Australia To Investigate Ex-PM Morrison
On Tues., Australian PM Anthony Albanese announced a new investigation into former PM Scott Morrison, who's accused of secretly appointing himself to five ministries during the COVID pandemic.
While the time frame and nature of the upcoming inquiry are still to be determined, the cabinet has stated it will be a legal investigation to consider the "implications" of Morrison's actions.
This comes after an earlier probe carried out by the country's Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue determined that Morrison imperiled the principles of a "responsible government" even though his actions were legal.
Left narrative
Despite Morrison claiming his parallel, secret cabinet was established due to exceptional scenarios during the COVID pandemic, it's clear these moves have deepened the gradual weakening of the Australian democracy. This must serve as a warning for Australia to repair its democratic safeguards.
Right narrative
While Morrison's actions were disturbing, there's too much hypocrisy and dishonesty in deeming him a despot or a dictator. All Australian governments have been guilty of overreach, and it's nonsensical to claim this move did any more damage to Australian democracy, especially compared to how citizens were confined to their homes by the government during COVID.
Nerd narrative
There's a 42% chance that the Coalition will win the next Australian federal election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Seeks to Block FBI from Reviewing Mar-a-Lago Documents
Lawyers for Trump requested in a Mon. court filing that the FBI be prevented from continuing to review documents recovered earlier this month from the former president's Mar-a-Lago home until a neutral "special master" is appointed to inspect the records.
The filing - assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appointed to the bench by Trump - asks that the Dept. of Justice provide a more detailed property receipt outlining items seized during the Aug. 8 search, and that anything outside the scope of the warrant be returned.
Trump's suit accuses the federal government of violating his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure with the raid, which is believed to be the first time the home of a former president was searched in connection with a criminal case.
Pro-Trump narrative
It's unprecedented and absurd for the FBI to target a former president, especially when that former president is considering a run for office against the current administration. The affidavit underpinning the raid will eventually have to be made public, and the American people will hopefully then know the real reasons why Trump is under attack.
Democratic narrative
Federal law enforcement officials have acted in accordance with due process They believe there's evidence of a crime, so they consulted a judge, were granted and then executed a search warrant. By inflaming tensions among Trump's base and calling into question the FBI as an institution the GOP is taking the dangerous and indefensible position that Trump is above the law.
Day 181 Roundup: Russia Blames Ukrainian Spy for Dugina Murder; Zelenskyy Vows to Retake Crimea
On Mon., Russia's intelligence and security service, the FSB, blamed its Ukrainian counterpart for a car bomb that killed Darya Dugina – daughter of Putin-ally Aleksander Dugin – in the outskirts of Moscow last week. Having conducted "urgent detective measures," the FSB alleged that Natalia Vovk, a Ukrainian citizen, was the perpetrator, and found that "the crime was prepared and committed by Ukrainian secret services."
The FSB released a video which they said showed Vovk enter Russia with her daughter on July 23, followed by doorbell camera footage which they said showed her enter the Moscow apartment building where Dugina lived. The final clip allegedly shows Vovk leave the country on Aug. 21 via the Russia-Estonia border, one day after the car bomb detonated.
Russian officials said Vovk has been placed on wanted lists and that they plan to demand her extradition from Estonia. Meanwhile, Oleksii Danilov, Sec. of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the country had no interest in Dugina and alleged Dugina's death was "the work of the Russian secret services." Dugina's funeral was held in Moscow on Tuesday.
Anti-Russia narrative
Each claim the FSB makes over Dugina's death raises more questions than it answers. According to the security service, Natalia Vovk entered Russia with her daughter, moved around undetected while frequently changing the plates on her Mini Cooper, and then planted and detonated a professional explosive device before leaving the country. The speed at which the FSB has discovered 'conclusive' video evidence, especially while it has failed to solve the high-profile murders of Putin critics, prompts scepticism.
Pro-Russia narrative
Not only does the FSB video show Vovk enter the country with a licence plate from the Donetsk People's Republic, she is pictured using plates from Kazakhstan in Moscow and Ukrainian plates as she left the nation. She was also recorded attending the event at which Dugina was a guest speaker on the day she was killed. Is this the behavior of an innocent person?
Nerd narrative
There is an 11% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UK Intelligence Accused of Tip-Off Leading to Sikh Activist's Torture
British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 stand accused of tipping off Indian authorities about a British national, providing information that led to his abduction and alleged torture by Punjab police in India.
Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, Scotland, was arrested in India in 2017. His family say he was bundled into an unmarked car. He has remained in detention ever since where he has allegedly been tortured, including being subjected to electric shocks.
Johal was a blogger and campaigner of Sikh rights in the UK before his arrest. Indian authorities in May charged him with crimes related to Sikh nationalism, including conspiracy to commit murder and membership in a terrorist organization. He potentially faces the death penalty.
Narrative A
The UK government has an obligation to protect the liberty of its citizens and yet no one is acting on behalf of Johal. British authorities are choosing to prioritize the convenience of maintaining diplomatic relations with India over the protection of minority rights - the move shows a lack of integrity and reveals double standards in the way the UK denounces arbitrary detention in other countries but refuses to do anything for its own citizens.
Narrative B
Johal isn't as innocent as many media outlets are making out - he has in fact helped to fund violent terrorists who murdered people in targeted killings. While he certainly doesn't deserve to be tortured, his detention is not nearly as 'arbitrary' as western media is portraying.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that India's rating in the Freedom In the World Report will be at least 65.8 out of 100 - meaning the nation is considered at least "partly free" - in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
NASA Reveals New Pictures of Jupiter
On Mon., NASA released new images of Jupiter, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The infrared images show detailed views of the gas giant's turbulent atmosphere, capturing its Great Red Spot - a storm that has been raging for centuries and is big enough to swallow Earth. Jupiter's auroras, rings, and two of its moons, Amalthea and Adrastea, can also be seen.
