Report: FBI Misused Database for Jan. 6, Racial Protests
According to an opinion from the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), which oversees US spy agencies, the FBI improperly searched an intelligence database for information on suspects in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots and those arrested during the 2020 George Floyd protests.
The court found that the FBI used the special intelligence database, launched after the 9/11 attacks and maintained under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to conduct over 300K alleged abuses between 2020 and early 2021.
The report also claimed the FBI searched 133 identifiers of people "in connection with civil unrest and protests" around " the same time as the Black Lives Matter protests," 23K people believed to be involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and over 19K donors to a congressional campaign.
Establishment-critical narrative
The FBI hasn't followed its own ethical guidelines for a long time, going at least as far back as 2016 when it ordered the illegitimate FISA warrant to wiretap the Trump campaign. The agency that's supposed to protect Americans instead spied on hundreds of thousands of them — and that's just regarding two protest movements. As the law's renewal date nears closer, these abhorrent abuses of power will be on the minds of both parties in Congress.
Pro-establishment narrative
While there are certainly flaws in Section 702 that need correcting, America shouldn't forget that FISA searches have stopped ransomware and cyber attacks, helped combat aggression from China, and even aided in the drone strike on al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri last summer. The brave members of US intelligence agencies are constantly working to improve their analytical skills and ethical standards, but they shouldn't be stripped of this important tool due to a few mistakes.
Greece Elections: Ruling Conservatives Win Majority
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's center-right New Democracy party won 40.8% of the vote in Sunday's elections but fell short of the absolute majority needed to form a government on its own.
With nearly all the votes counted, Mitsotakis's party is 20 points ahead of Alexis Tsipras' center-left Syriza party, which received about 20% of the vote. The socialist Pasok party came in third with 11.5% of the vote.
Referring to the election results as a "political earthquake," Mitsotakis said his party had received the mandate to "govern independently and strongly" and indicated he would seek a runoff election to prevent a coalition government.
Narrative A
New Democracy's resounding victory indicates that Greeks want Mitsotakis to continue on the path of economic recovery, reforms, and stability. After the country's severe debt crisis in the 2010s, economic growth has resumed, and exports and the investment climate have improved thanks to New Democracy's initiatives. Aided by EU funds and a business-friendly government that has restored investor confidence, Greece is on the right track.
Narrative B
Mitsotakis won because Syriza weakened the left by bowing to the demands of big money and the EU troika while rejecting to form a leftist alliance and providing a convincing alternative for the country. As Greece is a prime example of how pleasing investors and the EU financial apparatus through "reforms" do not translate into better living conditions for ordinary citizens, its opposition parties must wake up, collaborate, and offer a solution to fix the nation's economic, social, and environmental woes if they dream of getting anywhere close to winning office.
Russia Warns US Over Ukrainian Attacks On Crimea
Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US, has warned America against permitting Ukraine to strike Crimea — the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Antonov's warning came on the back of America's approval of a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other fighter jets. Once such jets are in the hands of Ukrainian forces, they would deeply enhance and extend Kyiv's strike capabilities.
The warning also came following comments from US Pres. Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who told CNN over the weekend: "We have not placed limitations on Ukraine being able to strike on its territory within its internationally recognized borders. What we have said is that we will not enable Ukraine — with US systems, Western systems — to attack Russia and we believe Crimea is Ukraine."
Narrative A
Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine did not start in February 2022, but in 2014 when it illegally annexed the peninsula of Crimea. What started in that Ukrainian territory should end there; Kyiv has every right to try and regain the peninsula within its internationally recognized borders.
Narrative B
While Ukraine may have a legal and moral case for attempting to retake Crimea, strategically and politically, it's not a good idea. Following a year of war, Ukraine's forces are already heavily degraded and they may become too thinly stretched in attempting to take the peninsula that has been heavily fortified since being taken by Russia nearly a decade ago.
Pro-Russia narrative
After the coup in Ukraine in 2014, protests against the putsch erupted in Crimea and its residents overwhelmingly voted to reunify with Russia through a referendum. Crimea is legally part of the Russian Federation and any attacks on it should be treated as attacks on Russian sovereignty.
Nerd narrative
There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
China Bans US Chipmaker Micron From Infrastructure Projects
A PRC regulator has announced that US computer chip manufacturer Micron has been banned from use in domestic infrastructure projects.
In a statement, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced that Micron products — which include semiconductors and solid-state hard drives — pose "serious network security risks," and that "operators of critical information infrastructure" should stop purchasing from Micron.
