Buzz
Keeping up with current events is no easy feat. It's so challenging, in fact, that we've made it easier for you by compiling the most remarkable, strange, or downright astonishing news stories from each week.
This week was marked by one of the most significant losses in recent U.S. history. Last Friday, the nation mourned the passing of George H.W. Bush, the first former president to die since Gerald Ford in 2006. This tragic event led to a week of reflection and remembrance in American media, and you'll find much of that below. However, the death of the 41st president wasn’t the only headline—around the globe, there were many other major developments worth your attention.
10. Wisconsin Republicans Engaged in Some Outrageous Power Politics
In this column’s post-midterms mega roundup, we discussed how losing the Wisconsin governor’s seat and attorney general positions was one of the GOP’s most crushing blows on election night. Apparently, the defeat was so hard to bear that state Republicans refused to accept it. Like a child throwing a tantrum and flipping over the Monopoly board, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature took a blatantly anti-democratic action. This week, they voted to strip incoming Democrats of many key powers.
The new bills essentially force newly elected Democrats to comply with certain Republican legislative agendas while preventing them from introducing their own proposals. They also disregard a lesser-known concept known as 'separation of powers,' which you might recognize as a core principle of American democracy.
The Wisconsin GOP is drawing inspiration from North Carolina’s response to the surprise victory of Democrats there in 2016. That case is now being taken to the state Supreme Court, but it has caused significant damage to American democracy. If Republicans begin manipulating the system to maintain power, they shouldn’t be shocked if Democrats retaliate by advancing their own anti-democratic strategies to reshape the Supreme Court the next time they control the White House.
9. Voting Fraud Allegations Rocked North Carolina
On election night, the AP declared Republican Mark Harris the winner of North Carolina’s 9th district, a result that came as no surprise. But why are we bringing this up now? Because NC-9 is currently the last unresolved House race of 2018. After Harris seemingly triumphed by a slim margin of 908 votes, accusations of voter fraud began to surface.
The details are somewhat complicated. Statistical analysis revealed that absentee ballots favored Harris in areas that were strongly Democratic, a pattern that stands out. (In certain counties, Harris secured 61 percent of mail-in ballots but only 19 percent of in-person votes.) Other counties requested large numbers of absentee ballots, yet 40 percent of them later vanished. In addition, five sworn affidavits claim that operatives visited people's homes, filling out or returning their ballots—an action that would be illegal under North Carolina law, even without evidence of tampering.
To be clear, this remains speculative at this point. However, the matter has been referred to the state attorney general’s office, and a potential rerun of the election could be on the horizon.
8. European Police Launched Their Largest Anti-Mafia Operation In Years
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, law enforcement across Europe initiated Operation Pollino, the largest anti-Mafia operation the continent has seen in years. In Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, hundreds of officers raided homes and businesses, leading to 90 arrests and the confiscation of three tons of cocaine. The target: the infamous ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, believed to control roughly 80 percent of Europe’s cocaine trade.
The ‘Ndrangheta, based in Southern Italy, may not be as well-known as their Sicilian counterparts, but they have recently risen to become one of the continent's most dangerous gangs. They are thought to have been involved in everything from the murder of children to the assassination of a Slovakian journalist earlier this year. The success of Operation Pollino is said to have been two years in the making, though it has not completely dismantled the notorious criminal organization.
The raid took place just one day after Italian authorities arrested the new head of the Sicilian Mafia, Settimo Mineo, along with 45 of his associates.
7. Mass French Protests Shake Macron’s Government
Back in the optimistic days of 2017, Emmanuel Macron’s main pitch to French voters (aside from not being Marine Le Pen) was his “at the same time” policy. This was his entire centrist vision, where, while reforms were necessary, changes that favored the rich would occur simultaneously with those benefiting the poor. It was this vision that helped propel his En Marche party to a landslide victory.
Fast-forward to today, and Macron has not only abandoned the ‘at the same time’ idea, but has completely discarded it. His popularity has now sunk to levels not seen since Francois Hollande’s presidency. Three weeks ago, a year and a half of frustration over Macron’s perceived betrayal erupted. Paris was engulfed in violent protests following a fuel tax increase. With protests continuing, the government finally relented this week. Having ruined his reputation, Macron has also lost the eco-tax he so fervently pursued.
Street protests are a regular feature of French life, but the past few weeks have been especially intense. Cars were set on fire in Paris, police officers were attacked, and the Arc de Triomphe suffered damage. Despite Macron’s concession, more protests are already being planned for next week.
6. Scientists Detected The Largest Black Hole Merger Ever Recorded
Nine billion years ago, two massive black holes in a far-flung corner of the universe collided. The energy released in that moment, in the form of gravitational waves, was more than five times greater than the Sun’s energy output, marking a colossal cosmic event. Last year, the ripples from this cataclysm reached Earth. Published this week by scientists, these waves mark the largest black hole merger ever detected.
