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65 viewsThe Week US - 01 - 11 - 2024
The Week magazine. US edition. 11.01.2024.
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Stauer’ | arrorp THE ExTRAORDINARY Contents
Editor’s letter
If Donald Trump wins on Nov. 5, it will be partly because the
traditional press failed to present the former president as he truly
is. That’ the argument put forward by many media crities, who,
accuse The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, and
other legacy outlets of “sanewashing” Trump: selectively quot-
ing or editing his rambling, threat-filled, and profanity-laced
tally speeches. This habit stems from mainstream news out-
lets wanting to appear “objective,” the argument goes. I they
did accurately cover Trump's extremism and bizarre behaviog,
it would look like they were in the tank for Democrats. Asa
result, Trump's repeated pledge to round up and deport millions
of undocumented immigrants, whom he has called “animals
and “not human,” gets labeled by the Times as “hyperbol
rhetoric” rather than 100-proof authoritarianism. And his weird
lisquisitions—about whether it’s beter to be eaten by a shark
for to die from electrocution, for example—go unmentioned in
sounding policy announcements such as eliminating taxes on tips,
These are valid criticisms, but they vastly overplay the ability
cof mainstream media to shape the national conversation, News-
papers and network news have shrinking audiences, while social
media is grabbing ever more eyeballs. About 50 percent of Amer:
‘cans now go to platforms like TikTok, X, and Instagram to get
their news—where they also get a flood of disinformation served
up by influencers, hucksters, and propagandists. A Russian-
created fake video smearing Democratic vice presidential nom-
inee Tim Walz with abuse allegations has been viewed some
S million times on X. Millions more have seen bogus Al-
generated images of Trump wading through the floodwaters in
the wake of Haricane Helen, feding a Trump-backed nar
rative that only he—and not the Biden administration—cares
about the storms vietims. Cleatly, we have a reality problem,
but ies one that traditional media is largely
"many reports on campaign events, which instead focus on sane powerless to fix. furore
News
Val nantvien SIDA
Harris and Trump batele Ettore ns es
‘over undecided voters; Etocattarge snr
the killing of Oct.7
architect Yahya Sinwar ee
a estat nog ear) hs
° eweek Doeycatamorn own
Is Trump campaignin Scteretebor ier
Is Trump campaigning onesc.
7 TheUS.ataglance otter Ril
False claims about Tim Dery arecon toss Buin
Walz; Catholie Chusch Protest nc
abuse settlement in L.A. rates som
8 Theworldataglance preriareest
tealy outlaws surogacysa Tp bands ot onder at a McDonalsin Faster, caterer
junk-food crackdown 1 iteciptone met ovr
10 People ARTS: LEISURE aoa
Anna Kendrick’s fight 22 Books 27 Food & Drink Yercerting stein
against misogyny; Liza ‘An analysis of the elite Seand-out Thai spots; ae
Minnelli’ spit family class's ‘wokeness ‘game-changing’ cabbage; (managers
11 Briefing ee, wellaged chiantiriservas_ Medarlaninaminenr eco
‘The expanding empire
of Elon Musk
Barbara Kingsolver on
American classism
12 BestU.S.columns 24 Art& Music
Backlash toward the Left; Charli XCX's Brat,
could Ozempic help curb revamped
America’s addiction crisis? 25 Films Stage
15 Bestinternational A former
columns Puspeat Dol
North Korea amps up its lazales on
antagonism; the Afrikaans Broadway
preservation debate }
16 Talking points
Harris steps into the
lion’ dens a DEL failure
in Michigan the
clection’s historic gender Anna
divide: questions over Kendrick
‘Trump's mental acuity (p10)
tan
28 Consumer tose rt senes con)
Kia upgrades the minivan
with the Carnival Hybrid; grubumemsree Rowse
novel perfumes for fall Secor
Neecausemanee,
BUSINESS ontcmegn
32 Newsataglance: oman 7 -
Disney's long hunt for ae
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34 Besteolumns Renew asibscriton at
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stock dream endures
“THE WEEK November) 2028 4NEWS
Harris steps up attacks on ‘unhinged’ Trump
What happened
With less than two weeks to go before
Election Day, Donald Trump and Kamala
Harris blitzed swing stats this week in
a bid to sway the few undecided vot-
ers who'll decide the winner of a remark
ably tight race. Trump trolled Vice Presi-
dent Harris, who says she worked at Mc-
Donald's while in college, by donning an
apron for a staged event at a MeDonald’s
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The for-
mer president briefly worked a fryer and
handed out food through the drive-through
window. In a speech in Latrobe, Pa, which
an aide said would outline his campaign's
closing argument, Trump began with an ex-
tended riff on Arnold Palmer that included a celebration ofthe de-
ceased golf great’s genitalia. “When he took showers with the other
pros, they came out of there, they sai, ‘Oh, my God. That's unbe-
lievable,” he said. In Latrobe, the Republican nominee labeled Has-
ris a “shit vice president”; in other appearances, he ealled her “lazy
as hell” and “slows”
Harris sharpened her attacks on Teump, saying the Palmer anecdote
and other odd behaviors show he is increasingly “unhinged” (see
Talking Points, p.17).*"The American people deserve better than
someone who actually seems to be unstable,” she said, The Demo:
cratic nominee, 60, took aim at her 78-year-old opponent for backing
‘out of interviews with NBC News and CNBC's Squatek Bax, which
an aide told Politico was due to exhaustion. “If he’s exhausted being
‘on the campaign trail, is he fit ro do the job” said Harris.
While stumping for Trump, billionaire Elon Musk announced he
would give away $1 million each day to a registered voter in a
battleground state who has signed a petition drafted by his political
action committee. The Justice Department warned the PAC that the
giveaways could be illegal, CNN reported. At a rally in Pennsylva
hia, the Tesla CEO made false claims about Democrats “importing”
illegal migrane voters, and said Trump's loss would lead to a “per
‘manent one-party state.” Speaking in Wisconsin, Harris running
‘mate Tim Walz called Musk a “dipshit” who is trying to “buy an
election.” National polls showed Har.
ris and Trump effectively ted, and the
pair continued to run exceedingly close
What next?
_The Main Stories.
A dead beatin the campaign's final stretch
‘Musk is “generating the buzz he no doubt
hoped for” with his $1 million giveaways,
said The Washington Post. But his legally
dubious handouts distract focus from an
even shadier effort: to stoke doubt about
the electoral system. He's spreading lies
at rallies and on his X platform that vor-
ing machines are easily hacked and that as
many 2 million noncitizens are registered in
sowing states. Musk is “laying the ground-
work” to cast doube on the results and
spur “chaos” if Trump loses. The dangers
can't be ignored.
What the columnists sald
As Trump manned a fryer in a Pennsylva-
rnin McDonald’, the scene outside distilled the “apocalyptic” mood
in swing states, said Shavwn McCressh in The New York Times.
“The parking lt throbbed with hatred, fear, and neighbor's suspi-
cion of neighbon” 3s afew hundred Trump supporters squared off
‘gainst some 50 locals who'd arsived to protest. As the evo camps
‘creamed at one another about Project 2025, tariffs, and Covid¥ac-
eines, the roxie scene “became a microcosm of this year’s lection,
Vicious and absurd”
Trump's rallies now feel like “a fever dream,” said Will Bunch in
The Philadelphia Inquirer. Isa bizarre spectacle indeed when
the Republican nominee exalts Palmer's penis before a family
crowd, or spends 39 minutes swaying wordlessly to music before
a “deeply confused” town-hall audience, as Trump did last week.