Micron, the first US chipmaker to face Chinese restrictions, said that it is "continuing to engage in discussions with Chinese authorities." This move comes after the US enacted a series of export controls to stop the use of American components in the Chinese defense industry.
Anti-China narrative
China lacks the domestic capacity to produce high-tech chips for its military. Beijing is further isolating itself from the global semiconductor industry by lashing out at one of America's biggest chipmakers. Despite the massive cash flows into the industry, there is little evidence of a worthy payoff due to scientific and institutional constraints. This move against Micron is a nationalistic blunder that will harm the country in the long run.
Pro-China narrative
The Micron case is an isolated incident that will not affect China's willingness to do business with the world or its advanced technology industries. Micron failed a routine national security review, as Beijing seeks to have some of the most secure cyberinfrastructures in the world. China welcomes businesses in all industries, provided they comply with China's prudent regulations.
UN: Climate Change Caused 2M Deaths, $4.3T Damages in Last 50 Years
On Monday, the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that, over the last 50 years, nearly 12K extreme weather events linked with climate change have killed over 2M people and racked up more than $4.3T in damages.
The report said that over 90% of the deaths occurred in developing countries with WMO chief Petteri Taalas saying, "The most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards."
While a majority of the deaths occurred in developing nations, as well as a large portion of the economic losses, roughly $1.7T occurred in the developed US.
Pro-establishment narrative
World governments agree that something needs to be done about climate change, however, they don't all agree on what actions need to take place. A compromise will need to be reached in several key areas carbon taxes, the capping, and trading of private-sector greenhouse gas emissions, clean energy standards, international agreements, adaptation policies, tech investments, and financial risks. Critical policy decisions in these areas that address the necessary changes to reverse climate change and the appetite of society will be the key to saving our planet or shutting the door to the possibility of change.
Establishment-critical narrative
In the US, extreme heat is the number one killer of Americans. Impoverished people and people of color are often the victims. They are more likely to work and live in the more populous, urban areas with limited means for cooling themselves. Globally, marginalized populations like Indigenous people and poor people face the same challenges. Soaring temps will exacerbate health challenges that pregnant women and other vulnerable populations face unless the world's governments step up and use what little time is remaining to reduce emissions and upgrade critical infrastructure to provide adequate protection. The international community's response has been inadequate to date.
Narrative C
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.
Nerd narrative
There's an 85% chance that there will be at least 2ËšC degrees of global warming by 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
El Salvador Soccer Stadium Stampede Leaves at Least 12 Dead
At least a dozen people were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede at Monumental Stadium [Estadio Cuscatlán] in El Salvador on Saturday, where soccer clubs Alianza and FAS were playing a national league quarterfinal game.
National Civil Police Director Mauricio Arriaza detailed on Sunday that nine of the confirmed casualties died in the stadium, while the remaining fatal victims died in different hospitals.
Some 90 people, including minors, were transferred to local hospitals to receive medical attention, with Health Minister Francisco Alabi adding that most of those hospitalized patients are in stable condition.
Narrative A
The home team Alianza, fraudsters, and police are the main culprits for this tragic outcome in the latest game of El Salvador's fiercest soccer rivalry. Tickets were irresponsibly oversold and counterfeited, prompting reportedly 8K people to gather outside the venue and force their way in. Given the importance of this game, such problems should have been anticipated and the police presence should have been increased.
Narrative B
This disaster stems directly from failures in the stadium's internet networks as a large number of supporters gathered outside the venue, which prompted some fans to be blocked due to a malfunctioning QR code system on one of the gates. It's the stadium management that is ultimately responsible for this tragedy.
SpaceX Sends Saudi Astronauts to ISS
The second-ever private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) took off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Sunday. Aboard the mission from [US firm] Axiom Space was Saudi Arabia's first two astronauts to travel to an orbital laboratory, Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, and fighter pilot Ali Al-Qarni.
The team also includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee who is serving as the pilot. They were planned to reach the ISS Monday morning and return a week later, landing off the coast of Florida.
While at the ISS, the group will conduct about 20 experiments, including studying the behavior of stem cells in zero gravity. They will also join seven others already aboard the station — three Russians, three Americans, and Emirati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi.
Narrative A
This is the beginning of not only privatized space tourism but the creation of space stations other than the ISS. Axiom plans to connect its own modules to the ISS by 2025 and then detach them to create a completely separate outer space laboratory. This flight has also shown the potential for space exploration companies to bring countries together and provide access to space travel to previously excluded groups.
