarding the journalism industry and some albums recently released last week by Mac Miller, Halsey, Eminem, etc. How does music journalism impact our history and why are these trends so concerning? How does Eminem's album compare to his older music and create controversy? Does Mac Miller's new album give justice to his legacy? Find all this out and more in this week's episode of Remixed!

Hosted by: Jack Gillespie and Baylie Clevenger

Edited by: Kellyn Harrison

Thumbnail by: Katherine Simon

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The 2020 Census kicks off Tuesday in remote Alaska. U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham will be there to conduct the first count in the Bering Sea community of Toksook Bay. Dillingham planned to spend time Friday at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in Anchorage, giving students a lesson on statistics. Additional outreach is planned throughout the weekend.

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WHY IS THE 2020 CENSUS STARTING IN ALASKA?

With its sparse population and subzero temperature, rural Alaska can be hard to reach, and some of its villages are accessible only when the ground is frozen. So, the Census Bureau starts the head count in The Last Frontier state by going door-to-door in January - more than two months before the rest of the nation - so it can make sure it reaches villages before the spring thaw, when residents head out to fish and hunt. The state's heritage is traditionally on display during these first counts. In 2000, then-U.S. Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt arrived for the first count in the village of Unalakleet as a passenger in a dog sled. "Our census takers will be using small planes, as I will be in a couple of days, or snowmobiles, which I'm uncertain of. But maybe that's what I'm gonna do as well," Dillingham told state and Alaska Native leaders during an appearance Friday at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. This year, Alaska Native dancers from Toksook Bay will perform for Dillingham.

Full Coverage:Census 2020

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WHEN DOES IT START ELSEWHERE?

Residents in the rest of the U.S., as well as the rest of Alaska, can start responding online and by telephone in mid-March. The Census Bureau plans to send out a first round of notices explaining how to participate during the second week of March. It will send up to four more rounds of mailings, including a paper questionnaire, in March and April to households that haven't responded.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CENSUS 2020

• - Census Bureau plans hundreds of ads in 13 languages for 2020
• - Not on form, but brawl over citizenship question continues
• - Advocates warn citizenship, digital divide may affect Census
• - Facebook to tackle efforts to interfere with 2020 US census

WILL SOMEONE BE KNOCKING AT MY DOOR?

Only if you fail to reply online, by mail or by telephone. This is the first census in which the Census Bureau is encouraging most people to answer the questions via the internet. Around three-quarters of households will initially get invitations to respond to the questionnaire online. However, the Census Bureau realizes some communities don't have easy access to the internet, and about a quarter of households will initially receive paper questionnaires that can be mailed back. By May, the Census Bureau will be sending out workers to knock on the doors of households it hasn't heard back from.

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WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS?

The form asks how many people live in the household as of April 1, whether the home is owned or rented, and the form-filler's age, race and sex. It also asks if the form-filler is Latino, and if so, their country of origin. In the race question, the form-filler also can specify country of origin. All other residents in the household must answer, or have the first form-filler answer for them, the same questions on age, sex and race. They must specify their relationship to the form-filler and if they live elsewhere, like away at college. For the first time, same-sex couples will be able to identify as such, either as spouses or unmarried partners.

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IS THERE A CITIZENSHIP QUESTION?

No. The Trump administration tried to add the question, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked it.

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WHO GETS COUNTED?

Everyone residing in the United States and the five U.S. territories, including non-citizens and immigrants living in the country illegally. Also included are military personnel temporarily deployed overseas, who are counted at their home addresses in the U.S. "Our goal is count everyone once, only once and to count them in the right place," Dillingham said.

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WILL MY INFORMATION BE SHARED?

No. Under federal law, all responses are kept completely confidential, and they can be used only to produce statistics.

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WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THE CENSUS?

Because it is used to determine who your representative in Congress is, where new businesses can build, how crowded your local schools will get over the next decade, and whether highways in your community get money for repairs. The results of the 2020 census help determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending, as well as how many congressional seats each state gets.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senators like to float above messy politics in what's known by some as the dignified "upper chamber," home of Congress' cooler heads and lofty rhetoric.

