Buzz
Staying informed can feel like a challenge. It's so overwhelming that we've taken the work out of it by rounding up the most remarkable, surprising, or truly mind-blowing headlines from this week.
In the US, the big story this week was Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s ongoing and contentious confirmation process for the US Supreme Court. We'll dive into that later, but it wasn't the only major development. In Asia, a catastrophic tsunami wreaked havoc. Meanwhile, science saw some major triumphs, trade agreements were made, and a certain billionaire inventor found himself facing legal troubles.
10. A Catastrophic Tsunami Strikes Indonesia
Throughout the week, the death toll from Indonesia's devastating earthquake and tsunami on Friday has continued to rise, and there's every reason to believe it could climb even higher by the time you read this. As of Thursday, over 1,400 lives have been lost, with at least 100 people still missing. It's one of the most severe natural disasters of the year so far.
The scale of suffering in Sulawesi is nearly unimaginable. In addition to the widespread destruction, the complete lack of outside assistance has led to rampant looting, shortages of medical supplies, and a severe lack of drinking water. Essentially, everything that could go terribly wrong in a disaster scenario has, and now those trapped in Palu city are facing a second wave of humanitarian crisis.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of this disaster is the total breakdown of the tsunami early warning system. When the earthquake knocked out sirens and communication lines, the residents of Palu had no idea the wall of water was approaching. One chilling video even shows hundreds of people partying on the beach, completely unaware of the looming danger only seconds away from claiming their lives.
9. Elon Musk Took on the SEC (And the SEC Emerged Victorious)
Back in August, Musk tweeted: 'Considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.' The $420 figure was a nod to marijuana, and Musk later shared that he thought his girlfriend, Canadian singer Grimes, would find it amusing. Unfortunately, the tweet caused Tesla's stock price to skyrocket. When the company later confirmed it would stay public, the SEC intervened.
Musk initially wanted to challenge the SEC in court but ultimately relented on Saturday. Both he and Tesla will pay $20 million in fines, and Musk will step down as chairman for three years, though he will remain CEO.
Though this was a humiliating moment for Musk, it could have been worse. Legal experts quoted by Wired noted that losing a case against the SEC could have had even more severe consequences for the billionaire.
8. We Might Have Discovered the First Exomoon
Around 8,000 light-years away, a massive planet the size of Jupiter (but with 10 times its mass) orbits a distant star. However, it's not the exoplanet Kepler 1625b that's making waves in astronomy. It's what could be orbiting it. This week, it was revealed that Kepler 1625b may have a moon the size of Neptune. If this is confirmed, it would mark the first-ever detection of an exomoon.
Like exoplanets, exomoons are moons that exist outside our solar system. While the art of detecting exoplanets has advanced significantly since the first two were discovered in 1992 (we now know of over 3,500), exomoons have been much harder to spot with current technology. In fact, we still can’t say for certain that we’ve found one. The possible moon of Kepler 1625b is simply the best explanation for some puzzling data from the region.
If Kepler 1625b-i (as this potential moon has been imaginatively dubbed) is confirmed, it could open the door to a new era of exomoon discovery. Our understanding of the night sky has never been more thrilling.
7. The US and Canada Finally Reached a New Trade Agreement
One of President Trump's central themes upon taking office was his belief that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was detrimental. While he focused on how unfair it was to the US, there's significant evidence that it was harmful to Mexico as well. This might explain why Mexico was willing to join the White House's new trade agreement in August, even though it meant leaving Canada out of the deal.
Fortunately for trade, Canada didn't walk away from the agreement. On Sunday, Ottawa signed what is now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The new deal will last at least 16 years, with an option to extend.
It’s too soon to tell who the real winners and losers are, but things are looking promising for the US and Canadian automotive industries. This is thanks to a clause requiring that 40-45% of cars qualifying for tariff-free status must be produced by workers earning at least $16 per hour (effectively excluding Mexico). On the flip side, Canada has had to ease its protectionist stance on the dairy industry, sparking backlash from Canadian dairy farmers.
