31 March 2022
Daily Newsletter
Finnish Official Cleared of Hate Speech Charges
The Facts
Finnish MP, Päivi Räsänen, and Lutheran Bishop, Juhana Pohjola, were acquitted of all charges of hate speech on Wed.
Räsänen was charged with violating Finnish laws criminalizing statements that 'threaten, defame, or insult' others.
She was accused of making derogatory comments on three separate occasions, including tweeting a Bible quote from Romans 1:24-27.
The Spin
Right narrative
This is a rare vindication of free speech and religious liberty. It is not for the legal system to interpret biblical concepts. Freedom of speech in Finland could have been irreparably damaged if Räsänen had been found guilty.
Left narrative
Räsänen's use of Bible verses doesn't justify her descriptions of homosexuality as a developmental disorder, generic degeneration and sin. Her comments go beyond the limits of freedom of speech - they were deliberately intolerant and hate inciting.
Russia Threatens Google with Fines for not Removing Banned Content
The Facts
Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, said on Tues. that it had drawn up two administrative cases against Google for failing to remove banned content from YouTube.
The body stated that Youtube was circulating false information regarding the war in Ukraine and allowed far-right Ukrainian groups to remain on the platform.
Google could be fined up to 8M rubles (roughly $90k, or as much as 20% of the company's annual revenue in Russia) for repeat offenses.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
YouTube represents one of the last Western social media voices in Russia; they must stand their ground against Putin's campaign of intimidation and censorship at all costs. If they're expelled for it, at least they'll have gone down serving the people rather than helping delude them.
Pro-Russia narrative
Google has consistently allowed far-right and anti-Russian propaganda to flourish on its platforms, allowing the spread of dangerous misinformation that threatens national security. If they wish to remain in Russia, they must respect Russian law.
21 US States Sue over Mask Mandates
The Facts
On Tues., 21 US states sued the CDC and other federal agencies to end mask mandates on public transportation.
The lawsuit comes after the TSA announced it would extend its mask mandate to Apr. 18 earlier this month.
The 21 states all have Republican attorney generals. These states also all have GOP governors except for Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.
The Spin
Left narrative
Public health measures are still needed as BA.2 hurtles the globe towards catastrophe. Socially-accepted terms like "endemic" and "new normal" are disingenuous as the pandemic rolls into yet another deadly surge. Public health has been cast aside to serve the selfish interests of the ruling elite.
Right narrative
COVID restrictions need to wind down. BA.2 may ultimately prove to be more infectious, but what matters now is severe illness and death, which is trending down toward levels not that different from seasonal flu. Let's respect peoples' pandemic fatigue.
Singapore Executes Intellectually Disabled Man
The Facts
On Wed., a Malaysian man with intellectual disabilities who was convicted of smuggling drugs was executed in Singapore.
His lawyer filed multiple appeals to overturn his execution, with a final appeal rejected by a Singapore court last month.
Although Nagaenthran Dharmalingam's IQ is 69 - a level widely recognized as indicating learning difficulties - the court ruled he was responsible for violating Singapore's anti-drug laws.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The execution of this vulnerable man is a tragic miscarriage of justice. From rushed hearings to intimidation of Dharmalingam's lawyers, this case has exposed Singaporean's vacant claims of due process. Dharmalingam's disability made him incapable of understanding his actions, and his sentence was disproportionate to the offense.
Pro-establishment narrative
Singapore doesn't take joy in the death penalty, but Singaporeans understand the need for it. The nation's anti-drug strategy has proven to work, as the country has one of the lowest rates of drug abuse in the world. While many express sympathy for drug traffickers who face the death penalty, it's important to remember the immense harm drugs cause abusers and their families.
Biden Will Extend Student Loan Payment Pause For 4 Months
The Facts
On Tues., the Biden administration announced it will pause federal student loan payments until Aug. 31. The delay will be the seventh since the pauses began early in the pandemic.
It comes less than a month before payments were scheduled to restart, affecting tens of millions of borrowers, including 35 million who have not made payments that otherwise would have been due.
On Mon, Biden unveiled a $5.8T budget request, with proposals to increase funding for military spending, police and education through raising taxes on the wealthy.
The Spin
Progressive narrative
Generations of students shouldn't be plagued with years of debt for attending higher education. Biden risks alienating younger voters if he continues not to deliver on the campaign promises that got him elected.
Right narrative
Canceling student debt would be shortsighted and unfair to the majority of Americans who will ultimately be stuck paying the bill for a debt many chose not to accumulate. Student loan borrowers shouldn't be receiving relief from taxpayer dollars, they should be better prepared to understand the costs of a loan before taking it on.
Nerd narrative
The Metaculus Community predicts there is a 22% chance the US will forgive $10K of student debt per person before 2024.
Tesla to Request Shareholder Approval for Another Stock Split
The Facts
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla announced Mon. that it will ask its shareholders to approve a proposed share split at an upcoming annual shareholders meeting.
The company didn't offer details on when the proposed split would occur or how many new shares would be awarded for each existing share.
This will be Tesla's second stock split in less than 2 yrs following its 5-for-1 split in Sept. 2020.
