Highlights from the Week
1. The FIFA World Cup, the worldwide soccer tournament between 32 countries which happens every four years, is currently taking place in Qatar. The 2022 World Cup has faced criticism from international groups over alleged human rights abuses of the migrant workers who built the stadium and infrastructure for the event. Other controversies include the decision to penalize players who wore rainbow armbands in protest of Qatari policies on LGBTQ+ individuals, a ban on the sale of beer at the stadium, and allegations that FIFA officials took bribes in return for choosing Qatar as the location for the event. Click here to see statements mentioning Qatar by members of Congress.
2. Thousands of Twitter employees left the company last week after mass layoffs and ultimatums from Elon Musk, the new owner of the popular social media platform. Musk brought in engineers and staff from his other company, Tesla, to evaluate the code and make cuts to the Twitter teams. By last Saturday, Musk was attempting to reverse some of the cuts, reaching out to employees deemed vital to the continued success of Twitter and inviting them back. Several notable politicians and public figures have had their access to Twitter reinstated, such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate, Kanye (Ye) West, Project Veritas, and former President Donald Trump. Click here to read a letter from members of the House of Representatives to the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission regarding Musk’s purchase of Twitter and the FTC’s regulation of it, or click here to read President Biden’s comments on Musk’s Twitter acquisition at a press conference on November 9.
3. Last weekend, a man entered Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and opened fire, killing five individuals and injuring fifteen more. Club Q was holding events for Day of Transgender Remembrance, which was last Sunday. The gunman was apprehended by a citizen at the scene and is currently in custody. Click here to read statements from members of Congress that relate to gender and sexuality, click here to read President Biden’s statement regarding the shooting, or click here to read President Biden’s statement on Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Elections
By the Elections Research team (Noah, Zachary, Courtney, Seth, Nick & Caleb) and Elections Research interns (Tayelon, Juvencio, Maggie, Francesca, and Joelle)
Elections:
Want to learn more about the results of the 2022 midterm elections? You can see the full list of results for these offices below:
This week in research, 135 ballot measures were released live to the website. You can see the full list of ballot measures and their outcomes here. If you want to learn more about ballot measures in a specific state, click on state and go to the state to learn more!
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Thomas, Bibi, Johanan, Neal, Jake, Craig, Israel, and Katie
Public Statements: 1,114 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 26 new votes were added.
New Mexico passed HB 135 and signed the bill into law, reaffirming protections for Native children and restricting the arbitrary removal of children from tribal homes. This bill seeks to address the high rate at which Native American children are removed from homes within their community and placed into others.
New Jersey passed A 3694, which was then signed into law by the governor, establishing a Purple Star Program in New Jersey schools for children of military service members. The Purple Star Program provides support to children who may suffer social-emotional challenges due to moving frequently for their military parent's work.
In Utah HB 346 passed, appropriating funds for Foreign Language Education departments and establishing restrictions on educational institutions which would restrict them from accepting gifts or donations to their language department from a foreign government.
Federal Legislation: 3 new votes
HR 8454, Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act
Special Interest Groups:
There were 318 endorsements and 12 rating scorecards released to the live web this week, which can be viewed here (organized by group). This year to date, the SIGs team has rated 118,296 candidates and entered endorsements for 46,079 candidates.