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New York City Two U.S. citizens were arrested this week for allegedly establishing a secret police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood on behalf of the Chinese government. Working out of the third floor of a nondescript office building, Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, allegedly took orders from China’s Ministry of Public Security, including helping Beijing locate a pro-democracy activist. China reportedly operates more than 100 secret police stations on foreign soil around the globe, and the Justice Department said these arrests were the first of their kind worldwide. China’s foreign ministry accused the U.S. of “smearing China and hyping up the so-called cross-border suppression plan.” In separate cases, federal prosecutors charged 34 officers of China’s public security services—based in China, and out of the reach of U.S. authorities—with creating…

What happened Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced possible legal repercussions this week for flying some 50 asylum-seeking migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in a political stunt, as the migrants filed a lawsuit and a U.S. attorney looked into possible crimes. DeSantis set off a political firestorm when two planes carrying the mostly Venezuelan migrants, recruited for the journey from San Antonio, landed unannounced in Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts island with a wealthy summer population. Local residents scrambled to care for the disoriented migrants, who said a woman named “Perla” offered to fly them to Boston and gave them fliers saying they’d be eligible for benefits including housing assistance, job training, and “8 months cash assistance.” The stunt builds on an ongoing campaign by Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and…

What happened A legal battle over medication abortion appeared to be headed for the Supreme Court this week, after a conservative federal judge in Texas ruled that the Food and Drug Administration must reverse its approval of mifepristone, an abortion pill that’s been in wide use for 23 years. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, said the FDA overlooked “legitimate safety concerns” when it approved the pill, part of a two-drug regimen used in more than half of U.S. abortions. The ruling marks the first time a judge has revoked FDA approval of a specific medication, and contradicts more than 100 scientific studies and two decades of use that support the FDA’s finding that mifepristone is very safe. Kacsmaryk said the FDA failed to consider the drug’s “psychological effects,”…

Republicans have issued a new report on the lab-leak theory and promise hearings. What does the evidence show? What is the lab-leak theory? There are two competing theories about how SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the Covid pandemic, emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Most virologists believe it originated in bats and crossed over from an intermediate animal to humans at a Wuhan “wet market,” where wild animals were sold for food. This would be consistent with how previous “zoonotic” viruses have crossed over from animals to humans, including two other coronaviruses—SARS (believed to have come from bats through civets) and MERS (camels). HIV has been traced to chimpanzees, and the 1918 Spanish flu is believed to have originated in domestic or wild birds. An alternate origin theory for SARS-CoV-2 is that…

It wasn’t love at first sight. Small windows facing north, a lowered ceiling and almost everything had to come down: installations, walls, floors. The attic apartment stood empty for over 100 years and the city had only recently adapted it to be livable. Fortunately, the tenement house had been completely revitalized and was set in a lovely backyard, one of the largest and most well-kept in Lodz, Poland. Anna and her husband, Krzysztof, decided they were willing to give this forgotten space a new life. After all, the beams could be exposed, additional overhead windows could let in more sunlight and if they painted everything white, it would immediately become brighter. The location was perfect, close to schools for their six children and not far from their current neighborhood. For the…

What happened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to “suspend” a bitterly contested plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary this week, after a massive civil uprising that brought the nation to a standstill. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets after Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for calling for a pause in the plan, which would give Netanyahu’s right-wing government unprecedented control over the Supreme Court’s makeup and limit its authority. Tens of thousands of demonstrators waving blue-and-white Israeli flags gathered outside the parliament; schools, banks, and malls were shuttered; and Tel Aviv’s airport and main highway shut down. “This is the last chance to stop this move into a dictatorship,” said Matityahu Sperber, 68, who joined the throngs outside the Knesset, or parliament. Facing a looming…

“Ready or not, it’s over,” said Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times. The federal government’s three-year-old pandemic state of emergency expired last week, although the still-evolving virus has killed 1.1 million–plus Americans and by the end of 2023 will have cost the U.S. economy a staggering $14 trillion. Early this month, Covid continued to exact a weekly toll of some 77,000 infections and 1,000 deaths. Still, prior infections, vaccination, or both have now given nearly all Americans some level of immunity, and new variants have evolved to become more infectious but less lethal. As Covid lost “two-thirds of its initial killing power,” Covid deaths dropped by 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. For the past year, “the overwhelming majority” of deaths have occurred among people over 75. Regional and…

What happened President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reported incremental progress in debt-limit talks this week, but remained far from an agreement ahead of a looming June 1 default deadline and the possibility of economic catastrophe. The two sides are “nowhere near a deal,” McCarthy told GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting early this week. Spending cuts remain the biggest point of contention. Biden has agreed to cap 2024 spending at 2023 levels, but Republicans demand actual cuts to social safety-net spending and an agreement to set spending caps for the next six years. Biden wants to reduce the deficit by including the defense budget in the freeze, raising taxes on the wealthy, and closing some corporate tax loopholes—measures Republicans adamantly oppose. Republicans have proposed stricter work requirements for recipients…

Paris Violent clashes broke out across France this week as hundreds of thousands of workers used the May Day holiday to protest the recent rise in the retirement age from 62 to 64. Protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails and lit vehicles on fire, and at least 108 officers were injured, including one who suffered serious burns to his hands and face. Police, out in force with truncheons and riot shields, pushed back aggressively, firing tear gas and water cannons and arresting some 300 people. Authorities said many of the violent protesters were “black bloc” anarchists, who use every protest as an excuse to attack police. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would seek additional powers to detain such agitators. Party canceled Havana Cuba canceled its traditional May Day parade this week because of…

Livermore, Calif. American scientists announced this week that they’d recreated the energy source of the stars by generating an unprecedented fusion reaction—a potential source of emissions-free power that researchers have chased since the 1950s. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used the world’s largest laser—made up of 192 beams—to blast tiny hydrogen pellets encased in diamond, resulting in fusion that lasted less than a billionth of a second. The reaction generated about 1.5 times more energy than had been used to heat the pellets, marking the first time that a controlled fusion reaction in a lab produced more energy than it used. The energy produced, however, was enough to boil just a few gallons of water, and scientists believe a commercial fusion power plant would need to generate 30 to 100 times…

