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Canadian Government, AFN Reach Child Welfare Settlement
The Canadian government and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) reached a $15.55B ($20B CAD) settlement to compensate Indigenous children who were harmed by the child welfare system.
The complaint was initiated in 2007, and in 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found that chronic underfunding of child welfare services on reserves was discriminatory.
Census data indicates that while just 7.7% of Canada's total child population was Indigenous in 2016, they represented more than 52% of children in foster care in the same year.
Pro-establishment narrative
This settlement is a victory that marks the end of years of advocacy and negotiations. It will help address the ongoing trauma and legacy of Indigenous Canadians and give them the compensation they deserve.
Establishment-critical narrative
While this is certainly good news, it's too soon to celebrate the government has a history of exchanging goodwill words without following through with action. This settlement hasn't yet received final approval, and its implementation may prove to be more difficult than anticipated.
Day 133 Roundup: Donetsk Governor Urges Residents to Evacuate, G20 Foreign Ministers Gather in Indonesia
Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor for Kramatorsk, has urged the region's 350K residents to evacuate amid anticipation that Russia will escalate its attacks in the region. The city became Ukraine's administrative and military center of the Donbas region after pro-Russia separatists took the city of Donetsk in 2014.
"The destiny of the whole country will be decided by the Donetsk region," Kyrylenko said. "Once there are less people, we will be able to concentrate more on our enemy and perform our main tasks."
Slovyansk, just 9 mi (15 km) north of Kramatorsk, has been touted by military analysts and intelligence agencies as the next front in Russia's invasion, as its troops approached the city from Izyum to the north and Lysychansk to the east.
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's a 10% chance that China will get involved in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Highland Park Shooting: Crimo Faces 7 Murder Charges
On Wed., 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III appeared in court on seven charges of first-degree murder in the wake of the 4th of July mass shooting at a parade in Highland Park, Ill. that also wounded dozens. He admitted to the attack and was ordered held without bond.
Crimo allegedly used a rifle similar to an AR-15 to fire more than 70 rounds from a rooftop into the crowd watching the parade. He reportedly purchased the rifle despite encounters in 2019 with law enforcement for a suicide threat, as well as threats to kill members of his household.
He reportedly cleared four separate Illinois-required background checks to purchase firearms between 2020 and 2021. Police asserted "there was an insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger" to deny a firearms purchase ID, the application for which was sponsored by his father.
Left narrative
Crimo swam in the dangerous waters of a toxic internet culture urging young men to kill and drawing them to hard-right US authoritarianism. The glorification of weapons, fixation on violence, and interest in rightist ideology fit a template we have seen for years, including in Buffalo and Uvalde. Internet fascism is spawning this era of mass shootings in America.
Right narrative
This was not an organized ideological attack. Crimo lived in an isolated world of violent video games and social media, amidst an epidemic of prescription drug abuse and even legalized marijuana. Democrats and the left-leaning media harp on guns, but they don't want to consider mental health issues exacerbated by rampant substance abuse.
Mississippi Judge Won't Block Abortion Ban
Mississippi Judge Debbra Halford has rejected a request by the state's only abortion clinic - Jackson Women's Health Organization - to block a "trigger ban" on abortion set to take effect on Thursday.
The clinic argued that the right to abortion is protected under Miss. Supreme Court precedent, but Halford said "The plain wording of the Mississippi Constitution does not mention abortion."
The state's "trigger law" was passed in 2007 contingent on SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade, with 13 other states passing similar laws in preparation for federal protections being overturned.
Left narrative
Mississippi Republicans try to claim that banning abortion empowers women, and that legislation passed since Roe provides support for them through additional healthcare and workplace maternity leave. But when you look at the facts that simply isn't the case. In a state with higher-than-average maternal death rates and a lack of medical coverage, this law will only devastate minority and low-income women.
Right narrative
Just as the Supreme Court found in its overturning of Roe and Casey, Mississippi's abortion ban clearly doesn't clash with the state's right to privacy. Judge Halford's ruling is an appropriate interpretation of what the Constitution actually says, rather than what pro-abortionists want it to say. Cases like Roe and Casey pit mothers' against their children, which deprives both the support and care they need during pregnancy.
Subpoenas Issued to Trump Allies in GA Election Fraud Probe
The special grand jury convened in Fulton County, GA to investigate efforts by Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election issued a series of subpoenas to allies of the former president on Tues., including members of his campaign legal team.
According to court filings, Trump's former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were among those subpoenaed.
Senior members of the legal team for Trump's campaign were also subpoenaed, including attorneys Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, and Cleta Mitchell, all of whom are alleged to know of Trump's attempt to tamper with the election results in GA.
Pro-Trump narrative
Democratic politicians - in concert with RINOs and the mainstream media - have been pushing the narrative that Trump tried to "overturn" the 2020 election. This hides the reality of what they're trying to do, which is criminalize any legitimate legal challenges to violations of a state's election laws. The Dems will stop at nothing to avoid scrutiny of their dirty election tactics.
Democratic narrative
Observers previously assumed the Fulton County case was focused on Trump's infamous phone call with GA Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger. The new subpoenas show that the probe has moved well beyond that corrupt call to investigating the scheme to appoint fraudulent pro-Trump electors to replace the state's lawfully certified electors to overturn the election.
CERN: Scientists Observe Three 'Exotic' Particles
The Swizerland-based nuclear research center (CERN) announced Tues. that scientists working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have observed new types of subatomic particles in their search to discover more about the fundamental building blocks of the universe.
A new kind of "pentaquark" and a pair of "tetraquarks" were recorded as a result of the third run of the LHC, which started at 10:47 a.m. Tues.
