Stop Herschel Stop
ZWF #35: Sunday, October 9, 2022
The blunders have been anything but few and far between for Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate for Senate in Georgia. This week, however, might have brought the worst yet.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a recap of the latest scandals to plague Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, 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 seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 77 features a look at how this year’s Midterm elections, with just about one month to go until Election Day. Get the latest updates on the key Senate, House, and gubernatorial races, and learn how the overall political environmental stands with voting already underway. Go listen to and download 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 9, 2022:
ZANDER’S ANALYSIS
New controversies for Herschel Walker
Former football player at the University of Georgia and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker’s campaign for the Senate has been anything but conventional.
Walker has made questionable statements throughout his campaign, including his response to a question on what can be done to prevent school shootings, and his take on the Green New Deal.
However, the latest news on Walker has gotten much more personal, and made it a lot harder for Republicans to support his campaign.
Walker, who has spent his campaign advocating for an abortion ban in Georgia, was found to have paid a girlfriend to obtain an abortion in 2009. That’s according to a report that came out Monday from the Daily Beast. Walker’s campaign immediately came out to deny the report, with Walker claiming he did not know who the woman was.
This was the biggest news of the day, until Walker’s son, Christian, spoke out against his father on Twitter in a series of tweets. Christian is a far-right activist who has supported his father’s campaign in the past in social media posts.
And yet, this wasn’t all we learned about Herschel Walker’s past this week.
On Friday, it was reported by The New York Times that Walker urged the same woman to have a second abortion in 2011. The woman ultimately decided to have the baby, and ended her relationship with Walker shortly after.
The Times interviewed the woman, who requested to remain anonymous, provided the Times with a card signed by Walker, along with a receipt from the abortion clinic where she obtained an abortion in 2009.
Additionally, NBC News obtained text messages between the woman and Walker’s current wife. The Daily Beast also reported on conversations that Walker had with the son that Walked had urged the aforementioned unnamed woman to abort, here’s an excerpt from the article:
This all comes after reporting back in the summer that revealed that Walker had two children he previously had not disclosed publicly, which he also lied about to his campaign, which was revealed in additional reporting.
So yeah, there’s that.
And no matter what has come out, Republicans have continued to back Walker. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is even going to Georgia this coming week to campaign for Warnock.
From the party that defended Donald Trump in October 2016 and in the years afterwards, this is definitely on brand.
But beyond the issues Walker may have cognitively, which are legitimate questions to have considering his past statements and the fact that he played football, the past week has raised serious questions as to whether Walker is the upright Christian, holy man he holds himself up to be.
The answer is almost certainly no, but even while the blatant hypocrisy of supporting a proposed abortion ban while advocating for abortions privately in the past is out in the open, Republicans who identify themselves as good Christians appear to still back him.
Now of course this is all reporting, but when actual receipts and other documentation is involved, the likelihood of the reports being true increases substantially.
This is a close race that could decide control of the Senate after the midterm elections, according to FiveThirtyEight and the recent midterm preview on the latest edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast (which you should go check out by the way.)
Have Republicans really decided to abandon any sense of morals and support yet another morally bankrupt candidate, but this time with even more blatant admission that he is actually not the decent human being he pretends to be, just to gain power?
Judging by the reaction so far, the answer is yes.
What Zander’s been reading this week
Hurricane Ian left massive amounts of devastation in southwest Florida. But for one community that is totally reliant on solar power and sustainability, the damage was minimal.
Read this week’s featured article on CBS News - Hurricane Ian destroyed power systems and ravaged homes. One southwest Florida community completely powered by solar escaped with little damage (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 announced he will pardon all Americans who have been convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law. While no one is currently in federal prison with only a marijuana possession conviction, the act will give those who have been convicted in the past more opportunities to rent a home or find a job. Additionally, the act covers anyone convicted in the District of Columbia. However, the act does not cover any state convictions, although Biden did urge governors to issue similar pardons for state offenses.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, announced this week that it will cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day. OPEC is a group of oil-producing nations led by Russia and Saudi Arabia. The move is expected to raise gas prices globally, assist Russia in their war against Ukraine, and worsen the possibility of a global economic recession, all one month before the U.S. Midterm elections. The move was met from condemnation from the White House, with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese calling the move a “shortsighted decision.”
