When I was in medical school, my younger brotherye7, Tim, traveled to Berlin for his art. He was thrilled to meet his artistic heroes and experience Europe with his girlfriend.

Landing back in Seattle, he texted, “Flight was perfect. Just for me.”

“So glad!” I replied. “I’m ready for pickup duty.”

“They’re escorting us out,” he wrote.

That sounded ominous, but everything seemed routine as I loaded the tired and hungry duo into my car.

As we drove off, however, Tim said, “It was totally amazing! All the best artists were there and wanted to meet me. They were obsessed with our pet pug, Paris. Every time I showed them a picture it was like something magical happened. They all could tell that Paris connected everything in the world. And then, on our flight home, the pilot called ahead to make sure the landing was special for me, and the plane landed,PHL63 and they all knew we were home.”

In the rearview mirror, I raised my eyebrows in alarm at his girlfriend, who nodded, looking anxious.

But the move backfired in a way that few supporters expected. Californians in 2021 actually tossed nearly 50 percent more plastic bags, by weight, than when the law first passed in 2014, according to data from CalRecycle, California’s recycling agency.

His debunked claims about Haitian migrants stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio, helped stir a firestorm over immigration in that community, which has dealt with bomb threats and evacuations after Mr. Trump made his comments.

“Tim, what do you mean ‘They knew?’” I said. “Who are ‘They?’”

“The important people,” he said. “They set it all up. It was beautiful.”

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