Issue March 9, 2018 - The Week Magazine (2024)

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in this issue

Main storiesEditor’s letterOnly a few months ago, it looked as though the seven-year war in Syria might finally be coming to an end. ISIS was all but defeated, its self-declared caliphate in ruins, and the forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad—with support from Iran and Russia—were mopping up the last remaining rebel strongholds. But rather than winding down, what was largely a conflict between rival Syrian factions has instead evolved into something far more complicated and potentially dangerous: a clash of great powers. (See Talking Points.) The past month alone has seen a dizzying series of events. Turkey sent troops and tanks into northwestern Syria to root out Syrian Kurdish fighters, pitting Turkey against its NATO ally the U.S., which views the Kurds as key assets in the fight against jihadist terrorism.…3 min

Main storiesGun-control effort inches forwardWhat happenedAs new details emerged of police failings in the run-up to last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., the push for stricter gun-control laws intensified this week, with President Trump urging lawmakers to take action and major companies severing ties with the National Rifle Association. In the weeks since the massacre, which left 17 dead, the president has voiced support for several reforms: shoring up the federal background check system; banning bump stocks; raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21; and arming some teachers. (See Controversy.) In a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers this week, Trump chided Congress for its past inaction, saying, “You’re afraid of the NRA!” But the gun group and Republican lawmakers continued to oppose major gun-control measures. Gun-control advocates, aided by…3 min

Main storiesIt wasn’t all badA self-taught astronomer has just won the cosmic lottery. Argentine locksmith Victor Buso, 58, was photographing the stars from his Rosario rooftop when he witnessed what no scientist had ever seen before: the birth of a supernova. Until then, the burst of light that shines before a star explodes had only been observed in computer models. The sighting was many years in the making for Buso, who began building telescopes out of tin cans, Play-Doh, and magnifying glasses as early as age 11. “In many moments you search and ask yourself, why do I do this?” says Buso. It “all clicked” that night, he says.When a frozen river left a crew of American sailors stranded in Montreal, they decided to use their accidental holiday to do some good. The USS…1 min

Main storiesKushner gets a White House downgradeWhat happenedAn increasingly embattled Jared Kushner faced renewed heat over his White House role this week, after The Washington Post reported that officials in at least four countries had discussed ways they could manipulate the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser using his complex business arrangements. The revelation came just hours after it emerged that Kushner had been stripped of his top-secret security clearance. Current and former U.S. officials told the Post that China, Israel, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates discussed using the Kushner family’s vast real estate debt and Kushner’s lack of foreign policy experience as leverage against him. National security adviser H.R. McMaster reportedly learned of the conversations in his daily intelligence briefings. It was unclear whether those foreign officials acted on the discussions, but White House officials…2 min

Main storiesSupreme Court takes aim at public unionsWhat happenedThe Supreme Court this week appeared poised to deal a crippling blow to public-sector unions after justices indicated in oral arguments that compelling nonunion members to pay union dues could be unconstitutional. Mark Janus, an Illinois public employee, is suing the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees over the $45 in monthly “fair share fees” he pays to the union as required by state law. Illinois and 21 other states allow public-sector unions to charge nonmembers such fees to cover the costs of collective bargaining, the rationale being that all employees benefit, even those who aren’t in the union. But Janus says those contributions violate his right to free speech, because the union takes political positions with which he might disagree. “The fundamental issue is my right…2 min

Controversy of the weekSchool shootings: Should teachers carry guns?“It’s time to fight fire with fire,” said Kyle Lamb in TheFederalist.com. With the nation still reeling from last month’s high school massacre in Parkland, Fla., President Trump this week repeated his call for some teachers to be armed and trained to help defend their students in the event of a school shooting. The liberal media, of course, promptly mocked and distorted Trump’s proposal, suggesting he wanted every teacher to carry a gun. But to much of America the idea of some educators being armed doesn’t sound so outlandish. At least eight states—including Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming—already allow approved teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus; another six are considering similar laws. During the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, two heroic staff members—athletic director Chris Hixon and football…3 min

Issue March 9, 2018 - The Week Magazine (2024)

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