The images were taken with the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which can detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies. Since JWST observes in infrared light - which is invisible to the human eye - the images don't show the colors as they would look to the naked eye.
Narrative A
This is a massive achievement, but also a massive risk. A $10B 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.
Narrative B
While admittedly the stakes of developing and using the JSWT are high, everyone involved in the project has approached it with caution, and it has clearly paid off. From effective cooperation to groundbreaking discovery, this telescope has seen tremendous success on all fronts, and this is only the beginning.
Kansas: Partial Recount Favors Abortion Rights
A partial recount has affirmed an August 2 referendum result in support of retaining Kansas's constitutionally protected right to abortion, with a discrepancy of fewer than 100 votes after the last county recounted on Sunday.
The referendum saw Kansans reject a ballot initiative that sought to remove abortion rights protections enshrined in the state's Bill of Rights by 59 to 41 percent.
The partial recount was conducted by hand in nine out of the 105 counties, with those opposed to stripping abortion rights from the constitution losing 57 votes and those in favor gaining six votes.
Left narrative
As proven by this referendum, most Americans support the right to control one's own body, including the right to an abortion. Republicans clearly weren't in touch with reality when they decided to bring this vote to the primary ballot and when they demanded a recount.
Right narrative
While this is a disappointing loss for Kansans and Americans nationwide, it's only one round in the abortion dispute. The pro-life movement must work even more diligently to educate people on ways to protect the preborn and their mothers.
Ford to Appeal $1.7B Verdict in Truck Crash Case
Ford Motor Co. said Sunday it will appeal a Georgia jury's ruling that it should pay $1.7B in punitive damages over a fatal car crash involving one of its older-model pick-up trucks.
The children of a couple who died in April 2014 after crashing their 2002 F-250 model sued Ford, arguing the company knowingly sold trucks with dangerously defective roofs vulnerable to rollovers to save money.
The plaintiffs' attorneys argued Ford sold the defectively designed trucks made between 1999 and 2016, despite alleged evidence the models failed internal company testing.
Narrative A
With evidence showing that the billion-dollar company's negligence resulted in the deaths of two individuals, this verdict is more than reasonable. There are millions of these defective trucks on the road, and this will hopefully send a message to both consumers and manufacturers.
Narrative B
While this is a tragic case, the $1.7B verdict is out of proportion In the past, SCOTUS has ruled that punitive damage awards shouldn't exceed nine times the amount of compensatory damages. Ford will likely be able to recoup some of the awarded funds.
Musk Subpoenas Twitter Whistleblower
On Mon., Elon Musk's lawyers issued a subpoena to Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko as part of an effort to back out of the $44B deal to purchase the social media company.
Zatko recently made a complaint to regulatory agencies and the Justice Dept. accusing Twitter of misleading the public and Musk about its security practices, an accusation Twitter executives deny.
Twitter is suing Musk to enforce the agreed-upon purchase, with Musk countersuing and claiming the company wasn't forthcoming about spam account data. The two parties are set to go to trial on Oct. 17.
Narrative A
This could be the breakthrough Musk needs to make a more legitimate exit from this deal. Although his claims about bots are weak, revelations about data privacy violations could have a better chance of convincing a judge he has a right to terminate his agreement with Twitter.
Narrative B
This might not help Musk as much as he hopes with the trial coming up quickly, the court may be hesitant to allow him to include these allegations in his case, and Musk would have to meet a higher standard of proving fraud in a federal court.
Report: Qatar Detains Workers Protesting Late Pay
Qatar reportedly recently arrested at least 60 foreign workers protesting outside the offices of Al Bandary International Group, a conglomerate including construction, hotels, real estate, and food services, among other enterprises.
According to the human and labor rights organization Equidem, police allegedly held the protesters in a detention center without air conditioning, despite temperatures this week reaching 41°C (105.8°F).
With some workers not receiving compensation for as long as seven months, the news adds to the already intense scrutiny over labor practices in the Arab Gulf nation set to host the FIFA World Cup in a few months.
Narrative A
Qatar has made some progress since its World Cup selection, but the oil-rich nation is still failing to provide its migrant workers with timely compensation and safe working conditions. Though it's too late to strip the country of its host status, the international community must use the upcoming tournament as an opportunity to call for labor reform.
Narrative B
Ever since the international World Cup organization chose Qatar as its 2022 host country, outside actors have singled the country out for criticism. The Arab Gulf nation has made immense progress in reforming its labor practices, and any reports of dangerous work conditions and deaths are baseless and have been deliberately overblown.
Calif. Gov. Newsom Vetoes Bill Calling for Legal Injections Sites
On Mon., CA Dem. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have created safe drug injection sites intended to reduce overdose deaths.
Senate Bill 57 moved to implement a tri-city program in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland that would legalize drug use in places supervised by trained staff to prevent accidental overdoses.
Although Newsom says he is still open to the program, he cited concerns about needing strong plans in place to prevent unintended consequences of the bill that could worsen drug consumption.
Republican narrative
They actually did it – the progressives of Calif. passed legislation so radical even Newsom couldn't back it. While preventing overdoses is a noble venture, encouraging drug use isn't the way to do it. This bill sends the wrong message to drug users, their families, and the community at large.
Democratic narrative
Newsom is putting his political ambitions ahead of public health. We know from years of experience and studies that these sites - which Newsom has supported in the past - work. However, he's clearly thinking ahead to his potential campaign for national office and doesn't want to give his conservative critics the ability to tie him to open drug use.
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