But as a court of President Donald Trump's impeachment, the Senate beginning Tuesday might seem more like the economy cabin of an oversold flight on an especially tense, mandatory work trip.

Rock star legal teams will cram the airy well of the chamber just a few feet from each other and Chief Justice John Roberts. Four television screens take up rarified space. Staff will snap up seats near the wall. A podium stands at the center aisle.

As for phones, it's worse than airplane mode: They are banned from the chamber. That maroons 100 chatty senators - including four Democrats in the heat of a nomination fight - for the serious constitutional business of the impeachment trial, for hours at a time.

"I'm going to be stuck in Washington for God knows how long," Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters in Des Moines Monday night.

What - and whom - to watch when the trial gets underway around 1 p.m. EST Tuesday:

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GROUND RULES

But first, naturally, some talk from senators.

The Senate opens with debate on the structure and rules of the proceedings. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing a condensed, two-day calendar for opening arguments on the articles passed by the House on Dec. 18. They charge Trump with abusing power by pressuring Ukraine to help him politically, and obstructing Congress when it tried to find out what happened.

McConnell's ground rules are outlined in a four-page resolution that must be voted on as one of the first orders of business. It pushes off any votes on witnesses until later in the process, rather than up front, as Democrats had demanded. But McConnell's plan on witnesses lines up with the organizing resolution that set the structure of President Bill Clinton's trial in 1999.

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DRAWING THE CURTAIN

"At all times," according to Senate rules, a majority of senators present can vote to close the proceedings and debate in private. That would mean the cameras shut off and everyone who's not a member of the Senate kicked out of the chamber until the senators choose to reopen it.

Senators did that at various points during the Clinton trial. McConnell then argued that members of the chamber listen to each other better in private.

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A LONG HAUL

After the four days of opening arguments - maximum 24 hours per side - senators will be allowed up to 16 hours for questions to the prosecution and defense, followed by four hours of debate. Only then will there be votes on calling other witnesses.

Senate rules say the trial must proceed six days a week - all but Sunday - until it is resolved.

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OFF THE TRAIL, OFF THE GRID

Watch a coterie of Democratic senators who literally would rather be somewhere else - specifically Iowa and New Hampshire - ahead of their party's kickoff votes for the right to try to unseat Trump in the November election.

Watch Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota for signs of fatigue from flying between Washington and these places and coping with being off the internet for hours at a time.

Also look for the surrogates, video calls to supporters and ads designed to give them a measure of presence in the early nominating states.

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THE PROSECUTORS

Leading the case for the House is Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of Californian and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York. Five other Democrats round out the prosecution team, a group House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she chose in part for their experience with the law.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., has worked on three impeachment inquiries, starting with the one that helped persuade President Richard Nixon to resign. Rep. Val Demings of Florida is not a lawyer, but she is a former police chief and a member of both committees deeply familiar with the case against Trump. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is a lawyer and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, so he's close to Pelosi's ranks.

Pelosi also chose two freshmen who helped flip the House from GOP control in 2018. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas is a former judge. And Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado is a retired Army Ranger who was one of the seven new members with national security backgrounds to call for Trump's impeachment over his conduct with Ukraine.

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FOR THE PRESIDENT

Trump cast some big personalities for seats at the defense table.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone and personal lawyer Jay Sekulow are expected to lead the argument that Trump committed no crimes, that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense and that the president is a victim of a political "witch hunt" by Democrats.

Bringing experience both in constitutional law and the politics of impeachment, he's adding retired law professor Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr, the independent counsel who investigated Clinton. The team also will include Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general.

The team, less experienced in the Senate than the House prosecutors as a whole, visited the Senate chamber Monday, in part to test the equipment they expect to use for audio-visual presentations.

Look for signs of tension involving the president's outside legal team and lawyers within the White House. Dershowitz on Sunday tried to distance himself from the president.

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THE NUMBERS

100: The total number of senators.

