Senator Ted Cruz spoke to reporters Thursday evening after photos of him emerged of him at an Airport in Cancun, Mexico. Cruz, in his statement, admitted that leaving Texas while it encountered one of its most devastating crises “didn’t feel right.”

For the past five days, millions of Texans have had to go without power, clean water and even food in what is becoming one of the most brutal weather conditions the nation has ever had to face. Adding insult to injury was their Senator seemingly abandoning them during their time of need in order to take a vacation in Cancun.

Cruz has since returned from his shortened trip after an onslaught of criticism from his fellow constituents and Texans.

Initially Cruz told NBC that the trip had been for his daughters stating, “With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”

Once Cruz had arrived back from the airport he told reporters: “I started having second thoughts almost the moment I sat down on the plane, because on the one hand all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our family….but I also have a responsibility I take very seriously of fighting for the state of Texas…”

Since this incident the Texas Democratic Party have called on Cruz to resign. In an official statement made by the Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa he said, “Ted Cruz jetting off to Mexico while Texans remain dying in the cold isn’t surprising, but it is deeply disturbing and disappointing.”

“The Texas Democratic Party calls on Ted Cruz to resign or be expelled from office… We must restore ethics, competence, and a government that works for the people,” the group added.

Others did not wish to share their thoughts on the matter, like Gov. Greg Abbott who said, “I haven’t been following people’s vacation plans.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner shared similar sentiments during a press conference on Thursday stating, “My job is to stay here until the situation is resolved so that’s it you know, I’m gonna let the senator speak for the senator.”

As this occurred many Twitter users were quick to point out Cruz had recently made a hypocritical Tweet just last December, where he criticizes Mayor of Austin Steve Adler for flying to Cabo, Mexico during lockdown.

Cruz made no attempt to defend his now ironic tweets saying, “I got no defense. A blizzard strikes Texas and our state shuts down. Not good. Stay safe!”

The Trump Administration has given Microsoft 45 days to acquire the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok despite Trump’s recent plans to ban the app, according to a recent blog post made by Microsoft.

It’s only been a few days since Trump recently said that he was planning on banning the App in the United States. While aboard the Air Force One he said, “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.” According to President Trump, the ban could have occurred as soon as Saturday.

Late last year, US Lawmakers voiced concerns over TikTok possibly posing a threat to national security due to the data it handles and tensions between the administration and China have only heightened over time.

Due to these developments, many believed the deal between Microsoft and TikTok was dismissed.

However, in a recent blog post, Microsoft confirmed they were “prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States” due to a recent conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J. Trump had in private.

According to the post, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will handle all subsequent negotiations made by Microsoft and the TikTok parent company, ByteDance. Microsoft vowed to “move quickly” and close the deal by Sept. 15.

In their closing statement, they wrote: “Microsoft appreciates the U.S. Government’s and President Trump’s personal involvement as it continues to develop strong security protections for the country. These discussions are preliminary and there can be no assurance that a transaction which involves Microsoft will proceed. We do not intend to provide further updates until there is a definitive outcome to our discussions.”

This isn’t the first time the CFIUS has ordered a company to divest. Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd sold, Grindr, a gay dating app, for $620 million to San Vicente Acquisition LLC as per the request of the CFIUS.

Whether this deal between the tech giant Microsoft and ByteDance will go the same way, however, is still unknown.

John Lewis is considered one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights movement that swept America during the 1960s. His passing was confirmed by Nancy Pelosi late on Friday night. This was following a seven-month-long battle he had with stage four pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Born on February 21, 1940, into a family of sharecroppers, John Robert Lewis was the third child of ten living in rural Alabama.  He attended segregated schools as a boy and was often told by his parents not to challenge the inequities of the Jim Crow laws which had been set in place during that era. However, as he grew older so did his distaste for the unfairness racial segregation.

Lewis first heard Martin Luther King, Jr. on the radio in 1955 and closely followed Montgomery Bus Boycott that King began later that year. Lewis was deeply inspired by King’s actions and from then on vowed to act upon the change which he wanted to see.

In 1957, Lewis traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to attend American Baptist Theological Seminary. It was here where he learned about nonviolent protest and how to organize protests. He became involved in sit-ins at segregated lunch counters and was arrested during these demonstrations. Despite this Lewis stuck to his philosophy of nonviolence and became a strict adherent which he kept to for the rest of his life.

After doing civil work in Nashville and meeting with both Dr. King and Rosa Parks, Lewis became one of the original 13 Freedom Riders. Freedom Riders were a group of six whites and seven blacks, who in an effort to get southern states to enforce the laws that prohibited segregated public transportation, all rode buses from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans in an integrated fashion. In doing this Lewis and his fellow freedom riders were brutally beaten and arrested many times yet still consistently made it to freedom rides.

In 1963, after Charles McDew stepped down as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis was elected to take his place and as such helped plan one of the most important marches in American history: the March on Washington.

The March on Washington took place on Wednesday, August 28, 1963, and was meant to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. During this March is also where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Alongside King was Lewis, who at only 23, was the youngest speaker at the event. In a powerful declaration, Lewis announced, “We all recognize the fact that if any radical social, political and economic changes are to take place in our society, the people, the masses, must bring them about.” The March on Washington is credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which among other things, outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

20 years later in 1986, Lewis was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s 5th District. Lewis was reelected 16 times only dropping below 70 percent of the vote once. Being one of the most respected in congress, Lewis advocated for health reform and education improvements. He also oversaw multiple renewals of the Voting Rights Act.

In the recent past, John Lewis was hailed by Pelosi as “a titan of the civil rights movement” by Pelosi, and out of respect, President Donald Trump ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff. A number of other people also voiced their grief in response to the passing of Lewis including  Former President Barack Obama, who just ten years prior awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On all fronts, Lewis is what every activist looking to make a change should aspire to be. Unwavering, unflinching and most important of all peaceful.