Hump day recommendations, Jan. 15, 2025

Read: A band of brothers, literally. In the early 1960s, two Dutch-Indonesian kids in Amsterdam boarded a boat bound for the US with their parents, a few suitcases, and an upright piano. They settled in Pasadena, California, and started playing music, first with their dad, who was an alcoholic jazzman, and then with their friends and classmates. They became one of the most spectacular and influential rock bands of all time. Alex Van Halen’s book “Brothers,” is a rollicking and insightful memoir of how he and his late brother Eddie (an absolute god among guitarists), reshaped rock music in the late 1970s (the last days before “video killed the radio star”) but also paid a steep price for it. – Alex

Watch: “Mosul” Set amid the battle to retake the ancient Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State terrorists who overran it, this masterpiece of war cinema follows Kawa, a young Kurdish police officer recruited to the Nineveh SWAT team, as they attempt to rescue a family from the warlord who enslaved them. The pervasive sense of fear and aggression are masterfully interspersed with emotional sequences displaying the deep toll that decades of war have taken on ordinary Iraqi families, with Kawa’s loss of innocence parallelling his entire generation’s experience. – Matt

Watch and listen:Weapon of Choice.” Christopher Walken is just not like you and me. Don’t believe me? Set aside three minutes and 52 seconds to watch him take inspiration from Fatboy Slim. – Willis

Watch: A heart break. If you’re a fan of Rosalind Eleazar from “Slow Horses,” be sure to check out the “Missing You” series on Netflix. Inspector Kat Donovan is left heartbroken by the murder of her father — and then by the disappearance of her fiancé. Years later, she’s still struggling to move forward as she begins to unravel the truth behind both mysteries. – Tracy

Go see: “Six” on Broadway or on tour. It’s a hilarious, modern take on the fates of the six wives of Henry VIII that turns historical drama into an electrifying girly-pop concert. – Riley

More from GZERO Media

From left, FBI Director Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, testify during the House Select Intelligence Committee hearing titled “Worldwide Threats Assessment,” in Longworth building on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. The witnesses fielded questions on the Signal chat, about attacks against Houthis in Yemen, that accidentally included a reporter.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA

The Signal-gate repercussions continue, after The Atlantic published screenshots of senior White House officials discussing war plans over the messaging app.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro walks after the Supreme Court voted that he should stand trial for allegedly attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat, in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 26, 2025.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado

The Supreme Court ordered the former president to stand trial for his alleged efforts to overturn the last election, raising the prospect of the 70-year-old ending up behind bars and imperiling his hopes of running for office in 2026.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gestures to soldiers inside the presidential palace after the Sudanese army said it had taken control of the building in the capital Khartoum, Sudan, on March 26, 2025.
Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council/Handout via REUTERS

The Sudanese Army says it has captured full control of Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group it has been battling in a brutal civil war for over two years. The army has seized key locations, including the presidential palace and the airport.

NPR's Katherine Maher and PBS's Paula Kerger are sworn in at a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025.
Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters

House Republicans openly questioned whether public news outlets should receive $535 million in federal funds.

- YouTube

The Signal chat leak about bombing the Houthis is serious, but what it reveals is even more troubling, according to Ian Bremmer. Trump’s advisers are debating major decisions behind closed doors… but the president might never hear them. In this Quick Take, Ian explains why that’s a global risk.

Protesters take part in a demonstration march ending in front of the US consulate, under the slogan, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025.
Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS

US Second Lady Usha Vance canceled plans to attend Greenland’s biggest dog-sledding race and visit historical sites after officials in Nuuk and Copenhagen balked at an uninvited trip from an official delegation. Vice President JD Vance will now join his wife on the trip.

Palestinians protest to demand an end to war, chanting anti-Hamas slogans, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on March 26, 2025.
REUTERS/Stringer

Hundreds of Palestinian protesters took part in the largest anti-Hamas demonstrations in Gaza since the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.