Gravitational wave detection is still a relatively new field of science, and until now, the number of black hole mergers we've observed was fairly small. Excluding this enormous merger and three others discussed in the same paper, we've only detected six mergers, along with a stunning collision between two neutron stars. But that’s just in the past three years. If we maintain this pace, we could be uncovering all kinds of cosmic wonders before this decade is over.
5. NATO Approved Bosnia's Membership Bid
There are currently 29 nations in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and thanks to an ‘open door’ policy, four other countries have expressed interest in joining. Two of these (Ukraine and Georgia) will likely never be admitted, as the mere idea of their inclusion would send Moscow into a frenzy. One (Macedonia) is likely to join soon. That leaves just one: Bosnia. This week, NATO officially approved the former Yugoslav state’s membership application.
However, giving Bosnia the green light for membership doesn’t mean it’s automatically in. This approval simply means that Bosnia can begin the process of joining if it meets certain conditions in the future. Considering Bosnia’s deeply divided society and the opposition from its Serbian enclave to NATO membership, it could be a long time before Bosnia officially becomes part of the alliance.
Nevertheless, this moment is notable for several reasons, particularly because of the potential to irritate Russia. Moscow has always viewed the Balkans as its sphere of influence, and the addition of yet another nation to NATO could lead to significant consequences.
4. Nigeria’s President Was Forced to Assure the Public He Isn’t Dead
If you think American politics is prone to wild conspiracy theories (who could forget the birther movement?), spare a thought for Nigeria. On Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari had to publicly reassure his citizens that he hadn’t died earlier in the year and been replaced by a clone.
Some conspiracy theories are utterly ridiculous, like the claim that the parents of Sandy Hook victims are crisis actors, and this one falls into that category. Last year, Buhari was hospitalized in London, spending so much time in care that rumors of him being Nigeria's ‘missing’ president began to circulate. In the past, this would have been where the story ended, but in the age of social media, many Nigerians were soon convinced their president had passed away. When Buhari made his return, instead of rethinking their assumptions, some simply added a bizarre twist, claiming he had been cloned—or, in some versions, replaced by a body double.
While this may be somewhat amusing, it's also a troubling indication of how easily the world is buying into absurd conspiracy theories. From Pizzagate to claims of cloned presidents, it appears we're entering a period dominated by paranoia.
3. The Passing of George H.W. Bush
Late on Friday evening, George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, passed away at the age of 94 after battling vascular Parkinsonism. His death marked the first time since Gerald Ford’s passing in 2006 that a former U.S. president had died. This also signified the end of an era of politics conducted in a different manner, with many reflecting on the profound changes since Bush's presidency from 1989 to 1993 as the country mourned.
One significant point raised by some outlets was that Bush the elder might have been the last president that both political parties acknowledged as the country's legitimate leader. Since Clinton's narrow 1992 victory, the contentious 2000 Florida recount, the birther movement against Obama, and Trump's loss in the popular vote, every subsequent president has been labeled as illegitimate by the opposing party. This ongoing division is clearly detrimental to the health of democracy.
The passing of George H.W. Bush follows the death of his wife, Barbara, in April of this year. And, in all likelihood, it won’t be long before another presidential death occurs. At 94, Jimmy Carter’s health is in decline, and when he passes, the title of the oldest living president will, oddly, pass to the current occupant of the White House. (Trump, Clinton, and Bush Jr. were all born within two months of each other, a curious coincidence.)
2. A Temporary Truce in the US-China Trade War
After months of tense negotiations, President Trump and Xi Jinping reached an agreement this week to temporarily suspend the trade war between the US and China. The 90-day truce will delay the imposition of 25-percent tariffs until after both the Western and Chinese New Year, giving both sides some breathing room to seek a resolution.
While both countries framed the truce as a win, analysis suggests that the United States may have gained the upper hand. Under the preliminary agreement, China will alter some of its practices and increase its purchases of American agricultural and industrial goods. In return, China doesn't gain much, and many have pointed out that the agreement's ambiguous language means Beijing could back out of any commitments that Xi might later find politically inconvenient.
However, it's important to keep in mind that this is only a temporary ceasefire. If the two sides fail to come to a lasting agreement, the new tariffs will be activated early next year. With tariffs set at staggering levels, they are likely to trigger even more economic turbulence.
1. The UK Government Was Found in Contempt for the First Time in History
At present, we're witnessing the slow-motion collapse of the UK government. Following the disastrous 2017 election, which left Theresa May's Conservative party relying on support from the Northern Irish DUP, she has steadily sunk into the quicksand of Brexit, her authority slipping with every new setback. This week saw another plunge into chaos as, for the first time in British history, the government was found in contempt of Parliament.
The contempt vote came after the government's refusal to release its legal advice on Brexit, which many interpreted as a sign of something deeply flawed hidden in May's agreement with the EU. Six parties brought a motion of contempt against her government. Losing this vote was yet another blow in a series of defeats, marking a hat trick no prime minister has achieved since 1978.
Although contempt proceedings technically have the potential to result in sanctions against ministers, it's highly improbable that such measures will be taken in this case. Instead, this vote serves as yet another glaring illustration of the utter lack of authority May now holds.
