TIME Magazine November 11, 2019

WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT … HEALTH INNOVATION ISSUE Jamie Ducharme’s Nov. 4 feature on the first African-American face-transplant recipient—and how his case could change the whole health care system—sparked a larger discussion on Twitter about racial inequities in American medicine. “When people ask whether systemic inequalities still exist with #Black people just look at the medical industry worldwide,” said user @roiannenedd. User @soukieg praised the article for its “insight” into how those disparities came to be and how they might be rectified. And user @MirRobinson was thrilled to read such a “touching, well-written and encouraging” article about the transplant, adding, “It feels like forever since I’ve read anything about Black people and medicine that doesn’t depress me.” ‘I hope this does change #healthcare.’@ANGIE_FRITSCHE, on Twitter “SEVEN ARMS TO HUG…

110 million+ U.S. downloads of Chinese-owned social-media app TikTok, per an Oct. 23 letter in which two Senators called it “a potential counterintelligence threat”; the private company denied Chinese state influence ‘Not only did we win, but we’re changing history.’CLAUDIA LÓPEZ, after becoming the first woman elected mayor of Bogotá; López, who is gay, took more than a third of votes in the Oct. 27 election Steak Legendary NYC steak house Peter Luger got a zero-star New York Times review Burgers Burger King reported sales up 10%, partly because of the meatless Impossible Whopper $26.6 million Price at auction on Oct. 27 of a 13th century painting that had been found in a Frenchwoman’s kitchen ‘Free speech and paid speech are not the same thing.’A LETTER FROM MORE THAN…

THE DEATH OF ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI MAY not change the world. Nevertheless, how it came about says a fair amount about the world he has departed. In the chain of events that led to the Oct. 26 demise of the ISIS leader, every link tells a story. But even as it crystallizes what the war on terrorism looks like 18 years after 9/11, al-Baghdadi’s death may mark the beginning of an uncertain new chapter. The first link begins with the government of Iraq, which in September arrested one of al-Baghdadi’s wives and a courier. Intelligence pointed to Syria, where the CIA was already working with the Kurdish militia. Both Iraq and the Kurds are committed enemies of ISIS. Iraqis suffered tens of thousands of casualties pushing ISIS out of their…

AFTER 40 DAYS ON THE PICKET LINE, General Motors autoworkers voted Oct. 25 to accept a new contract that offers salary increases and other concessions. The agreement may offer relief for more than 48,000 United Auto Workers (UAW) members after the longest nationwide strike against GM in nearly 50 years, but the standoff cost both the company and its workers dearly. CHANGING GEARS The new contract scraps the company’s bisected salary structure, under which workers hired after 2007 were paid less and had no way to reach the top salaries of longer-serving employees. The company will also invest $7.7 billion in U.S. factories, including $3 billion at a Detroit plant that had been scheduled to close in early 2020. But not all workers came out ahead. The agreement allows GM…

Boeing CEO testifies on ‘mistakes’ Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing, testified before Congress on Oct. 29, his first such appearance since two Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed and killed 346 people. He acknowledged that flight-control software was involved in the accidents, and said the company “made mistakes.” 39 found dead in U.K. truck On Oct. 23, the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in a refrigerated truck in Essex, east of London. U.K. police have not named the victims but initially believed they were Chinese nationals who had been smuggled into the country. The driver was charged on Oct. 26 with manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. VA fails to establish accountability The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection is actually endangering whistle-blowers,…

NAME A POLICY SUPPORTED BY A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENtial candidate this year and odds are good it’s been passed into law in Seattle. The Emerald City has approved a $15 minimum wage (which Elizabeth Warren calls for); unveiled a domestic workers’ bill of rights (like the one Kamala Harris wants); and voted to tax the rich (a Bernie Sanders–backed plan), though that’s tied up in court. But Seattle’s business leaders are pushing back, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into an upcoming election in an effort to unseat the city’s progressive leadership in favor of contenders who, while still Democrats, take more moderate positions on fiscal issues. “There’s a basic feeling that [the city council] isn’t doing a good job, and we don’t want them to take actions that are going…