Why the House Packed Up After a 3-Day Workweek; Canada Cozies Up to Europe
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Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly end the session and send members home early?
And in that way it does feel a little more subtle, certainly, than having Trump in the Saddam Hussein position of of being Satan's literal bedmate um that they did in the previous season.
Hi, everybody, and welcome to Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yazim Basugin. So, in fact, yes, today on the show. We're talking about the new season of South Park, which is back, but there is a new name to the show. And the creators got a lot more money in their pockets. The question is, how are they gonna cover the president this time around in season twenty-nine? That conversation is coming up. Also, we're talking about this new relationship that could be forged between Canada and the European Union. The Canadian Prime Minister stood in front of the EU today, the Parliament. And made a speech. Trying to forge new ties as the US becomes more isolationist. What could this potential long distance relationship look like and mean for the United States?
Up first though, so earlier this week on the show, we actually talked about how this is gonna be a really short session for Congress, right? But we could not have predicted just how short this thing was actually gonna be. So Speaker Mike Johnson sent Congress home early yesterday and canceled votes scheduled to take place today. And they will not be back at work in Washington again until after the midterm elections. On Wednesday, Kentucky Republican Representative Tom Massey, who lost his primary bid earlier this year, ripped into this decision.
We are the majority. We may only be the majority for six more weeks. Why would we be canceling days when the country is burning, the inflation is rampant, there are things we could do here. Why would we cancel our own majority? Okay,
so why you ask? That is a great question. Democrats are saying it was because of a resolution that Massey introduced to impeach defense secretary Pete Heggseth. That resolution would have been voted on today. But Speaker Mike Johnson says that was not why he called the early recess. So there's a lot of confusion here to say the least, just ahead of the critical midterm election. So for this, I want to bring in NBC News correspondent, Julie Sirkin.
Hi,
Julie. Hi, Asmond. Okay. So we heard Massie there kind of laying into Republican leadership. Surprisingly, he said, literally, as we heard, right, things are on fire, right? Inflation is where it is. We saw what happened with interest rates yesterday as well. So I I do want to talk about the early recess decision, but I wanna talk first for a moment about his attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. What is Massey's argument here and how did this come to be?
Well massey has been a very vocal opponent of the Iran war. And who at the tip of the spear but Pete Hexeth, the defense secretary, who's in charge with conducting and escalating the war, many people that I've spoken to, Yasmin, have grown quite frustrated with who Hexeth has become. Uh, it's no secret that some Senate Republicans have felt this way dating back to his confirmation battle. So when you're Speaker Johnson and you're looking at the fact that this is a resolution that is privileged, meaning you have to put it on the floor and vote on it. You might have Republicans who actually vote to impeach him. I mean, that is not a unreal possibility. And so it is very hard to see Johnson's decision to send members home early as anything more than an attempt not to have that kind of fight on the House floor weeks before a midterm election.
I just want to push you on this a little bit because couldn't that potentially bode well for Republicans, right? Couldn't you see voters say, right, they're taking accountability for what is happening, they're willing to make changes here, right? That Heg Seth could be the fall guy amidst kind of the dissatisfaction with the current economy, the dissatisfaction with the ongoing um Iran war.
But that would mean that the administration then has to take ownership of that. Hexeth is a part of the administration, and I haven't heard President Trump saying anything critical about him.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly end the session and send members home early?
0:00–5:39
2
What is the controversy behind Rep. Tom Massey’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?
5:39–10:49
3
How does NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin explain the political stakes of the impeachment resolution?
10:49–14:47
4
What bipartisan AI‑related legislation passed in the House during the shortened session?
14:47–17:31
5
Why is Canada seeking an ‘associate‑member’ relationship with the European Union?
17:31–21:20
6
What would an EU‑Canada associate membership mean for trade, energy and U.S. influence?
21:20–26:00
7
How is the new season of South Park (Season 29) changing its satire and title after the $1.5 billion Paramount+ deal?
26:00–26:51
8
What are the key takeaways from today’s political and cultural news before the midterms?
26:51–26:54
Speakers
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