Mayor Eric Adams Supports NYC Bill Granting Noncitizens Voting Rights
New York Mayor Eric Adams has declared his support for a controversial voting bill passed late last year, despite initial reservations.
The bill grants legal residents the right to vote in local elections.
They will be able to register to vote at the end of the year, and can begin voting on Jan. 9, 2023.
Left narrative
The law will give more people who live and pay taxes in NYC a say in how it's run.
Right narrative
This could infringe upon the rights of citizens, enable foreign powers to influence US elections, and discourage legal residents from pursuing citizenship.
EU Proposes Suspending Billions in Hungary Funding
The European Commission on Sunday recommended the suspension of about €7.5 B ($7.5B) in funding to Hungary over corruption and rule of law concerns, according to the EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
The Commission's proposal reportedly calls for the suspension of 65% of the funds allocated to Budapest under the EU's cohesion policy. The suspension would be in addition to the €5.8B ($5.8B) allocated, but not approved, by the Commission to Hungary under the COVID recovery fund.
The proposal is reportedly the first such case under a new sanction mechanism designed to improve the EU's protection of the rule of law. The measure was introduced two years ago in response to the alleged erosion of democracy in Poland and Hungary.
Establishment-critical narrative
The European Commission's proposal to potentially freeze billions of euros in cohesion funding for Budapest is not primarily about democracy and the rule of law. This is about punishing the government of Orbán for sovereign actions that don't submit to the dictates of the Brussels apparatus.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's high time that the EU proves its ability to act in defense of its values by actually implementing punitive measures. Otherwise, it risks further erosion of its credibility, and countries like Hungary and Poland could feel emboldened in their populist, anti-democratic policies. If Orbán doesn't implement the announced anti-corruption measures, consequences must follow.
Day 208 Roundup: Ukraine to Top UN General Assembly Agenda, Zelenskyy Promises No 'Lull' in War Effort
Amid several global challenges, the war in Ukraine is set to dominate the agenda at this year's meeting of the UN's General Assembly, held annually in New York. While some heads of state were travelling for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, most are expected to return by Tuesday, when the general debate of the meeting kicks off.
Last week, following an objection from Russia, the UN voted to allow a pre-recorded address from Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy to be shown to the assembly. Typical UN rules require that all speeches be delivered in person, although they've been delivered virtually for the last three years due to COVID.
Ahead of the meeting, the UN's Sec. General António Guterres said: "The General Assembly is meeting at a time of great peril." Meanwhile, in his nightly address on Sunday, Zelenskyy promised there'd be no let-up in fighting to take back Ukrainian land. He said: "Perhaps some of you might think now that after a series of victories there is a certain lull. But this is not a lull. We are preparing for the next series of [liberated cities]."
Establishment-critical narrative
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February demonstrated just how toothless and impotent the UN has become. Its system is too weak to take deterrent action, and has become an instrument of manipulation by powerful states. Before it can have a positive impact, it needs thorough and comprehensive reform.
Pro-establishment narrative
There are certainly some flaws within the UN that the invasion of Ukraine has exposed, but other features of its system have retained their usefulness. The charter provided Ukraine with an irrefutable legal standard of aggression that became the basis for international support, while Guterres has added his voice and prestige to condemnations of the Kremlin. The UN has provided a forum of acknowledged international legitimacy - through this, nations have denounced Russian aggression.
Nerd narrative
There is a 5% 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.
Cheetahs Reintroduced to India After 70 Years
Coinciding with his birthday, India's PM Narendra Modi released eight radio-collared African cheetahs into the Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh, on Saturday after a 13-year effort to restore the species in India.
Once widespread in India, cheetahs became extinct 70 years ago due to hunting and habitat loss from human expansion. They remain the first and only predator in the country to die out since India's independence in 1947.
The cheetah population in most countries is declining, with the only exception being South Africa, where the cats have run out of space. With less than 7k adult cheetahs left in the wild globally, Indian conservationists hope that importing African cheetahs will thrive and also support the preservation of grasslands.
Narrative A
Cheetahs are highly-adaptable animals, and this is a victory for conservation efforts in India and worldwide. The release site was thoroughly examined for habitat, prey, and potential for human-animal interactions. This reintroduction will help restore the ecosystems for big cats and will help build local economies.
