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- Representative George Santos’ expulsion from Congress.
- On December 1st, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel New York Congressman Santos over ethics violations. It passed 311-114 votes.
- SAG-AFTRA and WAG Strikes
- On May 2nd, 2023, the Writers Guild of America went on strike over a labor dispute. SAG-AFTRA (representing actors) joined the strike on July 14th. The WAG strike ended on September 27th and the SAG-AFTRA strike ended on November 9th. Both labor unions ratified contracts that benefited them greatly, providing better working conditions and pay.
- Southwest Meltdown
- At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, Southwest Airlines had a significant meltdown with its internal infrastructure, causing the cancellation of thousands of flights during the 2022 holiday season. It canceled over 60% of its flights on two days during the meltdown. The cancellations left over 2 million passengers stranded, and Southwest was forced to pay over $140 million in fines.
- TikTok Bans
- As of April 2023, government employees in 34 out of 50 states are prohibited from having TikTok on government-owned devices. Furthermore, the Governor of Montana issued a state-wide ban for all civilian devices, however, this is currently being challenged in court. These bans were a result of privacy concerns with user data security, impact on children, and relations with the Chinese Communist Party. A month prior, the C.E.O. of Tiktok, Shou Zi Chew, testified to Congress, trying to clear up these concerns.
- CRISPR Approved for use against Sickle Cell Anemia
- In many countries, the use of CRISPR was approved for sickle cell anemia. The treatment will prevent many from pain and free people from regular blood transfusions. CRISPR is a system that can target certain genetic codes and edit them at precise locations, treating many genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia.