But as his behavior deteriorates, this deranged aspiring dictator still
holds even odds of winning an election that may decide the “furure
of democracy”
[A better opponent might capitalize on Trump's missteps, said Jeffrey
Biehar in National Review, but Democrats ae saddled with Flas.
There's “palpable frustration” among pary loyalists that poll are
deadlocked and the “inital amphetamine rush” of her campaign is
gone. But with a nominee who lacks even “the slightest hint of elec-
{oral charisma,” that sugar buzz was alway’ going to fade. Hares
real problem is that she remains an unknown to many’ voters, said
Jonathan Martin in Politico. Yee rather
‘than set out her own positive vision
for the future, she's spending the cam-
Across seven swing states, where they
are even or separated by only a point,
What the editorials said
es time to end “the Trump era in
American political life,” said The Boston
Globe. Over the past decade he's “put
his toxie stamp” on the nation, den
grating the rule of law and sowing
doube about our electoral system. He's
a convicted felon and serial iar who's
cozied up to foreign dictators while
embracing antidemocratic ideas” at
home. Harts “offers a different path.
She seeks to “lift the poor, working, and
middle classes,” and offers a message
of “unity, hope, and aspiration” that
counters Trump's “fear and loathing.”
The choice coulda be clear.
THE WEEK November 2024,
If youre obsessively tracking election pols, youcan
stop now, sid David Lauter inthe Los Angeles
Times. They won tel you who will win, Swing-state
poling has been remarkably stable, andthe tight
spreads ae well within margins of error. So, its toss-
up and that wor't change. The key question, though,
Is whether the pollsare accurate. They underestimat-
ed Trump’ supportin both 2016 and 2020, After both
elections ‘pollsters examined what went wrong and.
set out to fxit” Perhaps they did. Perhaps they fale.
"Or perhaps they ve overcorrected, and the results
‘now skew inthe other direction” As many anticipate
nailing finish, "a relatively decisive win" for one.
ofthe candidates is surprisingly kel said Nate
Sliver in The New York Times. With poling averages
so close, "even asl systematic poling error” could
Yield a comfortable Electoral College victory’ for
ether Trump of Haris. My model shows about 60
percent oxids that one candidate will sweep atleast
sixof seven battleground states”
paig’s final days slamming her rival's
well-known defects. “What new vor-
crs are being won with denunciations of
Trumps character?”
“Trump's paradox is that he alternately
comes off a8 "2 bfoon and a would-be
dictator" said Zack Beauchamp in Vos.
One minute your're snickering at his
campy dance moves,” the next you'ee
worrying he'll unleash teoops on US.
citizens. But the two Tramps, “the clown
and the menace ae intimately ted to-
ethee” The buffoonery “helps nor
mmalize his dangerousness.” We laugh
not only because i's Funny but also be-
cause amid the chuckles, for a moment
at least, “we don't have to confront the &
reality of what he truly epresents” — §
Ilstraton by Howard MeWiliom,
‘Cover poco fom Geet US. urges cease-fire after Israel kills Hamas leader
Whathappened
‘The Biden administration this week
pressed Israel for a cease-fire in Gaza
and Lebanon following the killing
of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwas, with
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
traveling to the Middle East to meet
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. Sinwag, the architect of
the Oct, 7, 2023, massacre in Israel
that launched the Giaza war, had been
thought to be hiding underground but
was discovered by chance last week
by an Israeli patrol in a ruined refugee
camp in Rafah. The patrol opened fire
tnd wounded him, and when a ideo
drone found Sinwar sitting ina dus
caked armchair in a bombed-our building, he hurled a stick a it.
Israeli forces then shelled the building, kiling him. President Biden
welcomed Sinwar’s death, calling it “a good day for Israc, for the
United States, and for the world” and saying it could open a path
for bringing Hamas’ 101 remaining hostages “home to their fami-
lies, and for ending this war once and for all”
A
Netanyahu did not commit to a cease-fire, although he confirmed
that Israel would not keep troops in Gaza after the war. While
Blinken urged the Israel leader to avoid escalating hostilities with
Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, Israel continued shelling Hezbollah
targets in Lebanon. That campaign has killed nearly 2,600 peopl,
including Hashem Safieddine, the cousin of and expected succes-
sor to assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel also
said it remained committed to stiking inside Iran in retaliation for
an attack three weeks ago, when the Islamic Republic launched
Some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. “After we attack Iran,” said
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, everyone will see that those
who strike Israel “pay a heavy price.”
‘What the editorials said
Sinwar received his “proper measure of justice for his lifetime of
smurdes” said The Wall Stret Journal. Before this nihilistic ter-
rorist orchestrated the biggest slaughter of Jews since the Holo-
caus he was known for torturing and murdering fellow Palestin-
jans suspected of collaborating with Israel. He also “had the blood
of many Americans on his hands,” including some of the 250 hos-
tages taken on Oct. 7. His pathetic end adds to an “impressive
and How They Were Covered
Sinwoar was found ina ruined are of Rafah
NEWS5
Israeli record”: eight Hamas and Hez-
bollah leaders taken out in 14 weeks
ng Sinwar effectively “fulfills one
of Israels declared war aims,” said
‘The Washington Post. Now there
should be a new urgency to end a
Gaza conflict that has killed more
than 42,000 Palestinians. Sinwar, of
course, bears responsibility for some
of that earnage, since he purposely
positioned “fighters, booby-traps, and
‘weapons among civilians.” But Israel
also shoulders blame, and the longer
the war goes on, the more it will “lose
international sympathy.”
What the columnists said
Sinwar transformed the Middle East, said Yaroslav Trofimoy in
The Wall Street Journal, but notin the way he wanted. He'd hoped
the Hamas surprise attack on Israel last year would trigger “a eata-
clysmic conflict that would enguif the entire region” and rd Israel
ofits Jews. The war certainly has spread, with the Jewish state in-
‘volved in is first direct military conflict with ran, But Israel has
dominated, kneeeapping both Hamas and Hezbollah, and now the
prospects for Palestinian statchood are “more remote than ever.”
‘Yet so are the prospects for peace, said Ellen Toanes in Vax. Since
2 brief November 2023 pause in the conflict, “the Biden admin-
istration has repeatedly touted cease-fire deals that have gone no-
where.” Even Sinwa®’ killing may not open a window for one, as
Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah all have demands that thei foes co
sider nonstareers. The U.S. “has largely failed” to use the $18 bi
lion it has sent in military aid to Israel over the past year as lever-
age. And now America’s key adversary, Ian, is making overtures
to Saudi Arabia and may well persuade it to deny Israel use of
Saudi airspace for Israel’ forthcoming attack on Iran.
Israel was right to ignore Biden’s hand-wringing, said Eric R Mandel
in The Hill. The USS. cautioned against the invasion of Rafab—
yet that’s what flushed out Sinwar Instead of strong-arming Israel
into “a hurried fie-sale deal” that ultimately benefits Iran, the U.S.
should let Israel negotiate from its position of strength to got the
best deal possible. “Publicly airing disputes” with the Israelis “only
encourages Iran and its proxies to be more intransgent.”
(Sem
1 Since 1968, Paul Haynes, Bil Mun-
‘den, Ken King Peter Thirlwal. Brian
‘Ayres, and Dick Cotton have met
every Thursday for a weekly pint.