Narrative B
Skepticism is warranted, and conservationists are correct in calling this effort a "vanity project." African cheetahs are only a subspecies of the endangered Asiatic cheetah and are not native to the Indian subcontinent. Growing fears of the imported cats not having enough room to roam, combined with the fact they aren't native to the area, paints the project more as a PR stunt for Modi than a genuine victory for the planet.
Taliban and US Agree on Prisoner Swap
The Taliban and the US have completed a prisoner swap following extensive negotiations, Afghanistan's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Monday.
Mattaqi said Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran who was kidnapped in February 2020 while working as a contractor in Afghanistan, was exchanged for Bashir Noorzai - reportedly a key Taliban ally held at Guantanamo Bay since 2005 on drug charges. The exchange took place at Kabul airport.
Frerichs, 60, lived in Kabul for more than a decade and worked on civil engineering and construction contracts. He was abducted less than a month before the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban on Feb. 29, 2020 – precipitating America's withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of last year.
Pro-establishment narrative
This deal demonstrates that, with careful negotiation, the US government and the Taliban can agree on shared problems. Perhaps this swap could lead to further progress in other discussions, and enhanced stability in Afghanistan, which is struggling deeply and growing isolated from the global community.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite this deal, the US government and the Taliban remain oceans apart. Not only is the US refusing to release Afghanistan's $9B in funds, but there are also ongoing concerns about human rights, including freedom of speech and girls' education in the country. Deep tensions remain between the Taliban and the international community, making a meaningful detente suspect at best.
Nerd narrative
There's a 25% chance that the United States will recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Hurricane Fiona Knocks Out Power to Puerto Rico
On Monday morning, areas of Puerto Rico woke up without power following the landfall of Hurricane Fiona on Sunday. The Category 1 storm caused widespread flooding and landslides across the island as it moved west toward the Dominican Republic.
Officials stated that power had begun to be restored on Sunday night but reconnecting the entire grid could take days.
The island's power grid remains weak following the damage it sustained in 2017 from Hurricane Maria. This category 5 storm left more than 3k people dead and caused the largest blackout in US history.
Establishment-critical narrative
Puerto Rico lost all electric power in 2017 due to Hurricane Maria. Five years later, very little has changed. The power grid is fragile and remains vulnerable to tropical storms, a fact proven by the effects of Hurricane Fiona, a much weaker storm. Federal and local agencies have so far failed to find a solution for coordinating and working together to protect Puerto Ricans.
Pro-establishment narrative
While it's true that reconstruction of Puerto Rico's infrastructure after Hurricane Maria, including its power grid, has only started recently, efforts to coordinate agencies are already well underway. This is precisely why necessary measures to restore electrical services to customers were able to be taken quickly following the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Fiona.
Nerd narrative
There's a 39% chance that Puerto Rico will be admitted as a United States state before January 1, 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Yeshiva University Suspends Clubs After SCOTUS Ruling
Yeshiva University in NY has suspended all student clubs following a SCOTUS ruling forcing it to recognize LGBTQ+ student organizations on campus pending further court actions.
In an email to students on Friday, the university said it would "hold off on all undergraduate club activities" while it takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by SCOTUS to protect YU's religious freedom.
This dispute started with the university's Pride Alliance seeking full recognition from the school, which is an Orthodox Jewish institution. A NY state court sided with the Pride Alliance, and SCOTUS didn't put a hold on that ruling.
Right narrative
This case affects the future of Yeshiva University and the First Amendment rights of all American religious institutions. Since the government has chosen to tell Yeshiva how a faith-based school can operate, the university has rightly decided to halt all student clubs until the legal process has been sorted out.
Left narrative
Religious freedom shouldn't be used as a smoke screen for discriminative policies. Yeshiva University is overreacting to a ruling that promotes a safe and inclusive student body. Many Yeshiva graduate schools have welcomed LGBTQ+ clubs for decades, proving the university's current argument baseless.
Biden Reaffirms the US Would Defend Taiwan if China Attacks
In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday, Biden vowed the US would defend Taiwan in the case of an “unprecedented attack” by China, including by sending American troops.
