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Culture > News

The Morning Scroll: IHOP Announces Another Name Change & Disaster Aid Bill Blocked in House

Emily Veith

Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all-nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.

What in the World

Employees at the Louvre in Paris are considering whether the museum should be closed for a second day this week due to tourist overcrowding

The Louvre, which is the most visited museum in the world, was closed on Monday after employees complained that they were harassed by tourists who were waiting to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Pierre Zinenberg, a Louvre employee and union representative, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that renovation work around the masterpiece has led to organizational problems and huge queues.

According to Zinenberg, the number of staff members at the museum has diminished over the last 10 years, but the number of visitors has risen nearly 20 percent.

The Louvre, which is typically busy on Mondays due to being one of the few Paris museums to stay open on the day, said it would refund visitors who had bought tickets for Monday, DailyMail.com reports. 

Zinenberg said the staff would meet Wednesday morning to determine whether the Louvre management has adequately addressed these issues, as well as whether the museum would be closed again that day. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.

“Due to a general meeting attended by members of the Musée du Louvre’s Reception and Security staff, the museum will open later than usual on Wednesday, May 29, 2019,” the museum announced on Twitter. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.”

This is not the first time Louvre workers have staged a strike over conditions. According to DailyMail.com, staff walked out in 2013 due to a rise in pickpockets targeting tourists.

News You Can Eat

IHOP fans are flipping out again after the breakfast restaurant announced that it will be making another letter flip.

On Monday, the pancake franchise shared a cryptic post on Twitter, revealing that they had something else up their sleeves that fans would find out about on June 3.

Sharing a video that referenced the restaurant chain’s decision last June to briefly flip the “P” upside down to a “B” to become the International House of Burgers, PEOPLE reports.

“What could the P be? Find out June 3 #IHOP,” the tweet read, along with a video that showed the IHOb logo flip back to the traditional IHOP logo.

The words “We heard you” were written underneath the logo, while fans in the background yelled, “Stick to pancakes, IHOP!”

Figuring that the “P” didn’t stand for pancakes, fans responded to IHOP’s post to try to guess what the “P” could possibly mean now.

Some even joked that maybe IHOP would finally “start selling pancakes.”

On Tuesday, IHOP shared a subsequent tweet, proclaiming, “Last year, the internet had a lot to say about IHOb. Well, we heard you. Stay tuned for June 2. #IHOP.”

The tweet was met with mixed response, with fans responding that they were “very worried” and that IHOP should have learned their lesson after it sent the internet into a frenzy with its burger stunt, FOX35 reports.  

Though the chain offered few clues as to what the “P” could mean, the pancake restaurant did respond to one user who thought they might start serving “pancakes on burgers.”

“Probably not… but definitely not definitely not,” IHOP wrote.

IHOP set the internet ablaze when it briefly changed its name last summer to IHOb in celebration of its then-new steakburgers, PEOPLE reports. Social media users slammed the company’s marketing strategy and fellow restaurant chains mocked IHOP on Twitter, including Burger King, who temporarily changed its Twitter handle to “Pancake King.”

It looks like IHOP fans will just have to wait until June 3 to find out what the new name change means.

Then This Happened

A second House Republican on Tuesday blocked another attempt to pass a long-overdue disaster aid bill, increasing chances that lawmakers on Capitol Hill will have to wait until the chamber reconvenes next week to send the measure to the White House.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) objected to an attempt by Democrats to pass the $19.1 billion disaster aid package by unanimous consent during a pro forma session, adding that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) thought the measure was so important, the House should have been kept in session late last week to slate an up-or-down roll call vote, The Hill reports.

The House is currently out on recess until next Monday, June 3.

“If the speaker of this House thought that this was must-pass legislation, the speaker … should have called a vote on this bill before sending every member of Congress on recess for 10 days,” Massie said as he blocked the disaster aid bill.

“You can’t have bills passed in Congress with nobody voting on them,” he added. “That is the definition of the swamp, and that’s what people resent about this place.”

During Tuesday’s session, Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), who says his agricultural district was but one part of the country suffering from hurricane damage from last year, offered a request to pass the disaster aid package by unanimous consent.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who was present on the House floor, urged Republicans to not object the bill, but it was to no avail.

“Millions of people are at risk,” Hoyer said.

The House had first tried on Friday during another pro forma session to pass the bill by unanimous consent since most House members had left for the Memorial Day recess on Thursday, ABC News reports.

However, Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy blocked its passage under fast-track rules, citing its price tag and the lack of funds requested by the Trump administration to assist agencies dealing with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

After facing criticism from his fellow Republicans, particularly those who represent area stricken by natural disasters, Roy buckled down Tuesday, retorting, “Last Friday, the American people were at work on Friday. The House was on recess and @SpeakerPelosi tried to jam through a bill WITHOUT A VOTE that is $19 billion, not paid for, and without any effort to address the emergency border supplemental @RussVought45 requested.”

Fellow Republicans also went after Massie Tuesday for blocking the bill.

“This is yet another example of politicians putting their own self-interest ahead of the national interest. It’s pathetic that some members have chosen this moment to grandstand & get into the national headlines,” Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) tweeted.

“Unfortunately, more clowns showed up today to once again delay disaster relief for the states and farmers devastated by the storms of 2018,” Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) wrote. “This bill will pass the House next week, and President Trump will sign it. #GA08”

According to The Hill, the House is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday for another pro forma session, where Democrats plan to try to pass the disaster aid bill by unanimous consent again, but given the resistance from some conservative members, the bill will likely have to wait until next week to be passed by a roll call vote.

Happy Thoughts

Happy National Biscuit Day!

Image via Giphy

Emily has also authored political articles for Restless Magazine and numerous inspirational and empowering pieces for Project Wednesday. When she isn't writing, she can be found flying off to her next adventure, attempting new recipes, listening to one of her infinite playlists on Spotify, or cuddling with her dogs. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @emilycveith.