Posted: 29 May 2015 03:19 PM PDT

From corruption charges rocking the football world to a 50-foot dinosaur, here’s a look at what everyone was searching this week:Deadly storms in Texas
Widespread flooding caused by heavy rains in Texas and Oklahoma has left many dead, missing or unaccounted for, along with seriously damaged property and abandoned vehicles. With more severe weather predicted this weekend, cities across Texas topped the places searching for “storms,” with “How long does it take for streets to clear a flood?” and “where is it flooded in Houston” among the top storm-related questions.

Soccer scandal
Football’s governing body was in the search spotlight this week after the arrest of several FIFA officials in a dawn raid at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. There were more than half a million “FIFA” searches on Tuesday alone, with a top related question being the basic “What is FIFA?” (perhaps for those that call it “soccer”). Just as fans of “The Beautiful Game” span the globe, so do searches related to this week’s alleged ugliness. Costa Rica and Uruguay—home to two of the indicted officials—are among the top 10 countries searching for #FIFAarrests.

Hold on to your butts … again
It’s a Jurassic World. We just live in it. Twenty-two years after the original “Jurassic Park” movie, the release of “Jurassic World” is set to wow audiences worldwide, and ticket pre-sales and general dino-excitement have caused a 100,000+ search spike, while the trailer has topped 60 million YouTube views. Search-wise, the U.S. and Australia are most excited about the blockbuster, which will pit star Chris Pratt against a 50-foot-tall dinosaur named Indominus Rex. We’ll have to wait until June for the showdown, but based on current search interest, our money’s on Pratt.

Tip of the week
This weekend is Manhattanhenge, the moment when the setting sun aligns precisely with Manhattan’s street grid. Whether you’re in New York or not, you can find out when the sun will dip below the horizon with a simple “Ok Google, when does the sun set?” You’ll get an answer tailored for your location.

Posted by Abbi Tatton, who searched, a little indignantly, this week for [why do babies say “dada” first?]

The Washington Legislature will be wrapping up business for the year, as soon as both houses agree to an operating budget.

We made some critical progress in 2015. Joel’s Law will help families intervene when a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis is denied emergency hospitalization.  And the Sheena Henderson Act will protect survivors of domestic abuse by giving them the ability to know when a firearm is about to be returned to their abuser.  These new laws will save lives, and that’s something to celebrate!

We also defeated a multipronged effort by the gun lobby to create loopholes and weaken our new universal background checks law.

Donate now.  Let’s keep the momentum going!

That’s the good news.  Now, here’s where we have our work cut out for us.

At every turn, the gun lobby and their pals in Olympia conspired to block, stall, and derail Extreme Risk Protection Orders – a common sense proposal that could prevent the next UC-Santa Barbara or Cafe Racer attack.

But the gun lobby said no. They have a “general philosophical opposition” to a bill that would empower families to temporarily remove firearms from people threatening harm.

For far too long we’ve let the politicians who conspire with the gun lobby get away with it.  Not anymore.  We’re going to be holding their feet to the fire.  That’s why we launched the Hold Them Accountable Fund, and why we’re aiming to raise an extra $5,000 by the end of the month.

Chip in a donation right now.  Let’s hit the goal and build a grassroots-powered campaign to hold the politicians accountable!

Thank you,

Stephanie

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden welcome 97-year-old Vivian Bailey and her guests, Principal Troy Todd and teacher Melissa Peyton, to the Oval Office, May 26, 2015. Ms. Bailey has been raising money for more than a dozen years so students of Running Brook Elementary school in Columbia, Maryland, can take field trips. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

See more from our “Photo of the Day” gallery here.

Reasons We Need the Clean Water Rule

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army are finalizing a Clean Water Rule to protect the streams and wetlands we rely on for our health, our economy, and our way of life. Find out exactly why this rule is so important.

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Memorial Day 2015: Honoring Our Soldiers Who Paid the Ultimate Sacrifice

This Memorial Day, President Obama traveled to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia to pay solemn tribute to the men and women of our armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

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The First Lady Celebrates the 2015 Graduates of Oberlin College

On Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the class of 2015 at Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin was the first college in America to adopt a policy to admit African American students, as well as the first co-ed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women — and this year marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s own commencement address at Oberlin College.

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Tell Us: What’s Your Stake in Clean Water?

One in three Americans get their drinking water from areas that don’t have clear pollution protection.

But this week, after hundreds of meetings and reviewing more than 1 million comments from Americans, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers are taking steps to fix the problem. Together, they’re releasing a Clean Water Rule that strengthens and expands protections for bodies of water that more than a third of Americans rely on for their drinking water.

Share with us why clean water is important to you, and join the conversation online using #CleanWaterRules on your social media channels.