‘The British gathering started when
King and Haynes, then students,
decided to graba beer after playing
‘gol during free study periods. To
this day fany of the six—now all
‘octogenarians—bails without a good
'™ Earler this month, Matthew Prebish, a Southwest Airlines
pilot, volunteered tofly 95 cats and52 dogson an emergency
alt plane to shelters in Milwaukee after they were displaced.
bby Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. He had planned to
head straighthome to Dallas, butbad weather lefthimssitting
‘on the runway in Milwaukee for what
turned out tobea fortuitous 45 minutes.
Prebish thinks of himself as "more of a
dog person,” but he couldn't resistaktten
named Avery. He approached the rescue
‘organization coordinating the fight and
reason, the group expects him to foundthat Avery wasin factlookingfora sinister chldren-in a special edition
write aschootstyle note of absence. home. Prebist’s wife and young son OKd of the paper. The work had somehow
"We once talked about soccer and the adoption, and Prebish and Avery flew eluded the notice of generations of,
sex. These days t's more prostates bback to Dallas together. “She caughtmy biographers and bibliophiles “Iwas
‘and pensions, said Thirwal Prebish and Avery heart," Preblsh sald. Just aobsmacked,” said Cleary.
1m Brian Cleary an Irish pharmacst,
‘was browsing the archives of the
National Library of Ireland when he
discovered a previously unknown
‘Béyear old story written by Bram
‘Stoker, the author of Dracula. Cleary
first saw the story advertised in
‘an 1890 issue ofthe Dublin Daily
‘Express, then tracked down the
tale—"Gibbet Hil” an eerie story of
‘a young man who encounters three
THE WEEK November,2026 6 NEWS
_Controversy of the Week
Trump: Is he running as a ‘fascist’?
For the nine disturbing years of Donald Trumps
politcal carer, his opponents have for the most
part “avoided publily referring to the Repub-
Tican as a fascist,” said Steve Benen in MSNBC
-com. But last week, “everything changed.”
First, news broke that retired Gen. Mark Miley,
Trump's handpicked chairman of the Joint
ifs of Sta, had called the former president
“total fascist” and “fascist to the core” in in-
terviews with veteran reporter Bob Woodward.
Within days, former House Speaker Naney Pelosi
and former House GOP conference chair Liz
Cheney had seconded Milley’s remark. Finally,
Vice President Kamala Harris, asked by radio host Charlamagne tha
God if “fascism” fairly characterizes Trump's vision for the country,
replied, “Yes, we can say that.” Milley may have handed the Demo-
cxats “a permission slip for using the F-word,” said Sasha Abramsky
in The Nation, but Teump's own rhetoric has become dramatically
“darker” in recent weeks. He has threatened to jail election offi-
cials, revoke the licenses of less-than-fawning TV networks, and un-
Jeash the military on Democratic opponents he calls “the enemy
within.” Democrats “should have done it months ago,” but the be-
lated decision to “calla fascist a fascist” is very weleome.
This was “inevitable” said The Wall Steet Journal in an editorial,
The Left has hurled “fascist!” at every Republican presidential can-
dlidate since the 1960s, and with polls deadlocked, is hardly sur-
prising that nervous Democrats have dusted off “the fascist meme”
in the campaign's final weeks. But “the public isn’t buying?” it Yes,
Trump has recently made some “grandiose and self-defeating”
statements, “and his attempt to overeurn the 2020 cletion was dis-
graceful.” But he talked this way in 2016 as wel, and voters don't
recall any “fascist takeover" of America during his first term. This
Vowing a erackaowen on ‘the ener within’
fascism panic has less to do with the factual
record than with “progressive panic” at
Harris’ slide in the poll.
John Kelly is no progressive, said Michael S.
Schmidt in The New York Times. The retired
fourstar general was Trump's longest-serving
chief of staff. This week, the fierely private
Kelly went on the record to state that Trump
told him more than once thac Adolf Hitler
“did some good things” and that he wanted
“his generals” to be like Hitler’s—loyal to
him, that is, and noe the Constitution. In his
‘own view, Kelly said, Trump “certainly falls into the general defini-
tion of fascist.” Trump barely tries to hide it said Anne Applebaum
in The Atlantic. When he talks about immigrants “poisoning
the blood” of America, or calls his political opponents “vermin,”
‘Trump is intentionally echoing Hitler and Benito Mussolini. This
fascistc ehetoric had a specific purpose. If you dehumanize your
foes, “then you can much more easily arrest them, deprive them of
rights, exclude them, or even kill them.”
The mystery, sad JamelleBouie in The New York Tine, i that
we're not more alarmed. Teump is closing his campaign with
an explicit promise fo govern as an autocea,” in an administa
tion this time purged of the Milley- and Kelly-like figures who re-
sisted Trumps tyrannical impulses to seze voting, machines and wn
leash the military on Black Lives Matter protesters. Yet many of us
are stil sailing towaed Nox. 5 as if this were “an ordinary election
‘with ordinary stakes” There’ no mystery, said Will Saletan in The
Bulwark. “We like to think that fascism can't happen in America,”
so we simply choose not to believe what Trump i telling and show.
ing us every days chat “is happening eight now.”
Good week for:
Cats, which outperformed 14-month old human babies in a word
association test Cognitive scientist Saho Takagi said not only was she
Impressed by the cats'ablity to pair words with images but also that
Cn
sm Anew Boston-hased women’s
pro soccer team has apologized for
FBI investigates leak of US. Intel
con Israels plan to strike ran
‘ts “Too Many Balls” visibility cam- ‘it was cute to see how seriously they participated in the experiment” ‘The FBI contirmed this week that
sign fash te sogan hee Tnvestgating eae itty
aon Atswthinesogan There TeghaiesmateraScotishemploymenttiounalruledthaton _aleestgaingalnk ohh,
electrician whose supervisor called him a “stupid bald [profanity is
8 victim of sexual harassment. As baldnessis “much more prevalent
Inmen than women,’ the panel uled, the supervisor effectively de-
‘meaned his victim based on “the protected characteristic of sex.”
Efficlency, ater New Zealanc!s Dunedin Airport instituted a time init
for goodbye hugs atts passenger drop-off zone ina bid to curb traffic
Jams. "Max hug time 3 minutes," read signs outside the aeport’s single
terminal. "Fr fonder farewells, please use the car park”
presented the 80S Nation Football
Club asarefreshingaddtion to
Boston's roster of male teams After
fanseritiized the campaign for
implying only men have testicles,
the team ssued a statement polo:
‘izing “to the LGBTQ* community
and to the trans community in
Particular for the hurt we caused,
= An off duty policeman working
as asubstitute teacher in Wood:
bury, Minn, has been piaced under
investigation after he was accused
‘ofputting a high school student on
the ground to re-enact the murder
of George Floyd during an English
‘etailing Israels preparations
for apotential retaliatory attack
on iran An lrarvinked account
‘on the Telegram messaging app
published the two documents last
‘Wook, claiming they were supplied
bya source inside the US. intel
‘gence community Dated Oct.15
‘and6, the ocuments induce an
analysis based on satelite Imagery
that Suggests rae warplanes are
readying for amjor strike on Iran,
inretaliton fr ans Oct. 1balistic
missile attack on srae. The report
also discussed the movernent of
‘munitions carts on Israel aris.
While itis known that the US.