What happened A federal jury rendered the first-ever sexual misconduct verdict against a former president this week, finding Donald Trump liable for civil battery and defamation and ordering him to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million in damages. Carroll, 79, a former magazine columnist, testified that nearly 30 years ago when she was helping Trump purchase gifts in a Manhattan store, he pushed her against a dressing-room wall and penetrated her with his hands and penis. After deliberating for less than three hours, the jury of six men and three women gave a mixed verdict, finding that Carroll had proved that Trump sexually abused her but had not proved that he raped her. They also found that Trump had defamed Carroll last October by calling her accusations “a hoax and a…

THE VILLAGE OF Sant Feliu Sasserra perches on a hilltop in a pine-forested region of Catalonia. Fifty-three miles north of Barcelona, the place retains a medieval atmosphere, with a tenth-century church in the plaza and cobblestone alleys lined by old sandstone-block houses. A plain, three-story edifice with a pair of Spanish flags draped from the top-floor windows serves as the ajuntament, or town hall. I’ve come to this quiet village of 600 people because of a major reckoning with history that has made headlines across Europe—a vote by the Catalan Parliament to apologize for the more than 700 “witches” condemned in the region over three centuries beginning in 1424, when Catalonia enacted Europe’s first law prohibiting witchcraft. Catalonia was a center of witchcraft trials in Europe for more than 300 years;…

Madison, Wis. Democrats, Republicans, and so-called dark-money groups are pouring cash into campaigns for a state Supreme Court seat, after last week’s primary set up a race that could determine the future of abortion access, labor laws, and the balance of power in the statehouse in Wisconsin. More than $18 million has already been spent on the contest, making it the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history. The court has a 4-3 conservative majority, but the election in April of Janet Protasiewicz, a judge from Milwaukee County, could flip the court to liberals for the first time in 14 years. She faces Daniel Kelly, a conservative former state Supreme Court justice. A Democratic challenge to a near-total ban on abortion is likely to come before the court, and…

Apple is worth trillions, but that doesn’t mean it gets everything right. Started on the back of a Kickstarter project in 2014, the tiny firm Pebblebee has produced a range of compact tracking products. Its latest, Pebblebee Clip, outshines Apple’s AirTag tracker in most important regards except weight. The Clip works with Apple’s Find My network just like an AirTag, although Pebblebee has put in a larger battery to power a higher-powered Bluetooth transmitter. The battery is rated for six months on a single charge—that’s right, it’s a rechargeable battery, sporting a built-in USB-C jack and including a short USB-C to Type-A cable. It has an attractive matte-black finish on its plastic center and metal frame and keyring, with just a tiny bit of concavity around its center on both sides.…

The Hyundai N Vision 74 is the hottest concept car of the decade, and not just because its Tokyo Drift–meets-1980s-box-fenders visuals blew up everyone’s phones when the first images appeared a few months ago. No, the N Vision 74 is much more than stunning eye candy confected under the direction of Hyundai design chief SangYup Lee. This fully functioning, fully drivable concept teases Hyundai’s vision of the future for 21st century performance cars. And it’s totally production feasible. That’s right. Instead of the usual concept car mix of vaporware and unobtanium under the skin, the N Vision 74 uses hardware and technologies you’ll find in existing Hyundai production vehicles. What’s more, Hyundai N brand sources hint that if enough people want one, senior management might well be persuaded to produce a street-legal…

Minneapolis The Justice Department this week charged 48 people with bilking nearly $250 million from a federal program intended to provide food for needy children during the pandemic. Prosecutors said the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future organized dozens of shell companies that collectively produced fake receipts for 125 million meals. Some perpetrators allegedly used the website “listofrandomnames.com” to produce fake kids’ names, while another defendant used a random number generator to fill in the ages of kids receiving meals. Feeding Our Future’s founder, Aimee Bock, allegedly was tasked by the state to serve as a watchdog for the relief recipients but is charged with actually participating in the fraud. The defendants are accused of using stolen funds to purchase dozens of properties, cars, guns, cryptocurrency, and a Louis Vuitton duffle bag.…

Madison, Wis. A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court last week prohibited the use of most drop boxes for casting absentee ballots, delivering a victory for Republicans who’ve sought to make it harder to vote in cities. In a 4-3 vote, the court’s conservative majority also ruled that voters cannot have others deliver their completed absentee ballots to election clerks, a practice critics call “ballot harvesting.” Drop boxes were used for years in Wisconsin without controversy before the 2020 election, when roughly 500 were in use, often outside public libraries and municipal buildings. After former President Trump lost the state by about 20,000 votes, his campaign challenged the use of drop boxes, arguing without evidence that they enabled rampant voter fraud. Writing for the majority, Justice Rebecca Bradley said the use of drop…

Boasting the looks of an Apple display but at a more affordable price, the Alogic Clarity Monitor scores points on aesthetics and performance. Connected to a Mac mini or Mac Studio, this 27-inch display could recreate the glories of the now discontinued larger iMac. Apple sells two of its own displays, and, as you might expect, neither of them is particularly affordable. The high-end Pro Display XDR starts at $4,999 and the “entry-level” Studio Display starts at $1,599. Read our Apple Studio Display review. There are, of course, plenty of non-Apple displays available. At $650, the Dell 2720Q UltraSharp 27in 4K USB-C Monitor is less than half the price of the Apple monitor. Its 4K screen (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) is not up to the Studio Display’s 5K resolution but will suit…

