Briefing

THE WEEK

THE U.S. AND CHINA CUT DEALS

‘Personally, I’d stay as far the hell away from black holes as I can.’

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, astrophysicist, questioning the choices made by some characters in Christopher Nolan’s space epic Interstellar

17,230

Number of children under the age of 6 who were poisoned by the contents of laundry-detergent pods between March 2012 and April 2013

10

Number of new crust flavors Pizza Hut is launching–including honey sriracha and curry–as it looks to reverse a steep sales decline

‘The people of Catalonia have made it very clear that we want to govern ourselves.’

ARTUR MAS, head of the Catalan regional government, after more than 80% of voters in a nonbinding referendum there backed independence from Spain

The Affair

The critically acclaimed Showtime drama was picked up for a second season

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

Selfie

The ABC comedy starring John Cho was canned after six episodes

11

Number of truckloads of tangerines an 81-year-old Florida man picked illegally and sold at a nearby market

‘I’M PRETTY CERTAIN I’M ABOUT TO WRITE MY LAST THREE EPISODES OF TELEVISION.’

AARON SORKIN, screenwriter, on his plans for the future as the final season of his HBO show The Newsroom premiered

‘”Net neutrality” is Obamacare for the Internet.’

TED CRUZ, Republican Senator from Texas, responding to President Obama’s call for regulators to ensure that Internet providers treat all content equally in terms of speed

‘What we’re seeing is that when the United States steps back and speaks softly, nobody listens.’

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, former U.S. Secretary of State, criticizing the Obama Administration’s response to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria

Sources: Twitter (2); AP (2); Los Angeles Times; USA Today; CNN; Pediatrics