“The first lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community.”

Ohio state Sen. Jay Hottinger, regarding the envelopes full of feces that were mailed to all 25 Republican members of the state Senate on Thursday, July 7. The situation is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as a federal crime. (The Columbus Dispatch — July 7, 2022)

Sean Holihan, state legislative director for the gun safety advocacy group Giffords, regarding the number of gun safety laws in Illinois that still were not enough to prevent a Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park. (Associated Press — July 8, 2022)

Jessica Beard, a trauma surgeon and a fellow at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, responding to comments that Highland Park, Ill., is the last place one might expect a mass shooting. The shooting in the wealthy, predominantly white suburb of Chicago was just one of five shootings that took place across the country on July 4. (NPR — July 7, 2022)

Amanda Litman, a millennial and the CEO of Run for Something, an organization that supports first-time Democratic candidates, commenting on why so many young candidates are running for office. Three 25-year-olds are running for Congress this cycle, the youngest age eligible for election; all three candidates are members of Gen Z. The average age of leadership in the U.S. House is 55 years old for Republicans and 71 for Democrats. (NPR — July 6, 2022)