Bad week for:
‘Moby, ater Danish conservationists found the detached penisof a
‘young humpback whale washed up on a beach on theisiand of Born
holm. "it wasa diferent day at work the conservationists posted online,
‘adding thatthe 5foot item was nitty mistaken fora dead snake,
‘Rudy Glullan, who was ordered by a federal judge to turn over his
Manhattan apartment and a 1980 Mercedes once owned by Lauren
class Students at Woodbury Hin gal to two former Georgia election workers who last year won regularly gathers inteligence on
ee ee enertar _ $148millon defamation case against the former New York Cty mayor, alles inccing sree he leak has
ityisntreat andfakepuncheda _—Blgbangs.after the US, Forest Service announced tha, due todry fae Israeli weris about US ir-
child while describinga bar ight..__conditions and a high risk of wildfires itis pausing itspractce of blow- _tallgencesecurity “The contents
not that significant" said one Israel
official "The fact that there was
leakisa lot oresignificant”
School officials called Wiliams
alleged actions "reprehensible:
Ing up dead horses in the Wyoming backcountry. As explained in the
USFS field manual “Obiiterating Animal Carcasses With Explosiv
blowing up dead horses makes them less attractive to grizly bears
THE WEEK November 2024, Fall City, Wash.
Teen shooting: A 15-year-old allegedly
shot and killed five people in a Seatle-
area home this week. The teen was
taken into custody after officers received
911 calls about
“a disturbance
with gunfire” in
Fall City, about
25 miles cast of
Seattle, The five
Vietims included
two adults and
three children
described as|
“young teenagers.” A fourth teenager was
hospitalized with atleast two injures
Mike Mellis, a spokesperson for the King
County Sheriff's Office, said there wasn’t
any “significant confrontation” with
the alleged shooter when police arrive.
Melis didn’t provide any information
about the relationship between the
people involved, but said it appeared to
bre “a family incident, clearly a ;
‘At the murder scene
domestic violence incident.” He
also didn’t elaborate on the type
‘or number of firearms used.
‘There have been at least 24
‘mass shootings—defined as
incidents in which atleast
four people die, excluding the
shooter—in the US. this year,
Los Angeles
Church abuse: The country’s
largest archelocese agreed last week
to pay survivors of childhood sexual abuse
a record $880 million, bringing its total
in sexual abuse lawsuits to
‘more than $1.5 billion
‘The Archdiocese of
Los Angeles will pay
1,353 plaintiffs who
claimed Catholic clergy
sexually abused them
as children, part of
a string of lawsuits,
against the archdiocese
in recent decades. The hefty settlement
reflects the archdiocese’ size—it has
more than 4 milion members and nearly
300 parishes—and was aided by a 2019
state law reviving claims that were never
pursued because the statute of limitations
had expired. It also reflects the failure
‘of church leadership to keep pedophile
priests from reoffending. Some priests were
moved to new parishes after completing,
‘treatment and allowed to continue thei
abuse. This settlement is “a measure of
justice and a measure of accountability
F that gives these survivors some sense of
{ closure,” said lawyer Michael Reck, who
= represented some ofthe plaintiff
L.A. catednal
The U.S. at a Glance
Colorado
Ecolioutbreak: The Centers for Disease
Control this week linked an E. coli out
break thar killed one Colorado resident to
a McDonald's hamburger. The outbreak
haas sickened at least 49 people in 10
states and led to 10 hospitalizations. All
those affected said they'd recently eaten
at MeDonald’s, and most became sick
bperween late September and mid-October,
Severe cases of E. coli can lead to life
threatening kidney problems. The CDC
said initial investigations suggested that
onions served on McDonald's Quarter
Pounder burgers were a “likely source of
contamination,” bue regulators are still
investigating whether the meat in the
burgers could be partially responsible.
Most reported eases were in Colorado
and Nebraska, but MeDonald’s paused
selling Quarter Pounders at locations
across 12 states. Investigators are
trying to figure out if the contaminated
ingredients have been sold by any other
stores or restaurants,
|
y
Phoenix
Police violence: Maricopa County lat
week dropped all charges against a deaf
Black man with cerebral palsy who was
punched and tased by Phoenix police
Officers during an arrestin August, and
placed the officers on paid leave while
the ease investigated. Tyron MeAlpin,
34, was charged with resisting arrest and
aggravated assault after police claimed that
he failed to respond to orders and tried
to punch the arresting officers. But body
camera footage showed officers Benjamin
Harris and Kyle Sue tasing MeAlpin and
punching him in the head while he lay on
his stomach, He was mistakenly identified
as the aggressor in a fight at a convenience
store as he was walking home. The Jus-
tice Department found earlier this year
that Phoenix police officers regularly
discriminate against people of color and
tse excessive force. This incident proves,
“there's been no change on the ground,”
said Jesse Showaltes, MeAlpin’s lawyee
Washington, D.C.
Election smear:
Intelligence officials,
blamed Russia this
week for creating
and posting a
fake social media
video smearing Wale
Democratic vice-presidential nominee
‘Tim Wak. with sexual abuse accusations
In the four-minute video published on
X and viewed by more than 5 million
users last week, a man named Matthew
‘Metro claimed Walz groped and kissed
him in a Minnesota high school lassroom
in 1997, when Walz was a teacher and
Metro a student, The real-life Metro, who
did attend Walz’ school, said he never
met Walz and had “no idea” why the
fake video used his identity. Ina briefing,
officials said the Russian government's
influence operation, aimed at calling into
question “the validity of democracy as
political system, regardless of who wins,”
may also include threatening poll workers
and sparking physical violence
after Eletion Day. A declassified
intelligence report identified
Iran and China as similaely
poised to “conduct atleast
information operations” before
Inauguration Day.
Tallahassee
Abortion ad threats: Days after
a federal judge blocked Florida's
surgeon general from threatening legal
action against local TV stations that
aired abortion-rights ads, a state health
department official confirmed this week
that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office
‘was behind the threats, John Wilson, who
resigned as the health department’s general
counsel on Oct. 10, wrote in an affidavit
that members of the administration made
him send pre-written letters warning,
the stations of,
possible criminal
prosecutions if they
did't remove ads
insupport of a
ballot amendment
broadening abortion
access. Wilson is
ibeing sued alongside
Surgeon General
Joseph Ladapo by Floridians Protecting
Freedom, sponsors of the amendment.
The group argues the health deparement
violated its First Amendment rights. Chief
US. District Judge Mark Walker agreed
last week, issuing a temporary restraining
order against Ladapo. “To keep it simple
for the State of Florida: Irs the First
Amendment, stupid,” Walker wrote
CS
DeSantis
THE WEEK November,2026 8NEWS
Rotherham, UK.
Rioter diesin prison: Peter Lynch, a grandiather
sentenced to nearly three years behind bars for
yelling racist and provocative remarks” during
anti-immigrant rioting this summer, died in prison
last week. Lynch, 61, had diabetes and had recently
suffered a heart attack, but prison officials said
he appeared to have died by suicide. He was among 50 people
arrested in August after a mob tried to set fire to a Rotherham
hotel with 240 asylum seckers trapped inside. Sixty-four police
‘were injured. Lynch dint physically harm anyone, but the judge
said he hac “revved up” the riot by screaming thar migrants were
“child killers” and police were “scum.” Far-right leaders called him
a politcal margyr. Lynch was “imprisoned by a corrupt judiciary,
said Tommy Robinson of the English Defence League. —
Lynch: Nonviolent
Havana
Island goes dark: Cuba’ crumbling power system broke down
Jase week, plunging the communistrun island into darkness
for days. The blackout started with a power
plant failure, and the government closed
schools and businesses to reduce electricity
demand. In the middle of the crisis,
Hurricane Oscar hit the eastern part of
the island with a foot of rain, complicating
efforts to restore the network. In the west
hundreds of protesters—already angry about
shortages of food, fuel, and medicine—
banged pots and pans ancl blocked strects
with garbage in a rare demonstration.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said authorities would deal
“severely” with anyone trying to “disturb public ordee”
Mexico city
Snacks re history: Mexico banned junk food from schools
this week, part of a government effort to combat obesity in a
country where 35 percent of children and 75 percent of adults
are overweight or obese. Mexican children consume more junk $=
food than kids in any other Latin American nation, a situation
UNICEF has ealled a public health emergency. A recent survey
found that a staggering 98 pereent of schools offered kids
unhealthy food such as sugary fruit drinks, pork rinds, and
chili peanuts. Under the new rule, school administrators ean be
fined more than $5,000 for a frst offense and double that for a
second. Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said schools
should offer caditional Mexican foods. “It is much Better to eat a
bean taco than a bag of potato chips,” she said.
