Videos of the Day: Trump, First Lady Host Lawmakers for Congressional Ball

Epoch Newsroom
12/16/2018
Updated:
12/16/2018

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania hosted U.S. lawmakers and staff at the White House on Dec. 15, as part of the Congressional Christmas Ball.

In his welcoming comments while flanked by the First Lady and by Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Trump said the country has a chance to enjoy “great healthcare” now that a federal judge has ruled former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law unconstitutional.

“Exciting things happened over the last 24 hours. And if everybody’s smart... and if the Republicans and Democrats get together, we’re going to end up with incredible healthcare,” Trump told the black-tie crowd.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday sided with a coalition of 20 states that argued requiring people to pay for insurance coverage is illegal because a change in tax law last year eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance.

Father of Guatemalan Girl Who Died Has ‘No Complaints’ About Border Patrol

The father of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died while crossing into the United States has “no complaints” about the way she was treated while being detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, according to Guatemalan officials.

Nery Gilberto Caal said Border Patrol agents did what they could to help his daughter, Jakelin Caal Maquin, after she got sick on a bus.

The bus traveled from Antelope Wells Port of Entry in New Mexico to a Border Patrol station in Lordsburg, New Mexico. She died Dec. 8 in El Paso, Texas, an official said.

Caal also said he is “grateful for the many first responders that tried to save young Jakelin’s life in New Mexico and Texas,” according to his lawyers in a statement obtained by the network.

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New York Lantern Festival Kicks Off

The holiday season is in full swing in New York as the city’s first Winter Lantern Festival gets underway.

Onlookers gathered at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Staten Island to catch a glimpse of the more than 3,000 handmade lanterns.

The seven-acre attraction is broken up into seven zones and features cultural Chinese performances, among other features.

The festival runs through Jan. 6.

Santa Rappels Down Skyscraper to Deliver Gifts to Berlin Children

Santa Claus ditched the traditional chimney in Berlin on Sunday, Dec. 16, instead scaling down a 25-storey tower.

St. Nicholas repelled down the Kollhoff Tower on Potsdamer Platz to deliver presents to children waiting at the bottom.

His first stop was to a cafe on the 24th floor using a rope ladder.

He said one of his sacks of toys had fallen off his sleigh, necessitating the pit stop.