Former Twitter Employee Found Guilty of Spying for Saudi Arabia
A federal jury in San Francisco on Wed. convicted a former Twitter employee, Ahmad Abouammo, on charges related to spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
The court found the US-Lebanese citizen had acted as an unregistered agent of the Saudi government by supplying dissident information to Bader al-Asaker, a close adviser to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
In total, Abouammo was found guilty on six of 11 criminal counts, including money laundering, falsification of records and two counts of wire fraud. He was acquitted on five additional wire fraud charges.
Pro-establishment narrative
Abouammo received money and goods worth at least $320K for spying and conspiracy, handed over dissidents against the brutal Saudi regime straight to its dictators, and violated privacy and data rights. This case is a clear win for the Justice Department.
Establishment-critical narrative
This isn't a win for anyone, but rather a distraction from what's really a botched investigation that allowed two other suspects to escape. Abouammo is merely a convenient scapegoat for the government's failings.
Cynical narrative
Not only does Saudi Arabia remain one of the world's worst human rights abusers, it has continued to conduct a brutal war on Yemen that has killed an estimated 400K and was responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Why does the US keep playing supplicant to this evil regime?
Trump-Backed Gubernatorial Candidate Wins Wisconsin Primary
With over 98% of ballots counted on Tues., Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Wisconsin Gov., Tim Michels, had beaten primary opponent Rebecca Kleefisch by more than 335k votes.
Kleefisch - formerly the Lieutenant Gov. under former Gov. Scott Walker - was supported by former VP Mike Pence, meaning the results reflect another win for Trump in his battle of endorsements with his former VP.
Michels, a retired Army Major and head of Michel's Corp. construction company, has said he wants to decrease political lobbying, uphold Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban, end "unmanned ballot boxes," and support paid family leave.
Democratic narrative
Michels's primary win should give Democrats some hope. While Biden's low approval rating, along with midterm polls, have projected a Republican sweep, far-right candidates like Michels will likely lead to many Democrat victories this fall. Not only does he support Trump's election lies, but he has said he wants to ban abortion, a procedure most Americans support.
Pro-Trump narrative
Tim Michels just defeated the Republican establishment by a six-figure landslide, which goes to show that Wisconsinites are fed up with the status quo. His next opponent, Tony Evers, should fear this momentum come Nov., as Michels only has Republican votes to gain.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for US President in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 169 Roundup: UN Holds Emergency Meeting on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant; Russia Claims Control of Pisky
The UN's Security Council on Thurs. held an emergency meeting about the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – held by Russia since the first days of the war – after Russia and Ukraine traded blame for an attack on the plant that took place on Aug. 5. The Director Gen. of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, addressed the meeting, requesting access for safety inspectors from his organization "as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, late on Wed., pro-Russia separatists from the Donetsk People's Republic accused Ukrainian forces of striking a brewery in the city of Donetsk, held by the DPR since 2014. Officials said one person was killed and the strike triggered an ammonia leak. The brewery was reportedly engulfed in 600 square metres of fire after an ammonia supply line was hit.
It comes as officials from the DPR also claimed to have taken control of the town of Pisky, just 6 mi (10 km) north of Donetsk city, but said pockets of Ukrainian resistance remain. The account was confirmed by military analysts who said pro-Russian forces were tightening their grip over the town, as well as making advances towards Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Ukrainian officials said six civilians have been killed in Bakhmut in the last 24 hrs.
Pro-establishment narrative
Experts have made it clear – the situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant presents the risk of another Chernobyl. Nuclear disaster has, miraculously, been avoided so far, but continuing risks to the safety and effectiveness of staff to control the reactors could have catastrophic consequences.
Establishment-critical narrative
Although Zaporizhzhia's cooling systems will be relatively vulnerable due to their contact with the outside world, the worst case scenario would only cause serious damage to a local level. Both Russia and Ukraine are over stating the risk of nuclear catastrophe to galvanize domestic support for the invasion and play upon western fears to incentivize providing military and public support respectively.
