Cramm for 2/14/19
THE HIGHLIGHTS
The House is clapping back at Trump.
THE BACKGROUND.
Months ago, Jamal Khashoggi - a prominent Saudi journalist who was vocal about hating the Saudi leadership - went missing after entering a Saudi embassy in Istanbul. The whole world pointed fingers at Saudi Arabia. Fast forward a few days later, and it came out that a group of assassins interrogated Khashoggi - then killed him. All of this was linked to the Saudi crown prince. But the Trump team stayed tight-lipped on everything...and later, said they didn’t believe Saudi Arabia was behind the murder. Something people were not happy about.
THE HAPPENINGS.
Yesterday, the House of Reps said ‘let’s take matters into our own hands’ and voted to end US involvement in Yemen. Hint: for years, Saudi Arabia’s been fighting in Yemen - with the US backing them up with military support. But lately, it’s been revealed that Saudi Arabia was handing out US tech and weapons to some terrorist groups - a violation of their agreement with the American gov. Add that to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, and lawmakers have been wanting to ditch Saudi Arabia in Yemen for awhile.
THE REACTION.
Now, the vote heads to the Senate. Spoiler: it’s expected to pass. But it’s unclear whether Prez Trump would sign off on it, since he’s been especially friendly to Saudi Arabia. If it doesn’t, it’d be the first veto of his presidency. You read that right. Suspense, thick.
SO…?
Lawmakers have been talking about ditching Saudi Arabia in Yemen for months. TBD on whether Trump feels the same.
THE ACTION
POLITICS: All eyes are on Prez Trump. As in he’s expected to sign off on Congress’ bipartisan budget plan - but it’s still unclear. If he doesn’t, the gov faces another shutdown. No pressure. In other news, yesterday, a judge said ‘liar liar pants on fire’ and voided Paul Manafort’s plea deal. You know Manafort for being Trump’s former campaign manager who’s been in the spotlight lately for doing some shady things with Russia. Now, a judge says he “intentionally” lied to the FBI, special counsel Robert Mueller, and the grand jury. Meaning his plea deal with Mueller - which let the special counsel try to get Manafort a shorter sentence - is over. Plot twist.
WORLD: Recently, a former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist was charged with handing over classified info to Iran - then helping Iran use this info to target her former colleagues. Think: defense secrets. Speaking of which, the US is reportedly restarting a secret programto sabotage Iran’s missiles and rockets. All of this is apparently part of a campaign to set back Iran’s military capabilities and cut off their economy. Meanwhile, yesterday, a suicide bomber killed at least 27 military guards in Iran - one of the deadliest attacks there in years. Iran is putting the blame on the US - who was hosting an anti-Iran meeting in Poland around the same time. Stay tuned.
USA: Today marks one year since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting, where a gunman killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida. Since then, survivors have fought for gun control and created March for Our Lives to protest gun violence. Meanwhile, the US apparently has$22 trillion (yes, with a t) in national debt. The most debt the country’s ever had. Not good. Speaking of which, Google is unzipping its wallet. Recently, the biz announced it’d be spending $13 billion to expand into four new states, build new data centers and offices, and hire tens of thousands of new workers. Goooooood.
WHAT TO KNOW
“15 years:” how long the Mars Opportunity rover spent in space. Its mission officially ended yesterday. Tear.
SAY WHAT?
“The Just Ice League” - Fans think the teaser for ‘Frozen 2’ looks like a superhero movie. (G)love it.
STAY CONNECTED
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