so much soy, so many tariffs

Happening in the World: Li Wenzu is making a 12-day, 62-mile trek from Beijing to Tianjin in search of information about her husband, a lawyer who was detained in the “709” crackdown that jailed 200 activists. In the 1000 days since his arrest, she has received no information about his arrest, aside from the fact he was detained; she believes he has been tortured (BBC).

Happening in the US: China responded to a list of new tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods released by the Trump administration with $50 billion of their own and a complaint with the World Trade Organization. The deputy commerce ministry said their actions are “restrained.” Although the impacts may be limited, an escalating trade war between the two largest economies in the world obviously isn’t a good idea (NPR).

Happening in NYC: Police shot and killed a man in Brooklyn with an object in his hand after 911 calls claiming a man with a gun was spotted in the area; no guns have yet been found in the area and witnesses say they heard no shots until the police fired. Later reports identified the man as 34-year-old Saheed Vassell. (NYT)

Happening on Campus: Asterisk: A New Play opens in the Glicker-Milstein Theatre tonight at 8 pm and runs through Saturday, with tickets available on a sliding scale from $0-$15. The play talks about recently out Nadia who decided to write a play about three historical trans figures, complicated when these figures then appear in their bedroom. Check out their Facebook event for more information on content and getting tickets.

Word of the Day: Petrichor, which describes the smell of rain on dry ground. Maybe some day soon we’ll be able to understand the concept of dry ground again.