5 Stories to Watch Next Week | September 12, 2020

5 Stories to Watch Next Week There are simply too many developing stories to follow in the world. To make things easier, we narrowed them down to five that you should really watch next week: House Democrats to Hold Hearing on Confronting ‘White Supremacy’ in Police Departments The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, chaired by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), is scheduled to hold a remote hearing on Tuesday aimed at combating the alleged infiltration of white supremacy in local police departments. This hearing is one in a series of hearings being held by the Democrat-controlled House Oversight Committee to confront white supremacy following the killing of George Floyd in May. Maloney is a cosponsor of a bill that would require local police departments to institute sensitivity training on racial bias in order to be eligible for certain federal grants. The congresswoman is also a cosponsor of a bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers. Watch next week to see what results from the hearing, including potential legislation from House Democrats on police reform. Discussions on Coronavirus Stimulus Plan Continue as Congress Remains Gridlocked US Senate Democrats blocked a coronavirus relief bill this week. The bill sought to address pressing economic issues, as well as major issues concerning education and health care. Notably, the bill does not include a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks, despite President Trump, Democrats, and some Republicans pushing for more direct money to Americans. The legislation does, however, provide for enhanced unemployment insurance at $300 per week through late December. The package would also provide broader liability protections to companies and allow a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for vulnerable companies. The bill, as currently written, did not cross the required 60-vote threshold to pass in the Senate on Thursday. Watch next week for fallout from the vote and further negotiations between Republicans, Democrats, and the White House on a revised Senate stimulus package. WHO Appoints Independent Panel to Review Response to Coronavirus An independent panel set up by the World Health Organization will review the international body’s coordination of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The panel will have access to internal UN documents and email. This move comes after world leaders like President Trump criticized the WHO for being overly favorable to Chinese interests and misleading the global community regarding the virus’ transmissibility earlier in the year. The panel’s co-chairs include former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Members include Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese doctor who was the first to publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus. The panel intends to meet on Thursday of next week and every six weeks through April. Watch out for any announcements regarding the panel’s review procedures and initial findings next week. Israel, UAE to Sign Historic Diplomatic Deal Israel and the United Arab Emirates will sign a historic deal to normalize relations at the White House next Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, will represent their countries at the signing ceremony. President Trump brokered the diplomatic breakthrough, through which Israel and the UAE agreed to establish full diplomatic relations with each other and allow direct commercial travel between the countries. The signing of this deal could potentially soften traditionally anti-Israel stances held by Arab states. Watch next week for the deal to be made official and for other major geopolitical announcements coming from the event. ByteDance Likely to Miss US Deadline for Sale of TikTok’s American Assets Last month, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the sale of the American assets of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing service, by Sept. 20. Now, it seems ByteDance, the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok, is likely to miss that deadline, citing new Chinese regulations as the reason behind the developing impasse in talks with bidders. IT giants Microsoft and Oracle have made offers to buy the TikTok assets in question, but ByteDance seems ready to request an extension from the Trump administration, allowing it more time to finalize the sale. Watch next week to see if President Trump grants the requested extension, bans TikTok after the deadline lapses, or seeks some intermediate path to move things along. Newt's Latest Podcasts: Order Newt's Latest Book: https://www.gingrich360.com/trump-and-the-american-future