Lima
Exepresident gets 20 years:
‘A Peruvian court this week
sentenced former President
Alejandro Toledo to more than
20 years in prison for money
laundering in connection with the
Car Wash affair, Latin America’s
largest corruption scandal. Toledo, 78, governed from 2001 0
2006 andl was convicted of accepting $35 million in bribes from
Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He will serve his sentence
at a special prison outside Lima that was built to house corrupt
former presidents, Alberto Fujimori, who died in September, served
time there for murder and embezzlement, while Pedro Castillo
jis being held there pending trial for rebellion. Two other former
presidents, Pedro Pablo Kuezynski and Ollanta Humala, are also
‘under investigation for Odebreche bribes, while yet another, Alan
Garcia, fatally shot himself in 2019 when police tried to arrest him.
Toledo: Off to presidents" prison
THE WEEK November 2024,
The World at a Glance
No power for days
Nota good bunch
Rome
‘Surrogacy bare Iealy last week criminalized going abroad to have
a baby through surrogacy. Is the latest in a series of actions taken,
by the far-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to
roll back the rights of gay parents; last year, nonbiological parents
were taken off birth certificates. Italians who have babies by
surrogate in countries where it’ legal now face up to two years in
jail and up to $1 million in fines when they bring their baby home.
Protesters denounced the ban as an assault on gay men, saying it
punishes people who are desperate to have children even as the
‘country fights a declining birth rat. “If someone has a baby, they
should be given a medal,” LGBTQ rights activist Franco Gril
said. “Here instead you are sent to jail.”
Biya: Looking healthy
‘Yaoundé, Cameroon
President resurfaces: Cameroon's elderly president, Paul Biya,
put an end to rumors that he had died abroad by appearing in
public this week after an absence of six weeks. The government
had stonewalled as more and more journalists had asked about
his condition, and it barred all reporting on his health. Biya, 91,
was eventually shown on state television atthe airport in Yaoundé,
being greeted by members of the ruling CPDM party after arriving
ona flight from Switzerland. “Finally, this is not a phantom,” said
a newscaster on Cameroon Radio Television. “It is President Paul
Biya, having a lengthy discussion with government officals.” Bi
only’ the second president Cameroon has had since independence,
has been in power since 1982, He has not said whether he will
seck another seven-year term in next year’s election, 5
i
j f
Kazan, Russia
Putin plays host: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted leaders
from more than 20 emerging-market countries at a summit in
Kazan this week, a sign that the West has failed to make him a
pariah for invading Ukraine. “Russia is not isolated,” said Kremlin
spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. At last year’s summit of BRICS—
named for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—in Johan-
nesburg, Putin was facing an International Criminal Court warrant
and could only join by video. This year, on his home tur, he held
Separate meetings with China's Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi,
and other leaders. Even United Nations chief Antonio Guterres
showed up, sparking a biter rebuke from Ukraine. BRICS, formed
in 2009 as a counterweight to the US-led Wes, has expanded
to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates,
:mcaning its members represent nearly half the world’s population,
and its summits draw nonmembers as well.
Stealth bomber
Sanaa, Yemen
US. attacks: The U.S. sent B-2 stealth bombers last week to blow
up five underground bunkers that Houthi rebels were using t0
house missiles and other weapons near Yemen's capital, Sanaa,
The bombing was a major escalation in American efforts to stop
the Iran-backed Houthis from attacking ships in the Red Sea. In
the last year, Houthi forces, designated as terrorists by the US.,
have attacked dozens of vessels in the crucial shipping lanes to
show support for Palestinians in the Gaza war, sinking two ships
and killing four people. They also have fired missles at Israel.
Tn whac was seen as a warning to Iran, which has underground
nuclear sites, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the B-2 strikes
demonstrated America’s ability to destroy “facilites that our
adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply
5 buried underground, hardened, or Fortified.”
The World at a Glance
Tio attackers
Chisinau, Moldova
allies win: Moldova narrowly passed
a referendum on joining the European
Union this week, erucial vote fora
tiny former Soviet nation locked in
a decades-long tussle between Russia
and the West. Po-EU President Maia
Sanlu said the vore—which passed
by the slimmest of mangins, wth ust
50.4 percent voting yer-was marred by unprecedented Russian
interference. Russia poured money into pro-Kremlin parties, while
pro-Russia Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor was accused of paving
$16 millon co buy 130,000 vores Stil, “the people of Moldova
have spoken,” Sanda said. “We fought Fairly in an unfair fight
and we won.” Sandu received 42 percent ofthe vote ina parallel
presidental election but fell short of a majority; she's expected to
Win the eunoft in two weeks.
A marrow victory
Ankara
Deadly attack: At least five people were killed and 22 wounded
this week in what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
described asa “heinous terror attack” at Turkish Aerospace
Industries, a state-run defense company that manufactures
military airrafe and drones. Authorities said the two gune
Wielding attackers, man and a woman, were also killed
after they sct off explosives. Turkey has been targeted
frequently in recent years by militants, including Kurdish
separatists and ISIS, but no group immediately claimed
responsibility. The attack came just cays after the deach in
the U.S. of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, 83, who
was blamed by Erdogan for a 2016 attempted coup. “The
diy hands that reach oue co Turkey will definitely be broken,”
Erdogan said. “No structure, no terrorist organization, no evil
center that targets our security will be able to achieve theie goals.”
Delhi
Air travel paralyzed: At least 90 fake bomb threats against Indian
airlines panicked passengers and disrupted travel across Asia last
week. The hoaxes, mostly spread via social media, targeted major
Indian airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, but also had
international repercussions. Singapore dispatched two fighter jets
to escort an Air India Express flight alter one threat, while Britain
sent a warplane to intercept a London-bound Air India airliner
alter another. India, which was shaken by a series of bombings and
hijackings from the 1970s to 1990s, requires threatened flights to
land immediately to be checked for explosives. It's unclear who's
responsible forthe threats—one minor Was arrested in connection
with three of them—but authorities said that any hoaxers identi-
fied would be placed on a no-fly list.
Jakarta
Former general takes charge: Indonesia this week
inaugurated Prabowo Subianto, a former general
accused of human rights abuses in the 1990s, as
president of the world’s third-largest democracy.
Prabowo lost to Joko Widodo in the last two
elections but later became his defense minister.
With Jokowi prevented from running a third
time, Probowo took his former rival's son,
Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate
and won the February election in a landslide.
Prabowo has spent the months since building a
coalition and has named a whopping 109 ministers
to his cabinet. He pledged to: make Indonesia energy
independent, saying he would free its people from “fear, poverty,
hunger, ignorance, oppression, suffering.”
