Briefing

THE WEEK

THE U.S. BOMBED ISIS IN SYRIA

‘I let myself down, I let everyone else down, and for that I’m sorry.’

ROGER GOODELL, NFL commissioner, addressing the league’s mishandling of domestic-abuse cases

$6.2 billion

Record worldwide box-office revenue generated by the stage version of The Lion King

4,800

Number by which the federal prison population dropped this year, to 215,000, the first decline since 1980

‘People can talk about equal rights, but it’s just a speech.’

MICHELLE BACHELET, President of Chile, speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative about the need for more women in high-level positions

Wall Street

The Dow closed at another record high on Sept. 19 after Alibaba’s IPO

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

MAIN ST

Main Street

56% of Americans said they are “falling behind financially”

‘I DIDN’T RECOGNIZE THE NUMBER, SO I DIDN’T TAKE IT.’

JOHN KEY, newly re-elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, on why he missed a congratulatory call from President Obama

Sixth-Grade Civics Exam

Name: George Abbott

What was the name of the first President of the United State?

Abe Lincoln

Where is the White House located?

Boston

Name the three branches of U.S. government:

Fire department

Post office

Police department

36%

Percentage of Americans who can name all three branches of government

‘People won’t be able to ignore this visual.’

ALICIA KEYS, musician, on why she posed nude to raise awareness for her We Are Here movement to address poverty, girls’ education and other issues

‘It is critical that this unfair loophole be closed.’

JACK LEW, U.S. Treasury Secretary, unveiling new rules to combat the “tax inversions” through which companies, most recently Burger King, effectively renounce U.S. citizenship to lower their tax bills

Sources: AP (2); USA Today (2); the Guardian; New York Times; Pew Research Center; TIME; U.S. Treasury Department