ZWF: The grim legacy of Rupert Murdoch
Zander's Weekend Facts #85: Sunday, September 24, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, 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 episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 118 provides a breakdown of the actors’ and writers' strikes currently taking place in Hollywood. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, September 24, 2023:
What Zander’s been reading
Rupert Murdoch, the longtime head of Fox Corporation and News Corporation announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 92. But the day before, an exposé into Murdoch’s handling of Fox News - including dealing with anchor Tucker Carlson and the network’s Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit - was published.
Check out this week’s featured article at New York Magazine - Why Rupert Murdoch Fired Tucker Carlson From Fox News
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Government Shutdown: A shutdown of the federal government continues to look increasingly likely ahead of a September 30 deadline. The government’s spending laws are set to expire this coming Saturday and talks do not appear to be progressing. House Republicans failed to pass a Defense Department spending bill last week, which still would’ve needed support from Senate Democrats. While House Republicans appear intent on passing a long-term funding bill, leaders in the Senate have discussed a short-term continuing resolution to avert a shutdown while talks continue.
Sen. Bob Menendez: Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine were indicted by federal prosecutors on Friday. The charges relate to accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes in order to use Senator Menendez’s influence to benefit the Egyptian government and enrich three New Jersey businessmen. Prosecutors found that the Menendez’s even accepted bribes in the form of gold bars. Menendez was previously indicted in 2015 for accepting favors from an eye doctor in Florida. While Menendez has refused to step down, many members of his own party, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman have called for Menendez to resign.
UAW Strikes: The United Auto Workers union expanded their strikes against two automakers on Friday. An additional 38 distribution centers owned by General Motors and Stellantis had their workers walk out, bringing the number of UAW members striking to over 18,000 across the country. While workers continue to strike at a Ford factory in Michigan, the union cited advancements in talks with the company as a reason not to expand strikes at Ford distribution centers. President Biden also announced that he would join a picket line in Detroit on Tuesday to show support for the autoworkers.
Free Covid Tests: The federal government program that provides free COVID-19 tests is set to resume on Monday. After the program was paused back in May to conserve supplies, an influx of funds will allow new tests to be manufactured and shipped beginning next month. Experts are projecting that COVID will continue to be prevalent into the winter, along with the flu and RSV. Additionally, new COVID-19 vaccines were just approved by the FDA. Households will be able to order four tests each at COVIDTests.gov.
Senate Military Appointments: The Senate confirmed the appointments of three top U.S. military officials last week. For months, Sen. Tommy Tubberville (R-AL) had blocked the process of approving military nominations by unanimous consent through the Senate due to his disapproval of the Pentagon’s abortion policy. While Tuberville’s objection has continued, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) moved to approve the appointments by roll-call votes. The three confirmations were Gen. CQ Brown for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Randy George as Army Chief of Staff, and Gen. Eric Smith as commandment of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 3: The 49ers remained perfect on the season when they took down the Giants, 30-12, on Thursday night to open week three of the NFL season. Sunday’s action begins with the Saints taking on the Packers, the Patriots facing the Jets, and the Commanders hosting the Bills in the 1:00 pm ET window. At 4:00 pm ET, the Seahawks host the Panthers, while the Bears take on the Chiefs and the Cowboys face the Cardinals. On Sunday night, 1-1 teams face off as the Steelers take on the Raiders in Las Vegas. Another Monday night double-dip concludes week three as the Eagles take on the Buccaneers at 7:15 pm ET and the Bengals host the Rams at 8:15 pm ET.
College Football Week 4: The #19 Colorado momentum train grinded to a halt in week four, with #10 Oregon manhandling the Buffaloes 42-6. In South Bend, #6 Ohio State stunned #9 Notre Dame by scoring a touchdown in the final moments, winning 17-14. Meanwhile, #3 Florida State survived a road test against Clemson in overtime 31-24, #11 Utah took down #24 UCLA 14-7, and #13 Alabama beat #15 Ole Miss 24-10. #21 Washington State overcame a late rally by #14 Oregon State 38-35, #7 Penn State blanked #25 Iowa 31-0, and #12 LSU won a close one against Arkansas 34-31.
Mel Tucker: Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker is expected to be fired after being suspended earlier this month. Tucker was accused of sexual harassment by Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault prevention advocate. Tracy claims that Tucker sent her gifts, asked her if she was married, and masturbated during a phone call. Tracy initially visited Michigan State in 2021 and 2022 to speak about preventing sexual assault with the football team. The complaint was initially brought to the knowledge of the Michigan State administration in December, but was not known publicly until a USA Today report earlier this month.
NWSL in Boston: The National Women’s Soccer League announced its next expansion team will play in Boston. The league previously announced Utah Royals FC and Bay FC will begin play in 2024, with the new Boston franchise bringing the league to 15 teams. The league previously had a franchise in Boston, the Boston Breakers, that folded in 2018. Four teams have also begun play in the last three years, meaning the league’s size will nearly double by the time the Boston franchise takes the pitch in 2026.
Simone Biles: American gymnast Simone Biles clinched a record sixth appearance on the world champions team after winning the all-around at a USA Gymnastics world team selection camp in Texas. At 26 years old, Biles will be the oldest to compete at the world championships since Doris Fuchs Brause in 1966 at age 28. The International Gymnastics Federation also found that if Biles performs a Yurchenko double pike vault at the world championships, it will be given a start difficulty value of 6.4, the highest ever given for a vault. The World Artistic Gymnastics Championships are set to begin on Saturday in Antwerp, Belgium.
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, October 1, 2023.