What happened President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met for the first time this week to discuss a path forward on the debt limit, but emerged with no progress in the stalemate that has the nation on course for its first default in history. “I didn’t see any new movement,” said McCarthy, who continued to insist that raising the limit be tied to steep cuts in discretionary spending. President Biden said he was willing to “begin a separate discussion” of spending cuts and other measures to cut budget deficits that are now $1.4 trillion a year. But he insisted that Republicans—who hiked the debt limit three times without conditions during Donald Trump’s presidency—first lift the ceiling with no strings attached. “America is not a deadbeat nation,” Biden said. “Avoiding default…

What happened King Charles III assumed the mantle as Britain’s new monarch this week, vowing to uphold his mother’s legacy of “selfless service” as a stunned nation mourned the passing of Queen Elizabeth II after 70 years on the throne. After the queen’s death at 96 was announced, throngs of Britons gathered to pay tribute to the only monarch most had ever known—one who’d ascended to the throne at 25 and ruled through 15 prime ministers and 14 U.S. presidents. “It’s a massive shock to the nation,” said Adam Wilkinson-Hill, 22, one of thousands who massed in front of Buckingham Palace, crying, hugging, and piling bouquets in stacks. The head of state for more than a dozen countries from Jamaica to New Zealand, Elizabeth died two days after appointing a new…

Colorado Springs, Colo. Anderson Lee Aldrich was charged this week with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder and 48 hate-crime charges—one for each person believed to be at gay nightclub Club Q on Nov. 19, when Aldrich allegedly used an AR-15–style rifle to kill five people and injure 17. The FBI reportedly is investigating comments that Aldrich, 22, made before the attack, including on a website Aldrich created that advocated killing “elites at the top” in order to “cleanse” society. Xavier Kraus, Aldrich’s former neighbor, said Aldrich made racist and homophobic statements, including that Aldrich “hates f---ots.” Aldrich’s attorneys, however, say their client is gender nonbinary and uses “they/them” pronouns. The Associated Press this week reported that in June 2021, Aldrich spoke of being “the next mass killer,” threatening to kill…

Analysis of the remains of huntergatherers who lived in Portugal 8,000 years ago has revealed the oldest evidence yet found of human mummification. The finds predate by a thousand years the Chinchorro mummies of Chile, previously believed to be the oldest examples of the practice. The evidence comes from newly discovered rolls of film taken in the early 1960s at two archaeological sites in Portugal’s Sado Valley—Poças de São Bento and Arapouco. The images show 13 burials in situ. The bodies are held at Portugal’s National Museum of Archaeology, but until now they lacked contextual data showing their position when found. The quality of the images enabled archaeologists to study the mortuary practices of the site, which thrived in Europe’s Mesolithic, right before the dawn of agriculture. Photos of two of the…

After much waiting—only four years late!—the electric Tesla Semi’s initial customer, PepsiCo, has taken delivery of its first examples of the big rig. We got a look at the trucks at an event celebrating the transformation of the beverage and snack conglomerate’s Modesto, California, Frito-Lay plant into an emissions-free pilot project as its aims to achieve zero overall emissions by 2040. The revamped facility’s 500,000 square feet are dedicated to turning potatoes and corn into Lay’s, Ruffles, Doritos, Cheetos, and Fritos, all powered by a massive on-site solar facility and local renewable energy projects and backed by 2.7 MWh of on-site battery storage. Helping the factory distribute its snacks throughout the American West are three electric BYD 8Y yard tractors, six Peterbilt 220EV electric box trucks for local last-mile deliveries, 38…

Los Angeles Thousands of Hollywood TV writers and screenwriters went on strike this week, arguing that they’re struggling to make a living despite the explosion of streaming platforms. Members of the Writers Guild of America are demanding higher minimum pay, more writers per show, and regulations on generating scripts using artificial intelligence. The union said writers are getting squeezed now that streaming shows run for fewer episodes, while residual fees from syndication and overseas deals have all but evaporated. A group representing major studios, streaming giants, TV networks, and producers argues that the business model is still evolving. In light of the work stoppage, late-night shows hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon began airing reruns, and an upcoming episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was canceled. The last…

Retailers say they’re under an assault by robbery rings of unprecedented aggression and scale. How bad is the problem? “It is just out of control,” said Lisa LaBruno, an official at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. In a Business.org survey of 700 small businesses last year, 54 percent reported a rise in shoplifting and 23 percent said they were robbed daily. Both small and large retailers are sounding the alarm: Last year a CVS official told Congress shoplifting was up 300 percent over pre-pandemic figures; in December, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned that spiking theft could lead to higher prices and/or store closures. Retail theft reports were up 52 percent over 2021 in Philadelphia last year; in New York City, they rose 45 percent. Nearly a third of all shoplifting arrests in…

London Prominent Con-servative lawmaker Dominic Raab resigned as Britain’s deputy prime minister last week, after an investigation determined he had bullied underlings. The inquiry examined eight formal complaints, spanning four years and involving 24 people, alleging that Raab had abused staff members during his stints as foreign secretary and Brexit secretary, and concluded that two complaints had merit. While Raab hadn’t sworn or shouted, the report said, he had been “persistently aggressive,” intimidating subordinates by describing their work as “utterly useless.” Raab’s resignation letter was unrepentant, saying his dismissal would set a “dangerous precedent” by “setting the threshold for bullying so low.” Moving fascist remains Madrid Spain this week exhumed the body of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, a fascist leader who supported the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, as part of an ongoing…

St. Louis A former student armed with an AR-15–style rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition opened fire in a magnet high school despite its robust defenses against shooters, killing a student and a teacher before police killed him. Police declined to say how Orlando Harris, 19, managed to enter Central Visual and Performing Arts High School despite its locked doors and seven armed guards. Students said Harris yelled “You are all going to die!” during his rampage. He killed Alexzandria Bell, 15, and physical education teacher Jean Kuczka, 61. Police said the shooter’s gun jammed at one point, preventing more deaths; he was shot by responding officers 14 minutes after an emergency call was placed. Harris reportedly left a note saying he felt isolated and had no friends, family,…

