Lettuce forget Liz
ZWF #37: Sunday, October 23, 2022
45 days. That’s all it took for Liz Truss’ government to plunder, with the U.K. in search of a new Prime Minister once again.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, an ode to the shortest-tenured U.K. PM in history, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top news and sports headlines from the past week.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 79 features a trip around the world, with Zander breaking down everything you need to know about the ongoing presidential election in Brazil. Plus, Zander is joined by a special guest to provide the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. Go download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, October 23, 2022:
The U.K. in search of another Prime Minister
If you think our politics in the U.S. are chaotic, just go take a look at what’s going on across the pond.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss announced on Thursday that she will be resigning from the position, just over six weeks after she took over for Boris Johnson. It has been a tumultuous six weeks, to say the least.
Truss was named as the next Prime Minister on September 6 after her predecessor, Boris Johnson, resigned after multiple scandals rocked his tenure. (Which was discussed on this newsletter, by the way.)
Truss was not elected by the general population. Instead, she was appointed by the ruling Conservative party, who have the majority in Parliament. Truss served as foreign secretary under Johnson, and has been a member of Parliament since 2010.
Truss was already destined to face a rough first few weeks in office, as the British economy has faced significant headwinds. Energy bills jumped nearly 80% this month and inflation rising over 10% from the previous year have been the major issues facing Truss and the U.K.
However, Truss’ response to those issues missed the mark completely. At the beginning of her tenure, Truss announced new tax cuts and dereglation measures while looked eerily similar to that of trickle down-economics. The announcement immediately caused turmoil within investors, with the British pound sinking to historically low levels against the U.S. dollar.
In response, Truss had to complete a massive and humiliating 180°, reversing nearly all of the tax cuts she announced and firing close ally Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor of the Exchequer.
Additionally, Interior Minister Suella Bravermen was forced to step down after an email breach, but expressed her concerns for the government on the way out the door.
By that point, the writing was on the wall. On October 14, the British tabloid Daily Star set up a live stream of a decaying lettuce, asking whether the lettuce could outlast Liz Truss.
It turns out, the lettuce won.
Political polls came out showing support for the Conservatives plummeted, infighting among the party grew raucous, and MPs began publically voicing their support for removing Truss as PM. It all led to Truss resigning on Thursday, and if she hadn’t, it likely would have resulted in her removal from another measure.
So now, the United Kingdom is in search of another Prime Minister, what will be the third individual to hold that position this year. And just like with Truss’ appointment, a general election is unlikely to be held. With the next general election not scheduled until 2025, it would take the next PM to call an election for one to be held any sooner, a move unlikely to happen considering the Conservatives’ dismal approval ratings.
The Conservative Party is hoping to name the next PM next week, with much of the same names as last time in the running. Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are all seen as frontrunners, with some even speculating that former PM Boris Johnson could attempt to make a return.
In any case, it is yet another for the failure for the Conservatives, and the U.K. The U.S. midterms are in a few weeks, but even the upcoming elections they may not be as loony as what’s going on in the U.K.
For more on what’s going on in the U.K. government, check out this article from The New York Times - What Happened With Liz Truss in Britain? A Guide to the Basics.
What Zander’s been reading this week
It has been common knowledge for some time now that it was the impact of an asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs hundreds of thousands of years ago. However, for the first time now, scientists are now able to simulate the tsunami that brought the Mesozoic Era to an end.
Check out this week’s featured article in The Washington Post - Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs triggered ‘megatsunami,’ with mile-high waves (Link for article on Apple News)
Rapid-fire Facts
Here are the top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
President Biden’s federal student loan debt relief was temporarily halted by a federal court on Friday. In a lawsuit filed by Republican state attorneys general to block the program, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay while the court considers the motion. In a separate lawsuit filed by a group of Wisconsin taxpayers, an emergency appeal was rejected by Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
President Biden announced that in the event that Democrats expand their majorities in Congress after next month’s midterm elections, the first bill he would send to Congress next year would enshrine abortion rights into law. With the midterm elections just a few weeks away, Democrats are hoping the overturning of Roe v. Wade will turn their voters out to the polls, despite recent polling and election forecasts showing an increasingly favorable environment for Republicans.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine after he defied a subpoena from the House January 6 Committee. Bannon is appealing the conviction and will remain free while the appeal takes place. Bannon is also the host of a right-wing podcast where he criticized the Jan. 6 Committee and has spread conspiracy theories.
China’s Communist Party is expected to give President Xi Jinping a new five-year term as the country’s ruling party wraps up a weeklong congress meeting. On Saturday, the party reaffirmed its commitment to Xi, who has been the leader of China since 2013. Additionally, Premier Li Keqiang, the number two official in China, was removed. Li’s economic policies appear to be in contrast with Xi’s approach to bring more state control over the economy.
Actor Kevin Spacey was found to be not liable in a sexual abuse lawsuit brought by ‘Star Trek’ actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp alleged that Spacey climbed on top of him during a party in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old and Spacey was 26. Rapp’s allegation was just one of several against Spacey brought to light several years ago.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top stories in sports from the past week in the Sporting Club:
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Draw took place early Saturday morning. The tournament, which will take place in Summer 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, will be the first Women’s World Cup to feature 32 teams, the same number of teams that will face off in next month’s men’s World Cup in Qatar. The two-time defending champion United States Women’s National Team was drawn into Group E, along with Vietnam, a play-off winner, and a 2019 final rematch against the Netherlands.
Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo refused to come in as a substitute in Wednesday’s win over Tottenham Hotspur. Additionally, Ronaldo left the bench area and went towards the locker room before the match was over, and was reported as not in the dressing area when the rest of the team arrived after the match concluded. The incident is the latest for Ronaldo, who has seldom started a match on the pitch this season under new manager Erik ten Hag. It was reported on Saturday that Man U will allow Ronaldo to seek a transfer during the winter transfer window, despite the low interest Ronaldo garnered from other clubs in the summer.
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has been traded to the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey, the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, will return to the Bay Area after attending college at Stanford. McCaffrey is regarded as one of the top running backs in the NFL, but suffered extensive injuries last year and has been held back on one of the league’s worst offenses this season. The addition of McCaffrey has led many to name the 49ers as contenders for this season’s Super Bowl, while the Panthers have become favorites to finish at the bottom and receive a high draft pick.
The NFL’s week seven has featured much less enthusiasm than last week, with the Eagles, Bills, Rams, and Vikings all on bye this week. The week’s top matchup comes at 4:25 pm et, with Fox airing a matchup of the Chiefs and 49ers, with new addition Christian McCaffrey expected to play for the 49ers. In the 1:00 pm et window, the Lions play the Cowboys, the Colts face the Titans, and the Seahawks take on the Chargers at 4:25 pm et. Sunday night features the Steelers and the Dolphins, while the Bears and Patriots will face off on Monday night. The Cardinals picked up a 42-34 home win over the Saints on Thursday night.
College Football’s week eight might not have lived up to the Tennessee-Alabama madness of last week, but the week still featured some tight results. #5 Clemson started the second half down 11 points at home to #14 Syracuse, but ended up winning 27-21 after changing quarterbacks. The week’s lone top-ten matchup featured #9 UCLA and head coach Chip Kelly heading back to #10 Oregon, with the Ducks taking with 45-30 win. #11 Oklahoma State was able to come back and beat #20 Texas 41-34, LSU got a huge upset over #7 Ole Miss 45-20, #21 Cincinnati survived an upset bid from SMU with a 29-27 win, and #8 TCU remained undefeated with a 38-28 win over #17 Kansas State.
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Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
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You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment. That includes Episode 80, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, October 30, 2022.
