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Staying updated with the latest headlines can be overwhelming. To help, we’ve gathered the most important, bizarre, and downright jaw-dropping stories of the week for you.
While the State of the Union speech was meant to steal the spotlight this week, it quickly turned into a snooze-fest that barely captured anyone’s attention. Instead of focusing on that and its equally uninspiring Democratic response, we’re taking a detour. Get ready for an exciting journey through the week's most interesting stories, from political drama to growing tensions in a new Cold War.
10. An Essential Cold War Nuclear Pact Was Abandoned
On December 8, 1987, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), aiming to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and reduce the risk of the world being destroyed in a massive nuclear fireball. The agreement banned the development and deployment of short- and medium-range land-based cruise and ballistic missiles.
The treaty also allowed the US and USSR to carry out joint inspections of each other's nuclear sites. It was a major success, leading to a nearly 3,000 missile reduction in just five years. However, last Friday, the INF was officially abandoned.
The collapse of the INF had been building for a while. In October, President Trump announced the US would withdraw, and on February 1, the withdrawal was finalized. Russia followed suit the very next day. Moscow has already begun developing new versions of the banned missiles.
The US decision was largely based on long-standing suspicions that Russia was already violating the treaty. But if you're looking for signs of a new Cold War, this is certainly a noteworthy one.
9. North Macedonia Officially Signed Its NATO Membership Agreement
That was quick. Just as the ink dried on Greece’s new law recognizing Macedonia’s name change to North Macedonia, the newly renamed republic was already signing a NATO accession agreement. Though the agreement still needs final approval, it firmly sets North Macedonia on track to become NATO’s 30th member.
Joining NATO is a significant milestone for the former Yugoslav republic, which has long sought to align itself with the West since its independence in 1991. However, Greece objected to the use of the name “Macedonia,” since there is already a Greek province called Macedonia. This geopolitical dispute led Greece to block Macedonia’s attempts to join both NATO and the EU. With the name change now official, Athens is expected to swiftly ratify North Macedonia’s NATO membership.
However, the story isn’t over just yet. Despite the official name change to North Macedonia, the new name won’t be fully recognized until Athens approves NATO membership. While it's unlikely they’ll change course now, anything can happen.
8. Elizabeth Warren’s Native American Heritage Claims Resurface Amid Controversy
A widely publicized DNA test last year revealed that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has at least one Native American ancestor from six to ten generations ago.
This in itself isn’t controversial; many people can trace their roots back to Native, German, Irish, or other ancestries and take pride in it. What is controversial, however, is that Warren appeared to claim she was fully Native American. This week, The Washington Post published evidence that she had made this claim on official documents.
There are two major issues here. First, tribal citizenship isn’t just about ancestry, and many Native American tribes strongly oppose people bypassing their citizenship process. Second, with one ancestor six generations ago, Warren would be one part Native American to 31 parts non-Native. That’s fine in casual conversation but problematic if you’re using it on official forms.
Although Warren has asserted that she didn’t seek any advantage, she can’t possibly know if potential employers viewed her as “American Indian” and hired her as part of an affirmative action initiative, potentially boosting her career while disadvantaging actual Native applicants.
7. Costa Rica’s Nobel Peace Prize-Winning President Faces Assault Allegations
Oscar Arias, the two-time president of Costa Rica, is widely regarded as a hero. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, and numerous other accolades for his activism and advocacy for gender equality, Arias’s record was once beyond reproach.
Or perhaps we should say “was beyond reproach.” On Tuesday, reports emerged that a female anti-nuclear activist accused Arias of assault. By Thursday, three more women had come forward with similar claims. As of now, it looks like the #MeToo movement might have its highest-profile target yet in Latin America.
Two of the women have chosen to go public with their identities. Eleonora Antillon, a well-known journalist, and Emma Daly from Human Rights Watch both accused Arias of assault. Antillon’s account is particularly harrowing, describing unwanted advances, groping, and outright assault. Arias has denied all allegations.
6. Ukraine’s Fictional TV President Looks Set to Become the Real President
Did you hear? Ukraine is in the middle of election season! On March 31, voters will head to the polls to choose their next president. There were rumors that the far-right might make a push for the position, but recent polls suggest a much more unusual outcome. The next president of Ukraine could be... the fictional president from TV.
Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People) is a popular Kiev-based series featuring comedian Vladimir Zelenskiy as a teacher who accidentally rises to the presidency and takes on the country's oligarchs. The first season is available on Netflix for some binge-watching, but its message is a broad, pro-European populism sprinkled with anti-elite sentiment. And now Zelenskiy isn’t just topping the polls—he’s running on a platform promising to turn his hit TV show into reality.