Lincoln, Neb. Democratic state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh has spent the past three weeks filibustering every bill that’s come before the state Senate to protest GOP-backed legislation that would restrict medical treatment of transgender minors. Cavanaugh has taken up all eight debate hours allowed for each bill, talking about trans rights, plus Girl Scout cookies, Omaha’s doughnut scene, and the movie Madagascar. The bill in question would outlaw hormone treatments for trans minors. A second bill would block trans youth from using the restroom of their choice or playing high school sports with their chosen gender, and ban minors from attending drag shows. Cavanaugh said the bills would legislate “hate against children,” and vowed to “burn” the legislative session “to the ground.” Republican Sen. Kathleen Kauth said the hormone bill would protect…

What happened Republicans were poised to win narrow control of the House this week, setting the stage for two years of divided government after a historically and unexpectedly weak GOP midterm performance kept the Senate in Democrats’ hands. As The Week went to press, Republicans were one win shy of the 218 members needed for a majority. With 11 seats yet to be called, they were expected to take the chamber, but with a margin of only a few seats—a far cry from the dozens many expected might flip in a midterm election Republicans hoped to make a referendum on an unpopular president, inflation, and crime. Democrats locked in Senate control as Nevada incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto won a 50th seat by defeating former state attorney general Adam Laxalt, a Donald…

What happened Russia accused Ukraine of staging a drone strike on the Kremlin this week, as both countries stepped up aerial attacks in advance of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine is “reaching the finish line” in preparations for a broad attack on hardened Russian lines, which Ukrainian officials hope will shift the war’s momentum after months of bloody stalemate. U.S. officials estimated this week that Russia has sustained 100,000 casualties since December, including 20,000 deaths, many in the ongoing battle over the eastern city of Bakhmut. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine is in a “strong” position to retake occupied territory, after NATO members delivered 1,500 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, and “vast amounts of ammunition.” Reznikov suggested the offensive was close at hand. “As soon…

What happened Donald Trump showed his enduring grip on the Republican Party’s populist base at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, dominating the annual gathering with an ominous keynote speech in which he vowed to get revenge for Americans who have been “wronged and betrayed” by liberal and Republican elites. “I am your warrior,” he told them. “I am your justice. I am your retribution.” Once a magnet for GOP leaders and presidential contenders, this year’s CPAC was sparsely attended and shunned by many prominent Republicans, including presidential hopeful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Speakers included Donald Trump Jr., his girlfriend, Kimberley Guilfoyle, and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and vendors did a brisk business in Trump bobbleheads and T-shirts depicting Trump as the Terminator and Superman.…

What happened The Biden administration said it was “encouraged” this week after new asylum rules instituted after the lifting of Title 42 did not result in an expected surge of migrants at the border. Last week President Biden sent 1,500 troops to the border and warned things would get “chaotic” after the end of the Covid-related public-health order, which for three years allowed border agents to summarily expel migrants. But after more than 10,000 migrants a day sought to cross the border just before Title 42 ended, much stricter asylum rules adopted by the administration under a restored policy called Title 8—including a five-year entry ban on migrants who try to enter illegally—cut the influx by half, with fewer than 5,000 migrant encounters a day. The five-year ban in particular “has…

What happened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got a promise of F-16 fighter jets and much of what he asked for in a surprise visit to the Group of Seven summit, which concluded this week in Hiroshima, Japan. After refusing for more than a year to supply Kyiv with U.S.-made fighter jets, President Biden reversed course and agreed to allow allies to send their surplus F-16s. But while at least five European countries have said they might be able to provide F-16s or help train Ukrainian pilots, no country has yet committed a single jet, and deployment and training will take months. In the meantime, the G-7—a group including the U.S., U.K., Italy, France, Germany, Canada, and Japan, plus the EU—also pledged nearly $20 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. Zelensky said…

As cemeteries run short on space, some people are turning to human composting to dispose of their remains. What is human composting? It’s an environmentally friendly way of burying people, in which human remains are turned into rich soil. Also known as natural organic reduction, the process takes roughly two months to decompose a body, producing soil which loved ones might use to plant flowers, vegetables, or trees. In 2019, Washington became the first state to allow human composting, and hundreds of people have chosen this means of disposing of their remains. Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, and New York followed with their own legalization. California plans to allow human composting by 2027. As urban cemeteries around the world near capacity, cremation rates have soared, but many people concerned about climate change and the…

The hardest part about setting the bar is you’ll forever be judged against it. Honda’s Accord has been a leader in the sedan market for years. Now there’s a new version and although it’s improved in many ways, the 2023 Accord doesn’t quite rise to the standard of the car that came before it. The base LX and next-step EX models come with a 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4 and continuously variable transmission. Fuel economy is about even compared to last year’s car and remains respectable. At 192 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, the little engine is appropriately powerful. The turbo comes on quickly and makes the car pretty zippy off the line as basic midsize sedans go. Honda’s CVT remains one of the best, changing ratios quickly and smoothly and making the…

What happened Two Black Democratic Tennessee state legislators returned triumphantly to office this week after their expulsion by the Republican supermajority provoked a national outcry and drew condemnation from civil rights leaders. Local officials in both districts unanimously voted to reappoint Rep. Justin Jones, representing Nashville, and Rep. Justin J. Pearson, representing a district in Memphis, to their seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The two men, along with Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, faced an expulsion vote last week after they joined protesters who had taken over the House chamber to call for stricter gun laws in the wake of the recent mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school. The Republican-dominated state legislature expelled Jones and Pearson but not Johnson, a 60-year-old white woman, who said “it was…

What happened Donald Trump declared this week he was running for president in 2024, saying the country was being “destroyed” and the southern border “invaded.” In a meandering, hourlong speech to about 600 supporters at Mar-a-Lago, the twice-impeached former president painted American cities as “cesspools of violent crime” and himself as a victim of federal investigators. Trump, 76, is facing several criminal investigations—into his actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection, his instruction to Georgian officials to “find” enough votes to swing the state to him, and his possession of classified documents—and friends and aides anonymously told The New York Times that he is hoping that formally declaring his candidacy might stall or prevent the filing of charges. In his speech, Trump cast himself as an outsider. “The Washington establishment wants to…

