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American Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding Islamic State
Allison Fluke-Ekren, a Kansas-born woman who led an all-female Islamic State battalion, pleaded guilty on Tues. in federal district court to conspiring to provide material support for terrorism.
Fluke-Ekren, who was captured in Syria and transferred to US custody in January, is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 25. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
The 42-year-old admitted she led Khatiba Nusaybah, a female battalion tasked with defending Raqqa, Syria in 2017. She organized child and medical care, and education, but also trained women and young girls to use weapons and suicide devices, according to documents related to her plea.
Narrative A
Muslim converts turning to jihadism is distressingly common. Biden's willful ignorance and politicization of counterterror activity to focus on a fictional white supremacist threat instead is costing American lives.
Narrative B
Very few Muslim Americans and converts become radicalized. Rather than focusing on the tiny group that do, the government has vilified all of Islam with its year securitization campaign.
Senators Introduce Bill to Regulate Cryptocurrencies
US Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at providing a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.
The Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which is the first effort of its kind, proposes legal definitions of digital assets and virtual currencies, would integrate them into existing tax and banking laws, and distinguish between cryptocurrencies that are commodities or securities.
The bill grants primary responsibility for crypto oversight to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a relatively small federal agency that regulates the trade in traditional commodities like grain futures.
Narrative A
Finally, financial innovators and investors alike will have some guidance on the status of these pioneering new digital assets, and consumers will be liberated from concerns about taxes on transactions below $200. This move paves the way for mass adoption and for cryptocurrencies to operate as real currencies.
Narrative B
This is welcome news for sure, but investors and innovators alike should be forewarned that the odds of this bill passing in the current Congress are slim. This is better understood as the first step in a long and winding road that will hopefully end with greater clarity over the emerging market sector.
Cynical narrative
The bill calls for the creation of a self-regulating professional organization like the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Those organizations have been effective in well-established spaces like brokerage and exchange markets, but they are unlikely to be an effective check against fraud in the Wild West of crypto innovators.
NY Gov. Passes Series of Gun Laws in the Wake of Mass Shootings
On Mon., NY Gov. Kathy Hochul signed 10 gun control bills into law following a slew of mass shootings in recent weeks. The legislation includes measures such as raising the minimum age for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles to 21 and implementing requirements for social media companies to track and report hate speech.
Some of Hochul's changes also include strengthening red flag laws, ensuring the microstamping of new semi-automatic weapons (to enable authorities to trace bullets back to guns), requiring licenses for semi-automatic guns, and limiting the sale of bullet-proof vests and armor to people in select professions.
Ten people died last month in Buffalo, after an 18-yr-old entered a grocery store and gunned down shoppers in what was believed to be a racially motivated attack. Another 18-yr-old fatally shot 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, days later.
Republican narrative
If Hochul, and other legislative leaders truly cared about tackling the shootings epidemic, they would vote to repeal their disastrous bail laws that have turned US streets over to violent criminals. This gun control package excludes anything regarding mental health, which is the issue at the core of gun violence.
Democratic narrative
The second Amendment is not absolute and these laws are important for strengthening some of the country's toughest gun laws and closing loopholes that have enabled tragic mass shootings.
Nerd narrative
There is a 1% chance that the Second Amendment, as written and in force on December 13th, 2018, will be successfully amended or repealed before Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Federal Judge Blocks GOP-Drawn Congressional Map
On Mon., a federal judge ruled that Louisiana's new congressional map must be redrawn to include a second Black-majority district by June 20.
Judge Shelly D. Dick of the US Dist. Court for the Middle Dist. of Louisiana issued a ruling explaining that the House map enacted by the GOP-controlled state legislature illegally left just one majority-Black district.
Approximately one-third of the state's population is Black, and the 2020 census showed the Black population increased by 3.8% over the past decade.
Democratic narrative
The GOP is blatantly trying to prevent Black residents from getting their fair share of representation in government. There should be at least one more majority Black congressional district based on the demographics of the state.
Republican narrative
The map follows federal law and doesn't dilute Black voting strength. Judge Dick's ruling wasn't made on legitimate grounds and it will be close to impossible to redraw the map by the deadline. Eventually, the courts will see the error of her decision.
