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THE HOME TEAM President Donald Trump embraces Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki,
who wore a Make America Great Again hat during a celebration at the White House on Nov. 4 after
the Nationals beat the Houston Astros to win their first World Series title in franchise history. The
series briefly united a polarized city, but it didn’t last long. The eight team members who skipped the
White House event included pitcher Sean Doolittle, who declined attendance for political reasons.
NEWS
TICKER
9 members
of Mormon
family killed
Nine members of one
family, including six
children, were killed on
Nov. 4 in an ambush
on their car convoy
in northern Mexico.
The victims were U.S.
citizens living in a
Mormon community in
Chihuahua, a Mexican
border state currently
being fought over by
rival gangs.
Cohabitation
tops marriage
in U.S.
Fifty-nine percent of
American adults ages
18 to 44 have lived with
an unmarried partner,
now surpassing the
50% who have been
married, according to
a Pew Research Center
analysis released on
Nov. 6. From 1995 to
today, the percentage
of adults of all ages
who are currently
married declined from
58% to 53% while the
percentage of those
cohabiting rose to 7%.
China hints at
a tighter grip
on Hong Kong
China said Nov. 5 that
it would “perfect” its
governance of Hong
Kong, signaling a
desire to tighten con-
trol over the territory.
The decree came amid
a week of unrest, with
a pro-democracy politi-
cian and four others
injured in a knife attack
Nov. 3 and a pro-Beijing
lawmaker nonfatally
stabbed Nov. 5.
The haze iN New Delhi has beeN so
pervasive that national monuments were
largely obscured by thick smog. Already the
world’s most polluted capital, the Indian
city saw air pollution that on Nov. 3 peaked
at levels too high for some sensors to mea-
sure. Many who ventured outside suffered
teary eyes and coughs. By one calculation,
breathing the air had the health impact of
smoking at least 25 cigarettes a day. Delhi’s
chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, called the
region a “gas chamber.” Even as the worst
haze clears, a solution remains foggy.
COMMON CAUSES A combination of
human and environmental factors have
aggravated New Delhi’s pollution crisis.
Farmers in neighboring states burning crop
stubble to clear their fields are a contribu-
tor, as are fumes from cars, trucks and in-
dustry. Slowing winds and stagnant air have
allowed pollution to accumulate. The haze
comes not long after Diwali, which many
continue to celebrate in late October with
fireworks, despite a ban on most of them.
And there’s a climate-change link, as well,
as warmer temperatures can drive the for-
mation of some types of air pollution.
ODD SOLUTION The government quickly
ordered short-term measures to protect
public health. Kejriwal announced the dis-
tribution of 5 million breathing masks, and
the Indian Supreme Court barred farmers
from burning fields. Officials also enacted
an odd/even driving scheme, under which
cars with even license-plate numbers are al-
lowed on the road only on even-numbered
days; odd-numbered plates are allowed only
on odd-numbered days. But experts are
skeptical these initiatives will do enough to
curb pollution in the long term.
FOGGED IN New Delhi’s battle with toxic air
is part of a global trend of rising air pollution
in cities. At least 22 of the world’s 30 most
polluted cities in 2018 were in India, accord-
ing to a study by Greenpeace and AirVisual.
But neighboring China has also faced ex-
treme pollution levels, and more than 90%
of people worldwide experience pollution
levels that exceed World Health Organiza-
tion guidelines. The U.N. says about 7 mil-
lion people die prematurely each year from
diseases related to air pollution, but in-
creased awareness has not yet translated to
cleaner skies. —saNya maNsoor
THE BULLETIN
Toxic pollution turns India’s
capital into a ‘gas chamber’
OPENING PAGE: REUTERS; THIS PAGE: STEFANI REYNOLDS—BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
