Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

At least 27 killed by Hurricane Otis as Mexico counts cost

Summary: The Mexican government is still tallying the human and infrastructural toll of Hurricane Otis, which made landfall in Acapulco early on Wednesday, and they’ve got 8,400 military service-people deployed to assist with cleanup efforts, and about 1,300 power utility employees were working to restore power to the area as of yesterday.

Context: At least 27 people have been confirmed killed by the storm, so far, with several more still missing, and the storm is notable for being one of the most powerful to have ever hit Mexico, and for scaling-up in potency incredibly quickly, defying projections and catching people off-guard—that scaling-up likely the consequence of warmer than usual coastal oceanic waters.

—Reuters

One Sentence News is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Johnson elected Speaker of the House, ending weeks of chaos

Summary: After three weeks of internal conflict, US House Republicans have elected Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the new House Speaker, allowing Congress to start functioning again.

Context: Johnson is a lesser-known Representative, and much analytical ink has been spilled on the theory that he may have won the position because he hasn’t been around long enough to acquire any enemies; that said, he’s notable for being quite far to the right, ideologically and religiously, and is best-known, so far, for having played a major role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election; his first point of office after taking the gavel was to bring a resolution in support of Israel.

—The New York Times

Anchor of Chinese container vessel caused damage to Balticconnector gas pipeline, Finnish police say

Summary: Investigators in Finland have said that they believe the anchor of a Chinese container ship is responsible for damage caused to the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline that spans the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia, earlier this month.

Context: Investigators say they’ve recovered a 6-ton anchor and found it alongside a dragging trail on the seabed that lines up with the damaged portion of the pipeline—the anchor also showing evidence of having been in contact with the pipeline; all of which would seem to paint a pretty clear picture that the container ship—which is Hong Kong-flagged, called the Newnew Polar Bear, and which was recently shown to be missing an anchor—is almost certainly the culprit, rather than a Russian ship that was also a suspect earlier in the investigation; the captain of the Newnew Polar Bear is reportedly cooperating with Chinese officials on the investigation, and repairs on the pipeline are expected to take until at least late-April of 2024.

—The Associated Press

It’s been a tumultuous year for X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) following its acquisition by Elon Musk, who paid about $44 billion for the company (substantially more than the maybe $25 billion it was reportedly worth at the time) and who has struggled to keep the platform afloat, despite reducing operating costs by firing nearly everyone who worked at the company shortly after taking the reins.

—The Wall Street Journal

$267,230

Price of an RV (a 40-foot luxury motor coach) purchased by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas using money money from a private loan he acquired from a friend in 1999.

The terms of the loan were generous—no money down, only interest due for five years, after which the principle come due—and they became even more so when, nine years later, Thomas having failed to repay much (or possibly any) of the principle, the debt was forgiven.

Because of Thomas’s position on the court and the sorts of people who might (in essence) surreptitiously give a quarter-million dollars to a justice in order to curry favor, this is being seen as an even bigger ethical breach than other breaches Thomas has been accused of over the past few years.

—The New York Times

Trust Click

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit onesentencenews.substack.com