Establishment-critical narrative
Both Democrats and Republicans gerrymander massively, making American democracy far from fair. Election laws should change.
White House Confirms Biden's Saudi Arabia Trip
On Tues., the White House confirmed that US Pres. Biden's first presidential trip to the Middle East from July 13-16 will include a visit to Saudi Arabia - where he will reportedly meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
Biden will also hold talks with PM Naftali Bennett in Israel, and meet his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas before attending a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting with Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Visiting the kingdom marks a further departure from Biden's campaign pledges to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" and to "reassess" bilateral relations in the aftermath of the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the years-long Yemen war.
Pro-establishment narrative
Challenging global developments and US national interests have compelled Washington to maintain ties with Saudi Arabia and MBS. Riyadh is a controversial but important partner. Given the kingdom's reliance on Washington, Biden could even leverage the trip to persuade MBS to make concessions on human rights.
Establishment-critical narrative
This is just another example of the US' hypocritical double standards regarding international affairs. It was the CIA who held MBS directly responsible for Khashoggi's murder, but as soon as the US' own economic and geopolitical interests were at stake, it threw its alleged values overboard. Out of sheer desperation, the US is now increasingly humiliating itself on the world stage and making itself the "pariah" of credibility.
Day 105 Roundup: Russia Claims 97% Control of Donbas; Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Must Achieve 'Full De-Occupation'
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tues. claimed Moscow's forces controlled 97% of the territory in Luhansk and Donetsk – collectively the Donbas – as Russia reportedly closed in on its goal of controlling the region.
Shoigu also claimed Russian forces had "completely liberated" residential areas in the Luhansk city of Severodonetsk and fighting was reserved to the outskirts. Ukrainian officials, including Pres. Zelenskyy, said the country's defense of the city continued and that fierce street combat raged on.
Speaking at a virtual conference organized by the Financial Times on Tues., Zelenskyy said a stalemate with Russia was "not an option," adding: "We have already lost too many people to simply cede our territory. We have to achieve a full de-occupation of our entire territory."
Pro-establishment narrative
As the war shifts to the strategically important Donbas regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, the US and its allies need to continue to do everything in their power to arm Ukraine with all the weapons they need. Doing so is the only way to push Putin's forces back as was done in Kyiv.
Pro-Russia narrative
As stated by Putin, the whole purpose of the war was never to invade Kyiv, but to liberate the ethnically Russian people of Donetsk and Luhansk, who have been subjected to systematic killing by Ukrainian forces for not recognizing the 2014 coup in Kyiv. This tragedy would have been avoided if NATO had kept its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification.
Nerd narrative
There is a 3% chance that NATO will declare a No-Fly Zone anywhere in Ukraine before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
DHS Warns of Extremist Threat Heading into Midterms
The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) released a bulletin on Tues. saying that the Supreme Court's upcoming decision on abortion, an increase of migrants at the US-Mexico border, and the midterm elections are potential triggers for extremist violence over the next six months.
The bulletin listed potential targets to include "public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, US critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents."
It also said that "in the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets."
Right narrative
The biggest threat of violence that the US faces will be at the hands of pro-abortion leftists. Abortion groups nationwide have called for a large-scale backlash in anticipation of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, including protesting at the homes of Supreme Court Justices and even Catholic masses.
Left narrative
It is a demonstrable fact that since the current upsurge in political violence began in 2015, the brutality has been overwhelmingly perpetrated by white supremacists and right-wing extremists. The recent shooting in Buffalo is a prime example of how racist far-right rhetoric has led to terrible violence across the country.
Narrative C
Regardless of the ideology of any extremist actors, the fact remains that the US has more guns than citizens some 400M firearms in 2018 in a nation of 330M people, and semi-automatic handguns have been outselling hunting rifles for over a decade. Until we address this root problem, we would be mad to expect anything other than more carnage - whether the perpetrators sympathize with the left, right, or neither.