6. New York State Launched an Investigation Into Trump Family Taxes
While President Trump was still celebrating the success of the USMCA deal, a potential bombshell report threatened to overshadow his victory. On Tuesday, The New York Times accused Trump’s father, Fred Trump, of using his son’s businesses to evade millions in taxes.
The report also implicated the entire Trump family in an extensive scheme to dodge taxes. The central question is whether this amounts to illegal tax evasion or legal tax avoidance, which is commonly practiced by wealthy families, especially in estate planning.
President Trump has denied the accusations, claiming that The New York Times fabricated and misrepresented the facts, a charge that gains weight given the paper’s open animosity toward the Trump family. Nonetheless, New York State announced on Wednesday that it was opening an investigation into the family’s tax matters, including those of the president. This probe concerns state taxes only, and New York City might also get involved in the future for city taxes.
However, it seems unlikely that the IRS will reopen audits of federal tax returns from so long ago. The White House has stated that 'the IRS reviewed and approved these transactions' many years ago. Some of the transactions date back to when the president was just three years old (he is now 72), with most of them reportedly occurring in the 1960s and 1970s.
It's important to clarify that this is not a criminal investigation and is unlikely to result in charges. At most, it could lead to a fine, though having to pay such a fine while in office would be an embarrassing outcome. The situation might also depend on how thorough the audit becomes—and how politically charged it turns out to be. Valuations, which can be subjective, may play a big role in this, and some people may view the inflated figures in The New York Times as sensationalized reporting.
Also overlooked in the news is the fact that Fred Trump, who passed away in 1999, and his advisors would be the ones primarily responsible for most of this, but only if there is indeed any wrongdoing to uncover.
5. Peru Re-imprisoned Its Former Dictator
Alberto Fujimori is arguably the most polarizing figure in Peru. Serving as the nation's strongman leader from 1990 to 2000, he is praised for defeating the Shining Path rebels (good) but condemned for authorizing death squads to carry out massacres of civilians (bad). In 2000, he fled to Japan to avoid a corruption investigation. After being extradited to Peru in 2007, he was imprisoned—not for fraud—but for ordering the murders of 25 civilians.
Fujimori spent almost a decade behind bars before receiving an unexpected pardon from left-wing President Kuczynski. As we reported at the time, his early release was widely seen as the price for a hasty political deal where his party would back Kuczynski during an impeachment vote. While Kuczynski survived the vote, he was forced to resign just a few months later.
Now, Fujimori's pardon has been revoked. On Wednesday, a judge from Peru's Supreme Court annulled the decision for his early release. Unless his latest appeal is successful, the former president of Peru will soon be heading back to prison.
4. Macedonia’s Name Referendum Was A Bust
The headline results should have been a cause for celebration in Skopje. In a referendum held on Sunday, 91 percent of voters approved Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s proposal to rename the country to North Macedonia. It seemed like a clear victory, right?
Not exactly. While the majority of voters were in favor of Zaev’s plan, a large portion of the population simply didn't show up to vote. Turnout was only around 36 percent, and the referendum required at least 50 percent voter participation to be legally binding.
Zaev now faces the difficult challenge of trying to push through his name change proposal in parliament without the support of the voters. This task could prove more complicated than it appears. Many opposition parties—and even the president—encouraged people to abstain from voting in the referendum. Zaev has said that if his attempt fails, he will call for a snap election.
The future of Macedonia is on the line. The country's name has long been a sticking point with Greece, which has blocked its accession to both NATO and the EU. (Greece claims ownership of the region named Macedonia and objects to Skopje’s use of the same name.) If Zaev succeeds in securing the change, he will be able to steer the country toward a more Western-oriented future. If.
3. Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination Hung In The Balance
It has become the most contentious battle over a Supreme Court nomination in a generation. Last Thursday, Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a high school party more than three decades ago, both testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in highly charged sessions. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations.
