5 Stories to Watch Next Week | October 24, 2020

5 Stories to Watch Next Week Full Senate to Vote on Barrett Supreme Court Nomination On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), voted to advance the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Senate floor. All Democrats on the committee boycotted the proceedings, while the Republicans voted unanimously to proceed with Barrett’s nomination. Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) committed to voting to confirm Judge Barrett on Monday. Given that Chief Justice John Roberts has sided with the liberal justices on the court on several occasions, Barrett’s confirmation has the potential to solidify a conservative majority on the court. Watch next week to find out if Senate Democrats look to obstruct the confirmation vote with other procedural votes or to boycott the vote altogether. Also, look out for how Republicans in competitive Senate races, such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), vote on Judge Barrett’s confirmation. Senate Committee to Hold Hearing with Big Tech CEOs on Section 230 On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on the potential reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in response to recent actions by major social media companies. This week, the committee voted to subpoena Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey after their social media platforms restricted the sharing of a New York Post story detailing Hunter Biden’s foreign dealings. Watch to see how the two CEOs respond to accusations that their companies interfered in the election to help Joe Biden and whether they commit to certain changes going forward. Also, look out for any legislative proposals put forward by the Republicans on the committee to address political censorship by social media platforms. Commerce Department to Release GDP Numbers The Department of Commerce will release its third-quarter gross domestic product numbers on Thursday. The figures are expected to show a major recovery is underway following the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Atlanta Federal Reserve estimates that the US economy will show a 35 percent gain in GDP, following a 31.4 percent fall in second-quarter GDP. The numbers are likely to give a boost to the Trump campaign heading into the presidential election. President Trump has argued that he is leading a “V-shaped” recovery. Watch for the actual numbers, how the Trump campaign chooses to tout them, and how the Biden campaign seeks to downplay them. Also, look to find out if these numbers galvanize efforts in Congress to pass a stimulus bill as soon as possible. NASA to Announce "Exciting New Discovery" About the Moon NASA scientists plan to announce on Monday a discovery that will help them learn more about the moon and aid in deep space exploration. While further details are unavailable, this discovery is likely to fit into NASA’s larger plan to send the next man and first woman to the lunar surface in 2024 and to explore Mars in the 2030s. In order to aid its space exploration plans, NASA has awarded $370 million in contracts to US companies for research and innovation. Watch to find out what the new discovery is and how it affects NASA’s plans to establish a presence on the lunar surface. Also, look to find out what implications, if any, the discovery has for the agency’s plans to carry out human missions to Mars. EU Likely to Gain Clearance to Impose Tariffs on US Imports As part of a trade dispute between the US and the European Union involving subsidies to Boeing, the EU is likely to gain formal clearance to impose tariffs on $4 billion of US annual imports next week. Reports from the World Trade Organization indicate that the EU is set to formally notify the Dispute Settlement Board, which includes all 164 members of the WTO, of its plans to impose tariffs. Even if the board rules in their favor, the EU still needs to seek advice from all 27 of its member states on how to proceed with implementing tariffs. The US maintains that there is no legal basis to enforce tariffs given that the contested tax break to Boeing has been eliminated. Watch next week to find out how the WTO resolves the trade dispute. If the body rules in favor of the EU, look to see whether President Trump follows through on his promise to retaliate with tariffs against European imports. Newt's Latest Podcasts: Order Newt's Latest Book: https://www.gingrich360.com/trump-and-the-american-future