The months-long battle to raise the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow cleared its biggest hurdle: the Republican-controlled House, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “We didn’t do it by taking the easy way,” McCarthy said. “We decided that we had to spend less, and we achieved that goal. Is it everything I wanted? No. But sitting with one House, with a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic Senate who didn’t want to meet with us, I think we did pretty dang good for the American public.” Negotiating this bill also marked the first big test of McCarthy’s speakership. After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his presidential campaign on Twitter last week, he had a more conventional kickoff in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina this week. He spent most of his stump speech going after President Biden, but when talking with reporters, he criticized his top GOP rival, former President Trump, more explicitly. “He’s attacking me for opposing an immigration amnesty for illegal aliens that he did support when he was president. … He campaigned against that in 2016,” DeSantis said. “I do think, unfortunately, he’s decided to move left on some of these issues.” And HBO’s flagship drama (or tragic comedy?) “Succession”ended on Sunday night. Author Kurt Andersen says the show “nailed the unreal way we live now.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finally announced his bid for president. He did it on Twitter with Elon Musk, the platform’s controversial owner, and it did not go well. After 25 minutes of silence and delays, DeSantis finally gave his speech. Will the rocky start marr his campaign, or does it not matter? Then, it’s the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers. His death sparked an important movement in the U.S. and around the world. But what was not well-known about Floyd’s life is that he was a music lover and a mentor to men in his community. Lastly, the filmmaker Spike Lee wanted to make a difference in the entertainment business, so he put his money where his mouth was and started a fellowship program for Black students. Is this type of effort enough to make a difference to diversity, equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry?

Democrats are worrying about the Senate map as 23 seats are up for reelection, as compared to 10 on the Republican side. Many of these seats are in swing states or red states. What should Democrats do to ensure some wins? Then, Biden is set on partnering with Vice President Kamala Harris again in 2024, despite her low approval ratings. Will this impact his electability? Researchers have stated that past vice presidents have not moved the needle on votes for a president. But is it different this time when the concern around Harris isn’t her competency as vice president, but whether she’s capable of being president should Biden not make it? Lastly, Americans are facing a loneliness epidemic that’s affecting their mental and physical health. It’s been an issue since before the COVID pandemic, but we didn’t publicly start talking about it until after. Why did it take so long for people to open up about it, and what can they do to address it? 

Trump took the stage again for a New Hampshire town hall hosted by CNN, and it was like going back in time to 2016. He rehashed the stolen election claim and hurled insults, and more. Is the U.S. bound to repeat political history? Then, with another round of mass shootings and the public growing weary, can politicians agree on legislation, or must Americans accept gun violence as unavoidable? And Bud Light entered the cultural wars by featuring a transgender model in a recent ad campaign, which received immediate backlash from the right. Do companies have a responsibility to be inclusive in their marketing, or should they stick to their main demographic? 

Biden seemed to take a page out of Trump’s playbook this week by ordering 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He stated it was meant to help the National Guard and Border Patrol deal with the surge of migrants as the pandemic-era Title 42 expires. But were soldiers the right response to a humanitarian crisis? Then, fighting in Sudan has created a humanitarian disaster after only two weeks. Did the U.S. overestimate the situation by pushing for democracy? And did we embolden the two military leaders behind the fighting — by treating them as legitimate players? And finally, television and film writers went on strike this week after failed negotiations with producers and studios. Will they succeed in getting higher pay in a streaming age where the old rules don’t apply?