Nerd narrative
There is an 18% chance that the Insurrection Act will be invoked in the US before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: China Allegedly Building a Naval Base in Cambodia
China has been accused of building a naval facility on the northern portion of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, expanding its military presence in Southeast Asia.
On Wed., a ceremony gathering thousands of representatives from both countries broke ground on the renovation of the port. Officials denied claims that it would be used by the Chinese military.
However, US State Dept. spokesman Ned Price said on Mon. such allegations are "consistent with credible reporting" about Beijing's engagement in the renovation project.
Pro-China narrative
This is a regular infrastructure cooperation project that will promote peace, prosperity, and stability in Southeast Asia. Despite Cambodia's constitution forbiding the establishment of foreign military presence on its soil, Chinese actions are still misreported to reinforce the false "China Threat" narrative and justify the aggressiveness of the West.
Anti-China narrative
Beijing is moving fast to build a global network of bases to support its naval expansion as it seeks to expand its economic, political and military influence around the world. China lied before when it vowed not to militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea, and its denials about establishing a base in Cambodia can't be trusted either.
Nerd narrative
There's an 8% chance that there will be an armed conflict in the South China Sea before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
San Francisco DA Boudin Recalled by Voters
San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin was recalled Tues., with about 60% voting to oust him, according to preliminary results reported by the Associated Press.
Boudin was elected in 2019 with 50.8% of the vote, but has since faced criticism over his progressive criminal justice policies that some say have led to high-profile crimes.
The recall highlighted a divide among Democrats in SF, with moderates enthusiastically supporting the recall and progressives saying Boudin should finish out his term.
Republican narrative
Boudin had to go. It's impossible to separate his progressive policies from the brutal attacks on Asian seniors and smash-and-grab robberies citizens see on the news every night. He's soft on crime and often sides with defendants over victims.
Democratic narrative
Boudin is being scapegoated. The overall rate of violent crime in SF is close to a historic low, but the facts were no match for the media raising the public's fears by overhyping certain types of crimes, which are then blamed on Boudin's progressive policies.
FDA Approves Emergency Use for Novavax COVID Vaccine
On Wed., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emergency use authorization for Novavax's COVID vaccine. The approval provides a fourth vaccine option for American adults who have not yet received their first dose of any other vaccine.
Novavax's vaccine uses a protein-based formula while the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are both mRNA-based.
Adults seeking their first dose of vaccine will receive two shots, 21 days apart.
Narrative A
Vaccine conspiracy theories tragically stigmatized mRNA jabs for millions of people in America. An "old school" protein-based jab, similar to the flu shot, could have more appeal to the unvaccinated. US officials bet the farm on mRNA products, and it's wise to offer consumers alternatives.
Narrative B
Novavax is a latecomer to the COVID vaccine landscape, and its early production fumbles were costly. The market is already well established by Pfizer and Moderna in the US, and whether its non-mRNA formula will be accepted by entrenched vaccine skeptics remains very much to be seen.
Nerd narrative
There's an 84% chance that the US, UK, or EU will authorize an Omicron-specific booster before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Assault Lawsuits Continue to Mount Against Deshaun Watson
According to reporting from The New York Times, 24 massage therapists have now filed suits accusing the NFL's Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct, coercive behavior, and sexual assault. He has denied all allegations.
The fresh revelations have been lifted from depositions and evidence for the civil lawsuits leveled against him. Up to 66 different women - who have remained anonymous - may be involved in the allegations.
Watson's former team, the Houston Texans, has faced controversy for providing the player with Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for massage therapists and providing him with a venue to receive massage therapy.
Narrative A
The Texans were complicit in enabling Watson's coercive and predatory behavior. Aside from managing his NDAs, they also provided him with a well-connected lawyer who has smeared the women speaking out against him. Organizations are continuing to protect powerful men at the cost of victims and the truth.
Narrative B
Men are falsely accused all too often and #MeToo is shifting society dangerously close to a presumption of "guilty until proven innocent" in the case of sexual misconduct. Polls have shown that 60% of men are now afraid to mentor women at work, and over half of adult Americans are as worried about men facing false accusations as they are women facing harassment. The court of public opinion is no substitute for justice.