Briefing

THE WEEK

CHRIS CHRISTIE WAS IN A JAM

71,000

Height, in feet (21,640 m), reached by a Virgin Galactic test flight, a new record; the company is aiming to start commercial space flights soon

‘If she remains stubborn, we will take custody of the Prime Minister and all ministers.’

SUTHEP THAUGSUBAN, leader of as many as 150,000 Thai protesters, who have occupied key districts in Bangkok to demand that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra–who they say is corrupt–step down; she has thus far refused

GOOD WEEK

Nest

The smart-gadgets startup was acquired by Google for $3.2 billion

BAD WEEK

Snapchat

The photo-messaging service was inundated with spam accounts

‘Our fundamental rights are not up for debate.’

NANCY NORTHUP, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, arguing that there should be a federal law protecting women’s access to abortion, regardless of state policy

68%

Percentage of uninsured Americans who have not used one of the Obamacare online marketplaces, according to a new study

‘I don’t sit around and wait with bated breath.’

JOHN KERRY, U.S. Secretary of State, on whether he anticipates Iran will stop supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad

‘In that case I will become … a fugitive.’

AMANDA KNOX, the American exchange student who was convicted then acquitted of murdering her roommate in Italy, saying she would not return to Italy if she’s found guilty in her ongoing retrial

$7

Amount a flea-market shopper paid for a Renoir painting that had been stolen from a Baltimore museum in 1951; a judge ordered its return

‘It was longer than one of my own damn shows.’

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, mocking New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s 107-minute apology for the traffic jam caused by his staffers

Sources: Politico; New York Times (2); Today; Late Night With Jimmy Fallon