Iran Nuclear Talks to Resume In Qatar
A US State Dept. spokesperson confirmed on Mon. that negotiations on restoring the Iran nuclear deal are set to resume this week in Doha, Qatar, in the latest bid to break a months-long stalemate.
This follows a joint declaration from top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sat. stating that talks would resume soon.
Indirect talks are expected to kick off on Tues. as both Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley are reportedly in Doha to meet separately with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Republican narrative
In seeking to restore the nuclear deal, Biden is jeopardizing hard-earned US stability and national security, as well as the stability in the Middle East achieved under Trump. Further, because of his naivety regarding the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, he's also putting at risk good US relations with key regional allies.
Democratic narrative
By labeling the IRGC a terrorist organization, Trump recklessly hampered negotiations to revive the nuclear agreement. Now Washington finds itself between a rock and a hard place, since without a compromise, the issue may soon no longer be one of a deal, but one of an Iranian nuclear bomb or even war.
Nerd narrative
There's a 23% chance that the US will rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Kills ‘Senior Leader’ of al-Qaeda-Linked Group in Syria
The US military announced that it killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a "senior leader" of the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization Hurras al-Din, on Mon. in Syria's rebel-held Idlib governorate.
Al Yemeni was reportedly riding alone on a motorcycle shortly after midnight when he was hit by a drone strike. The military said there were no civilian casualties, though this couldn't be independently verified.
The US has targeted Hurras al-Din and Islamic State (IS) members active in the area on multiple occasions in recent years, such as Khaled Aruri, a top Jordanian commander with Huras al-Din, in 2020 and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a former IS leader, in 2019.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though this specific strike may not have caused civilian casualties, other US operations in Idlib have unnecessarily killed civilians for little return. It is unclear what the US gains from these operations, and civilians often feel the brunt and pain of US military action in the area.
Pro-establishment narrative
The US' campaign against terrorist leaders in northern Syria has been quite productive, and al Yemeni's killing is another example of a job well done. This operation protects American citizens, US allies, and innocent lives around the globe.
Day 125 Roundup: Shopping Mall Death Toll Rises; Türkiye Backs Sweden, Finland NATO Bid
The death toll of a Russian missile strike that allegedly hit a Ukrainian shopping mall in Kremenchuk on Mon. has reached at least 18, with 59 others wounded and 36 still missing. G7 leaders have condemned the alleged attack on a target which Ukraine's Pres. Zelenskyy has said contained more than 1K civilians.
Russia, meanwhile, has denied striking the mall, claiming to have instead struck a nearby depot of ammunition for Western weapons, which it said ignited a fire in the shopping center. Moscow further claimed the mall wasn't in use. This couldn't be independently verified.
According to military analysts, indiscriminate strikes on Ukraine's urban areas and infrastructure are likely to become more frequent, as the nation is rapidly depleting their reserves of high-precision weaponry. Elsewhere, Russian forces' objectives are reportedly developing slowly, as marginal advances were made to the southwest of Lysychansk on Monday.
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 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 is a 50% chance that Russia's nominal GDP will at least be $1.26 trillion by the end of 2022, 71% of last year's value in dollars, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
India: Journalist Zubair Freed on Bail
Alt News founder and Muslim-Indian journalist, Mohammad Zubair, was released from prison on bail by the nation's Supreme Court on Wed. on all charges filed in Uttar Pradesh for allegations of hate speech.
Muslim journalist Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Indian fact-checking site Alt News and vocal critic of India's PM Narendra Modi, was detained Mon. for allegedly violating religious harmony laws with tweets insulting Hindus in 2018.
Zubair was arrested on June 27 and jailed for allegedly promoting enmity between groups and intending to outrage religious feelings. His arrest came after police were alerted to past tweets regarding Hindu-Muslim relations.
Establishment-critical narrative
The arrest of Mohammed Zubair shows just how hypocritical Narendra Modi's party is. Days after pledging to promote free speech, they arrested a journalist for hurting religious feelings. This behavior doesn't help India's ranking of 150th on the Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Muslim minority has intentionally leveraged India's modern secularism to attack traditional Hindu laws and regulations. The government must punish those seeking to undermine the rightful Hindu legal and cultural systems of India, and its institutions.
Eastman Lawsuit: Federal Agents Seized Phone
It has been reported that federal agents searched and seized the personal phone of Trump attorney John Eastman on June 22, per a lawsuit filed by Eastman seeking the return of the device and the destruction of its contents.
Eastman's lawsuit alleges that the search and seizure were improper but acknowledges that the device was seized under a warrant.
The disclosure by Eastman also revealed two previously unknown facts: the seizure occurred on the same day that the home of former DOJ employee Jeffrey Clark was raided, and the Office of the Inspector General of the DOJ was involved in both investigations.