However, a White House official backtracked these remarks, claiming that the US's "strategic ambiguity" on deploying troops to defend Taiwan hasn't changed.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US fears that Beijing could potentially attack Taiwan have generally increased. Last week, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced a bill to expand support to Taiwan and designate it a non-NATO ally.
Establishment-critical narrative
Biden once understood the subtleties of US-Taiwan-China dynamics, but now he seems to be itching for a fight. Despite the White House walking back the president’s words, Beijing has no choice but to look at the rhetoric and action Congress is taking, and assume the US is escalating. These tensions were avoidable.
Pro-establishment narrative
Biden's words send a strong message about global democracy to authoritarians worldwide. It’s China who has been saber-rattling over Taiwan, possibly because the PRC is inspired by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. So while Biden’s words don’t change "official" US policy on Taiwan, they show a willingness to tighten the bond while sending a strong message to US allies.
Nerd narrative
There's a 65% chance that if China invades Taiwan before 2035, the US respond with military forces according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Biden Interview: Pandemic is 'Over'
In an appearance on 60 Minutes on Sunday, US Pres. Biden said that he believed the COVID pandemic phase is "over," though he acknowledged that the US still has a "problem" with the virus that has killed over 1M Americans.
Last week, the WHO declared the end of the pandemic was "in sight," with global weekly deaths at their lowest level since March 2020. Despite this, nearly 400 people per day continue to die of COVID in the US.
During the interview, Biden asserted that the US is "still doing a lot of work" on COVID, and, "if you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing."
Narrative A
Even as society begins to "move on," COVID is still killing hundreds of Americans a day, and inflicting great suffering on long haulers. Though death tolls have fallen from their grim peaks, many are still not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, and the issue of underlying health conditions will continue. COVID shouldn't be erased from our awareness even if things are "better" for many Americans.
Narrative B
Many Americans are understandably ready to roll the credits on the COVID pandemic and live with the virus. Even if there are continued arguments over whether the pandemic is "technically" over or not, tired Americans are tuning out public health messaging and many have turned the page. Data shows a willingness of Americans to calculate their individual risk and make their own decisions.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that COVID will be eradicated by November 2091, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UN Denounces Exclusion of Afghan Girls from School
The UN said on Sunday that it is increasingly concerned about the exclusion of Afghan girls from high school, which it condemned as "shameful," and called for the Taliban to reopen said schools.
This comes a year after the Taliban reopened high schools only for boys, a move that Markus Potzel, the acting head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), deemed "profoundly damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself."
Following the US withdrawal and the Taliban's capturing of the country, more than 1M Afghan girls are believed to have been barred from school, and women are required to cover themselves from head to toe in public, with only their eyes showing.
Republican narrative
The current attacks on women's rights in Afghanistan are a direct result of the Biden administration's decision to withdraw from the country. His administration may pontificate about women's rights, but it has no way of enforcing them without troops on the ground.
Democratic narrative
While US involvement in Afghanistan saw significant gains for women's rights, the fact that Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly following its withdrawal indicates that the yields weren't sustainable without indefinite US presence, which itself wasn't sustainable or realistic.
Nerd narrative
There's a 25% chance that the US will recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Palestinian Schools Strike Over Alleged Censorship
Hundreds of Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem closed on Monday in response to Israel's Jerusalem municipality's plan to introduce Israeli curriculum and textbooks in the classroom.
The strike, which was called for by the unified parents committee and Palestinian National and Islamic Forces, is reportedly being observed by most of the 280 Palestinian schools in the region, affecting up to 115k students grades K-12.
Palestinian parents and students have also held protests across the city, chanting slogans such as "no to the distorted curriculum" and "no to Israelizing education."
Pro-Palestine narrative
Not only has Israel occupied Palestinian land by force, but now they're attempting to occupy the minds of Palestinian students. This strike is needed in the face of Israel's invasion, and these students and parents shouldn't stop until their right to teach Palestinian curriculum has been affirmed.
Pro-Israel narrative
The shift in the curriculum in East Jerusalem schools isn't new, as Israel has been introducing modernized schooling for several years now. Israel is not attempting to wipe away the Palestinian narrative, as some have alleged, but only to strengthen the academic output in the region and remove material aimed at radicalizing Palestinian children in a hatred towards Israel.