Prabowo
THE WEEK November,2024 10
Minnelli’s happily fractured family
Tong before divorce became commonplace, Liza
Minne as content to bounce bceween house
holds said Michael Fasten in nerve. The
fl 7.yexrold EGOT winners parents, screen ep
PA ori yty Garland and crestor Vicente Minn,
ATvoteed wien Lin was Sv and she never had
dreams of them reconling, "They di realy
ike eachother she Say, soo ves fun vo be
around them,” She remembers te with he father beng bliss
Tre would bring her covtumes et over from Reaio Gy Musi
Halland le her watch dance rceawals wie Gene Kely and Cyd
Charset uated me ike sprncess= Life with Garland wae
more aught. “My mother vaste and ie depended on that
mood she was in or whether she was working too hard and they
tere pushing her to much, Or whether she td ike who se
War marred to atthe te * When Garland gave bith Liza
Tallsiblings, Loma and Joey Lut thingy eased up. “Everyone took
care ofthe because they were nie ae seven years Younger chan
Twas sol gto say wih my dada lik bit more” ily there
tear lek of love between other an daughter Mama was
Mama.” She could be mean, then “10 minutes later, she'd come in
and saj,‘Let me give you a hug.”
Aseptuagenarian pole dancer
‘Many empty nesters pick up a hobby, said Deborah Netburn in
the Los Angeles Times, but not many choose pole dancing. Mary
Serritella took her first lesson in this athletic form of dance at a
Los Angeles gym when she was 57. Now 71, Serritella is an award-
‘winning performer and competitor in an activity that has migrated
from strip clubs to fitness centers. Serritella keeps her clathes on
and contorts into positions such as “The Chopstick” and “The Jade
Split” but isn’ above adding saucy elements to her routines. “Bur
lesque and comedy are my favorite styles,” she says. The makeup
seller says her daughter immediately approved of her hobby, but
i took her two sons longer to come around, “I think they were
shocked that I had this fun side to me.” Serritella works out at least
five times a week to maintain flexibility, but says age is taking a
toll. “Five years ago, I had a hip replacement,” she recently told an
enthusiastic erowd at Hollywood's Bourbon Room. “I'm a bionic
woman!” She also suffers from arthritis, which has made gripping,
the poke more difficult. “When I wake up in the morning, Pm a
litle stiffer than I used to be. Buti’ ike that old serenity prayer:
‘Accept the things you can’t change, and change the things you can.”
People
‘Anna Kendrick knows what its ike to be objectified, said Ryan Gilbey
In The Guardian (UK). Inher directorial debut, the new Netfix movie
Woman ofthe Hour, there isan auction scene in which Kendricks
aspiring.actress characteris asked i she's wiling to appear naked,
\When she says no, the casting director looks down at her chest and
says, Oh, Imsure they're fine” The exchange was"ifted verbatim
from something that happened to me when | was 19” says Kendrick, 39,
That’ far from her only experience of Hollywood's casual sexism. There
hhave been times “where Ifound out there was a wardrobe change that
the costume designer had been cagey about. It's lke you cant get to
the bottom of it. Wait-sorryum, why would Ibe ina bathing sultin
this scene?” Kendrick believes attitudes have shifted in the industry in
recent years, and “when you say youlre uncomfortable. there's more of
a culture of Being taken seriously” These changes are long overdue, she
ays, noting how as recently as 2010 she'd hear people at Hollywood
parties flippanty discussing director Roman Polansk' 1977 alleged
‘drugging and rape ofa 13-year-old gir. "I remember having to choose
‘my words really carefully so as not to upset people when | pointed out
that she was 13 and couldnt possibly have consented. Its easy to forget
how casually people would be apologists for that stuft”
anintoxicated guest was trashing a room and
‘might do something if-threatening.” First
responders arrived seven minutes late to find
Payne's body in the courtyar officals said the
Briltsh pop star may have been unconscious at
thetime of death,
At least seven new sexual assault lawsuits
were filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs this
week. ncluding one from an accuser who sald
she was 3 when the music mogul allegedly
‘drugged and raped ner. In that sult,a woman
Identified as Jane Doe claims a limo driver
told her she “fit what Diddy was looking for"
and invited her to a Combs hosted party in
‘New York City in2000. She signed an NDA,
the suit claims, and began to feel woozy after
having a drink, so found an empty bedroom
tolie down. Soon after, Combs entered with,
{an unnamed male celebrity and unnamed
female celebrity, and deciared, “You are ready
‘A preliminary autopsy found that former
(One Direction member Liam Payne had crack
cocaine, benzodiazepine, and other
‘drugs in his system when he fell a
tohisdeath romathirctioor a=
hotel balcony in Buenos Ares,
sources told ABC News this,
Week. Days before his death,
the former boy-band singer,
3, appeared biisstul in is
social media posts while
vacationing in Argentina
But witnesses said Payne—
Who checked toa London
rehab facility in July—acted
erratically n the hours before
Fis death last week The hotels
‘desk manager called police to
request urgent assistance, saying
THE WEEK November 2024,
to party" The woman said the men took turns
raping her asthe female celebrity looked on,
‘Combs-who is ina Brooklyn jal awaiting tral
‘on sex trafficking, racketeering, and other
‘charges~denies all the allegations
Things are getting serious between,
‘Angelina Joe and her rumored boyfriend,
the British rapper and activist kala reports
the Daly Mall(UK)-Sourcestold the news:
paper that the Oscar-winning actress, 49, met
‘Aicla, 40, through a charitable venture they
both support and thatthe pair grew close
amid her bitter split from ex‘usband Brad Pit.
The couple reportedly spent several nights
together ina London hotel ast week. and
‘Akala has introduced Joke to his family and
fiends. The rapper loves how fearless and
independent she i sakda source, and has
been teaching her “about Black British history
‘as she looks for new source material for films, Briefing
American oligarch
NEWS 11
Elon Musk holds enormous power over many critical industries. Is the government his next project?
How big is Musk’s empire?
Ie stretches from Earth’ orbit to tunnels
‘underground and is even interlaced with
hhuman brains. Musk, the world’s richest
man, with a net worth of nearly $250 bik
lion, heads or controls six companies.
The two largest are electric-vehicle giant
Tesla, the world’s most valuable auto-
maker, and SpaceX, which dominates the
space-launch business and operates more
than 7,000 satellites—abour two-thirds
of all active satellites in orbit—through
its Starlink satellite internet constellation,
There’s social media platform X (formerly
Twitter), tunneling venture The Boring
Co,, brain-chip startup Neuralink, and artificial intelligence firm
XxAl, This private empire has been helped by a substantial infu
sion of public money: Tesla and SpaceX had received more than
15 billion in federal contracts as of last year, But some officials
and experts now worry that the government has become danger-
ously reliant on Musk, who has in recent years promoted racist
and antisemitic conspitacy theories, interfered with U.S. foreign
policy, and become an antagonist of the Biden administration and
an ally of Donald Trump, giving at least $75 million to a pro-
Trump Super PAC. “The government needs to cut @elonmusk
and his companies out of contracting,” Trump critic and former
2OP Rep. Adam Kinzinger recently wrote... on Musk-owned X,
‘Why is the government so reliant on him?