Pro-Trump narrative
The DOJ has become a highly politicized institution. They are now engaging in highly coordinated, "Stasi-like" tactics to persecute their political enemies. This is behavior more typical of what occurred behind the Iron Curtain decades ago.
Left narrative
The judge's authorization of a search warrant establishes they found sufficient evidence on both Eastman and Clark of possible criminal misconduct. It is already known that Eastman requested to be on a "pardon list" and that he pleaded the 5th over 100 times when meeting with investigators. What's more likely here a "deep state" conspiracy or a criminal one?
NY Judge Strikes Down Noncitizen Voting Law
On Mon., a New York state judge reversed a law granting noncitizen residents in the city the right to vote in mayoral and other local office elections.
Justice Ralph Porzio cited the NY State Constitution, which "expressly states that only citizens" are entitled to vote. The ruling means more than 800K NYC residents will be restricted from registering to vote.
The law was initially passed by the Dem. controlled City Council in December, and became official when both former Mayor Bill de Blasio and current Mayor Eric Adams declined to either veto or sign it.
Democratic narrative
The law was a groundbreaking expansion for the enfranchisement of immigrants who have already integrated themselves with American life through green cards and work authorization. There is room for interpretation of the State Constitution and activists must fight this decision.
Republican narrative
This is a victory for preserving election integrity and security. New York's State Constitution is abundantly clear - noncitizens do not have the right to vote in US elections. The few GOP politicians in NY took the necessary and logical action to protect citizens' voting power and uphold Constitutional rights and rightly won their case.
Biden's Pick to Lead ICE Withdraws from Confirmation Process
Harris County, Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Pres. Biden's pick to direct the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said Mon. that he was withdrawing from a 14-month troubled nomination process.
Once nominated, Gonzalez quickly faced Republican criticism over his decision to opt his county out of an ICE database that screens prison inmates for their immigration status.
Another controversy prolonging the confirmation came when a Republican Senator raised concerns over domestic abuse allegations against Gonzalez, allegations that his wife "unequivocally denied."
Republican narrative
Gonzalez's belated withdrawal from the nomination process is a good thing he was never the right pick for the job. As Sheriff of Harris County, Gonzalez terminated his department's partnership with ICE and repeatedly criticized the agency for doing what it was created to do enforce immigration laws already on the books.
Democratic narrative
Gonzalez was forced to withdraw from this neverending confirmation process because of Republicans' racist attitude toward him, and flawed thinking about how ICE should be run in general. He would've been a fresh face in a deteriorating agency, but Republicans, yet again, blocked a phenomenal candidate.
Jan. 6 Hearings: Day 6
Testifying publicly for the first time, an aide to former WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, stated that Trump's inner-circle individuals like Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows both knew that Trump wanted to physically go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
She said in the days leading up to Jan. 6, Meadows told her, "There's a lot going on...but I don't know, things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6," alleging the WH allowed the protests to occur despite fears of them taking a bad turn.
She also alleged that she relayed former WH counsel Pat Cipollone's fear that if Trump went to the Capitol on the 6th, "this would be legally a terrible idea for us," referring to potentially obstructing justice or defrauding an election count.
Democratic narrative
Cassidy Hutchinson's bold testimony, made under security concerns about her well-being, was a bombshell that will long be remembered in American history. Based on her shocking testimony, Trump knew that his supporters were armed, he encouraged them to march on the Capitol, and he wanted to join them in person. The question now is, will Trump be charged with inciting insurrection? All eyes are on the DOJ.
Republican narrative
Democrat members of Congress have privately said to left-leaning journalists behind closed doors, the Dems confide that "nobody gives a bleep" about Jan 6. in their districts. Democrats are clinging to hopes that these hyped hearings will beat back a Red Wave in November - it's looking like even these hopes are fading.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that 19 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.
Drugstores Ration Oral Contraceptives
CVS pharmacies announced on Mon. that they will limit purchases of the "morning-after pill" to three boxes per transaction, to prevent a shortage in supply following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Rite Aid is also limiting the number of pills that can be purchased, including popular brands Plan B and Option 2. Walmart said that they will also limit purchases to four or six pills per purchase for June delivery orders. Walgreens stated they're still able to meet demand and will not introduce a limit.
The morning-after pill can be legally purchased over-the-counter. On Tues. morning, the brand "Plan B One Step" could be found online at retailer sites for around $46.
Left narrative
Historically, federal and state laws have always sought to confuse and misinform women about safe birth control opportunities. Now, by outright taking away women's access to abortion and potentially contraceptive measures to control forced motherhood, SCOTUS and state legislatures are showing that they aren't just anti-abortion but anti-women.
Right narrative
The outrage is unfounded and blinding from the facts. SCOTUS simply demonstrated democracy at work by overturning Roe v. Wade. With the right to choose returned to the states, the people have won; they can now vote for representatives who support their views and will be able to turn them into state legislation.
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