The Saturday Flyover Replay : House Passes Spending Bill, College Football Playoff, and an Armored Catfish

Presented by Russell Sherrard,

Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Our Hosts are Christopher and Jenny,

THE FLYOVER REPLAY,

Saturday, December 21, 2024,

Good Morning! On this day in 1891, James Naismith organized the first basketball game in Springfield, Massachusetts. Two teams, each with nine players, tried to throw a soccer ball into a peach basket 10 feet above the floor. Naismith later became the first basketball coach at the University of Kansas.

In today’s edition, we highlight a lesser-known tradition called Christmukkah, a unique combination of Christmas and Hanukkah. This phenomenon occurs when Hanukkah and Christmas overlap. You can find all the details below.

We hope you enjoyed reading today’s Flyover. Let us know how we’re doing by replying to Russell Sherrard at russellsherrard@reagan.com.

The sponsors keep the tanks full around here. Be sure to check out today’s sponsors.

TAKEOFF,

House Avoids Government Shutdown,

The House approved a short-term spending bill last night by a vote of 366-34, averting a government shutdown and sending the bill to the Senate for consideration.

The new bill is 118 pages long, significantly shorter than the original proposal, which was 1,500 pages. It will fund the government through March and provide $100 billion for disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance for farmers.

It was the chamber’s third attempt at a spending bill before Friday’s deadline, and didn’t include provisions to raise the debt ceiling, which President-elect Donald Trump supported.

The Senate was still considering the bill after midnight.

German Christmas Market Attacked,

A car crashed into a crowded outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring at least 68 in what authorities suspect to be a targeted attack.

Security cameras captured a vehicle speeding through a large group of shoppers, striking several as others scrambled to safety. The driver was arrested in what authorities described as a “terror attack.”

Authorities have closed the Christmas market and established a hotline for victims and relatives.

Friday’s attack has been compared to a similar tragedy that occurred at a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016, where an Islamic extremist used a truck to kill 13 people and injure dozens more.

College Football Playoff Continues Today,

The College Football Playoff’s first round continues today with a tripleheader featuring No. 11 seed SMU at No. 6 seed Penn State, No. 5 seed Texas hosting No. 12 seed Clemson, and No. 8 seed Ohio State taking on No. 9 seed Tennessee at Ohio Stadium this evening.

First round winners will advance to the quarterfinals to face the top four seeds: Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State, with one game on Dec. 31 and three games on Jan. 1.

Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State are the favorites to join Notre Dame in moving into the quarterfinals to be played at the historic Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl venues.

ESPN has the media rights to the College Football Playoff after signing a six year, $7.8 billion contract, or $1.3 billion annually.

POLITICS,

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed a lawsuit against three major banks and Zelle, claiming they failed to protect customers from scams, resulting in over $870 million in losses.

Pentagon officials announced Thursday that the U.S. has maintained at least 2,000 troops in Syria to fight ISIS for months, despite consistently reporting only 900 troops.

The Biden administration announced Friday it will forgive $4.28 billion in student loan debt for 54,900 public service workers, following adjustments to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

After a word from one of our sponsors Jenny will be Narrating the last half of the news.

And Now, A word From one of Our Sponsors,

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Are you an author or writer with a Blog and wonder if it is being effective?
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Thanks Christopher,

Now, back to the News.

SPORTS,

Notre Dame kicked off the College Football Playoff opening round with a 27-17 victory over Indiana yesterday. Today, there will be three more playoff games to determine who can reach the quarterfinals.

Steph Curry was 0 for 13 shooting on Thursday, the worst performance of his career, as the Golden State Warriors fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 144-93.

Netflix and FIFA have agreed to a deal granting the streaming service exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for the next two Women’s World Cup tournaments, FIFA confirmed Friday.

The Holiday Section

Santa Claus officiated 14 weddings during Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s pre-Christmas Wedding Wednesday, which includes horse-drawn carriage rides for newlyweds.

“Christmukkah,” a rare celebration combining Hanukkah and Christmas, occurs this year as the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day, the fourth time since 1900.

Celebrity baker Buddy Valastro shared holiday baking tips on how to salvage broken cakes, undercooked cookies, and frosting shortages.