I wants to maintain a global edge in critical technologies, and
‘Musk’s companies have unrivaled capabilities. That became clear
in June, when glitches in Bocing’s new Starliner spacecraft stranded
two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station, turning
an cight-dlay stay into eight months; NASA has tapped SpaceX
to bring them home next year, With no meaningful competition,
Space is now central to the US. space program. NASA in 2021
awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract for its reusable Starship
rocket, That same year the company entered into a $1.8 billion
classified contract to build a network of spy satellites for a U.S. in
telligence agency, sources told Reuters. “The
issue for the government is, can they get a
better service somewhere else?” said James
Move than S15 billiom in fede
Musk’shard turn right
Board of improperly firing nine employees
in 2022, the company filed lawsuits aimed
at declaring the NLRB’s action—and the
board itsel?—unconstitutional. “He con:
siders himself to be a master of the uni-
verse,” said former Occupational Safety
and Health Administration official Jordan
arab, “and these rules just don't apply.”
X has proved to be a useful weapon in
Musk’s many tussles
How does he use X?
Not as a moneymaker: Since he bought
the platform in 2022 for $44 billion
and gutted its content moderation sys-
tem, it has lost nearly 80 percent of its value, But X does give Musk
‘a megaphone to deploy against his perceived foes. He has used
the platform to attack President Biden (a “grim puppet” for the
Democratic Party) and Vice President Kamala Harris (“literally a
communist”), and to amply far-right conspiracy theories in the UL
(that Democrats are “importing” undocumented immigrants t0 vote
in the coming election) and also abroad. In August, anti-immigrant
riots erupted in Britain after three young girls were stabbed to deaths
the riots were fled in part by viral false claims on X that the
murderer—a 17-year-old British-born Chrstian—was a foreign-born
Muslim. Musk appeared unbothered by the spread of misinforma-
tion, posting, “Civil war is inevitable” and accusing British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer of filing to protect “all communities.”
3 contracts
How else does his reach extend abroad?
Musk has emerged as a key player in the Ukeaine wat, Pentagon
officials were forced to plead with the mogul in 2022 after some
Ukrainian troops lost access to Starlink, their main battlefield com=
munication tool, while fighting Russian forces. Musk had previ
‘ously demanded that the US. pay for Ukraine's Starlink access—a
deal was later reached-—and had endorsed a pro-Kremlin peace plan
after chatting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Musk’s ties to
‘China have also raised alarms, The country is Tesa’s largest mar-
ket after the US, accounting for 33 percent of all sales. Musk last
year repeated Beijing's official line that the
independent island nation of Taiwan is an
“integeal part” of China. Taiwan's foreign
Andrew Lewis, an analyst at the Center for
Strategie and International Studies. “Ifthe
answer is no, you have to hold your nose
and stick with [Musk].” But officials say
that as Musk’s power has grown, so has his
hostility to any efforss to contain him,
How has Musk pushed back?
Faced with at least 20 recent investiga-
tions and reviews of his companies by fed
eral regulators, Musk has tried to brow=
beat and sue officials inco backing down.
Officials with the National Highway Traf-
fic Safety Administration, which last week:
launched an investigation into Tesla’s Full
Selé-Driving (FSD) software over a string
of deadly crashes, have reported that Musk
scteamed at them when they opened probes
__ into his automaker. After SpaceX was ac-
5 cused by the National Labor Relations
Long before he began sharing farright les on
about Haitian immigrants eating pets and
“white genocide” Musk considered himself
a centrist."Tm socially very iberaland then
‘economically right of center he said in a
‘September 2020 interview. But by then his
metamorphosis was already underway. in April
2020, he called stay-athome ordersissued as,
‘result ofthe pandemic “fascist” and shared
content downplaying the risks of Covid. The
same year his then 16 year-old transgender
{daughter asked Musk to signoff on a medical
transition from male to female. Musk di, but
later claimed held been deceived. "My son's
‘dead, Ne sald. "I vowed to destroy the woke
mind virusafter that" In 2022, he deciared that
“unprovoked attacks by leading Democrats”
had pushed him to vote Republican. He pub-
lidy endorsed Trump in July and stood beside
him ata rally in Butler Pa. “Im not ust MAGA
Musk proclaimed. “Tm dark MAGA
minister replied on X that “Taiwan is not
part of [China] & certainly not for sale!”
What are Musk’s future plans?
He recently unveiled a prototype for a
self-driving “Cybereab,” which he elaims
will launch in 2026, and aims to pur hu
mans on Mars by 2030. Teump has said
that if he wins the White House on Nov. 5,
he will appoint Musk head of a proposed
“government efficiency commission.” Musk
could then target the very agencies that
regulate his businesses. He has signaled
‘wanting to go after “irrational regulation”
at the FAA and the Environmental Protec
tion Agency first, but has not said whether
his companies" subsidies will also be under
on. “I look forward to serving
‘Musk posted on X. “No pay, no
tite, no recognition is needed.”
THE WEEK November,2028 12 NEWS Best Columns: The U.S.
Donald Tramp darous mishandling of Covid was sang raninder Itmust be true...
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lies Killed yecihcern was that a tanking economy would cox him reeteon, former employer becausesne
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bag of tal loyaly Ava nauk the OS Cord cea ca ouspped faranconantan acre he
thar other rich nations, such tthe United Kingdom and Canada, by eran comeany AG of ing
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and researches estimate that at fas 130,000 people who ded on ee cereal
‘Trump's watch might have lived if he'd had a sane, humane pandemic ‘Conaghan was so unpopular
response “The more cary you remember the horor” of Ks uterdve-_ thatmanagers decided would
fd for American lives, “the nore neping a equa becomes” bermoreculingto gener
the cara” than no card. She
had filed 38 other complaints,
Over the past four years, the American electorate “has moved to the and the tribunal said she as a
Why America ics Marhew Continet, For pool conser how Kamala Fass €onspracytheory mental”
has jettisoned her Bernie Sanders-like positions on “energy, immigra-
Is MOVING Be Smctand gender dein” om her fled 3020 pana cn
rightward _ paign, while scrambling to rebrand herself as a pragmatic centrist. The
Social justice warrior who once likened ICE to the KKK now vows to
Matthew Contineti hire more border agents, stop illegal immigration, and "shoot intcud-
‘National Review ers" at her home “with her Glock.” Her transformation is “surreal.”
