Highlights from the Week
On August 31, 2023, Danelo Cavalcante Escaped from Chester County Prison, PA, after being sentenced to life in prison on August 16, 2023, for first-degree murder. According to the jail’s acting warden, Howard Holland, surveillance footage showed Cavalcante managed to escape through a narrow spacing between two walls in the prison exercise yard, crab-walking up and out of sight. He proceeded to run across the roof, scaled a fence and forced his way through prison wiring. From the time of Cavalcante’s escape, he was spotted on many occasions and in multiple different locations, such as the Botanical Gardens, nearby jail perimeters, and in the Pocopson Township Home. Police stated Cavalcante successfully stole a rifle, changed his appearance, used and abandoned a white van during the time of his escape. On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the Pennsylvania State Police announced the escapee was captured and placed into custody. Officials said Cavalcante has now been taken to a prison in Montgomery County to begin serving his murder sentence. To read a statement from the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, click here. To read a statement from Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative John Joyce of Pennsylvania, click here.
Over the past weekend, the G20 had its annual summit in New Delhi, India. The G20, a nongovernmental organization consisting of 19 countries, the European Union, and now the African Union, works to address any and all major issues relating to the international economy, finance, and development. During this summit, the group agreed on language about the war in Ukraine–that states grab territory by force but notably did not include any criticism of Russia (a G20 member) for initiating the war; adding the 55-member African Union to the group; a plan between India, Saudi Arabia, and the United States to create rail links between the Middle East and South Asia; and an agreement to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ahead of the G20, click here. To read a statement from Representative Sara Jacobs of California on the introduction of the African Union to the G20, click here. Lastly, to read a transcript of an interview with House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul of Texas on the language about Ukraine, click here.
On September 12th, 2023, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. This is the first step in the impeachment process of any executive official, and means that the speaker is directing three committees in the House–the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means–to begin investigations into President Biden’s involvement in his son, Hunter Biden’s, business dealings with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, pointing to alleged corruption on the part of the President, then Vice President, using his position in the government to help his son make a profit. If the investigation finds evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, then the House would move forward with a vote on articles of impeachment. To read the statement from Speaker McCarthy announcing the inquiry, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, click here. To read a statement from House Oversight Chairman, James Comer of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from Representative Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Representative John Curtis of Utah, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, click here.
Elections
By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Caleb, Seth, Jessica, and Max and Elections Research interns Ionut, Spencer, Molly, Rachel, Emma, Kaia, and Brenda
Biographies & Elections:
Want to learn more about the results of elections happening around the country? You can see the list of elections that happened this week here:
Want to learn more about elected officials in your state? You can see the full list here:
Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:
Want to learn more about which committees elected officials are a part of? You can see the full list of committees for each state here:
Want to learn more about the candidates who are currently being tested and their responses to the Political Courage Test ahead of the general election? You can see the full list of candidates, their responses, and response rates running in various states by office below:
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, Quinn, Max, Jessica, and interns: Justin, Skylar, Jami, Abby, Claire, Heather, Kaitlin, Sophia, Tristen, Arola and Nischay.
Public Statements: 288 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 40 new votes were added.
Illinois House passed HB 3713 - Requires clean air in classrooms and schools
Indiana Governor signed HB 1608 - Prohibits the instruction of human sexuality in students from Pre-K through grade three
Minnesota Governor signed HF 5 - Expands access to free school lunches
Minnesota Governor signed HF 2073 - Appropriates state funding for free college tuition and automatic admission
Minnesota Governor signed SF 2909 - Appropriates funding for the State Public Safety Omnibus Bill
Washington Senate passed SB 5717 - Repeals gender-based pricing
U.S. Congress: 0 new votes were added.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 26,314 ratings and 10,964 endorsements for candidates.