The Spin
Narrative A
Stock splits allow Main Street investors to participate in the incredible growth of innovative tech giants. When a company like Tesla splits its stock, it benefits itself and the consumer. Investors now have the ability to purchase a stock of a company they previously couldn't afford, fueling rallies in the company's shares and allowing it to invest in the future.
Narrative B
Tesla splitting its stock shows that the company is growing in the right direction. However, those who trade stock and options will take advantage of the split environment for trading. This can hurt Tesla and investors in the future as it can potentially create a lot of volatility in the markets before and after the split.
Day 36 Roundup: Russian Forces Reposition Amid Concerns of Strikes in Donbas Region
The Facts
Despite recent promises to reduce operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv, NATO's chief on Thurs. warned that Russian troops are repositioning, not withdrawing. Ukrainian and US officials say Russia may be regrouping in Belarus.
Meanwhile, British intelligence says Russia is redeploying forces stationed in nearby Georgia to reinforce the invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted counterattacks around Kyiv, towards Sumy, and in Kherson Oblast throughout Thurs. in a continued successful disruption of Russian troop rotations.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after a fraudulent election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to re-write history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
Nerd narrative
There's a 3% chance that Kyiv will fall to Russian forces by June, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Conservative Jamie Wallis Becomes First Openly Trans UK MP
The Facts
MPs across the political spectrum have stated their support for Jamie Wallis, who on Wed. became the first openly transgender MP in the UK.
In a statement released on social media, Wallis also revealed they'd been blackmailed in the past by someone demanding £50K to keep the information secret.
In the same statement, Wallis said they'd been sexually assaulted in Sept. last year and were suffering from PTSD as a result. Their condition reportedly led to them fleeing the scene of a car crash towards the end of Nov. 2021.
The Spin
Left narrative
Representation is important, and Wallis' bravery will provide hope to other members of the trans community. However, little is likely to change; Conservative statements of support are meaningless, given the party's history of snide and derogatory remarks surrounding trans issues, and this risks only being further detrimental to Wallis' mental health.
Right narrative
Wrapping up comments about fleeing the scene of a car crash inside coming out as transgender is clearly an attempt to insulate from criticism. Wallis is exploiting the wider discourse around transgender issues in the UK today while the Labour Party struggles to coherently define what a woman is.
Boris Johnson & Rishi Sunak Fined for Lockdown-Breaking Parties
The Facts
UK PM Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been issued fines by the Met police for attending gatherings that broke lockdown restrictions.
They are among more than 30 recipients of fixed penalty notices issued on Tues. over the "partygate" events.
The developments make Johnson the first serving UK PM to be sanctioned for breaking the law.
The Spin
Right narrative
As long as Labour's Kier Starmer remains a weak and unconvincing opposition leader, conservative MPs can stick behind Johnson. The UK faces imminent local elections and the PM has been a strong and significant ally to the Ukrainian president since the Russian invasion. While such issues continue to dwarf the fallout from Partygate, Johnson will likely hold onto his position.
Left narrative
Johnson broke the draconian laws he himself implemented and has made a fool of the British people. There is no way the UK can demonstrate the moral and practical superiority of Western democracy over Russia's Putin if it spares a blatantly corrupt leader. It has become clear that Johnson presided over an arrogant and disgraceful culture of law-breaking in Downing Street and must be replaced.
Nerd narrative
The Metaculus community predicts that Boris Johnson will remain PM of the UK until July 6, 2023.
US Allies to Release Nearly 60M Barrels of Oil from Reserves
The Facts
On Wed., it was reported that members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) plan to release an additional ~60M barrels of oil from strategic reserves to curb a rise in oil and gas prices worldwide.
The 31-member IEA consists of the US and allies such as most of Europe, Australia, Japan, and Mexico. The IEA will release a total of 120M barrels (including a percentage of the US-announced release from last week), which is the most in its 47-year history.
Last week, Biden announced the sale of 180M barrels from US reserves. The US' Strategic Petroleum Reserve has decreased 40% since Biden took office to ~385M barrels - its lowest level since 1984.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Biden is letting visions of green energy drive this gas price shock. It's outrageous that the US may be considering imports from anti-American nations like Iran and Venezuela. Biden needs to open up domestic drilling asap - all the oil that Americans need is already under their feet.
Democratic narrative
It's wrong to blame Biden. COVID and its cascading effects drove the energy crisis - not drilling leases, the Keystone pipeline, or green energy. OPEC+ held back supply as pandemic restrictions relaxed, and the Russia-Ukraine war only adds complexity. US Presidents have very little impact on short-term supply, and the right's argument is disingenuous.
Progressive narrative
The invasion of Ukraine could speed up the world's transition to renewable energy. The planet's dependence on fossil fuels has to weaken; this may hasten the inevitable.
Anti-Russia narrative
The ban on importing Russian oil was welcome news. Despite sanctions in every other sector, Western nations have been continuing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars every day for Russian oil and gas. The failure to impose oil sanctions has bankrolled the invasion of Ukraine, human suffering, and atrocities.
Establishment-critical narrative
It's hypocritical to impose sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, but not on the US for invading Iraq for equally unjustified reasons, or on Israel for invading and annexing Arab lands.
