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EU Leaders Agree to Embargo Russian Oil Imports in 6th Round of Sanctions
After a month of negotiations over a blocked sanctions package, EU leaders agreed to embargo most Russian oil imports into the bloc by year-end at a summit in Brussels on Monday.
The embargo covers Russian oil imported by sea, allowing for temporary exemptions for oil delivered by pipelines.
The move was agreed in order to bring countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic on board after they sought exemptions due to their current reliance on Russian oil from Soviet-era pipelines to the east.
Narrative A
In a major achievement, EU leaders have continued to come together beyond the hurdles to rightly embargo the majority of Russian oil imports – starving Putin of a crucial source of funds for his illegal war of aggression.
Narrative B
The sanctions are clearly hurting countries in western and central Europe more than Russia. The 70% surge in world gas prices has supercharged Russia's balance of payments – in fact, Moscow's trade surplus has tripled since the invasion. As food and energy prices soar, it's clear that sanctions don't work.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Russia will produce at least 9.67M barrels of oil per day in 2023, a 34% increase from 2021, according to the Metaculus prediction community
Pope Francis Announces Appointment of 21 New Cardinals
On Sun., Pope Francis announced to crowds gathered at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican that he plans to appoint 21 new cardinals, only eight of whom will be from European countries.
The rest of the appointees hail from around the world, including developing nations like Ghana and Nigeria, marking a deliberate shift away from a Eurocentric and towards a more global outlook.
Controversial appointments include that of Bishop Robert McElroy, from San Diego, which Catholics have criticized due to his progressive stance on the environment, LGBTQ rights and abortion.
Right narrative
This is terrible news for Catholics who actually believe in the church's teachings. Appointing a pro-gay, ultra-progressive supporter of abortion like McElroy undermines fundamental truths of Catholicism and shows once again that Pope Francis is letting a political agenda supersede theological beliefs.
Left narrative
It's about time the leadership of the Catholic church reflected the diversity of the congregation in terms of geographics, culture and ideological beliefs. Bishop McElroy is a breath of fresh air with his welcoming of LGBTQ people into the church and refusal to "politicize" Communion by excluding pro-choice politicians. This is a step in the right direction for the Catholic church.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that a new pope will be elected by Dec. 15, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 97: Most of Severodonetsk Under Russian Control; At Least 5 Civilians Killed in Donetsk
Russian forces have reportedly gained control of most of the Luhansk city of Severodonetsk, according to regional gov. Sergiy Gaidai, after fierce fighting. He said 90% of the city is destroyed, and there is now "no possibility to leave." An estimated 10k civilians are believed to remain in Severodonetsk, less than 10% of its pre-war population.
Meanwhile, Russian forces also reportedly struck a nitric acid tank at a chemical plant in the city on Tuesday. Gaidai has advised residents to stay in their shelters and "prepare protective face masks impregnated with soda solution."
In the city of Donetsk, an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists, at least five civilians were reportedly killed in the shelling of a residential area. Moscow has blamed the attack on Kyiv while Ukrainian media said Russia was responsible.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Azov Regiment, a minority in the larger make up of the Ukrainian military, has rightly dropped the Medieval German symbol that was adopted by the Nazis and was being used by Russian propagandists to exploit claims of far-right nationalism. Instead, they're opting for a golden trident, the Ukrainian national symbol worn by other regiments.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite mainstream media's minimization of the Azov Battalion, they clearly promote neo-Nazism and are receiving US and NATO weaponry to fight their proxy war with Russia. Just as the US funding of the Taliban to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan helped create Al-Qaeda, doesn't current support for Azov forces risk making the West complicit in creating the next terrorist organization?
Nerd narrative
There's a 52% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Canada's Trudeau Proposes Complete Freeze on Handgun Ownership
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau introduced legislation to Parliament on Mon. that would enact a partial ban on handguns, freezing their sale, importation, and transfer in Canada.
Once the measure would go into effect, Trudeau announced, "it will be illegal to buy, sell, transfer, or import handguns anywhere in Canada."
Canada already enacted plans in 2020 to ban 1.5K types of military-style firearms and offer a mandatory buyback program that will begin at the end of the year, and the legislation has already expanded background checks for prospective gun buyers.
Left narrative
Unlike the US, Canada is able to implement effective policies that restrict access to firearms. Canadians continue to worry that gun violence is increasing in their communities, and they want real political change that will prevent shootings like the 2020 Nova Scotia tragedy.
Right narrative
Trudeau is up to his usual liberal antics and trying to restrict the rights of Canadian citizens. Chicago, for instance, had a handgun ban from 1982 to 2010, yet homicides skyrocketed. Handgun bans do not work, and Trudeau simply wants to make Canada a less free country.
Colombia's Presidential Election Heads to Runoff
Colombia's presidential election will head for a runoff election after preliminary results on Sun. showed that no candidate had received the 50% of votes needed to win.
With 99% of votes counted, early results showed leftist Gustavo Petro with 40.3% of votes, and right-wing anti-corruption populist Rodolfo Hernández with 28.2%.
This is a historic blow to the establishment candidate, Federico Gutiérrez, who lost to Hernández by more than four percentage points. He had been polling in second place and was endorsed by current Pres. Iván Duque.
Left narrative
Hernández's unexpected triumph over Gutiérrez is a victory against the establishment and evidence that Colombia is hungry to elect anyone who isn't represented by the country's mainstream conservative leaders. The country needs change, which is exactly what Petro is offering.
Right narrative
While Colombia does need change, it can't afford the "leap in the dark" that Petro represents. Gutiérrez had been Colombia's best chance of keeping Petro out of power, but that responsibility now falls on Hernández.