Two Russian nationals sought asylum in Alaska this week as they fled Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization of military reserves. The event has led some of Alaska’s congressional delegation to call on more resources from the federal government in case more Russians attempt to enter the country. Additionally, recent days have seen cars lined up for miles trying to exit Russia’s borders after Putin’s order.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) is planning to leave the Senate next year to become president of the University of Florida. While Sasse has not been officially offered the job, he was announced as the lone finalist for the position and is set to meet with university officials this week. Sasse was one of seven Republicans in the Senate to vote to convict former President Donald Trump during Trump’s second impeachment trial and was reelected to his position in 2020.
The 2023 edition of Eurovision will take place in Liverpool, England, it was announced this week. Eurovision is an annual songwriting competition featuring contestants from European countries. The 2022 edition was one by Ukraine, which then gave the country the right to host the next edition. However, because of Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, the competition was moved to the U.K., with Liverpool being tapped to host over Glasgow.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top sports stories from the past week in the Sporting Club:
The MLB Postseason began this weekend with an expanded Wild Card round, with teams 3-6 in each league participating in a three-game series to advance to the Division Series. In the American League, the Guardians hit a walk-off homer in the 15th inning of game two to advance to the next round against the Rays, while the came back in epic fashion in game two against the Blue Jays to advance. In the National League, the Phillies were able to sweep the Cardinals and advance, while the Mets evened up their series with the Padres on Saturday, sending the series to a deciding game three. The winner of game three will advance to the NLDS, with the game taking place Sunday at 7:07 pm et on ESPN. The Division Series is set to begin on Tuesday, with all games airing on Fox, FS1, or TBS.
The NFL’s concussion protocol is set to be revamped after the handling of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s recent injury prompted major criticism. In a statement released on Saturday, the NFL and NFLPA agreed that while the existing concussion protocol was followed correctly, “the outcome in this case is not what was intended.” Beginning with this Sunday’s games, ataxia, a “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue” has been added to the no-go list. This means that if a player is diagnosed with ataxia during the game, they will not be allowed to reenter the game.
The 2022-2023 NHL season is set to begin this week, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche looking to defend their title. The season will begin this Tuesday with a doubleheader beginning at 7:30 pm et with the Tampa Bay Lightning facing the New York Rangers. Then at 10:00 pm et, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Los Angeles Kings, with both games on ESPN. The Avalanche open their season on Wednesday night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks at 9:30 pm et on TNT.
The NFL’s week five Sunday slate is set to begin with a morning game from London for the second straight week. However, the game between the Giants and Packers will be the first London game in league history to feature two teams with records above .500. The game will kick-off at 9:30 am et on NFL Network. Later in the day, the 1:00 pm et slate is highlighted by the Steelers facing the Bills and the Buccaneers hosting the Falcons. At 4:25 pm et, the Rams will host the Cowboys, while the lone undefeated team in the league Eagles face the Cardinals. On Sunday night, the Bengals face the Ravens, and the Chiefs host the Raiders on Monday night. On Thursday night, the Colts beat the Broncos 12-9 in overtime.
College Football’s week six featured several close contests, including a highly anticipated matchup between Texas A&M and #1 Alabama. After A&M upset Alabama last year and offseason talk fueled controversy from both head coaches, this game was highlighted before the season began. In what was expected to be a blowout, the game actually went down to the final play, where A&M was unable to score a touchdown from the two-yard-line, giving #1 Alabama a 24-20 victory. Additionally, #17 TCU was able to knock off #19 Kansas 38-31, #14 NC State held off Florida State 19-17, and #4 Michigan beat Indiana 31-10. A couple of upsets occurred on Saturday as well, with South Carolina beating #13 Kentucky 24-14, Notre Dame knocking off #16 BYU 28-20 in Las Vegas, and Arizona State defeated #21 Washington 42-35.
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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 78, 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 16, 2022.