53: The Republican majority.

51: The number of senators who must agree on almost anything to make it happen during an impeachment trial.

Four: The number of Republican senators who must join Democrats to get to the magical 51.

2/3: The proportion of senators required to convict and remove a president from office. So 67 members of the Senate would have to vote to convict if every senator is voting.

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THE GANG

Both sides will be keeping tabs on the Senate's moderates for an emerging gang of three to four who could influence the outcome on such matters as whether to subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton. That vote won't be taken for days if not weeks.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has been meeting with a small number of GOP colleagues who want to consider witness testimony and documents that weren't part of the House impeachment investigation. Watch GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for signs of whether this group can stick together and force the Senate to consider additional material.

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Follow Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.Twitter.com/APLaurieKellman

The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidates marching together for MLK Jr. Day, updates on Harvey Weinstein's trial, federal funding for the drug addiction crisis and the Screen Actors Guild Awards make up this week's five national stories.

Trump impeachment trial to begin with rules fight, long days

President Donald Trump's impeachment trial is set to unfold at the Capitol, a contentious proceeding to render judgment on his Ukraine actions as Americans form their own verdict at the start of an election year. As the Senate reconvenes with Chief Justice John Roberts presiding over the rare impeachment court, senators sworn to "impartial justice," the legacy of Trump's presidency and the system of checks and balances are at stake before a politically divided nation.

Read More: Trump impeachment

2020 Democratic contenders link arms in MLK Jr. Day march

Democratic presidential candidates hit pause on their recent feuds Monday as they walked together through the streets of Columbia, South Carolina, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and rally around their push to defeat President Donald Trump in November. For a few hours, the squabbling among the White House hopefuls over who is best positioned to defeat Trump gave way to a united condemnation of how they perceive he has handled America's racial divide.

Read more: Election 2020

#MeToo prosecutors deploy experts early to thwart defense

When his trial opens, Harvey Weinstein's defense team is expected to go on the offensive against the women who have accused him of rape and sexual assault, in part by questioning if they acted like victims afterward. New York City prosecutors intend to counter with a strategy that's taken hold since the 2018 retrial of comedian Bill Cosby: calling a sex crimes expert as a witness to dispel assumptions about how rape and sexual assault victims behave after an attack.

Read more: Harvey Weinstein

Feds allow use of opioid funds to stem meth, cocaine surge

Alarmed by a deadly new twist in the drug addiction crisis, the government will allow states to use federal money earmarked for the opioid epidemic to help growing numbers of people struggling with meth and cocaine. The change is buried in a massive spending bill passed by Congress late last year. Lawmakers of both parties and the Trump administration agreed to broaden the scope of a $1.5 billion grant program previously restricted to the opioid crisis.

Read More: Drug addiction

'Parasite' wins at SAG Awards, so do Pitt, Aniston

Bong Joon Ho's Korean class satire "Parasite" became the first foreign language film to take top honors from the Screen Actors Guild Sunday, setting itself up as a legitimate best picture contender to the front-runner, "1917," at next month's Academy Awards. Before the win for "Parasite," the SAG Awards were most notable as a reunion for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, who each took home awards and celebrated the other's win.

Read More: Entertainment

Braxton Williams, senior sociology major, said this was his first Unity March because of sub-zero temperatures in previous years.

"I think it's nice to acknowledge our history and everything that people have done, and I think MLK, along with many other civil rights leaders and leaders in general, deserve a spotlight in history," Williams said.

The march was preceded by Ball State's annual MLK Community Breakfast, an event in which members of the Ball State and Muncie communities gather for a free breakfast and speak about equal rights in memory of the civil rights leader.

Stacey Edwards-Dunn, keynote speaker at the breakfast, said King's words should be taken seriously now more than ever.

"We can't just celebrate history, relegate Dr. King to a dream or hear a speech and go back to our classes, our desks, our homes and do business as usual," Edwards-Dunn said. "Today in 2020, we must remember the real Dr. King - the one who chose not to be popular but prophetic."