What happened Democrats defied both expectation and historical precedent this week, as a widely anticipated Republican “red wave” in the midterm elections failed to materialize, leaving control of both the House and Senate in question as The Week went to press. Still, as votes in dozens of key races were counted, the GOP was favored to take control of the House by a narrow margin, and a Senate win was still within reach. Democrats scored a key win in Pennsylvania, where John Fetterman—hampered by a stroke that affected his ability to respond to oral questions—beat Donald Trump–endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, flipping a Republican seat. That left Senate control hinging on three races that were too close to call a day after the polls closed, with each party needing to win…

THE EVENTS OF RECENT MONTHS HAVE QUASHED any remaining notion that Donald Trump might abandon his quest for political power after being turned out of office by voters two years ago. He is still holding his trademark rallies, sometimes complete with QAnon call-outs, in principle to support Republican candidates but in practice holding on to center stage to hawk his own accomplishments and grievances. The former president has had plenty of help in staying in the public eye. The House’s January 6 Committee recently voted to subpoena him to testify. The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, his home in Palm Beach, Florida, in search of classified documents he kept after leaving office. And multiple other legal woes have ensured that some news of each day features Trump. A Trump bid for the White House…

Stockton, Calif. Ballistics tests have linked the fatal shootings of six men and the wounding of one woman in California—indicating a serial killer is on the loose, police said. The first two shootings, in Oakland and Stockton, occurred last year; the other attacks, all in Stockton, began in July of this year, with the latest coming last week. Four of the victims have been homeless. The woman who survived said the hooded and masked shooter took aim at her as she walked out of a tent she was living in. Police say that no items have been stolen, nor can the shootings be linked to any kind of gang activity. Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said that police had not uncovered a motive but the killings appeared to be systematic. “This…

Five years after sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited the global #MeToo movement, the former film producer is back in court. The convicted rapist is facing 11 charges in Los Angeles, separate from the sexual assault allegations that led to his monumental 2020 criminal trial in New York and his subsequent conviction, for which he is serving 23 years. Weinstein’s trial, which got underway Oct. 10, is one of four #MeToo cases playing out in courtrooms across America this week. Danny Masterson’s rape trial is taking place across the hall from Weinstein’s; on the other coast, writer-director Paul Haggis is on trial for rape, while Kevin Spacey is facing Anthony Rapp, who has claimed that Spacey sexually abused him when he was 14 years old. These sexual violence cases demonstrate the…

Dodge’s electric future is mean, menacing, loud, and … practical? Proof: the Charger Daytona SRT concept that teases the production electric muscle car coming in 2024 and the 2023 Hornet compact SUV that brings a long-overdue entry into the U.S. market’s most popular segment. First, the Charger Daytona SRT. It’s powered by batteries and electric motors but delivers a rumble very similar to—and as loud as—the roar of a Hemi Hellcat V-8. This is Dodge’s vision of its alternative to its present generation of gas-powered muscle cars, which will cease production in December 2023. However, we believe the next generation of those cars will also offer internal combustion engines. The Charger Daytona SRT concept is designed to appease loyal customers opposed to EVs; that’s why it has a multispeed transmission and an…

The horsepower war is over. The handling war is on. Cars like the Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback with the Competition Plus package and Porsche’s stunning new GT3 RS—vehicles we’ve driven in just the past few months—suggest a paradigm shift is coming in the performance car business. In an era when modern EV technology means pretty much anyone can build a 2,000-horsepower car that will launch so hard it’ll shred your intestines on the way to an insanely quick 0–60 time, developing internal combustion engines that pump out ever more power to deliver marginal improvements in acceleration times and top speed is increasingly a zero-sum game. But building a road car chassis with hardware and software that allow enthusiastic and engaged drivers to be whole seconds faster around a racetrack than…

Killeen, Texas An Army private who complained of being sexually harassed by her superior as well as peers at Fort Hood was found dead last week, three years after a female soldier who had reported sexual harassment at the sprawling military base was murdered. The private, Ana Basaldua Ruiz, 20, died weeks after telling her mother about being sexually harassed, her family said. Fort Hood, which is notorious for high rates of sexual assault, said “no foul play is evident” at this point in the investigation, and her family said Ruiz appeared to have died by suicide. In 2020, Vanessa Guillén, 20, went missing after reporting sexual harassment, and her remains were found two months later. Her suspected killer, also a soldier, shot himself before he could be arrested. An independent…

In Florida, a pugnacious lawman finds himself face-to-face with a band of neo-Nazis riding the rising tide of hate, said Danielle Paquette in The Washington Post. Daytona Beach, Fla. — Did Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood know how easy it was to make a laser weapon? Did he know that a laser weapon could be remote-controlled, shoot invisible beams, and blind him in 1/15 of a second? “Do you have any idea how cheap it is to build a laser weapon that can start fires, blind for life, and even cause dark-colored skin to outright explode?” read the email pinging his iPhone, subject line: You are an enemy of the American people. “Seems likely,” Chitwood muttered, forwarding the message to the deputy now charged with investigating messages he deemed threatening. “Scumbags.” The “scumbags” had emailed…

What happened Health officials this week warned of a likely Covid surge during the holidays amid a “tripledemic” of three viruses: Covid, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Daily Covid case counts have more than doubled over the past two weeks, according to the CDC, while deaths are up 65 percent and hospitalizations 22 percent. At the same time, the U.S. is suffering the worst flu outbreak in over a decade, with more than 13 million cases and 7,300 deaths, and case counts are continuing to climb. The result for some hospitals is a crush of patients not seen since last winter’s Omicron surge. Mississippi is down to 65 ICU beds and sending overflow to neighboring states; in Southern California, hospitals have put beds in parking lots and auditoriums; in…