Narrative B
Space tourism is a rich man's game, and it will remain that way for a long time. Even the shorter and much quicker trips, like Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson's flight into orbit, cost $250K. As for spending time on the ISS, that has and will continue to cost tens of millions of dollars. Space ventures continue to be a pet project of the wealthy.
EU Fines Meta $1.3B Over Data Privacy
On Monday, the European Union fined Meta's Facebook a record €1.2B ($1.3B) for "systematic, repetitive, and continuous" transfers of users' data from Europe to the United States.
The Irish Data Protection Commission, which acts on behalf of the EU, alleges Meta infringed on the EU's General Data Protection Regulation by failing to "address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects" identified in the EU's Court of Justice.
The Commission ordered Meta to put in place measures to halt all future transfers of personal data from the EU to the US in the next five months and to stop "the unlawful processing, including storage, in the US of personal data of EU/EEA [European Economic Area] users transferred" in violation of the Regulation within six months.
Pro-establishment narrative
This fine is unfair as it singles out Facebook for using the exact legal mechanism thousands of US companies follow to provide services in Europe. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent for the countless tech firms transferring data between the EU and the US.
Establishment-critical narrative
As US intelligence agencies — through their close relationship with Big Tech — have used data transfers to collect European citizens' information, this is a big win for privacy. Meta should also count its blessings, as it's been breaking European law for ten years and could have been fined the maximum of $4B.
Narrative C
This is another example of policing the internet cloaked as providing "data safety" for European users. Though it strikes a blow against surveillance capitalism — which has become Silicon Valley's default model for capital accumulation — the fine is inconsequential for Europeans' rights as Meta will likely hold on to data it has moved unlawfully.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the US will break up Meta Platforms no earlier than January 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Modi Documentary: BBC Issued With Summons by Indian Court
As part of an ongoing defamation case over a documentary created by the BBC about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the broadcaster has received a summons from Delhi's high court.
The suit alleges that the documentary, which critiqued Modi's leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, maliciously defamed India. A BBC spokesperson acknowledged that the broadcaster was "aware of the court proceedings," and they added that commenting on developments "would be inappropriate…at this stage."
Aside from criticism in India suggesting the program — titled 'India: the Modi Question' — undermined the reputation of the country, its judiciary, and the Prime Minister, BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai also faced an inspection by Indian tax officials in February.
Pro-establishment narrative
Modi's relentless suppression of dissent is now impacting press freedom, as the world's largest democracy attempts to censor the investigation of independent journalists. It's evident that the Prime Minister is leading the BJP in failing to condone attacks on Muslims throughout the predominantly Hindu nation of India. The global publicity Modi has generated with this vindictive response may well pose more problems for his reputation than it solves.
Establishment-critical narrative
Modi is an outstandingly poor media manager, and his response to this BBC fiasco proves it. The age of modern media makes it impossible to ban anything so, by attempting to suppress it, the Prime Minister is catapulting the profile of this documentary. Rather than banning it, the Indian government should be transparent about what this documentary is — a total fabrication masquerading as journalism.
Nerd narrative
There is a 53% chance that there will be a non-BJP Prime Minister of India before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: Trump was Warned About Keeping Classified Documents
As special prosecutor Jack Smith investigates why former Pres. Donald Trump didn’t comply with a subpoena related to classified documents, a new report claims he was warned by Evan Corcoran, his lawyer, about keeping classified documents that had been subpoenaed for return last year.
Corcoran reportedly preserved around 50 pages of contemporaneous notes regarding his warning, information on how Trump and his valet arranged to have boxes moved between rooms at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, and how he had advanced knowledge of where Corcoran would be searching for documents.
Corcoran last June returned around 40 documents he found in the storage room and told the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) there were no more classified materials on the property. The FBI later returned to Mar-a-Lago and seized more than 100 more documents.
Anti-Trump narrative
These notes are a big problem for the former president because they show how he and others around him were obstructing the government’s attempt to retrieve the documents. It’s frankly senseless that they were coordinating to move these boxes around and playing a shell game with the DOJ – considering there was no way they were going to get away with it.
Pro-Trump narrative
The continued targeting of Trump over this is ridiculous. Currently, there’s another special counsel investigating Biden’s possession of classified documents from when he was vice president, and former VP Mike Pence also faced a document controversy. In fact, every president since Reagan has been found to possess classified documents, yet none of these other former officials are being attacked and investigated like Trump.
Nerd narrative
There's a 37% chance that any US court will rule that Donald J Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency before January 20, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.