Where we are in US-Cuba relations; a fight between Donald Trump and the pope because why not; everyone's favorite artificial-island-induced territory dispute just got serious.
The president's not going anywhere other people won't be able to go soon: Earlier this week, the US and Cuba announced a deal to allow commercial flights between the two countries.
But the thaw in relations isn't going perfectly, which is part of why the president's going — to appease Cuba's frustration that the trade embargo is still officially in place.
Like a lot of things this pope makes headlines for, this is a lot less radical if you read it in context — he's mostly saying that aborting a Zika-affected baby would be an "absolute evil," and that "avoiding pregnancy" (by unspecified means) is not an absolute evil.
Francis was much less ambiuguous in his condemnation of Donald Trump: "A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."
Trump's perfectly Trumpian response, posted quickly after the story of the pope's remarks came out, claims that when ISIS attacks the Vatican, Pope Francis will wish Trump were president.
The government of Taiwan reported earlier this week that China has mounted surface-to-air missiles on one of its artificial islands in a disputed region of the South China Sea.
China has slowly been expanding into the South China Sea for a while, by building artificial islands — then claiming all sea within a 12-mile radius of those islands as "Chinese waters."
And the timing could be more crucial, but not much. The Hague is set to rule this spring on whether China's expanded territorial claims in the South China Sea are kosher.
If you've been on SSRIs — and consider that Kanye West raps about going off his Lexapro on his new album — West's recent behavior starts to look a lot less funny and a lot more concerning.
"Perhaps it’s possible that at a certain point in history—in fact quite recently—young painters decided to cease the now age-old quest for art historical significance and instead focus on the simple pleasures of decorating well for a living."
"There's something called Chartbeat—it shows you how many people are reading a specific article in any given moment, and how long they spend on that article. That's called 'engagement time.' We have a giant flatscreen on the wall that displays it, a lot of publications do.'" "What you just said is the worst thing I ever heard."
"Having spent several years among teens who have freely laid bare their inside jokes, their Facebook messages, and their deepest thoughts, I think there are three phases of understanding the teens. At first you loathe the teens, because you know nothing about them and think they’re idiots, beneath you. Then you love the teens because you figure out they are smarter than you, and you make peace with the death of your cultural relevance, because you know you’ll be in good hands. Finally, you recognize the shape of the adults they’ll become, corrupted by money and vanity and hubris just like everyone else. And you’ll see yourself in them because they’re relatable: That moment you realize the teens are just like you."
