03 May 2022
Daily Newsletter
GA Special Grand Jury Convened in Trump Election-Interference Probe
The Facts
A special grand jury has been seated in Georgia to aid Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation into whether former Pres. Trump and others unlawfully attempted to influence the 2020 presidential election.
Willis may use the 23-person special grand jury to issue subpoenas to those who've refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Trump lost the presidential election in Georgia by roughly 12k votes out 5M cast. He was the first Republican presidential candidate to lose the state since 1992.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
A prosecutor in the Democratic stronghold of Fulton County is trying to prosecute Trump for being Trump. There's no evidence that he broke any laws when he asked the Sec. of State to verify the legitimacy of the election. If they want to charge someone with a crime, Democrats should turn themselves in for illegal ballot harvesting.
Democratic narrative
This is a significant step toward holding Trump accountable for his actions after the 2020 election. Instead of having investigators poking around, the special grand jury will be able to hear testimony about the Raffensperger phone call and other events that might prove Trump's guilt. It could possibly even compel Trump to testify.
Cynical narrative
Bringing Trump to justice won't fix the fundamental flaws in America's democratic system. The Georgia case - as well as that of other swing states in the 2020 election – is proof that reforms are needed to shore up confidence in the US electoral systems and ensure that the will of American voters can't be overturned by the whim of a single partisan bureaucrat.
SCOTUS May Overturn Roe v. Wade, Leaked Opinion Reveals
The Facts
SCOTUS has provisionally voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide in America, according to a draft opinion from the court obtained by Politico.
According to Politico, J. Samuel Alito drafted and circulated the initial majority opinion in Feb. after justices heard oral arguments and voted on the case in Dec. Four other Republican-appointed justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – reportedly voted with Alito.
The voting intentions of Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by Pres. George W. Bush in 2005 are reportedly unknown at this point. The court's three Democrat-appointed justices – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan – reportedly voted against and are drafting dissents.
The Spin
Progressive narrative
If Roe v Wade were to be overturned, at least 26 states hostile to abortion are expected to outlaw it or immediately place restrictive barriers on the procedure. Not only would this be an unprecedented affront to reproductive rights and the rights of women, the move would spark a range of dire consequences for other human rights.
Conservative narrative
As the justices pointed out, the Constitution makes no mention of abortion and it should be up to states to decide. This unprecedented leak of a draft decision while a case is still pending is clearly an effort to intimidate SCOTUS into changing its decision and should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law.
Nerd narrative
There's a 95% chance Roe v. Wade is overturned during 2022, according to the Metaculus community.
Spanish PM, Defense Minister Reportedly Targeted With Pegasus Spyware
The Facts
The phones of Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez and Defence Minister María Margarita Robles Fernández were targeted with Pegasus spyware, Spanish authorities said on Monday.
Pegasus, developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group, can access a phone's contents such as contacts, text messages and images. It can also remotely activate a phone's microphone and camera for real-time surveillance.
Félix Bolaños, the minister of the presidency, announced in a press conference that Sánchez's phone was targeted twice between May and June 2021, while Robles's was targeted in June 2021.
The Spin
Narrative A
Spyware technology like Pegasus has been shown to target politicians, journalists and human rights defenders in a range of countries. These latest revelations show that governments can no longer take a laissez-faire approach to legislating against this type of surveillance.
Narrative B
While these revelations will no doubt pressure lawmakers to curtail the use of these types of spyware, in reality, governments will have a hard time weaning themselves off the technology given how ubiquitous it has become in criminal investigations, in addition to national security and terrorism cases.
Narrative C
NSO's Pegasus spyware has been acquired by authoritarian regimes around the world who've deployed it to silence political opponents, journalists, and human rights activists, yet Israel's Defense Ministry continues to grant export licenses for the technology. If Israel wishes to call itself a democracy, it must choose its partners accordingly.
Day 69 Roundup: Russian Forces Reportedly Storm Azovstal Steelworks Plant, Civilians Arrive in Zaporizhzhia
The Facts
Russian forces have begun storming the Azovstal steelworks plant in Mariupol, according to the deputy commander of the Azov battalion, a Ukrainian regiment holed up in plant. This comes nearly two weeks after Putin ordered troops to blockade the plant.
Meanwhile, buses carrying civilians from Mariupol, including 150 who had been trapped in the Azovstal plant, began arriving in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia on Tues., after a UN-brokered evacuation over the weekend. 200 civilians are estimated to still remain trapped inside the plant, however.
This comes as a senior US official has warned Russia may be preparing to hold votes on independence in the separatist-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk by mid-May, in an attempt to annex the regions. Western officials also believe Russia could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9.
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 rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking their 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 is a 14% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Amazon Workers Reject Union Bid at NYC Warehouse
The Facts
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in NYC overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to join a union on Monday.
Employees at the LDJ5 warehouse on Staten Island voted against unionization by 618 to 380. There was a 62% turnout of around 1.6K eligible voters.
Labor organizers were dealt the blow mere weeks after a group of Amazon workers in a nearby facility became to first to unionize in the US.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
A second union victory would've cemented the power and influence of the ALU among Amazon workers. Despite the best efforts of high-profile Democrats, Amazon's aggressive anti-union tactics and a lack of organizers in the latest warehouse have suppressed efforts to empower workers. Organizers must not let things end here.
