After 'while pedophile
Zander's Weekend Facts #146 - Sunday, November 24, 2024
A familiar face on Russian state television to be Director of National Intelligence, a vaccine conspiracy theorist to head the Department of Health and Human Services, and a Fox News host who doesn’t believe men and women should serve together in uniform, along with being accused of sexual assault, to lead the Pentagon.
To be considered the “worst” of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet selections for his second term takes quite an effort. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) appeared giddy to take the cake.
Gaetz was nominated to serve as attorney general back on November 13, a tenure that lasted a mere eight days. In a society that better organized its priorities, it would be universally considered eight days too long.
Gaetz had served in Congress from Florida’s 1st District since 2017, becoming well-known as one of the furthest right members of the House of Representatives. While in the House, Gaetz had been accused of witness tampering, spread falsehoods regarding the results of the 2020 presidential election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and voted against giving Congressional Gold Medals to the police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6.
Gaetz’s troubles, however, extend far beyond the typical foolish activities conducted by a facetious member of the House Republican Conference. Gaetz had been investigated by the Department of Justice for child sex trafficking and as recently as earlier this month, remained under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. The New York Times wrote that the investigation included “allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use; sharing inappropriate images or videos on the House floor; misusing state identification records; converting campaign funds to personal use; and accepting impermissible gifts under House rules.”
Gaetz immediately resigned from Congress after his nomination was made public, because that seems like something a totally innocent person would do. His resignation meant that the Ethics Committee’s probe concluded as he was no longer a Congressman. Unfortunately, Republicans on the committee, backed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) refused to publicly release the investigation’s report (again, totally not suspicious.)
CNN then reported last week that a witness had told the House Ethics Committee that she had had two sexual encounters with Gaetz at a party when she was 17 years old. Gaetz pulled out of the nomination process after the story was published. Previous reporting found that two women had testified to the committee that Gaetz had paid them for “sexual favors.”
To be clear, this nomination should have never even come close to happening. Matt Gaetz is far from a serious person, let alone a serious political figure. When Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) (of pidgin fame) “stood expressionless as reporters asked him if he had any concerns about Gaetz”, that should have told you all you needed to know. (Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the one who typically freezes in public.)
Trump campaigned, for the second time, on dismantling the bureaucracy and those who have empowered it. Whether importing a host of outsiders succeeds remains to be seen (although the answer is likely already known), yet those appointees should probably be knowledgeable of what they will be in charge of, at the very least. According to reporting from The Washington Post, “Gaetz seemed nervous and did not appear familiar with the scope of the Justice Department” during meetings on Capitol Hill over the last week.
Gaetz’s acumen is likely typical of the appointments the president-elect is making. The only difference is that Gaetz is quite possibly a criminal (although the president-elect himself is too and he still won the election) and that he angered enough of his fellow Republicans.
The only glimmer of hope to take from this situation is that enough Senate Republicans had the guts to tell Gaetz that his nomination wouldn’t succeed. In that sense, they cleared the bar, however low that bar may be.
In his place, Trump has nominated former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, who falsely accused Democrats of cheating in the 2020 presidential election, among a whole host of other issues you’ll find with her professional judgment. You’re about to see just how low that bar is when she’s confirmed as the next U.S. attorney general.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from The New York Times - Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Consideration for Attorney General
What Zander’s been reading
After states in the southern U.S. were forced to integrate public schools in the 1960s, many began funding voucher programs to private schools known as “segregation academies.” Almost six decades later, ProPublica has found that many of these private schools are still operating, and are once again receiving public money.
Check out this week’s featured article in ProPublica - Segregation Academies in Mississippi Are Benefiting From Public Dollars, as They Did in the 1960s
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the latest headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 12: A snowy spectacle marked the debut of week 12 in the NFL as the Browns pulled off the upset over the Steelers 24-19 on Thursday night. Switching to Sunday, the 1:00 pm ET window is highlighted by Vikings-Bears, Cowboys-Commanders, and Chiefs-Panthers. At 4:00 pm ET, the Broncos take on the Raiders, the Seahawks host the Cardinals, and the 49ers battle the Packers. Sunday night features the Eagles facing the Rams, while the Ravens visit the Chargers on Monday night. Week 13 begins with a Thanksgiving Day tripleheader, including Bears-Lions at 12:30 pm ET on CBS, Giants-Cowboys at 4:30 pm ET on Fox, and Dolphins-Packers at 8:20 pm ET on NBC. The Raiders will take on the Chiefs on Black Friday at 3:00 pm ET on Prime Video.