THE ROTATOR,
BEYOND OUR BORDERS,

Ukrainian officials confirmed a Russian missile attack on Kyiv Friday morning damaged several embassies, killing at least one and injuring 12 others.

Canada’s New Democratic Party leader announced on Friday that he will call for a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when the House of Commons reconvenes.

Malaysia hired robotics firm Ocean Infinity to conduct a new search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the plane that disappeared in 2014 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

ET CETERA,

Singer John Mayer and director McG bought Los Angeles’ historic Muppets recording lot, built by Charlie Chaplin in 1917, for $45 million, promising to preserve its legacy.

An Englishman impulsively bought a near-spherical egg at auction for $187 after a few drinks, donating it to a children’s charity, which resold it for $250.

Scientists have discovered 27 new species in Peru, including an amphibious mouse and a “blob-headed” fish—an armored catfish with an unusually large, gelatinous head.

Daily Quote,

“I want for Christmas a sleepy doll, a ring, a box of stationery, candy apples, oranges , bananas, and mixed nuts. Please remember all my little school mates.”
— 11-year-old Flora Eaton’s heartfelt letter to Santa Claus, written on December 13, 1926.

And thats the news for today.

And Now a word from our sponsor, The Life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Go to https:// payhip.com/ Christian NonFiction eBookStore then scroll down and click on The Life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon

In publishing the life of the late CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON, the publishers feel a peculiar pleasure and believe themselves especially fortunate in having secured the Rev. Russell H. Conwell, D.D., LL.D., pastor at The Temple, of Philadelphia, to prepare the work. There are many reasons why the popular preacher, who might justly be called the Spurgeon of America, should in this way pay a loving tribute to the memory of his great English ecclesiastical brother, and why such a book must have an absorbing interest for all readers. Foremost among these might be considered his personal acquaintance with the great divine of gigantic efforts and wonderful achievements, and the deep study he has ever given to his popular brother preacher’s life and the measure of its successes.

As a fellow-preacher of the Gospel, he knew better than any layman how to interpret the hidden springs of success to count the cost of Herculean efforts made, and better, understand the great man’s life-work in all its thousands of minute details which he, as an intimate personal friend had the opportunity to observe.

Like Spurgeon, he has the power to earn and raise large sums of money, but he devotes every dollar beyond a reasonable living expense to the cause he has so much at heart. His remarkable line of work, also, in many ways corresponds with that of Spurgeon,

The similarity in the work of the English Spurgeon and the American Conwell has often been commented upon by press and people. Spurgeon made, and Conwell is making, a complete sacrifice of talents, time and health to the one aim in life-the salvation of souls. Each commenced life a poor boy, and had an early life fraught with discouragements and temptations.

The author’s grand work for the Grace Baptist Church, of Philadelphia, has justly distinguished him as the greatest preacher of his denomination in this country. He was a student at Yale College, and graduated in the Law Department of Albany University and was admitted to the New York bar in 1865. His health not permitting the practice of law, he began as traveling correspondent of the Boston Traveler and the New York Tribune, during which his constant companion and warmest friend was Bayard Taylor, with who he traveled all over the world, and obtained distinction as a journalist.

In addition to the pastorate of a church which has one of the most remarkable houses of worship in the world, open every hour of every day and night in the year, and is never untenanted, Dr. Conwell is the head of Temple College, connected with the church fostered by him, which is for the free education of working-men and women in the classic collegiate branches, with fourteen professors, a preparatory department that sends pupils to Yale, Harvard and Amherst, and giving itself decrees equal to those of Princeton. He is the head of the Samaritan Hospital, also an outgrowth of his personal effort and example, which is doing incalculable good in Philadelphia.

In addition. to his church work, Dr. Conwell lectures all over the United States, to large and delighted audiences.

He is also a prolific author, The most important of his works are a ” Life of Garfield,” which he wrote at the home of the martyred President, in Mentor; “Why and How the Chinese Immigrate,” the material for which he gathered in the Chinese Empire Life of Hon. James G. Blaine,” Life of Bayard Taylor,” and “Acres of Diamonds,” each of which has been appreciatively read by thousands of readers in this and other countries.