Pro-establishment narrative
Some Amazon workers have opposed unionization because they're satisfied with their pay and benefits (which include 401(k) and exceptional healthcare options), while others believe unions are overpromising on what they can deliver. Either way, the high turnover and huge scale of many workforces in the company make organization efforts unlikely to succeed and inappropriate for employees.
Abortion Rights Groups Plan to Spend $150M in 2022 Midterms
The Facts
On Mon., a trio of pro-abortion rights groups announced that they plan to spend $150M on the upcoming 2022 midterms.
The groups - Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and EMILY's List - will use the funds for ads, field programs, messaging research, and polling across Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, California, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Six of these states include competitive Senate races and will be electing governors in November.
The Spin
Left narrative
This funding is essential in fighting back against the massive assault on women's reproductive rights that's sweeping the nation. Recent developments indicate that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, the US could see a nationwide ban on abortions, stripping millions of women of their rights. Pro-choice democrats need to be elected at all levels of government.
Right narrative
The midterms are predicted to be a bloodbath for the Democrats, and this political funding is not going to change anything. Democrats like to talk about women's rights, but what about the rights of unborn children, which are infringed upon every year by abortionists across the country?
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Democrats will hold at most 48 seats in the US Senate after the 2022 midterm election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Jan. 6: Former NYPD Cop Convicted of Assaulting Officer
The Facts
On Mon., a federal jury convicted NYPD veteran Thomas Webster of assaulting a Metropolitan Police Dept officer, Noah Rathbun, during the Jan. 6 riot. Webster is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2.
He was convicted of all 6 accounts against him, including assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, a metal flag pole.
He stated the officer instigated the fight and that he grabbed Rathbun's gas mask so that Rathbun could see his hands.
The Spin
Left narrative
What happened on Jan. 6, 2021 was violent and extremely dangerous, and those who broke the law must be held to account. Jan. 6 could be a "trial run" if the GOP retakes the house in Nov.; there's a very serious risk to democracy if Republicans have the votes to de-legitimize the 2024 presidential election.
Right narrative
All Americans, including the Jan. 6 rioters, have a Constitutional right to due process. Some Jan. 6 detainees were held for nearly a year without trial. To abandon Constitutional principles for political purposes is to abandon the very bedrock of American jurisprudence - many on the left should be ashamed for their actions in these cases.
SCOTUS Rules Boston Violated Christian Group’s Freedom of Speech
The Facts
SCOTUS has unanimously ruled in the case of Shurtleff v. Boston that the city violated the rights of conservative activist Harold Shurtleff when it refused to allow him and his Christian group, Camp Constitution, to fly a Christian flag from a City Hall flagpole.
Since 2005, Boston has allowed public use of one of its flagpoles, but in 2017 it rejected Shurtleff's request for fear it would be violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Camp Constitution's request was the only one turned down among at least 50 between 2005 and 2017.
The Spin
Right narrative
This is a sweeping victory for religious liberty, which for too long has been denied using the establishment clause. Certainly a Christian flag has as much right to be flown as the Pride flag or any other symbol Boston has approved over the years.
Left narrative
Agreeing to fly the flag would have been clear government endorsement of a religion. This SCOTUS decision sets a dangerous precedent for weakening church-state separation, as well as allowing – at least hypothetically – more nefarious symbols to be displayed on public property.
UEFA Bans Russia from Women's European Championship and World Cup
The Facts
On Mon., the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced that Russia is banned from all UEFA competitions, barring the country from the Women's Euro 2022 tournament and qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
The ban means that Russia won't participate in the 2022-2023 season in the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League, among others.
Russia's bid to host the 2028 or 2032 men's European Championship was also ruled ineligible.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Targeting athletes is misguided and prejudicial. The only thing these sanctions do is unfairly punish athletes because of their nationality. it's hypocritical to punish Russian athletes for their government's actions, but not US athletes for their country invading Iraq for equally unjustified reasons.
Anti-Russia narrative
Banning athletes from competing is no easy decision, but a necessary one. The reality is that sports and politics are closely intertwined Russia uses sports to promote its national image and build consent for its regime. Using sports to send a political message of resistance to the invasion of Ukraine is justified.
Nerd narrative
There is an 87% chance that Russia will be the world's most sanctioned county by Feb. 22, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Winter Olympics: Skating Union Raises Minimum Age
The Facts
On Tues., the International Skating Union (ISU) raised the age limit for senior figure skating competitions from 15 to 17 in a 110 - 16 vote.
The move stems from a report by the ISU Medical Commission that addresses the physical and psychological concerns related to young elite skaters, stating the ISU has a "duty of care" to protect the health and safety of its athletes.
The minimum age will gradually increase over the next three years - a timeline that will ensure the new limit will be in place for the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The Spin
Narrative A
Although it's clear something must change, raising the minimum age of senior competitors won't protect elite athletes from physical and psychological damage. In fact, it will only harm those in their peak who won't be able to compete.
Narrative B
Teenagers participating in senior competitions is a troublesome issue. Junior athletes are often exploited physically and aren't mature enough to cope with the pressure of being elite athletes. The ISU's decision will promote longevity in the sport and the welfare of athletes.