Physicists have been investigating how quarks - elementary subparticles - bind together to form particles. Quarks usually form triplets (such as the protons and neutrons making up most of the mass in our bodies) or pairs (known as mesons), but they can also bind into groups of fours and fives to produce tetraquarks and pentaquarks, respectively.
Narrative A
This latest observation is indicative that the LHC has facilitated a period of discovery like the 1950s and its 'particle zoo' that led to the quark model of conventional hadrons of the universe. Scientists are at a turning point in theoretical understanding.
Narrative B
We are certainly in an exciting period in the field of particle physics. But the discovery of new types of quarks doesn't, on its own, shed significantly more light on our understanding of the universe. It's already been 10 years since the LHC unearthed the Higgs boson, and many more exciting investigations are planned, which will be needed to expand the frontiers of understanding.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that the mass of the next fundamental particle to be discovered will be at least 17800 times heavier than a proton according to the Metaculus prediction community.
West Virginia: Judge Clears Distributors of Blame for Opioid Crisis
On Mon., almost a year after closing arguments, a West Virginia federal judge ruled in favor of three main US drug distributors in an opioid lawsuit, which claimed that they had created a health crisis.
Both the city of Huntington and Cabell County, which were hotspots in the opioid epidemic, had demanded over $2.5B to fund a 15-year mitigation plan to recover from the health crisis.
The fatal overdose rate in Cabell County, jumping from 16.6 per 100K in 2001 to 213.9 per 100K in 2017, led to chaos made public by the Oscar-nominated documentary Heroin(e).
Establishment-critical narrative
The distributors are the guiltiest party in the opioid crisis. These companies have evaded regulations and failed to notify orders flagged as suspicious while lobbying against US government efforts to suspend murky drug shipments.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's hard to blame the epidemic on the pharmaceutical companies when a constellation of customers, doctors, and federal agencies also has their share of responsibility. Instead of looking for a scapegoat, holistic efforts should've been taken to curb the opioid crisis before it got worse.
US, China Discuss Economic Challenges as Biden Reportedly Weighs Tariff Cuts
The US and China held talks on Mon. to discuss the major challenges facing the global economy amid speculation that the Biden admin. might move to lift some Trump-era tariffs to ease inflation and boost growth.
US Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen and China's Vice Premier Liu He, Beijing's top economic official, spoke on the phone, discussing the "impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on the global economy and unfair, non-market PRC economic practices," according to the US Treasury Dept. readout.
China's Ministry of Commerce called the talks "pragmatic and frank" and expressed concerns regarding US tariffs and sanctions against Chinese firms, adding that both sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
Left narrative
The tariffs against Chinese goods were unnecessary when Trump implemented them, and now that inflation is getting out of control, Biden should seriously consider lifting them. The US has gained nothing from sticking to Trump's policy, and lifting the tariffs could help offset the worsening economic situation.
Right narrative
Polls show that the American people have no particular interest in lifting tariffs on China and aren't clamoring for Biden to make such a move. Supply chain issues are a result of China's zero-COVID policy, and the US shouldn't lift tariffs without China making serious concessions.
Dutch Farmer Protests: Police Fire Shots at Tractor
On Tues. evening, Dutch police reportedly fired shots at farmers in tractors protesting against a government proposal to cut nitrogen emissions. Three protesters were also arrested.
Several days of protests have seen demonstrators block supermarkets, distribution centers and roads, and descend on parliament buildings, bringing Amsterdam and other cities to a standstill. Though initially largely peaceful, there have been recent reports of violence by both the protesters and police.
Under the controversial proposal being protested, provincial governments would be given one year to develop plans to reach the goal of cutting nitrogen oxide and ammonia by 50% by 2030. Reforms are expected to include a reduction of livestock and the buying of farms containing animals that produce high quantities of ammonia.
Establishment-critical narrative
Dutch farmers are exercising their right to protest a hardline proposal that unfairly targets their industry and threatens their livelihood. Officers' heavy-handed approach to peaceful demonstrators is an affront to democracy.
Pro-establishment narrative
Officers were responding to a threatening situation. The right to protest has its limits, and these are reached when demonstrations turn violent and impede public safety. Drastic measures are needed to improve the nation's air, land, and water quality. Farmers will, unfortunately, have to adapt.
DOJ Sues Arizona Over New Election Law
The Justice Dept. (DOJ) on Tues. sued Arizona over a new law, set to take effect in Jan., requiring proof of citizenship - like a birth certificate or passport - to vote in a presidential election, for fear it may adversely impact vulnerable groups with limited access to government documents, including immigrants, students, the elderly, low-income, and Native Americans voters.
Kristen Clarke, head of the DOJ's civil rights division, said the bill, which also requires proof of citizenship to vote by mail in any federal election, violates the 1993 National Voter Registration Act and 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Under current law, voters must attest to their citizenship status under penalty of perjury, but the new law could lead to felony charges against any election official or county recorder who doesn't attempt to verify citizenship status.
Democratic narrative
Since Arizona will be one of the key battleground states in the 2024 election, this bill could very well bar thousands of eligible voters from casting their ballots. If this happens, the few-thousand-votes margin that gave Biden the election in 2020 could easily be manipulated when those votes aren't included. This bill is one of the most significant tests of democracy since the Civil War.
Republican narrative
While federal law currently only requires voters to attest to their citizenship on registration forms, states are still allowed to enact further requirements to cast ballots. Arizona has the right, under the Constitution, to add extra requirements as needed. This is about ensuring election integrity.
Nerd narrative
There is a 31% chance that any state will refuse to certify its election results during the 2024 US presidential election, according to the Metaculus Prediction community.