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A2 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 11 February 2020

Melania Trump asks governors' spouses to tackle cyberassault

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE "He was so ashamed and him. Mrs. Trump in the past
Associated Press felt so hopeless that Chan- has said she is mindful that
WASHINGTON (AP) — Me- ning committed suicide," people are skeptical of her
lania Trump on Monday Mrs. Trump said. "Since their focus on online bullying be-
cited the influence of tragic loss, the Smith family cause of her husband's be-
"Achy Breaky Heart" singer has been using their grief havior.
Billy Ray Cyrus as she asked to partner with influencers But she has said she won't
spouses of the nation's gov- such as Billy Ray Cyrus to be deterred from her goal
ernors to address cyberas- educate people about the of helping children and the
sault in their states. dangers of cyberassault." next generation.
"I know the many issues as- Cyrus, who achieved noto- "I would like to take this
sociated with online safety riety with the 1992 hit, "Achy time to ask that you and
will be hard to stop, but Breaky Heart," performed your spouses consider ad-
there is a need now more at Channing's memorial dressing this issue in your
than ever to teach our service. own home states so that
children healthy behavior The first lady's focus on no family will have to suffer
to secure a safer future for First lady Melania Trump sits down at her table after speaking negative online behavior from a loss like the Smiths,"
all of them," the first lady during the Governors' Spouses' luncheon in the Blue Room of the comes as her husband, she told the spouses, who
said before she sat down White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. President Donald Trump, accompanied many of
with the spouses for a cozy Associated Press uses his Twitter account America's governors to
lunch in the White House White House, where he in- intimate messages he ex- to go after opponents. He Washington for their annual
Blue Room. troduced her to the Smiths, changed with a boy had has spent the days since his winter meeting and White
Online safety is one of of Manchester, Tennessee. been spread across social acquittal last week in the House visit.
three components of the Sixteen-year-old Channing media by classmates. At Senate impeachment trial She asked them to help
first lady's "Be Best" youth Smith took his life in Sep- the time, Channing had sending belittling tweets "promote values of encour-
initiative. She and Cyrus tember 2019 after the high not been public about his about a handful of law- agement, kindness, com-
met last November at the school junior found out that sexuality. makers who voted against passion and respect."q