What happened? President Biden mistook his narrow vietory as a man-
date to govern like FDR, and his embrace of progressive policies on ace
federal spending, immigration, student loan forgiveness, and gender citiized ater a whale shark
ideology was a turnoff to “independents, labor, Latinos, and Black men.” promoted asa top draw turned
Today, polls show 55 pereent of Americans wane a decrease in immigra- out tobea robot. Xlaomelsha
tion. On one issue, however, the electorate has moved left: abortion. The Sea Worldin Shenzhen recently
backlash to the Supreme Court overturning Roe is fueling the gender gap reopened after a long renova
and could save Harris’ campaign. If Harris wins, she will likely “aban tlon,and was flocked toby
don her pose of centrism.” But if Trump wins, he'll “revive and intensify iors who paid about $40
the Resistance,” and the country’s “rightward earn may be shorelived.” _aplece. But many expressed
outrage after seeing thatthe
star attraction was mechani-
‘al "People were demanding
Is Ozemple (i! Onorcne Ani mr fad poten? ed Peo oar
Plc Sih Sa caltatnce sans wl Seas stir dap
and obesity, including Ozempic and Wegovy, may also case the cravings
AN AAAICtION Fr and dies addon One tec sady need ee peop WSedarOOsNKTS MB
breakthrough? ‘witsrdctionEntaethscing ies CIT eeheoe Meow baning
agonists—expericneed an overdose rate 40 percent lower than those not
MalaSzalavitz faking them, Another study found the hospitalization risk for people with A Houston man got more
The New York Times both type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder was cut by 40 to 70 percent than tmilion onine views for
in patients taking Ozempic or Wegovy, compared with those taking older _fislrreverent obtuary for his
medications. Those statistics don't serve as causal proof, but they hint eccentric dad. Truck driver
atthe possibilty of a “breakthrough in addiction care.” Some scientists Robert Adolph Boehm dled
think GLP-1 drugs make food and addictive substances “less pleasant,” after he“muttered his ast
while others believe they “suppress desire” or alter the point at which Lninteligible and likely unnec-
the body sends signals that it’s had enough. We need more research—__—esS@ry Curse" after “tripping
and for pharmaceutical companies to make the drugs “affordable and ‘backward over some stupid
accessible” and fund the clinical trials needed to get approval for addie- mothering thing’and hitting
hishead on the floor, said the
‘obit, written by Boehms son,
Charles. He paid tribute tohis
father’s frequent swearing, ter-
“Many other titans of Silicon Valley have tethered themselves to Trump. But Elon Musk | ible marksmanship, and “wide
Isthe onepoisedto ive out the ultimate techno-authoritarian fantasy. With hisinfiuence, | Collection of unconventional
he stands to capture the state, not just to enrich himself. His entanglement with Trump willbe an Ayn Rand | hats and boldly mismatched
‘novel sprung to life, because Trump has explicitly invited Musk into the government to play the role of the shirts” The obit concluded, "We
‘master engineer, who redesigns the American state—and therefore American lfe—in his own image. Of all have all done our best to enjoy!
the risks posed by a second Trump term, this might be one ofthe most terrifying: ‘weather Robert's antics, bt he
Franklin Foerin The Atlantic | _ '$God's problem now”
tion treatment. “It would be shameful not to find out as quickly as pos:
sible whether these medications help.”
THE WEEK November 2024, 14NEWS
Marrying
your cousin
is not OK
Sofie Lowenmark
Fokus
Moe
In defense
of rule
by earls
Melanie Philips
“The Times
Sweden never needed a law banning cousin mar.
riage until now, said Sofie Lowenmark. There's no
tradition of marrying first cousins here, not even
‘way out in rural areas, so it wasn't something
the law even addressed. Now that we've had in
creased immigration, though, we're starting to see
it—and thar’s exactly why some insist that the gov:
cernment’s plan for a ban is “racist” and “targets
Muslims.” Cousin marriage “occurs most in coun-
tries where honor and clan culture” is dominant.
Those places also typically have “strict religious
norms” and little respect for women’s autonomy,
and its not xenophobic to point that out. In prac
tice, no woman “willingly marries her relative.”
Best Columns: Europe
‘When it happens, in Sweden or elsewhere, the bride
is usually an underage girl who has been raised to
have no say in her furure and to simply accept a
union with a cousin os, worse, an uncle, despite the
high risk of birth defects. Asan investigative jour-
nalis, I've read “hundreds and hundreds” of legal
‘eases stemming from such unions—most of them
involving battered wives—and I've seen “how ex-
treme the violence, control, and oppression” can
be. While we already ban forced marriage, banning
cousin unions will help immigrane girls who don't
see themselves as being coerced but are. A country
like ours, built on “individual freedom,” can’t allow
such an outdated custom.”
Britain loves nothing better than to tinker with the
House of Lords, said Melanie Philips. The upper
chamber of Parliament was once made up of he-
reditary peers—harons, eats, and the like—whose
seats were passed dovn from eldest son to eldest
son. Since Crome there's heen a succession of
efforts to abolish the hereditary aspect in favor of
lifetime appointments, ye i's never quite stuck.
‘The most recent reform push, atthe end of the
20th century, et the chamber with 804 members of
‘whom 92 are hereditary. Naw a bill ro boot those
last relics out is harreling toward approval under
Prime Minister Kei Starmes, who tuts that govern-
ment posts should not be reserved for men who
‘were merely “horn into certain families.” Really?
Ifall “inherited positions are bad,” what about
the monarchy? “Shouldn't that go, t002" Infact,
the argument for keeping peers s the same as for
retaining the king: €0 have a voice “above the polit
ica fray." The House of Lords exists to “stand back
from the political game” and act “as a corective to
and brake on” the elected House of Commons. I a
hundred more seats were suddenly thrown open to
patronage appointments, the body would simply be
an arm of the prime minister. A House of Lords is
Surely no worse than a “House of Cronies.”
Ukraine: How realistic is Zelensky’s peace plan?
Volodymyr Zelensky is putting
‘Western leaders on the spot, said
Volodymyr Fesenko in New Voice.
The Ukrainian president has an
nounced a “victory plan” to endl the
war with Russia that’s really a lst of
demands: admit Ukraine to NATO
row and allow Ukraine's army to use
‘Western missiles to strike deep inside
Russia’ borders. U.S. and European
leaders have been reluctant to take
these steps fearing that NATO could
bre dragged into direct conflict with
ncleararmed Russia, But as Zelensky
rightly said, “Russia will resort to die
plomacy only when it sees that i cannot achieve anything by
force.” If Ukraine can't shelter under the NATO nuclear um-
brella, he warned, it might have to develop its own nuclear weap-
ons. To sweeten the deal, he’s promising that Ukraine won't only
be a taker. After Ukraine's security has been achieved, he says,
Kyiv will offer up its own army to defend Europe—replacing
USS. troops on the continent with Ukrainians. This clever pro
posal hedges against the possible victory of Donald Trump in the
US. clection. Ie will appeal to MAGA Republicans, who “wane
American troops to leave Europe,” and soothe Europeans, who
fear that a GOP-ruled USS. will force such a withdrawal.
Zeloncky: L
Zelensky’s nuclear talk is an empty threat, said Oleksiy Kopytko
in Glavcom. You could argue, of course, that the West owes us
protection since we gave up our own nukes long ago. When the
Soviet Union collapsed, it left us with the third-largest arsenal
in the world, some 1,900 strategic warheads. The U.S, Britain,
and Russia pressured us into giving those weapons up in 1994 in
1s into NATO, or ele
‘exchange for now-broken promises
of security. But if we tried to resue
rect our nuclear capability, “everyone
‘would interfere. They would block
the borders, kill our scientists and en-
gingers.” And it would be probibi:
tively expensive. We'd be “trading all
‘our oil and half our bread for guns,
for generations to come.” Forget the
nukes, said Andriy Popov in Ustiars,
Talk of building nuclear bombs
‘would bring us only “isolation and
sanctions.” A more “pragmatic” strat-
‘egy would be to simply use the West:
em conventional missiles we've been
given to strike inside Russia without permission—“and then ask
the new U.S. administration for forgiveness.”
In fac, the rest of Zelensky’s plan is just as far-fetched as his
nuclear threat, said Oleksandr Kochetkov in Focus. The “victory
plan” was always going to be a mirage. The best we can hope
for is a “peace plan” requiring us to concede as litte territory as
possible. Russia will probably be willing to withdraw from the
Kharkix; Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, keeping control of
Crimea and the Donbas, if NATO agrees “nor to let Ukraine join
the alliance or host NATO bases.” Yer such a peace, while “un
fair” to Ukraine, would stil fail to placate Vladimir Putin, said
Thor N. Stelmach in the Kyi Post. The Russian leader can't let
even a truncated Ukraine survive, because “he views the war in