Nerd narrative
There's a 76% chance that Russia will control any formerly Ukrainian territories other than LNR, DNR, or Crimea on January 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Pa. Rep. Scott Perry Says FBI Seized Cell
Congressman and Trump ally Scott Perry (R-Pa.) has asserted that the FBI seized his phone the day after agents raided the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate.
After the seizure on Tues. morning, the phone was reportedly imaged and returned to Perry soon after. The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) and its inspector general have declined to comment officially on the matter.
Perry called the action "banana republic tactics," adding that "my phone contains info about my legislative and political activities, and personal/private discussions with my wife, family, constituents, and friends."
Democratic narrative
Despite the inflamed rhetoric of pro-Trump Republicans, the seizure of a sitting congressman's phone is not unheard of. These GOP members appear to believe that government officials are somehow above the law. This is a broader continuation of Trump's legal woes in synch with the shocking findings of the Jan 6. committee.
Pro-Trump narrative
This seizure highlights the "hot war" that is currently raging between the left-leaning establishment and conservatives who threaten to expose them. The FBI and DOJ are targeting the American people who threaten the status quo, and Perry's phone seizure is just another example of Biden's government trying to crush dissent.
Nerd narrative
There's a 17% chance that Donald Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Two Ex-JP Morgan Metals Traders Convicted of Fraud
On Wed., a Chicago federal jury convicted JPMorgan's former top gold trader, Gregg Smith, and former head of the bank's precious metals desk, Michael Nowak, of manipulating gold prices.
Spoofing, which was outlawed by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, is defined as quickly placing and withdrawing buy and sell orders to create the false impression of a certain level of demand.
In earlier spoofing cases, prosecutors were able to use chats and messages to uncover intent. This time the DOJ used charts of trades and former traders as witnesses to outline patterns of illegal activity.
Pro-establishment narrative
With spoofing having been illegal for over a decade now, this is good news for anyone who's been waiting for stock market manipulators to face justice. By working at one of the largest banks in the world, these men had the power to manipulate the entire gold market, and this time they didn't get away with it.
Establishment-critical narrative
Thankfully these men were acquitted on the bogus charges of racketeering, but the jury wrongfully correlated typical trading practices with criminal activity. The prosecution - which lacked any real evidence of intent of spoofing - cherry-picked a scattering of trades as misleading "proof," which the jury clearly didn't question.
Beirut: Armed Man Holds Bank Staff Hostage, Demands Savings
Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, 42, entered a Federal Bank of Lebanon branch in Beirut with a firearm on Thurs., demanding to be given at least a portion of his roughly $200K savings. He held at least six people hostage in an hours-long standoff with Lebanese authorities.
Protesters gathered outside the bank in support of Hussein, chanting anti-bank and anti-government slogans, with some clashing with security forces and throwing water bottles at soldiers guarding the building.
Hussein claimed he needed $50K to fund a surgery for his father and banks say they make exceptions for cases including hospital care, but depositors and their representatives have said exemptions are rarely implemented.
Narrative A
Hussein is a hero, and his actions represent the frustrations of an entire nation. Millions of Lebanese have been thrown into poverty by corrupt politicians and bank managers, and Hussein's actions are a form of retribution for this injustice.
Narrative B
While Hussein's actions may seem noble to some, he, like many others inside and outside Lebanon, is blaming the wrong people. It is the outside influence of Iran as well as Hezbollah that has pushed Lebanon to the brink, and the Lebanese people must acknowledge this to truly move forward and fix their country.
New Langya Virus Infects Dozens in Eastern China
In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week, an international team of scientists reported the discovery of a new virus, the Langya henipavirus (LayV), that likely jumped to humans from shrews.
The infection was found in 35 people in the eastern Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan between 2018 and 2021. After contact tracing, no evidence was found that LayV is transmissible among humans.
Symptoms of the virus can include acute fever, fatigue, cough, and loss of appetite, though some people also experienced body aches, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and impaired liver function.
