Large crowds have still been showing up at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, since federal agents disappeared from view Thursday, but there's been a palpable change in atmosphere, and for the first time in weeks, calm. Protesters and members of the Trump administration cited the withdrawal of militarized federal agents and their violent tactics — tear gas, rubber bullets, clubs, legally dubious detentions — as the main reason for the relative peace. With federal agents present, some protesters threw bottles or firecrackers, tried to breach fencing around the courthouse, and shined laser pointers at officers."There is still violence going on in Portland," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Saturday. "But we do see it at a much lower level. We're happy about that." Demetria Hester, one of the mothers who formed a wall between the federal agents and other protesters, told The Wall Street Journal she thinks federal authorities "got the message" and left because they knew "we're not going to back down."Sunday's crowd outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, the 67th straight night of anti-racism and police reform protests since the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, appeared "relatively small," The Oregonian repots. But Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights drew the larger groups that have been congregating since President Trump sent in the federal agents in early July. Oregon State troopers have replaced the federal agents at the courthouse, under an agreement Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) reached with the Trump administration.With federal agents off the streets, the protesters have refocused their efforts on systemic anti-Black racism and their longstanding issues with local policing. A clash broke out Saturday night outside a police precinct across the river in Southeast Portland, as officers aimed bright lights and what appeared to be video cameras at a protest march, and some protesters responded with laser pointers and bottles.The federal agents aren't gone yet — a "quick reaction force" of some 130 agents are hidden around Portland. But they are no longer the issue. "On Saturday night, as protesters downtown marched peacefully through the streets, they noticed through the windows of a different federal building that Homeland Security agents were standing inside watching them," The New York Times reports. "Some in the crowd stopped to flash lights through the window. One agent appeared to respond by raising a middle finger. Then the crowd continued on."More stories from theweek.com 5 brutally funny cartoons about Bill Barr’s brand of justice The housing crisis is here GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert's daughter publicly chides him for ignoring 'medical experts,' getting COVID-19

Former pope Benedict XVI became seriously ill after visiting his sick brother in Germany in June and is "extremely frail", according to a report in the German Passauer Neue Presse newspaper on Monday. Benedict, 93, is suffering from erysipelas of the face - a virus that causes a facial rash and episodes of severe pain, the newspaper reported, citing the former pope's biographer Peter Seewald. "According to Seewald, the Pope emeritus is now extremely frail," the report said. "His thinking and his memory are quick, but his voice is hardly audible at the moment." Mr Seewald reportedly visited Benedict in Rome on Saturday to present him with his biography. "At the meeting the emeritus Pope, despite his illness, was optimistic and declared that if his strength increased again he would possibly take up his pen again," the paper said. Benedict visited his sick brother Georg in Germany in June, marking his first trip out of Italy since his shock resignation in 2013. Georg Ratzinger died just two weeks later, aged 96.

Amid the pandemic, commercial air fleets are grounded in some of the world's most remote locations.