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By Newsweek EditorsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberAmericans who tuned into the news saw two tragedies unfold on their screens this Thanksgiving. In Washington DC, two National Guard personnel were shot, one of them fatally, and the suspected attacker, an Afghan immigrant, arrested. Half a world away in Hong Kong, a fire at a high-rise apartment complex killed dozens of people and left many missing.
The National Guard ⬆
For much of the past year, National Guard units have been pawns on a chessboard, taunted by protesters. dismissed by Democrats, hamstrung by judges and co-opted by Trump. Coverage of the shooting changed that. Briefly the American media, on left and right, reflected on the courage, youthful promise and dutiful service of West Virginians Sarah Beckstrom, who died, and Andrew Wolfe, who is fighting for his life in hospital.
Joe Biden ⬇
Of the four commanders-in-chief of America’s longest war, Biden had the briefest tenure. Yet, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan marred his legacy, more than years of grinding conflict scarred Bush, Obama or Trump. The DC shooting reminded Americans why.
Afghan Allies ⬇
Afghans who worked with Americans were already facing terrible choices after Trump began his immigration crackdown. That the suspected DC assassin, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was one them, makes things immeasurably worse.
Bamboo Scaffolding ⬇
Along with Styrofoam and green mesh, bamboo was one of the materials blamed for the spread of a fire that moved with devastating speed through a block of eight Hong Kong apartment towers, killing around 100 people and leaving many more missing. It was a reminder that China’s gleaming urban modernity masks all sorts of primitive workarounds that can quickly become death traps.
Prestige Construction & Engineering ⬇
The firm contracted to renovate the apartment blocks had its directors arrested, its premises raided and now faces a manslaughter and safety violations probe. That’s before anyone knows what caused the fire.
Ho Wai-ho ⬆
The firefighter, and now Hong Kong hero, died as the city’s finest fought through towering infernos to rescue elderly residents and dozens of pets. Ho was 37 and planned to marry his fiancée of 10 years next month.
Originally a staple of Newsweek's print edition, Conventional Wisdom used arrows to track whose stock was rising or falling in the political circus. We're reviving it in the digital age because the problem it lampooned—hyperbole and partisan certainty masquerading as insight—has only intensified.
CW assigns arrows—up, down, or sideways—to the figures and forces shaping current events. The arrows don't predict the future or claim special insight. They capture the prevailing winds of the moment, uncluttered by tribal howling. In an era when partisan media reinforces rather than questions assumptions, CW operates from the center—skeptical of left and right alike, committed to puncturing inflated reputations and recognizing overlooked truths.
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