Narrative A
Long before the coronavirus pandemic, scientists warned that unregulated wildlife trade, climate change, deforestation, and urbanization have brought people closer to animals, thus increasing the odds of viral spillover. These incidents are concerning and, as COVID proved, can have disruptive and deadly consequences. We must address these root cause issues.
Narrative B
This new virus is nothing we should be worried about. There's no evidence from this report that it transmits between people, the symptoms are mild, and a new virus isn't always a need for panic. There's no need for alarmism here.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that there will be a novel pathogen that kills over 25 million people between 2022 and 2031 (inclusive), according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Sierra Leone: Dozens Killed in Cost of Living Protests
At least 21 civilians and several police officers were reportedly killed during anti-government protests in Sierra Leone's northern heartland and capital, Freetown, on Wednesday. The protests saw hundreds take to the streets in response to economic hardship and rising prices.
Social media video footage has shown burning tires and protesters throwing rocks in the smoke-filled streets of Freetown. The violence led to a government-imposed curfew beginning at 3 pm Wednesday.
According to youth minister Mohamed Orman Bangura, eight police officers were "brutalized" and killed, with video also showing battered protesters and police firing guns at citizens.
Pro-establishment narrative
Violence isn't the solution to Sierra Leone's problems. Though the significant economic gains made under Pres. Julia Maada have been threatened by multiple global shocks, including the pandemic and war in Ukraine, the government, in coordination with other states and international NGOs, has worked hard to develop economic assistance programs aimed at strengthening the economy. The nation is on the path to recovery again.
Establishment-critical narrative
Maada's presidency has been marked by corruption, human rights abuses, poor leadership, and now an acute economic crisis. The people of Sierra Leone are justifiably angry, but the demonstrations were peaceful until police tried to impede their rights to protest. Those responsible for what descended into deadly violence must be held to account and Maada must resign.
Judge: Walgreens Contributed to San Francisco’s Opioid Crisis
On Wed., US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Walgreens "substantially contributed" to the opioid epidemic in San Francisco by shipping and dispensing addictive drugs without proper due diligence.
This ruling comes as Walgreens was the only defendant not to settle in a 2018 lawsuit filed by the city that claims the company, drug manufacturers and distributors flooded the city with opioids.
According to Judge Breyer, the pharmacy chain filled more than 100M opioid prescriptions from 2006 to 2020 while failing to investigate several that were deemed suspicious.
Pro-establishment narrative
This decision isn't only ineffective but nonsensical. The "suspicious" prescriptions were for legal drugs written by licensed doctors. As pharmacies are just a link in a long chain that caused the opioid crisis, this won't help to tackle the epidemic - it will only make pharmacies reluctant to fill legitimate prescriptions.
Establishment-critical narrative
Pharmacy chains are legally obliged to examine red-flag prescriptions, block them and alert the Drug Enforcement Agency. Walgreens failed to do this. The truth is that pharmacies have as much liability in the nationwide opioid epidemic as drug distributors and manufacturers. They've helped to engender it and failed to review their practices.
Study: Arctic Warming 4X Faster Than Global Average
On Thurs., researchers in Finland announced that the warming of the Arctic is occurring much faster than was previously projected. Over the past 40 years, the region has warmed at a rate four times faster than the global average.
The study, published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, further asserts that parts of the Arctic Ocean are warming seven times as fast as the global average.
The observations are in stark contrast to state-of-the-art climate models that predicted the warming of the Arctic to be one-third slower than the researcher's observed data.
Narrative A
What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic. The region is experiencing climate stress faster than anyone could have imagined. We need to not only curb emissions immediately but reverse the ecological damage we've already inflicted if we want to protect our planet and its fragile ecosystem.
Narrative B
Don't buy the latest alarmism. Climate doomsayers and mainstream media fail to give fair coverage to data that shows the positive impacts of a healthy and changing climate. For example, increased emissions have acted as fertilizer and created a "global greening" effect on parts of the planet an area two times the size of the US. Only the shocking headlines grab the media's attention.
Nerd narrative
There's a 23% chance that there will be a 3.6 degrees celsius increase in global warming by 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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