What happened In a dramatic reshaping of the battlefield, Ukrainian forces chased Russian troops out of much of Kharkiv over the past two weeks, retaking in days what it took Russia months to capture. Ukraine tricked Russia by telegraphing its plans for a major counteroffensive in the south around Kherson, causing Russian commanders to shift tens of thousands of troops to that region. Ukraine did make modest gains in the south, but the bulk of its forces burst through Russian front lines in the northeast over the past two weeks, winning back 3,000 square miles of territory—more than a tenth of Russia’s total gains since the Feb. 24 invasion. Among the dozens of settlements they liberated were Izium, Kupiansk, and Balakliya, key logistical hubs for Russian forces. The attack severely degraded…

One of the great things about iPads is their combination of portability and a large screen. This makes them perfect for reading eBooks, digital comics, and magazines. It also makes them a potential replacement for a paper notebook, especially when paired with a good stylus like the Apple Pencil. Of course, to replace someone’s sketchbook, journal, or notepad, the iPad needs a good notetaking app. As someone who used to love brainstorming ideas and writing short stories by hand, I’ve long been curious if the iPad could help me recapture that feeling. So, I decided to look at some of the most popular notetaking apps available for the iPad, all of which offer their core functionality for free (and most of which have premium versions with more features if you…

Ottawa On President Biden’s first official visit to Canada last week, he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a deal allowing Ottawa to turn back asylum seekers who cross from the U.S. illegally. Last year, nearly 40,000 people from Haiti, Syria, and other countries entered Canada that way, many of them through the Roxham Road unofficial border crossing between New York and Quebec. The influx had overwhelmed Quebec authorities and created a political headache for Trudeau. The deal modifies the 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement, closing the loophole that let those who entered the country at unofficial crossings apply for asylum; now they will be sent back to the U.S. In exchange, Canada will accept 15,000 asylum seekers from Central and South America, which Washington hopes will ease pressure at the…

What happened Fox News averted weeks of potentially damaging courtroom testimony from its top executives and on-air hosts this week, after it agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. Judge Eric M. Davis announced the settlement—one of the largest ever in a defamation case—as a rapt courtroom in Wilmington, Del., was awaiting opening statements in what would have been the most closely watched media trial in decades. Dominion had sued Fox for $1.6 billion, charging that the right-wing network engaged in “actual malice” by knowingly airing the fiction that Dominion’s machines had been rigged as part of a plot to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump. “The truth matters. Lies have consequences,” said Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson after the settlement was reached.…

What happened President Biden officially announced his bid for re-election this week, asking Americans to let him “finish the job” by giving a second term to the oldest president in U.S. history. The 80-year-old Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, cast himself as a bulwark against far-right forces that are attacking democracy and eroding Americans’ civil liberties. “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” he says in a three-minute video titled “Freedom.” The video, which opens with scenes from the Jan. 6 Capitol assault and pro-choice demonstrators outside the Supreme Court, promises that Biden will protect Americans against “MAGA extremists” bent on cutting Social Security, outlawing abortion, and…

What happened Chinese President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as head of the ruling Communist Party this week, cementing his status as the most dominant figure in Chinese politics since Mao Zedong. Xi’s ascension to a third five-year term upended a two-term limit that was written into the party constitution in 1982 to prevent a return to the one-man rule of the Mao era; Xi had that limit removed in 2018. He further tightened his grip on the world’s most populous nation by overhauling the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, forcing out market-friendly moderates and promoting allies and protégés—though, conspicuously, none young and experienced enough to be marked as a potential successor. In a speech to the National Congress, Xi, 69, touted China’s growing “international influence,” saying its “power to…

After decades of threats, is China preparing to attack and annex the island nation? Why would China invade? China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and aimed for reunification with the island nation of 24 million people, located just 110 miles across the Taiwan Strait. The two have been separate entities since the Chinese civil war in 1949, when Mao Zedong’s Red Army defeated the forces of Chinese nationalist Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan and set up an authoritarian government there. After Chiang’s death in 1975, the island transitioned into a prosperous democracy; it is now led by President Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, and the vast majority of the nation’s citizens do not want to come under Beijing’s repressive rule. But Chinese President Xi Jinping sees Taiwan…

JASON TREAT, NGM STAFF SOURCES: “UN WORLD POPULATION PROSPECTS 2022”; GAPMINDER WE’VE REACHED A NEW MILESTONE in the human journey. Last November, according to the United Nations, the number of people on Earth hit eight billion. Our population has doubled in less than 50 years, just since 1974, the year the UN brought the world’s countries together for the first intergovernmental conference to address population growth. At the time, only three metro areas were home to 10 million people or more—New York, Tokyo, and Mexico City. Today there are more than 30. The reasons for this explosion are well known: Medicine, sanitation, and crop yields continue to improve dramatically. As a result, child mortality is plummeting and life expectancy is rising. Demographers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, in Austria, and…

Edmonton, Alberta Newly installed Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she will pardon residents who were fined and arrested for breaking federal Covid rules during the pandemic. “I’m deeply sorry for anyone who was inappropriately subjected to discrimination as a result of their vaccine status,” said Smith, a Conservative. Canada had some of the world’s most stringent Covid policies, including mandatory vaccines for certain federal jobs and jail time for those caught out during lockdown. Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski of the Cave of Adullam congregation, for example, was arrested multiple times for keeping his church open and for preaching to truckers blocking a U.S. border crossing; he owes hefty fines. Far-right government Rome Giorgia Meloni was sworn in this week as Italy’s first woman prime minister, and she quickly tried to reassure European governments that…

What happened Former President Donald Trump ignored the urgent advice of aides and clear evidence he lost the 2020 election as he tried to engineer a coup that shook the foundations of American democracy, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol uprising said this week. In the opening of its televised hearings, committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said that Trump “lit the fuse that ultimately resulted in the violence of Jan. 6.” Using videotaped testimony of former Trump associates, Thompson and vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) methodically laid out their case that Trump incited the Capitol attack with false claims of fraud and refused to intervene for 187 minutes as his supporters assaulted police officers, smashed through doors and windows, and sent lawmakers scurrying for safety while advisers…

