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Energy: Europe Agrees on Emergency Gas Cuts; Russia Tightens Supplies
On Tues., the EU approved a gas-rationing plan to mandatorily reduce consumption by 15%, with some exemptions being approved as European countries' dependence on Russian gas varies across member nations.
Meanwhile, US officials reportedly headed to Europe to discuss emergency plans with the US-EU energy task force, including expanding nuclear power production, despite Germany's intention to phase out nuclear power by 2022.
This comes a day after Russia's energy giant Gazprom announced that gas flows through the Nord Stream 1, which connects Russia to Germany, would fall to just 20% of its capacity starting Wednesday.
Anti-Russia narrative
Relying on Russian energy supplies was a huge mistake made by European leaders in the past. Now, emergency measures are necessary to mitigate problems as Moscow plans to weaponize Nord Stream 1 to retaliate against the sanctions for its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Pro-Russia narrative
European leaders are acting irrationally after they attempted to damage Russia's energy sector and failed. Despite having created the ongoing energy crisis themselves, these leaders are now blaming Russia while demanding their citizens conserve electricity and water.
Retired General Suspended Over Reply to Jill Biden
Retired Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky has been suspended from his current Army contract mentorship position pending the results of an investigation into whether a tweet directed at First Lady Jill Biden violated decorum rules for retired officers.
Volesky's tweet came in response to Biden's June 24 tweet regarding the impact of the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on women. Volesky replied "Glad to see you finally know what a woman is." The tweet has since been deleted.
The tweet echoed a previous interaction during the confirmation hearing for new justice Ketanji Brown Jackson when Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked the nominee to define the word "woman."
Right narrative
This is just the latest example of the Left persecuting political opponents and those who don't share their "woke" worldview. Even something as innocuous as a sarcastic tweet can cost even a decorated general his livelihood in the toxic political environment that has been created in the country.
Left narrative
US military personnel are held to a high standard and decorum rules exist for a reason. Freedom of speech exists for all, however, the Army has a right to investigate someone who has assumed the role of contractor, especially if there are inappropriate tweets aimed toward women.
Day 139 Roundup: Chasiv Yar Death Toll Rises to 43; Mykolaiv Comes Under Heavy Shelling
As emergency service workers continue to sift through the rubble of a Russian strike on a building in Chasiv Yar on Sun., officials said 43 people, including one child, had now been confirmed killed as of Tues. evening and nine more were injured.
Meanwhile, the southern city of Mykolaiv, between Odesa and Kherson on the Black Sea, came under heavy Russian bombardment on Tues. morning, the region's mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said. At least 12 were reportedly injured.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed a Russian ammunitions depot in overnight shelling of Nova Kakhovka in the occupied Kherson region. Russian officials said at least seven civilians had been killed and roughly 70 were injured, adding that many people remain trapped beneath the rubble.
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 20% chance that Putin and Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
FDA: Approval Sought for Non-Prescription Birth Control Pill
On Mon., just weeks after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, the FDA received its first-ever application for an over-the-counter birth control pill from the France-based firm, HRA Pharma, a subsidiary of Perrigo Company.
HRA began readying the pill, under the brand name Opill, for their application in 2015 and expects an FDA decision within 10 months. If approved, Opill could be available next year.
The non-estrogen pill was already approved in 1973, but only with a prescription.
Democratic narrative
This comes at the perfect time as women in the US need as many options as possible to take charge of their reproductive health in the wake of the abhorrent Roe v. Wade reversal. Oral contraceptive has been available and proven safe through prescription for 60 years, and it's about time they become even more accessible.
Republican narrative
Despite some claims, Republicans aren't targeting birth control measures, such as oral contraceptives. What responsible state GOP leaders are doing, however, is curbing unethical abortion pills as a logical extension of the recent SCOTUS ruling.
Euro Falls Below Dollar, First Time in 20 Years
The euro has dropped below parity against the US dollar for the first time in 20 years as investors and currency traders take stock of persistent threats to economies around the globe.
These include the continuing fallout of the war in Ukraine, which has spiked global energy prices, and the ongoing risk posed by inflationary pressures with central banks hiking interest rates in response.
There are also concerns that the closure of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline - which delivers Russian natural gas to European markets - for maintenance might become permanent as part of escalating sanctions against Russia.
Narrative A
US tourists in Europe will benefit from the waning euro, just as European tourists in the US will feel the sting of a pricier dollar, but the continued strength of the dollar could spell trouble for US exports and economic growth in general.
Narrative B
The European Central Bank, in contrast to the US Federal Reserve, has been sitting on its hands as inflation has spiked around the globe. It will now have to consider rate hikes to defend the euro while weighing the impact on Southern Euro economies that are already close to crisis.
Cynical narrative
For fiat currency skeptics, this marks the start of a "doom loop" that will see the fall of the fiat currency system as foreign currencies collapse against the dollar, with the dollar losing purchasing power at home. The result, according to some maximalists, will be the emergence of a new global standard bitcoin.
First Images From the James Webb Space Telescope Released
The first image from NASA's $10B James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), shared Mon. by US Pres. Biden, shows the deepest view of the cosmos ever captured, with thousands of galaxies in unprecedented resolution.
Also released were vivid images of the Carina Nebula, a group of five galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, the Southern Ring Nebula, and an exoplanet around a distant star which has indications of water in its atmosphere.
The JWST, planned since the early 1990s, was launched on Christmas Day 2021 and it orbits the sun a million miles away from Earth.
Narrative A
They're finally here! It's a historic day for science and technology when all people can experience the first gorgeous images from the JWST, after decades of waiting. The telescope will fundamentally change our understanding of the universe. This is a deeply needed moment for America and all of humanity.
Narrative B
This is a massive achievement but was also a massive risk. An $11B investment into a single platform is a tremendous gamble - if anything should ever happen to the JWST it could set astronomy back by a generation. NASA needs to find more cost-effective, safe, and innovative ways to spur future innovation in the astrophysics field.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the first discovery of extraterrestrial life will happen by 2077, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Jan 6 Hearings: Day 7
In the Jan. 6 Committee's 7th public hearing Tues., the panel focused on showing that Trump "spurred [the] mob to wage a violent attack" during the Capitol riot, particularly fringe right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
The committee argued that these typically-stovepiped groups collaborated in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, disclosing an encrypted group chat called "Friends of Stone," referring to Trump advisor Roger Stone, including right-wing influencers, "Stop the Steal" organizers, and an associate of Trump ally Michael Flynn.
The committee drew a correlation between Trump's tweets about Jan. 6 being "wild" and "big" and online extremist threats in the lead-up to the Capitol riot.
Democratic narrative
If Trump is too dangerous for Twitter then he shouldn't be allowed to run for President in 2024. This latest hearing showed a catastrophic nexus between Trump's inner circle and extremists who responded to his urging for a "wild" protest on Jan 6. Half of Republican voters may support Trump to run in 2024 - but he's simply too dangerous to be allowed to do so.
Republican narrative
These partisan hearings are ironically galvanizing support for Trump. Republicans and independents are frustrated that the Jan 6. hearings are basically a de-facto third impeachment spectacle led by Democrats. Little does the "woke left" realize that swing-state voters are becoming increasingly red as the 2022 and 2024 elections approach.
Nerd narrative
There is a 30% chance that Donald Trump will be elected president of the United States in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.