Domestic: 

Tom Brady shared in a video last Tuesday that he will be retiring from the NFL. He had previously retired from the association last year for just 40 days before making the decision to play one more season in Tampa. Many have commented on the announcement including notable athletes and Hollywood stars. His ex-wife Gisele Bündchen also commented, tweeting, “Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life.”

The Justice Department’s investigation of Tyre Nichols’s death has reignited calls for police reform legislation to be passed in Washington. The White House has pushed once again for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which would ban chokeholds, limit no-knock warrants and qualify immunity policies. This past week, the Congressional Black Caucus has both called for a meeting with President Joe Biden to push for negotiations on police reforms and has urged Congress members to work together to “address the public health epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects many of our communities.” 

Rep. George Santos spoke with Republican lawmakers last Tuesday on his decision to step down from his assignment to the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. His decision comes after controversy over his fabricated resumé and other elements of his background. The Ethics Committee is currently handling a claim against Santos for “failure to file timely, accurate and complete financial disclosure reports.” Calls for him to resign come from multiple political levels, and this includes voters. According to a Newsday-Siena College poll, 78 percent of voters in Santos’s own district think he should resign, and 71% think that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was wrong to appoint Santos. 

International:

Last Monday a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least 100 people and injuring 217. The attack signals a worsening security crisis that the country has been grappling with for the past few years concerning militant groups. It is unclear whether the Pakistani Taliban known as Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) is responsible for this specific attack. Last year the ceasefire between Pakistan’s government and TTP eroded, which both heightened violence and catalyzed a possible increase of border tension between the Afghan and Pakistani governments. An investigation is currently underway to determine who is responsible for Monday’s attack. There is a concern of added violence that could stem from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s statement that the attack could have been avoided if the “state heeded earlier warnings from civil society about extremist outfits in the province…We demand that the state take action now.” 

Iran’s anti government strikes that began last September over the death of Mahsa Amini have slowed to a standstill due to the country’s worsening economic strain. Many people are now unwilling to carry out mass demonstrations, but a new form of civil disobedience has taken hold. Thousands of women in Tehran now walk outdoors without their hijabs. This form of defiance challenges the dress laws of the country and one of the ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic. In response, Iranian authorities have ordered police to issue fines to women who break the dress code, as well as impose penalties on taxis and restaurants that allow women to enter without wearing a hijab. Both have had little effect on women’s decisions. According to a 2018 survey by the Iranian Parliament’s research center, support for the hijab has fallen from 85% after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to about 35%.