Welcome back for another week of The Atlantic’s un-trivial trivia, drawn from recently published stories. Without a trifle in the bunch, maybe what we’re really dealing with here is—hmm—“significa”? “Consequentia”?
Whatever butchered bit of Latin you prefer, read on for today’s questions. (Last week’s questions can be found here.)
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The Trump administration’s move formalizes advice to soften or eliminate previous policies.
When the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor this summer, liberal parents and advocates were understandably alarmed. The Court sided with the plaintiffs, parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, who wanted their young children excused from reading and discussing books on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Starvation is now being used as a weapon of war in numerous conflicts across the globe — including Sudan, which continues to endure a yearslong famine. Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric doctor who just returned from Sudan, says that the famine is man-made. “Atrocities in Palestine, atrocities in Sudan that relate to malnutrition, that relate to famine, are a consequence of underlying structures that enable these things to happen,” says Haj-Hassan, who also volunteered in Gaza.
Palestinians are still being systematically starved in Gaza even as ceasefire talks are underway this week. “It is a choice that Israel has, whether to feed the people or whether to starve them,” says Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University.
Global condemnation is mounting as hundreds of international activists remain in Israeli prison days after Israel’s military raided and captured dozens of boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Reuters reports at least 170 flotilla activists, of the more than 400 arrested, have been deported from Israel. Many have described torture and mistreatment in Israeli custody.
President Trump is calling on negotiators to “move fast” on Gaza ceasefire talks as delegations from Hamas and Israel convene in Egypt to discuss the 20-point plan announced last week by the White House. The deal calls for Hamas to release all remaining hostages and to disarm. Daniel Levy, president of the U.S.
Trump is bailing out his buddy Javier Milei and Republicans aren’t happy.
Doug Woodham joins Felix Salmon to discuss his book Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon.
NVIDIA has announced a $100 billion investment in OpenAI to build out data centers that use its chips.
The YIMBY movement gathered in New Haven—and revealed its biggest vulnerability.
Trump’s brand new Fed appointee is already going against the grain.
Rural areas that overwhelmingly voted for the president employ a high concentration of doctors on H-1B visas.
The agency’s decision has drawn conservative criticism.
The Coalition for Health AI has enlisted big names in health and tech to evaluate artificial intelligence tools that are now mostly unregulated.
The deal is a victory for Trump who has pressured drugmakers to voluntarily comply with his policy priorities. If not, they will likely face regulation or high tariffs.
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Democrats are continuing to use their leverage in the federal-funding process to confront Republicans. Meanwhile, the threat of layoffs looms for many government workers.
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
One of my highlights of the past year has been receiving your weekly emails with photos that spark a sense of awe in the world around you. In reviewing your submissions, I’ve most enjoyed seeing how the beholder’s mind works.
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
Trump’s strength with Republicans on the economy could prove to be a boon for the GOP.
A survey from the liberal-leaning group Somos Votantes shows Latino voters are souring on the president.
Privately, aides concede voters remain uneasy about prices but argue their policies are beginning to turn things around.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces Thursday as its dozens of vessels approached the shores of Gaza. In response to the detention of the flotilla’s activists, Italian labor unions have launched a nationwide general strike demanding their release and an end to Israel’s relentless assault. Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson Maria Elena Delia shares an update from Rome, where hundreds of thousands are participating in nonviolent protest.
The Oscar-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda is relaunching her father Henry Fonda’s free speech organization, the Committee for the First Amendment. First established in 1947 to combat the rise of McCarthyism, the organization brings together members of the film and television industry to push back against and refuse government censorship. Fonda’s announcement comes after the television network ABC brought back late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show following widespread protest.
UPDATE: Mario Guevara was deported from the United States early on October 3, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara may be deported to El Salvador as soon as today despite holding work authorization in the United States and never having been charged with a crime. Guevara, who founded the outlet MG News, where he received awards for his coverage on immigration, has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years.
As officials with Hamas say they will respond “soon” to President Trump’s ceasefire proposal to end Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, brokered with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, we look at the many other deals Witkoff and his family are involved with. A New York Times investigation reveals that when Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime friend of Trump, began his new position as a diplomat in the Middle East, his son Alex took over his company, the Witkoff Group.
