The Sunday Subject – January 8, 2023

Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Friday the Bills announced his condition improved substantially. While he still remains critically ill, he is now able to speak and breathe on his own. The NFL called off the game entirely, and has come under pressure again to better protect its players.

Kevin McCarthy has been narrowly elected speaker of the House after 15 rounds of voting.

About twenty far-right rebels within the Republican caucus had refused to vote for him after days of negotiations, instead choosing to rally behind the more conservative Jim Jordan. After 14 defeats, McCarthy was ultimately able to win by granting major concessions to the far-right objectors. This debacle marks the most protracted House speaker election since 1859. 

Twitter announced it would reverse its 2019 ban on political advertising.

The company also announced it would relax its policy towards “cause-based ads.” These changes come as part of a larger series of reassessments prompted by Elon Musk since his taking over as CEO of the platform.