Lower Colorado River Basin California, Arizona, and Nevada agreed this week to cut water usage by about 14 percent between now and 2027, avoiding—for now, at least—a potentially devastating depletion of the Colorado River’s giant Lake Mead reservoir. The southwestern states reached the agreement along with Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, which also depend on the river. Federal officials had called on the states to cut water usage by about twice as much, but the situation became less dire after heavy snow blanketed the Rocky Mountains this past winter, leading runoff into the river’s reservoirs to be an estimated 149 percent of the annual average. In recent years, a prolonged drought worsened by climate change reduced the Colorado River’s flow by about 20 percent. Lake Mead is at 30 percent…

1 UNITED STATES/RUSSIA Lavrov rejects US plea for release of journalist Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, called for Russia to free the detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich in a rare phone call with his Moscow counterpart. The American’s plea was rejected by Sergei Lavrov, who responded by saying that US officials and media outlets must “not make a fuss” or try to politicise the plight of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter. Gershkovich, 31, (below) was detained on Wednesday last week in the Urals city of Ekaterinburg and accused by Russia’s FSB internal security agency of collecting “classified information” about a company. The WSJ says it “vehemently denies the allegations” and would campaign for his release, while experts said Russia might be trying to use the reporter as a hostage and bargaining chip. However,…

PROS • Feels a lot like the original • More practical than the previous sedan • Manual version is quite fun CONS • Powerband is too narrow • Among the slowest WRX models ever • The automatic option isn’t fun LIMITED; GT VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE, TRANSMISSION 2.4L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve flat-4, 6-speed manual; cont variable auto CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,400 lb (60/40%); 3,538 lb (61/39%) WHEELBASE 105.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 183.8 x 71.9 x 57.8 in ON SALE Now The Subaru WRX has long been the enthusiast’s default choice for an all-weather sport compact. With rally-bred heritage, standard all-wheel drive, and potent turbocharged engines, the WRX has mastered its domain—especially since Mitsubishi vacated the space when it canned the Lancer. By that measure, the new WRX is primed for success. Longer, lower, wider, and stiffer…

Hey, Toyota—is everything, um, OK? Strapped into the new Toyota GR Corolla and sitting in pit lane awaiting our turn at a 2.1-mile section of Utah Motorsports Park’s wildly undulating road course, we felt slightly silly. Until now, we imagined, the only people who’d ever worn helmets inside a dealership-ready Corolla were unbalanced folks with visions of, well, something as absurd as a track-ready production Toyota Corolla. One such person is Toyota President Akio Toyoda. He’s been pushing the company’s Gazoo Racing (GR) subbrand, and he personally signed off on the final product. The result is the craziest showroom-spec Corolla hatchback ever built. Just how out of bounds is it? We can count on one hand the sporty Corollas sold here over the decades. It was long ago typecast as an anodyne, safe…

“We tried to do a weekend camping trip without stopping to charge. We almost didn’t make it.”Scott Evans Service Life 4 months/9,712 miles Average Fuel Econ 65.6 mpg-e Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal wear $0 Base price $74,075 As tested $76,875 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 74/66/70 mpg-e People buy EVs for all sorts of reasons—fuel costs being top of mind recently—but at least a few buy them to be friendlier to the environment. Without getting into whether mining or oil drilling is more destructive, the simple fact is, electric motors operate more efficiently than internal combustion engines and don’t produce exhaust fumes everywhere you go. With that in mind, we decided to take our long-term R1T for an all-electric, fossil-fuel-free camping trip in the mountains. It didn’t quite go to plan. My camping trip should’ve been the ideal…

A growing number of states are legalizing recreational marijuana as sales soar. Will there be a hidden cost? Where is weed now legal? The nation has seen a seismic shift since Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis a decade ago. Rhode Island recently became the 19th state to end pot prohibition, joining such states as California, New York, Nevada, Virginia, Illinois, and Vermont. Another 20 states have legalized medical marijuana, including Mississippi, Missouri, and West Virginia. Legalization bills for recreational or medicinal marijuana are under consideration in at least a half dozen more states, including Pennsylvania, Kansas, and North Carolina. Some 44 percent of Americans now live in states that allow recreational cannabis use—and business is booming. How big is it? Last year, sales of legal cannabis hit $25…

What happened The Justice Department is investigating Donald Trump’s role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, The Washington Post reported this week, days after the Jan. 6 commission completed nine hearings that laid out in great detail how Trump orchestrated a wide-ranging plot to stay in power. Federal prosecutors questioning witnesses before a grand jury, the Post said, have zeroed in on conversations Trump had with his lawyers and others in his inner circle, asking “hours of detailed questions” about Trump’s attempts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to reject election results, and the president’s involvement in a scheme to choose fake electors from several swing states. Prosecutors reportedly have obtained phone records of top administration officials, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Attorney General Merrick Garland told NBC…

St. Louis President Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans was blocked this week by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said debt cancellations must stop while a lawsuit brought by six states is considered. The three-judge panel did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit brought by Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina. Those GOP-led states argue that Biden needed authorization from Congress to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student debt for borrowers earning up to $125,000 annually, or up to $250,000 for married couples. Pell Grant recipients are eligible for another $10,000 in forgiveness under Biden’s order, which invoked a post-9/11 law covering national emergencies. The White House says 26 million people have already applied for forgiveness,…

Warsaw Poland has asked Germany to pay reparations for Nazi damages to the country during World War II. The ruling Law and Justice party said Poland suffered $1.3 trillion in war losses, the highest such estimate yet. “The sum was calculated using the most limited, conservative method,” said party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. “It would be possible to increase it.” Around 6 million Poles, including 3 million Polish Jews, were killed during the war, and Warsaw was razed during the 1944 uprising against the Nazi occupiers. After the war, Poland under Communist rule waived its right to reparations. The Polish opposition said Kaczynski’s demand was simply an attempt to stir up nationalist sentiment, while Germany said the matter was closed. New flags for a new ruler London The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week…

