Welcome to Optimize, a weekly update to keep you informed on what has happened during the week. Here are five national/international stories (and one local one) that you should know:

Jared Kushner’s security clearance

It has been confirmed that when Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, got cleared by security last year, it was under the chief order of the President. The clearance had been under wraps and that intelligence officials and lawyers advised Trump to not go through with it. Trump has since denied that he did anything of the sort and that his clearance had been done through “regular” procedures.

Michael Cohen trial

President Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is testifying at Capitol Hill next month. The day is he returning to give his statement is the day he was supposed to be reporting to prison for his three year sentence, but was delayed for the congressional hearing.

U.S and North Korea talks

The past Thursday, the second summit meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the United States President Donald Trump occurred in Hanoi, Vietnam. The leaders had talks of denuclearizing North Korea’s most important nuclear facility if the United States would lift the sanctions imposed on the nation, however, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement. It is interesting to note that after the meeting their were contradicting reports from both sides about the specifics of the denuclearization deal.

Afghanistan troop withdrawal

In the next few months, President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of 7,000 troops from Afghanistan which was a surprising decision to Afghan officials who had heard nothing of this plan beforehand. With this war being the longest the U.S. has ever been a part of, it is unclear what steps will be taken after the withdrawal.

Jonas Brothers are back

The Jonas Brothers made the announcement on Thursday afternoon on The Late Show that they will be returning to the music scene. Fans got their first hint at their new single when each of the brothers shared a picture of the cover on their instagram pages. The song depicts the feeling of being enticed by someone. The music video is set to be released soon.

Local Bonus: New BHSN principal

Michelle Brittain-Watts will start as Bloomington High School North’s new principal starting in April. She will be the first full time principal since November when their previous principal was fired after a string of incidents that weren’t handled properly.