While the war in Ukraine enters its third month, our focus this week has turned to the US. The news that Elon Musk has finally staked $44bn on his Twitter bid was accompanied by a suite of tweets setting out how the “free speech absolutist” would remodel the online town square. Not so fast, cautions technology editor Dan Milmo in our big story: the controversial billionaire may find that buying the platform exposes him to a host of legal problems. Meanwhile, a panel of experts examine the pitfalls for Musk and the perils for users.
It has not been a good news week for women in the US or the UK. A leaked draft, ahead of next month’s judgment, suggests America’s supreme court will vote to overturn Roe v Wade, thus ending women’s federal right to abortion. Will women’s rights in the US be thrown back to the 1950s? Washington bureau chief David Smith reports on the implications of the draft ruling while campaigners from both sides of the debate give their reactions.
The behaviour of male MPs in the Houses of Parliament reached a new low with the grim revelation that one had been seen openly watching porn. Former parliamentary correspondent and now columnist Gaby Hinsliff explains why women at Westminster finally spoke up about the everyday misogyny they experience, a topic so ubiquitous throughout their working lives it was as mundane as discussing the weather.
The world’s longest running experiment – waiting for a drop of pitch to fall into a jar – could be seen as akin to watching paint dry. However, as Andrew Stafford reports from Queensland for our science feature, the story and the people involved in the research since it began in 1927 make for a fascinating story.
Our culture features this week take us firmly back to pre-pandemic times. Laura Barton catches up with Arcade Fire as the Canadian band returns with a new album. Then, Observer art critic Laura Cumming delivers her verdict on the triumphant return of the Venice Biennale, where the majority of artists shown – and major prize winners – are women.