Ukraine has long suffered under a political elite that makes the most corrupt figures in Washington look like saints. That said, there’s still no certainty that Zelenskiy will win out over Yulia Tymoshenko for the presidency.
5. The Magnetic North Pole Has Officially Moved
Here’s a mind-bending fact: there are actually three North Poles. The first is the real North Pole, the axis around which Earth spins. The second is geomagnetic north, currently situated over Greenland and prone to slight movements. The third is magnetic north, the direction your compass points toward.
It’s this last one that’s grabbing attention today, as the magnetic north pole has been racing toward Russia at an unprecedented pace in recent years. While magnetic north has always shifted a bit, its rapid movement now poses a risk to GPS systems. This week, the World Magnetic Model was updated to account for the change, officially confirming that the magnetic north pole has moved.
The update was originally scheduled for earlier in the year but was delayed due to the US government shutdown. Who would’ve guessed that a budget deadlock could affect the location of the magnetic north pole?
4. A Controversial Blackface Scandal Shakes Virginia
Just when you thought US politics couldn’t get any more bizarre, the Democratic Party of Virginia throws us a curveball. Last Friday, a conservative blogger, upset over the state lawmakers’ late-term abortion bill, shared a photo of Governor Ralph Northam’s school yearbook page. The issue? Northam appeared alongside a man in blackface and another in Klan robes. This sparked a scandal that quickly spiraled out of control and consumed the entire party.
Though Northam denied being either the man in blackface or the one in the Klan outfit, he did admit to once darkening his face at a costume party to portray Michael Jackson. As expected, calls for his resignation came swiftly... but then, just as the dust began to settle, a sexual assault allegation surfaced against his potential successor, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Before we could process that, Attorney General Mark Herring, Fairfax’s likely replacement, revealed he too had worn blackface in the past.
In the span of a single week, the top three Democrats in Virginia found themselves embroiled in scandal, leaving the party in chaos. Whether they can recover from this debacle is anyone’s guess.
3. We Reached The ISIS Endgame
A few years ago, ISIS held a vast territory, approximately the size of Belgium, and had aspirations to conquer much of the Middle East, eventually establishing a caliphate that some believed would stretch to Spain. By the end of 2017, ISIS was still in control of significant Syrian cities.
Those days are now a distant memory. As of now, the remaining ISIS fighters are confined to a shrinking 50-square-kilometer stretch near Baghuz (which has already been liberated). With US-backed Kurdish forces closing in, the families of the militants are surrendering. It appears that the final remnants of ISIS's blood-soaked caliphate are nearing obliteration.
However, the fall of the caliphate does not signify the end of ISIS. Many fighters are fleeing back to their home countries, where they will likely attempt to conduct attacks.
Additionally, there is the grim task of investigating the remnants of the caliphate to gather evidence of war crimes. Investigators are already uncovering mass graves and trying to preserve sites of atrocities, with hopes of one day bringing the surviving ISIS fanatics to an international court.
It may take a long time. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) operated from 1993 to 2017, with some of its most significant rulings coming in the final years of its existence. While ISIS's physical caliphate may be on the brink of collapse, it is certain that discussions surrounding this vile group will continue for many years to come.
2. Another Church Abuse Scandal Has Emerged
As the ongoing issue of clergy abuse of minors in the Catholic Church gains traction, another scandal has surfaced. On Tuesday, Pope Francis publicly addressed the troubling reports of priests sexually abusing and harassing nuns. This candid admission is poised to trigger yet another crisis within the Vatican.
A Church #MeToo movement has been simmering for some time. In November, an organization representing female Catholic orders urged nuns to come forward and report any harassment they had faced, whether to superiors or authorities. This followed several shocking scandals where priests used their authority to coerce nuns into sexual relationships, sometimes impregnating them and leaving them to bear the shame.
Pope Francis’s acknowledgment raises hope that the Church is taking a serious stand to eradicate this harmful behavior. For the Vatican to preserve its moral standing globally, it is crucial that it takes decisive action against abusive priests.
1. A Deadly Arson Attack Strikes Paris, Leaving Ten Dead
In the early hours of Tuesday, a raging fire tore through an eight-story building in Paris, quickly engulfing the upper floors and sending plumes of red smoke into the night sky. Ten people tragically lost their lives in the fire, including an infant. However, the most disturbing revelation came shortly after the blaze was extinguished—Paris authorities confirmed the fire had been intentionally set.
At the time of writing, a woman identified only as 'Essia B.' has been arrested on suspicion of arson. According to the BBC, she has a history of mental health issues and was recently released from a psychiatric facility just a week before the fire.
While her involvement is not yet certain, it would be a tragic conclusion if she were responsible. The deaths in Paris, instead of being caused by malice or accident, may stem from a simple lapse in judgment when releasing a mentally unstable woman.
