The Roundup with Nathan Heftman: Volume 1, Issue 17

Nathan Heftman, Editor in Chief|May 16, 2023

Zelensky’s European Tour

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has been on a tour of Europe, meeting with Allie’s across the continent to shore up support for Ukraine to resist Vladimir Putin’s  invasion of the country. Zelensky has met with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France, along with non-political leaders, such as the Pope. Increased support in the form of both sanctions and sending of military supplies is expected to aid Ukraine, especially against recent increased Russian aggression against Kyiv.

 

Turkish Election Moves to Runoff

Recently, there was a Turkish presidential election between nine year incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the AKP and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of the CHP. President Erdoğan had a strong lead at the beginning of the race, ending up winning 49.5% of the vote, not enough to outright win, but enough to eliminate third party candidate Sinan Ogan. This sets up a final election betweent he two candidates, with inflation, cost of living, and the humanitarian crisis of the earthquake serving as major voting issues.

 

DeSantis Signs Bill Banning DEI Programs

Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday banning any state public school spending on programs centered on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” This bill, along with others, is part of a larger effort from DeSantis to restrict teaching of critical race theory and progressive ideals.

 

Conflict Over North Carolina Abortion Ban

A recent piece of legislation prohibiting abortion was passed in North Carolina this week, with a veto proof supermajority. This was in response to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s vetoing the ban, citing it as too extreme. Cooper has urged legislators to oppose the bill, with it holding a supermajority by only one vote.

 

Ecuador Begins Impeachment of President Lasso

The Ecuadorian parliament is set to begin impeachment proceedings against President Guillermo Lasso, who now faces his second impeachment. The reason for the impeachment of Lasso comes from accusations of corruption and embezzlement through an oil transport company owned by the state. Political experts have theorized Lasso, who maintains ships total innocence, might in response to being impeached, invoke the archaic “two-way death” clause in the Ecuadorian constitution, which should he choose, allows him to dissolve both his own presidency, and the entirety of the legislature.