Dublin European regulators this week imposed a record $1.3 billion fine on Meta, Facebook’s parent company, saying it violated European Union privacy laws by transferring users’ data from Europe to the United States, where U.S. intelligence agencies could theoretically access it. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission gave Meta until October to stop sending user data from the European Economic Area—which includes EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway—across the Atlantic. Meta said it would appeal the “flawed, unjustified” decision, saying it set “a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data” internationally. Industry groups are calling for clarity on what data they can and can’t transfer. American tech companies have been clashing for years with regulators in Europe, where online privacy and security protections are much stronger. Racism in soccer Valencia, Spain Spanish fans…

What happened A barrage of missile strikes pounded civilian areas in Kyiv and at least 10 other cities across Ukraine this week, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in retaliation for an attack that damaged a strategically key bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Ukrainian authorities said at least 20 people were killed and 108 wounded in the initial round of strikes, which had panicked citizens diving for cover during morning rush hour. In Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones struck apartment buildings, an office tower, a pedestrian bridge, and a playground; power and water were knocked out in numerous cities, including Lviv and Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials condemned the targeting of civilian areas, which follows weeks in which resurgent Ukrainian forces have reclaimed large swathes of territory in the south and…

What happened The fate one of the world’s most influential social media platforms was up in the air this week, as new Twitter owner Elon Musk plotted changes to the platform, planned major layoffs, and faced an exodus of top executives and anxious advertisers. The world’s richest man last week completed his $44 billion takeover of the social media site, after months of negotiations and legal skirmishing. “The bird is freed,” he tweeted. In short order he dissolved its board of directors, named himself CEO, and fired top officials such as the chief executive and chief financial officer. The self-described “free-speech absolutist” has excited conservatives by suggesting he would loosen Twitter’s content moderation rules and reinstate banned users, including Donald Trump. But to allay fears, he took a cautious approach, meeting…

This year, we’re celebrating small businesses (think family-run, local makers, BIPOC-and woman-founded, and more!). So no matter who you’re shopping for—friends, spouse, favorite teacher, a new grandbaby—we’ve got something that will let them know how much they matter!—OPRAH FIND YOUR FAVORITE THINGS AT AMAZON.COM/OPRAH PROP STYLING: MEGUMI EMOTO / ANDERSON HOPKINS. SOFT GOODS STYLING: ZENA TRAMMELL. ILLUSTRATION: LISA SHEEHAN. SOFT GOODS: REGINA NICOLARDI. DUFFEL BAG: RICHARD MAJCHRZAK / STUDIO D.…

Austin Five women sued Texas this week, saying Texas’ ban denied them abortions despite life-threatening risks. Two of the women had fetuses with no skulls; two others faced twin pregnancies that required one fetus to be aborted to save the other. The last, lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski, 35, said she was denied an abortion because her fetus, which had no chance of surviving, still registered a heartbeat. Zurawski was only allowed to deliver after developing sepsis. Her baby died, and Zurawski suffered an infection that caused permanent damage. “Very few people would agree there is anything pro-life about this,” she said. Under the current law, a physician can only provide an abortion after determining that a woman faces “substantial” harm without one. The plaintiffs—four of whom traveled out of state—say the…

For the ultimate example of a simple tool with hidden depths, look to the desktop web browser. You needn’t be a tech whiz to know the basics of how to visit a website or search the web. Even the notion of opening, closing, and rearranging browser tabs is pretty straightforward. But behind those basics are all kinds of powerful features that make web browsing more efficient. Below are 10 essential browser tricks that everyone ought to know. Note that most of these features work in any web browser, whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Chromium-based browsers (such as Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi). 1. LEARN SOME SHORTCUTS While most web browsers offer dozens of keyboard shortcuts, chances are you’re not going to remember them all. Here are a handful of the most helpful…

Mifepristone is now at the center of the fight over abortion. Why was it created and approved? What’s the pill’s origin? In 1970, French endocrinologist and biochemist Étienne-Émile Baulieu had an idea for an “unpregnancy pill” that could induce abortions. Such a pill, he thought, would enable women to avoid surgery and end pregnancies in private. Baulieu knew the hormone progesterone was essential to pregnancy and began searching for “an anti-hormone” that would block progesterone. His idea came to fruition in 1980, when a French drug company created mifepristone, then called RU-486. In 1988, the pill was approved in France. More than a dozen countries followed, and in 2000, the FDA approved mifepristone for use for up to seven weeks into a pregnancy in the U.S. Baulieu said he hoped “the ‘abortion…

Vladimir Putin has been charged with war crimes for abducting thousands of Ukrainian children. Why is he doing this? What are the charges? The International Criminal Court recently accused Putin and his top children’s rights envoy with unlawfully seizing and moving thousands of children out of their home country. That’s a violation of multiple U.N. human rights conventions. Of the thousands of war crimes linked to the Russian president, this is one of the easiest to substantiate. Ukrainian children ranging from infants to 17-year-olds are known to have been deported to Russia or Russian-occupied territory, most of them without their parents. Human rights officials and Ukraine’s government say the number of minors taken is at least 16,000 and may be as high as 400,000. Russian propaganda portrays the abductions as humanitarian “evacuations”…

What happened Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock beat Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a tight run-off election this week, giving Democrats a 51-seat Senate majority and compounding GOP frustration over a midterm performance that fell far short of expectations. With nearly all votes counted, Warnock had 51.3 percent and Walker 48.6 percent, marking the first time since 1934 that the party in power kept every incumbent Senate seat. The run-off, necessitated by the failure of either candidate to win a majority in November’s general election, helped make the Warnock-Walker race one of the most expensive in history, with more than $450 million spent. “After a hard-fought campaign, or should I say campaigns, it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy—the people have spoken,” Warnock…