A Bridge in Ruins, Missile Strikes Continue, and Trump is out of Harms Way
Welcome back everyone to another week of Politics Explained! Another means another month of new news in Congress! If you’re new, we publish short and concise blogs every Friday that recap the happenings of Capitol Hill. This week was another week of lots of news, including the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Israel's strike that killed seven aid workers, and former President Donald Trump paying his bond. Now let's dive right in!
Last week, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into it. This has caused massive disruption in Baltimore, as one of its major bridges over the bay has been destroyed and the channel leading out of the port is currently blocked with debris. In Congress, talks over how the bridge will be rebuilt have started, with President Joe Biden pledging that he and his team will do as much as they can to help rebuild the bridge. He also stated that the Federal government would pay for the reconstruction of the bridge. While most Democrats in Congress have sided with the President, some Republicans have not, and one of those is Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), who said shortly after the bridge was destroyed, "This is a crisis situation, but it needs a plan, not a knee-jerk spend reaction." Rep Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) clapped back at Meuser, calling his position “short-sighted.” Mfume has also asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to develop a bipartisan approach to rebuilding the bridge. Some politicians believe that the company that owns the ship should have to pay for some, if not most, of the damages.
Seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) traveling into Gaza this past Monday were killed by an Israeli missile strike. The workers were going to Gaza to help the struggling people and deliver much-needed food and supplies. The Israelis say it was a mistake, followed by a misidentification of the aid convoy. The aid workers were riding in three cars, with the first strike hitting the first car and the next strikes hitting the three cars combined. While other aid workers have been killed during the Israel/Gaza war, these workers were part of WCK, headed by renowned chef Jose Andres (who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his charitable work around the world). President Joe Biden expressed outrage about the deaths of these workers and said that Israel has not done enough to protect the aid workers trying to help the people in Gaza. Many aid organizations have halted operations in Gaza following the missile strikes. As this war continues, there will be more news to come, so stay tuned!
Former President Donald Trump has posted a bond* of $175 million, which will allow him to keep all of his property and assets for the time being. We talked about this a few times in the past few weeks, about this hurdle in the former President's journey back to become the next President of the United States. Last month the bond was reduced from the original amount of $454 million to $175 million. This was very helpful in Donald Trump’s case, as it reduced the amount he had to pay by more than a half of the original amount.
Also, an Interview with Congressman David Trone will be coming out on Monday, April 8 on our Instagram and website so go check it out!
Definition of the Week (Bond): A formal agreement between two parties in which one person has to perform a certain act.
