When it comes to the world of politics, the news cycle is ongoing with headlines developing every day. To help you keep up with them, The Battalion compiles a few of the most compelling political stories from the past week.
Controversial bill “Save Chick-fil-A” is passed through Texas legislature
The San Antonio City Council voted to stop the opening of a Chick-fil-A in the city’s airport. The cited reason for the council’s decision was based on Chick-fil-A’s past donations to Anti-LGBTQ organizations. a bill was made as a response to the vote in the Texas House of Representatives.
The bill aimed to protect the company’s religious interests from the government, but was killed in the House. However, the Senate then made a bill of their own and passed it in a 19-12 vote. The Senate’s bill then made its way to the House were it was amended and passed in a 79-62 vote. Passing the new amended bill with no issues, the Senate has now reached Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The governor has expressed support for the bill and is expected to sign it.
Doctored videos of Nancy Pelosi slurring her words go viral
White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the object of videos with manipulated audio going viral on social media platforms. The videos depicted Pelosi slurring and struggling with her words during a conference. President Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, shared one of the videos through Twitter but has since deleted his tweet. The president himself also shared a video and commented on the verbal stumbling.
Many tech companies have responded in order to combat the spread of misinformation. Youtube took down a video that made Pelosi sound slurred, while Facebook rated the video false and tried to limit its spread.
U.K prime minister resigns amidst Brexit complications
Theresa May, prime minister of the United Kingdom, has announced her resignation. May will step down as the current leader of the Conservative Party on June 7. A new prime minister is estimated to be elected around late July, and May will serve as prime minister until then.
May previously used her resignation as an offering to ease her Brexit propositions, however, British Parliament couldn’t reach a decision on any Brexit deals. On May 27, EU elections revealed that in the portion given to British seats, the Brexit party had the most out of any other British Party. But with the Labour Party on the fence, it could still mean that those who side with remaining inside the EU would have more seats.
Scandals arise over Austrian vice chancellor conspiring with Russians
Two German newspapers published a video recording of Austria’s vice chancellor and deputy head of government, Heinz-Christian Strache, sharing private government information. In the recording, Strache is shown offering government contacts to Russians in exchange for political donations and help winning the 2017 general election. Since the release of the video, Strache has resigned alongside his political ally, Johann Gudenus. This has brought an end to the current ÖVP-FPÖ government in Austria.
