If it’s summer, California must be on fire. And if that’s not enough dystopia for you, there’s always the fact that DNA-testing service 23AndMe is selling clients’ information to drug manufacturers, or the emergence of mutated HIV strains that cause illness quicker than others, not to mention the president apparently threatening war with Iran for no immediately discernible reason. Yes, the world keeps on turning towards the very worst incarnation of itself, it seems, but it’s not all bad; at least there’s a new Mission: Impossible out this weekend. And until you can get yourself to a fine purveyor of popcorn-fueled escapism, please do enjoy this primer on what the internet has been discussing over the past seven days or so.

Michael Cohen's Basement Tapes

What Happened: Cohen, a man who had previously announced that he would take a bullet for Donald Trump, has apparently reconsidered his position.

What Really Happened: Remember when people were wondering if Trump's personal attorney being under criminal investigation meant he might turn on Trump? As it turns out, the answer is definitely yes.

How willing, exactly? This week provided a clue, when Cohen released one of the tapes to CNN.

The recording—one of many, apparently—was a big deal on a couple of fronts. First off, it apparently confirms that Trump knew about Cohen’s secret payments, which raises questions about whether he’s complicit in campaign finance violations. And then there’s the mention in the tape that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg knew more than people had suspected, which could open up an entirely different front on investigations into Trump’s business. (Since the tape’s release, it has since emerged that Weisselberg has been subpoenaed to testify by federal investigators, deepening the idea that this tape could potentially be a game changer.) Not that any of that was enough to convince everyone of the tape’s importance:

Still, it’s not as if Cohen had any other beans to spill, right? ...Right?

Surely this’ll go well.

The Takeaway: Tantalizingly enough, this seems to be only the beginning of the revelations.

We Have Always Been at War With the Fake News Media

What Happened: All those “Big Brother” jokes began to seem even less funny when President Trump appeared to adopt the language and posturing of George Orwell’s 1984 during a speech this week.