It appears certain that something traumatic indeed occurred to Ford. Judge Kavanaugh himself made this clear during the hearing. However, the real issue isn't whether something happened to Ford, but rather whether Kavanaugh was wrongly identified. While Ford's memory contains gaps, this isn't definitive, as it's typical for survivors of trauma. Yet, witnesses, including friends and associates of both Ford and Kavanaugh, have failed to recall the party in question.
As a direct result of the testimonies from both Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, the FBI dedicated the first half of this week to conducting a supplemental investigation as ordered by the White House. (The FBI had previously carried out six background checks on Kavanaugh for various prior appointments.)
At the moment, the FBI's most recent report is available for senators to review but has yet to be made public. Notably, two GOP senators who were uncertain—Jeff Flake and Susan Collins—appeared to have responded positively to the report, suggesting they did not find any new significant information in it.
All attention now turns to the Senate for what comes next. In a partisan vote, the GOP can afford only one defection to confirm Kavanaugh. While Collins and Flake seem to be leaning toward supporting Kavanaugh, GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski remains undecided, as does Democrat Joe Manchin. To add to the complexity, Republican Steven Daines is expected to attend his daughter's wedding in Montana on the day of the vote, making this vote incredibly tight.
Beyond this particular vote, the nomination process has underscored how the Supreme Court has truly become the central battleground in US politics. Just as recently as 2005, conservative judges were appointed with broad bipartisan support. Go a bit further back, and you'd even see liberal judges being appointed by Republicans and vice versa.
Unfortunately, it seems those days are now behind us. For the foreseeable future, it appears that the Supreme Court will be as plagued by partisanship as the House and Senate have become.
2. France Took Retaliatory Action Against An Iranian Bomb Plot
Back in June, Israel’s Mossad shared critical intelligence with Germany, Belgium, and France, leading to the unexpected arrest of an Iranian diplomat. Since then, more information has slowly emerged, shedding light on the incident.
This week, France made a series of arrests and released a statement that clarified the situation. It was revealed that the Iranian intelligence ministry, under the direct authority of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had ordered the bombing of an exiled Iranian group’s rally in Paris. The attack was narrowly prevented.
Although no blood was spilled on French soil, the thwarted attack could have far-reaching consequences for global politics. French President Emmanuel Macron has been a vocal advocate for the EU to align with China and Russia over the Iran nuclear deal. For Tehran to repay his support with an attempt to bomb Paris may prove to be a grave miscalculation. If France were to adopt a more hostile stance toward Iran, the isolated nation would find itself increasingly cut off from the rest of the world.
At this point, the nuclear deal remains intact. However, French authorities have carried out raids at several locations, including an Islamic center with ties to Tehran. More fallout from this incident is likely to emerge soon.
1. A Mysterious New Dwarf Planet Might Indicate Planet X
Is Nibiru out there? Or Mondas? Regardless of what you call the long-speculated and yet-to-be-found Planet X, we got an intriguing new clue this week that could suggest a massive world hidden at the very edge of our solar system. A newly discovered dwarf planet, dubbed 'the Goblin,' was found beyond the Kuiper Belt. Its peculiar, elongated orbit hints that some enormous, unseen object might be influencing its movement.
Even without considering the Planet 9 theories, the Goblin is still incredibly interesting. It marks the third discovery of an Inner Oort Cloud (IOC) object. IOC objects are a newly identified group of celestial bodies on the outermost reaches of our solar system, which never venture close to Neptune and mostly remain at astonishingly distant locations.
At its closest approach, the Goblin comes within 65 AU (astronomical units—1 AU equals the distance between Earth and the Sun) of our star. To put that in perspective, Pluto, one of the most distant known objects in our system, is only 34 AU away. But the real eye-opener is the Goblin's farthest distance—at 2,300 AU, it's by far the most distant object we've ever detected in our solar system.
So, what about Planet X? The Goblin's strange orbit provides some evidence pointing to a massive unseen planet, but it doesn't definitively confirm it. However, as we continue to discover more IOC objects, the accumulating evidence may eventually provide the answers we seek.
