ZWF: The bill that could end another Speaker
Zander's Weekend Facts #115: Sunday, April 21, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, the House passed a bill to fund Ukraine, Israel, and others potentially at the expense of another Speaker fight, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! Episode 137 features a preview of the NBA Playoffs with Zander’s Facts senior NBA analyst Hill Billy. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, April 21, 2024:
House passes foreign aid bill that could cost Speaker his job
After months of delay, Congress is now poised to pass a massive foreign aid package that U.S. allies have been clamoring for.
On Saturday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed several bills as part of a $90 billion+ package that would give aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. All three of the votes enjoyed significant bipartisan majorities after having been delayed months by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Johnson had resisted putting the measures onto the floor due to opposition from far-right members of the Republican Party.
Yet, last week, with many members of Johnson’s party, not to mention Democrats, clamoring for Johnson to push the bills to the floor, Johnson had a decision to make. Johnson ultimately chose what House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said was “the right side of history.”
Johnson defended his decision in front of the press, claiming he was doing what he believed to be the right thing.
Ultimately, bills to provide aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Israel in its fight against Hamas, and Taiwan as it deals with escalating tensions with China, are now through what was likely their toughest test on the path to adoption. The Senate is expected to swiftly approve them next week, followed by President Joe Biden’s almost assured signature.
However, there were certainly risks to Johnson’s decision in terms of his speakership. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has repeatedly threatened to call for a motion to vacate if the bills were allowed to go to the floor. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) recently joined Greene in voicing his displeasure of the speaker, as have several other Republicans who voted against the bills.
As Politico wrote on Saturday, the House will go on recess next week, with one of two options likely to take hold. One, those on the fence regarding Johnson’s future will spend the week focusing on other issues in their districts and tensions will calm. Or two, after hearing from angry constituents, more Republicans will call for Johnson’s job.
If a motion to vacate is made, it could be up to Democrats as to whether Johnson will remain speaker. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who has been the Democratic nominee in each of the previous speaker votes held during this Congress, claimed that discussions surrounding whether the party would back Johnson would occur if the motion is made.
So while a much-needed foreign aid bill is now on its way to full approval, more internal turmoil could soon fill one of Congress’ two chambers.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from AP News - The House passes billions in aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle. Next is the Senate
What Zander’s been reading
You’ve probably asked yourself or someone else at one point in your life why the U.K. and U.S. drive on the opposite sides of the road. Thankfully, this article from CNN will answer that question for you once and for all.
Check out this week’s featured article at CNN - Here’s why Americans drive on the right and the UK drives on the left - (Apple News link)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Volkswagen Union Vote: Employees at a Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen plant overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the United Auto Workers union on Friday. 73% of the ballots cast in the election were in favor of joining the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board, who oversaw the election. If no objections to the election are filed in five business days, the union and Volkswagen must begin collective bargaining talks. The vote represents a successful push into southern states by UAW, states which have historically seen low union membership. A Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama is set to hold a vote on UAW membership next month.
Trump Criminal Trial: The first criminal trial against former President Donald Trump began last week in New York. Trump faces 34 counts on falsifying state business records to conceal information to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Jurors were selected in the case last week, with opening statements expected to begin on Monday. Trump is required to present in the courtroom during the trial, according to New York State law.
Israel-Iran Strikes: After Iran launched a drone and rocket attack on Israel last Saturday, Israel responded on Friday with an attack that appeared to only include mini-drones. The initial Iran attack, the first by the country against Israel, came after a presumed Israeli airstrike on April 1 on Iran’s embassy in Syria. Iran appeared to downplay the Friday attack by Israel, indicating that tensions are unlikely to significantly escalate. Israel is currently at war with Hamas-led militant groups in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, who have significant financial connections to Iran.
New Title IX Rules: The Biden administration issued new Title IX regulations last week that add “gender identity” onto the list of sex-based discrimination protections. The regulations also offer full protection from “sex-based discrimination” that now includes “sexual violence and unwelcome sex-based conduct.” The new regulations do not include prohibiting blanket bans of transgender athletes from participating on teams aligned with their gender identity, as has been proposed by the administration. A decision is still to be made on that matter, according to the administration. Title IX was enacted in 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs that receive funding from the federal government.
Mayorkas Impeachment: The U.S. Senate quickly dismissed the impeachment charges against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week. On party-line votes, the Senate dismissed both counts that had passed the House of Representatives in February with only Republican support. Democrats, who voted to dismiss before a trial could begin, argued that a cabinet member couldn’t be impeached and removed for “carrying out the policies of the administration he serves.” Mayorkas was the first cabinet official to be impeached since Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NBA Playoffs: The First Round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs began on Saturday. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks each built 1-0 series leads against their opponents with wins on Saturday, the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. In the west, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets also got first game wins over the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. The other four series will get underway later today, with the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers-Dallas Mavericks series tipping off on ABC at 1:00 pm ET and 3:30 pm ET. On TNT, the Milwaukee Bucks-Indiana Pacers series begins at 7:00 pm ET, with the Oklahoma City Thunder-New Orleans Pelicans series tipping off at 9:30 pm ET.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway on Saturday with the First Round. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes won their first games on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, respectively. The other two series, beginning on Sunday, feature the Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals. In the Western Conference, all four matchups have yet to begin. The two series that begin Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators. The Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings series begin on Monday.
NFL Draft: The annual NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday as the next class of collegiate and international football players enter the professional ranks. The Chicago Bears currently hold the first pick in the draft, with a quarterback likely to be selected after the Bears traded last year’s starting quarterback, Justin Fields, to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The second and third picks are held by the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots, who are also likely to select quarterbacks. Some of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft include LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and USC’s Caleb Williams. The first round of the NFL Draft begins Thursday at 8:00 pm ET on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network.
Jontay Porter: The NBA issued its first disciplinary action toward a player for gambling in 70 years on Wednesday. The league banned Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors for life after an investigation found that Porter gave confidential information to bettors and limited his own playing time to fulfill certain bets. The league also found that Porter had bet on games himself, although none that he played in. NBA rules state that players are prohibited from betting on NBA games. The league stated that the investigation is ongoing and includes federal authorities.
WNBA Draft: The most anticipated WNBA Draft in recent memory took place on Monday, with Iowa star Caitlin Clark being selected with the first overall pick. The Indiana Fever chose Clark with the first pick in the draft, who became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer while in college. The Los Angeles Sparks chose Stanford’s Cameron Brink with the second pick, while Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina was picked third by the Chicago Sky. The 2024 WNBA regular season is set to begin on Tuesday, May 14.
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.
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.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, 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, April 28, 2024.