Her speech, which focused on several issues of equality in the country today, was received with multiple cheers and standing ovations from the audience.

Edwards-Dunn concluded her address, thanking other civil rights leaders like Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks, who she said "took hits for us and tasted some strange fruit for us."

"We can do it because one day … we will all togethersay, 'Free at last … Thank God Almighty, we're free at last,'" she said.

Mayor Dan Ridenour presented the proclamation during the breakfast, declaring the 37th Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the City of Muncie.

"[King] led a nonviolent movement that summoned all kinds of people - people of color, white, rich and poor to stimulate the moral consciousness of America," Ridenour said.

Terry Bailey, 2019 Muncie mayoral candidate, said she remembers the first MLK Day observance Ball State had when she used to work as an assistant to the university's president. She said they aimed to make it inclusive for both the university and the community.

"[This celebration] has grown, and grown and grown, and it's so exciting to see how the community and the university have been working together to observe a great man," Bailey said. "The unification of people is something [King] wanted to do," Bailey said.

Other events at the breakfast included a presentation about the MLK Dream Team, the academic recognition of students from schools in Delaware County, a musical performance and other speeches.

Following the breakfast, some attendees like Judy Hessel, acquisitions supervisor at Ball State, walked with her daughters Emily and Lily in the Unity March.

"We think it's important to learn the history, so not to repeat history, especially in the time period where there's a lot of tension," Hessel said. "We want to show more love, not hate."

She said she wanted to share the memory and the importance of MLK Day with her children.

"I learned that he was trying to change the world," Emily said when asked what she learned about King at the event.

Contact Bailey Cline with comments at bacline@bsu.edu or on Twitter @BaileyCline.

Prince Harry's reasons for stepping down from royal duties, a new viral pneumonia in China, Guatemalan migrants attempting to pass through Mexico, wildfires in Australia and the volcano eruption in the Philippines make up this week's five international stories.

Prince Harry: 'Powerful media' is why he's stepping away

Prince Harry has taken aim at the journalists who have dissected his life since the day he was born, as he expressed regret for the way he has had to step down from royal duties. In a personal speech that referenced his late mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident while being pursued by paparazzi, Harry said Sunday he had "no other option″ but to step away, as he and his wife, Meghan, seek a more peaceful life.

Read more: Royal rift

Cases of new viral pneumonia in China surpass 200

China reported a sharp rise in the number of people infected with a new coronavirus including the first cases in the capital. The outbreak coincides with Lunar New Year holidays, China's busiest travel period. Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, where the viral pneumonia appears to have originated, said an additional 136 cases have been confirmed, bringing the total to 198 infected patients in the city. As of the weekend, the death toll is three people.

Read more: Health

Migrants marooned in Guatemala plan surge into Mexico

More than a thousand Central American migrants attempting to reach the U.S. were preparing to again walk en masse early Monday across a bridge leading to Mexico in an attempt to convince authorities there to allow them safe passage through the country. Over the weekend, Mexican troops slammed the welcome gate shut on the Rodolfo Robles bridge, as hundreds of migrants pressed forward in an effort to force their way through.

Read more: Guatemala

Fires set stage for irreversible forest loses in Australia

Australia's forests are burning at a rate unmatched in modern times. Scientists say its landscape is being permanently altered, as a warming climate brings profound changes. Heat waves and drought have fueled bigger and more frequent fires in parts of Australia, so far this season torching an area about as big as Ohio. Government officials are making plans to reseed burned areas to speed up forest recovery that could otherwise take decades or even centuries.

Read more: Wildfires

Philippines looks for safer homes for volcano residents

The Philippine government will no longer allow people to live on the crater-studded island that's home to the erupting Taal volcano. The simmering volcano has ejected smaller ash plumes for days after a gigantic eruption Jan. 12 sent ash drifting north over Manila, the capital, about 40 miles away. While a larger, explosive eruption is still possible and tens of thousands of evacuees remain in emergency shelters, officials have begun discussing post-eruption recovery.

Read more: Philippines