The Week Magazine October 21, 2022

Most Americans manage to cook and eat without thinking all that much about where their food was grown. Our meat, in particular, usually comes packaged in styrofoam and plastic from a grocery store. Each animal we eat, though, had a life before it became our meal, and much of that life was unpleasant. A California law before the Supreme Court would change that, at least for pigs and chickens (see Best U.S. Columns, p.13). Most modern pigs are raised on factory farms, and the sows spend nearly their whole life confined in narrow wooden crates where they are artificially inseminated and then give birth, over and over and over again. These pigs never breathe outdoor air or stand on grass, or even on the ground at all, except when they…

What happened A barrage of missile strikes pounded civilian areas in Kyiv and at least 10 other cities across Ukraine this week, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in retaliation for an attack that damaged a strategically key bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Ukrainian authorities said at least 20 people were killed and 108 wounded in the initial round of strikes, which had panicked citizens diving for cover during morning rush hour. In Kyiv, Russian missiles and drones struck apartment buildings, an office tower, a pedestrian bridge, and a playground; power and water were knocked out in numerous cities, including Lviv and Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials condemned the targeting of civilian areas, which follows weeks in which resurgent Ukrainian forces have reclaimed large swathes of territory in the…

What happened The Biden administration and senior Senate Democrats this week threatened to punish Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ oil cartel defied the U.S. and said it would cut oil production. The Saudis coordinated with Russia and other oil-producing nations to reduce output by 2 million barrels a day starting next month, which will raise global oil prices and boost the Russian economy. The announcement juiced U.S. gas prices, which were already creeping up after a three-month decline, to more than $3.90 a gallon, with even higher prices likely. President Biden warned of unspecified “consequences” for OPEC’s actions, and White House spokesman John Kirby suggested that the country should “continue to re-evaluate” its relationship with the Saudis. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) went further, proposing the…

Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, the daughter of a refugee from Ethiopia, has helped resettle thousands of immigrants. She always felt amazed by their generosity and creativity. In 2020, to share that, she launched a restaurant with a rotating lineup of immigrant chefs from places like Venezuela, Eritrea, and Chechnya. Since its opening, Flavors From Afar has garnered rave reviews. Hussein-Cattan believes refugees are “able to start their lives over and transform a sense of loss into something beautiful.” Chris Nikic weathered 90-degree heat, fatigue, and dehydration last week to become the first person with Down syndrome to finish the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The triathlete celebrated his 23rd birthday by completing the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run in an impressive 16.5 hours. He crossed the finish line to…

As the November midterm elections loom, “the truth is plain—and painful,” said Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post. If Republicans take both houses of Congress next month, it may mean the end of “democracy as we know it.” That may sound like partisan hyperbole, but a Post analysis last week found that of the 569 Republican candidates for congressional or key statewide offices this fall, 299—more than half—are on record supporting Donald Trump’s Big Lie that Democrats used massive voter fraud to steal the 2020 presidential election. With 60 percent of these election deniers running in safe Republican districts, it is all but certain that in January a majority of a party’s congressional delegation will reject the free and fair elections that are the foundation of the “American experiment.”…

Good week for: Endurance, after Irishman Damian Browne arrived in his native Galway after rowing across the Atlantic from New York in 112 days. “It’s nice to be alive,” said Browne, 42, who capsized three times during the 3,450-mile voyage, and cannot swim. Starting fresh, after supermodel Gisele Bündchen was photographed having her SUV spiritually cleansed by a holistic practitioner waving a stick of burning sage. Bündchen reportedly is seeking a divorce from NFL legend Tom Brady. Climate action, after New Zealand proposed taxing the burps, farts, and urination of its 36 million farm cows and sheep to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bad week for: Bugs, with reports that the new Apple iPhone 14, which alerts 911 if it detects the user has been in a car crash, is having…