The Sunday Subject – December 3, 2023

Henry Kissinger, one of the most powerful statesmen of the 20th century, died aged 100.

Kissinger fled Nazi Germany as a teenager to become America’s top diplomat and one of the architects of Vietnam and Cold War foreign policy. A controversial figure, Kissinger has been lauded for his strategic insights and criticized for his callousness toward the victims of international conflict.

Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, died aged 93.

O’Connor inspired generations of female lawyers, who admired her success in a field that had been dominated by men. She became known as a moderate conservative, often the swing vote on controversial social issues. 

The House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos.

The Republican congressman, who has pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges, is the sixth lawmaker ever to be ousted and only the third after the Civil War. A recent report from the House Ethics Committee, which accused Santos of a “complex web of unlawful activity involving [his] campaign, personal, and business finances,” prompted Santos’ colleagues to expel him.