Taiwan Plans to Deepen Ties with US as China Enters ADIZ
Taiwan's Pres. Tsai Ing-wen announced on Tues. that Taipei and Washington were "proactively" planning to deepen security ties, including cooperation between the US National Guard and Taiwan's military.
This comes a day after China's military entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) with 30 aircraft, including 22 fighter jets, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. It was the largest incursion of the ADIZ - which extends beyond Taiwan's territorial airspace and over part of mainland China - since January.
In response, Taipei scrambled its own fighter jets and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor Beijing's warplanes, which were reportedly flying near the Pratas Islands.
Anti-China narrative
The battle between democracy and authoritarianism is in full swing, and China's expansionist ambitions must be firmly countered. Biden knew exactly what he was doing, and he did the right thing by announcing that the US would defend Taiwan. To deter Beijing, it's high time to take a clear stance and deepen military ties with Taiwan.
Pro-China narrative
The US is still trapped in the mindset of its supposed "exceptionalism," and desperately seeking to defend its state of hegemony against China. But the days of unipolarity are over, and Washington should reconsider whether it wants to continue undermining the world order with its short-sighted tactics or if it wants to help create a multipolar order based on mutual respect.
Nerd narrative
There is a 25% chance that China will launch a full-scale invasion of Taiwan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Mona Lisa Targeted by Climate Change Protester
A 36-yr-old man was detained on Mon. after he attempted to break the protective glass around the Mona Lisa before smearing cake across it in a stunt reportedly motivated by his concerns over climate change. The painting was not damaged.
Videos on social media show him saying in French: "Think of the Earth [...] Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That's why I did this."
The activist arrived in the crowd in a wheelchair and was disguised in a long wig. He threw cake at Leonardo da Vinci's portrait, smeared it with cream, and threw roses at the feet of onlookers before being tackled by security.
Right narrative
Activism, especially of this kind, is almost invariably unproductive. This event will only reaffirm the suspicion of many that left-wing radicals are attacking classical culture and sets back the cause of climate activism by years in terms of public support.
Left narrative
Political leaders have spent too long congratulating themselves for watered-down and piecemeal commitments to act on climate change. We no longer have the luxury of time, and anger is the most viable and effective tool against the injustice of this failure. The protest in the Louvre reflects the public outrage we should all feel at climate inaction.
Nerd narrative
There's an 85% chance there will be at least 2˚C degrees of global warming by 2100 according to the Metaculus prediction community.
FDA Warns Strawberries Could be Linked to Hepatitis A Outbreak
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that some strawberries sold in major US grocery stores may contain traces of Hepatitis A.
Infections have been linked to organic strawberries packaged by California berry distributor FeshKampo and Texas-based grocery store H-E-B, purchased between Mar. 5 and Apr. 25.
Possible infected batches were sold at grocery chains such as Aldi, H-E-B, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Farmers Market, Trader Joe's, Walmart, Weis Markets, and WinCo Foods.
Establishment-critical narrative
This is yet another example of the FDA's reactive instead of preventative policy. Recalls occur when it's too late and Americans pay the price. It's long overdue that the FDA's existing food safety measures are revised.
Pro-establishment narrative
Recalls are first-and-foremost a public health issue, but it's also important to understand the economic costs they have on companies. We must seek solutions that improve both public health and economic conditions pertaining to food safety.
Eurozone Inflation Hits Another All-Time High
Inflation rates in the eurozone have hit their highest annual levels since the creation of the euro in 1999.
Average rates in the 19 member nations reached 8.1% in May, marking a record high for the seventh month in a row.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has aggravated this trend as energy prices rose 39.2% on year in May, while food, alcohol and tobacco costs were up by 7.5% year-on-year in the same month.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although European leaders are keen to show solidarity with Ukraine, economic sanctions on Russia will keep energy prices higher than they otherwise would have been, increasing the prospect of recession in the eurozone. European countries are paying the price for their own embargo.
Pro-establishment narrative
Since rates have been at record lows since 2015, this move won't damage the economy. The acceleration in May was already expected by European Central Bank officials, who are planning a gradual normalization of monetary policy to start in the upcoming months.
Nerd narrative
There is a 75% chance that the European Central Bank will raise interest rates in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Ex-Trump Aid Navarro Subpoenaed Over Jan. 6
Peter Navarro, former Pres. Trump's top trade adviser, has claimed in a draft lawsuit he began circulating this week that he was served a grand jury subpoena by federal prosecutors investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol.
Navarro, who refused to produce a copy of the subpoena and isn't represented by a lawyer, said that the Feb. subpoena was related to his refusal to testify to the House select committee investigating the events. He said he's been asked to testify Thurs. to the federal grand jury and provide any records related to his refusal to speak before the House committee.
The House recommended the Justice Dept. charge Navarro with contempt of Congress, but that recommendation has been pending since April.
Democratic narrative
There's no proof Trump has asserted executive privilege, so there might be nothing to protect Navarro and others from the reach of the Jan 6. committee. If this subpoena actually exists, Navarro is going public because he's getting worried he'll be compelled to testify before the committee - and more truth about that fateful day will be uncovered.
Republican narrative
Unlike the Democrats, the majority of Americans have moved on from talking about Jan. 6. The Dems are desperate to not lose control of the House in Nov. - but not even their political witch hunt will stop Trumpism, make Biden less of a failure, or prevent a Republican takeover in the midterms.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that 15 or more people will be charged by the US DOJ with seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan 6th Capital riots, according to the Metaculus prediction community.