The Week Magazine

The White House traditionally has a lovely Nativity scene as part of its seasonal decor. Made in Italy of painted terra-cotta and carved wood, the 18th-century Neapolitan crèche shows angels hovering over Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, with the barn animals and three wise men juxtaposed with scenes of life in Naples. It was donated by the wife of a wealthy industrialist and first displayed during the Kennedy administration. Since then it has been a focus of the White House holiday setup. This year, though, the entire East Wing—the usual entry point for visitors who want to see the Christmas decorations—is lying in rubble, so far fewer items from the historical collection are on display. Only a few pieces of the Nativity scene have been put up. That’s just as…

What happened House Speaker Mike Johnson this week blocked a vote on extending enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees, all but ensuring that the tax credits will expire at the year’s end and premiums will spike for more than 20 million Americans. GOP moderates from swing districts had warned Johnson that a backlash was brewing among their constituents and that he should at least allow a floor vote on the Covid-era subsidies, whose expiration on Dec. 31 will cause ACA premiums to more than double on average, according to the nonpartisan research group KFF. Johnson insisted the centrists agree to spending cuts to offset the subsidies’ $35 billion annual cost. When that demand wasn’t accepted, Johnson moved forward with a modest package of health-care reforms—including measures that would lower…

■ Patrons at a New Zealand pub shared a lot of laughs and a few jokes after a fur seal entered through the door on a rainy Sunday and waddled between tables. Co-owner Bella Evans said the marine mammal was “mellow” as it explored the bar for about 25 minutes and even visited the bathroom before settling under a dishwasher. Employees eventually coaxed it into a dog crate with the help of some salmon from a pizza special on the menu. Evans joked that her pub is now popular enough to have a “seal of approval.” ■ Kentucky STEAM teacher Scott Johnson was named the state’s Teacher of the Year after he secretly designed a more functional prosthetic hand for one of his students. Johnson worked on the project on…

What happened President Trump this week doubled down on his denigrating comments about Rob Reiner, calling the acclaimed director—who was murdered at his Los Angeles home with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner— “very bad for our country.” The Reiners’ son, Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with murdering his parents, who had been open about their family’s years-long struggle with Nick’s drug addiction. Reiner, who directed beloved films such as Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally…, and A Few Good Men, also directed a 2015 film, Being Charlie, co-written by Nick, that dramatized his son’s challenges. The night before the killings, the Reiners attended a holiday party at Conan O’Brien’s house, where witnesses said Nick argued with his father, 78, and alarmed other guests with his behavior. Hours after…

What happened The gunman who killed two students and wounded nine at Brown University remained at large as The Week went to press this week, after authorities released a man the FBI initially flagged as a person of interest. Armed with a handgun, the masked perpetrator entered a lecture hall during a weekend review for an economics final and fired at least 40 rounds, killing Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18. The assailant escaped before some 400 law enforcement officers swarmed the campus; he was seen in a few surveillance-footage images walking briskly away. The school was in mourning. Mia Tretta, 21, one of two Brown students who had already survived school shootings, said, “Once it happens to you, you assume it will never happen again. Obviously that…

Should technology that’s going to determine America’s future be left “in the hands of 50 state legislatures?” asked Michael Solon in the New York Post. President Trump doesn’t think so. Last week, he signed an executive order setting up an “AI Litigation Task Force” to challenge state laws on artificial intelligence that the administration considers overly burdensome. The order also threatens to restrict those states’ access to federal broadband funding. In an online post, Trump explained correctly that America’s global leadership in AI “won’t last long” if every state imposes its own regulations, forcing AI companies “to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something.” Consider California’s innovation-crippling “woke” regulations, which require all AI models to comply with Sacramento’s requirements for “safe, ethical, equitable, and sustainable” systems—or else…