College Football Week 13: #2 Ohio State ended #5 Indiana’s perfect season on Saturday with a 38-15 dominant victory. The college football Saturday was also defined by upsets, particularly in the SEC where Florida knocked off #9 Ole Miss 24-17 and #7 Alabama fell to Oklahoma 24-3, likely knocking both teams out of contention for the College Football Playoff. Elsewhere, #6 Notre Dame stomped #19 Army 49-14, #21 Arizona State took down #14 BYU 37-21, and #3 Texas beat Kentucky 31-14. Plus, Kansas pulled off an upset over #16 Colorado 37-21, #4 Penn State held on against Minnesota 26-25, and Auburn took down #15 Texas A&M 43-41 in four overtimes. Next weekend marks the final week of the college football regular season.
UEFA Champions League: The league phase of the UEFA Champions League returns this week with Matchday 5. Tuesday’s action is highlighted by Bayer Leverkusen facing Salzburg, Bayern Munich hosting Paris Saint-Germain, and Feyenoord visiting Manchester City, who have lost their last five games, all at 3:00 pm ET. The match of the week will take place on Wednesday, with Liverpool hosting Real Madrid, while Aston Villa take on Juventus and Monaco face Benfica, all at 3:00 pm ET. All 18 matches of Matchday 5 will air on Paramount+ and kick-off at either 12:45 pm ET or 3:00 pm ET on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Geno Auriemma: University of Connecticut women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history last week. UConn’s 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday was the 1,217th for Auriemma, passing retired Stanford women’s basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer for the most wins of any men’s or women’s college basketball coach.
NWSL Championship: The Orlando Pride captured their first NWSL title in franchise history with a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night. The Pride’s Brabra Banda scored the match’s lone goal in the 37th minute to become the first club to win the championship after finishing with the league’s top regular season record since 2019. Six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta, won her first NWSL championship in possibly the final match of her career after she retired from international soccer earlier this year.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here’s a recap of the top news headlines from the past week:
Trump Cabinet Picks: President-elect Donald Trump finalized his top selections for his cabinet last week. Trump tapped former White House domestic policy adviser Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary, while choosing hedge fund manager Scott Scott Bessent as treasury secretary. Trump also selected former WWE executive Linda McMahon as education secretary, and New York medical director Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general. Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, has been embroiled in controversy, particularly for a 2017 sexual assault allegation.
Russia-Ukraine War: The conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated last week after Russia fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. The strike came after Ukraine had begun launching longer-range weapons into Russia once the U.S. had approved their use. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that Western air defense systems are unable to stop the new missile. The strike has prompted Ukraine and NATO to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
Jair Bolsonaro: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was indicted by the country’s federal police last week. Bolsonaro is accused of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 Brazilian presidential election to President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva. Bolsonaro is one of 37 people who were indicted as part of a criminal conspiracy seeking to keep Bolsonaro in power. On January 7, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took part in riots across the capital of Brasília. If convicted, Bolsonaro, who has denied the charges, could spend years in prison.
ICC Arrest Warrants: The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for three prominent individuals involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict last week. The ICC charged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and former Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif with war crimes and crimes against humanity during the current war between Israel and Hamas. Both sides, along with the White House, have dismissed the decision.
Google Break Up: The Department of Justice asked a federal court to force Google’s parent company Alphabet to break up last week. Federal prosecutors are seeking for Google to divest its web browser, Chrome, in order to create an equal playing field for search engine competitors. DOJ is also calling for Google to divest its mobile operating system, Android, and to stop the company from entering into exclusionary agreements with companies such as Apple and Samsung.
Wrapping up the Facts
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, December 1, 2024.