One of America’s most powerful lawmakers announced that 2018 will be his final year in congress, and Mark Zuckerberg faced intense questions in regard to Facebook’s data policies during his congressional hearing. Meanwhile, the NBA playoffs will begin this weekend. Here’s more information from the week’s top stories.
2018 will be Paul Ryan’s last as house speaker
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2018 so he can spend more time with his family.
"I like to think I've done my part, my little part in history to set us on a better course," Ryan said during a speech on Capitol Hill.
Ryan, whose congressional career spans 20 years, cited the tax reform legislation passed in 2017 as a key accomplishment during his tenure. Ryan was also Mitt Romney’s running mate during the 2012 presidential election.
Although Ryan and the Trump administration have clashed on certain issues, Trump tweeted his appreciation for the house speaker on Wednesday.
Zuckerberg interrogated over Facebook data policies, suggest stronger internet regulation
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced tough questions from congressional lawmakers during a hearing with the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.
Zuckerberg has been scrutinized for Facebook’s role in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which comprised the information of more than 50 million Facebook users without their knowledge.
Zuckerberg apologized for the incident, and suggested the enforcement of regulations to prevent data scandals from happening.
"The internet is growing in importance around the world ... I think it is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation," he said.
Although Facebook lost near $50 billion in market value in wake of the scandal, the company’s stock jumped up 1.5 percent on Wednesday.
NBA Playoff matchups are set
The NBA postseason is officially underway. All 16 playoff teams have been seeded, and the first games will begin on Saturday.
Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed despite a slow start in 2018. The Cavaliers can become the 5th team in history to reach 4 straight NBA Finals, but the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors will look to avenge playoff defeats in 2016 and 2017.
In the West, the No. 1 seed Houston Rockets will look to dethrone the Golden State Warriors as Western Conference champions. The No. 2 seed Warriors are still missing standout point guard Stephen Curry, who suffered a knee injury in March. Curry’s return timetable is still unknown.
Meanwhile, the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves reached the playoffs for the first time since 2004, ending the NBA’s longest active playoff drought.
