US, Taliban to Hold Talks in Doha
The US State Department announced Wednesday that US diplomats will meet with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, before the end of July to discuss "critical interests," including humanitarian support, economic stabilization, security, and women's rights.
Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed, however, that the first round of talks since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 doesn't indicate any kind of recognition, normalization, or legitimacy of the regime.
Before heading to Qatar, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri met with officials from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to discuss Afghanistan in Astana.
Pro-establishment narrative
The talks in Doha between US and Taliban delegates do not represent a change in US policy of any kind but rather an attempt to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by the fundamentalist de facto rulers as well as the recent marginalization of Afghan women and girls. It's in the US best interest to engage with the Taliban appropriately to solve these issues.
Establishment-critical narrative
Afghanistan is in a terrible situation facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, so talks are necessary if the situation is to improve, as the main driver of this suffering has been the sanctions and banking restrictions imposed by the US. Given that the Taliban has succeeded in halting violence and preventing another destructive civil war, it's about time for the international community to change its approach.
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.
Niger: Soldiers Announce Coup on National TV
A day after members of Niger's presidential guard captured Pres. Mohamed Bazoum, soldiers announced on Thursday that the state has undergone a military coup on national TV.
While Pres. Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou had urged democratic forces in Niger to resist the coup, a statement on Thursday by Niger's army declared its support for the insurrection, claiming its priority was avoiding conflict "that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population."
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, alongside nine other military personnel, stated that the coup had "put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance." He announced that the state's borders were closed, all institutions were suspended, and a national curfew had been imposed.
Narrative A
With a plethora of West African nations becoming destabilized in recent years — in tandem with the presence of Islamic terrorists and even the Wagner Group operating in the Sahel — Niger's coup is another worrying sign of instability in the region. Niger's fall leaves the West with a dwindling list of partners capable of helping battle extremists in West Africa.
Narrative B
Despite the attempted coup, Bazoum has defiantly vowed to protect the hard-won democratic gains made by the country in recent years. Alongside global condemnation, Bazoum is holding his ground as he attempts to create a better life for one of the poorest and most coup-prone states in the world. The president has survived an attempted coup before, and he may be able to do so again.
More Details of US-Russia Diplomacy Talks Emerge
Further details of diplomatic talks between the US and Russia emerged this week after a former US official involved in the meetings spoke to the Moscow Times — an independent Russian outlet now based in Armenia to avoid possible persecution at home.
The existence of these back-channel discussions aimed at ending the war in Ukraine was first reported by NBC News earlier in the month, revealing that former US national security officials have been holding talks with prominent Russians believed to be close to the Kremlin. This process is known as "track two diplomacy" in which discussions don't involve current government officials.
On at least one occasion, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov took part in the discussions. This is referred to as "track 1.5 diplomacy," meaning that current officials are involved on one end of the talks. On the US side, participants have included Richard Haass, Charles Kupchan, Thomas Graham, and Mary Beth Long, among others. All are former US government officials.
Narrative A
The evidence suggests that, at every possible turn, the West has hampered — rather than fostered — a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Had talks been taken seriously since 2014, this whole war could've been avoided. Now with every day that passes, more destruction of Ukraine is brought. This is the time to bring the conflict to a close.
Narrative B
It's often argued that all wars end in negotiations so peace talks in this instance will inevitably have to be sought. Not only is this wrong, but premature negotiations can do more harm than good. If Russian and Ukrainian interests do not overlap, we could be setting the stage for another war.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that there will be a bilateral cease-fire or peace agreement in the Russo-Ukraine conflict before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Canada PM Trudeau Shakes Up Cabinet
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Wednesday changed nearly three-quarters of his cabinet, replacing seven ministers in a move that affected more than a dozen ministers in his Liberal Party.
The seven new cabinet members are Jenna Sudds, Rechie Valdez, Ya’ara Saks, Arif Virani, Gary Anandasangaree, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, and Terry Beech.
In all, 30 of 38 ministries were impacted in the biggest shakeup since the Liberal government took office in 2015.
Right narrative
Trudeau's government is long past its expiration date, and this shuffle won’t change its dismal electoral outlook. The government hasn’t addressed the housing or cost of living crises, as incompetent ministers have dragged the party into scandal and controversy time and again. This move was purely cosmetic and won’t have an impact.
Left narrative
These changes show Trudeau and the Liberals are getting serious about righting the ship. Trudeau has shown that he’s not afraid to make changes in order to get the country on the right track. The only poll that matters will be on Election Day, and there’s plenty of time for the Liberals to prove their worth to the voters.
Most of USWNT Silent During US Anthem Again
Most members of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) didn’t sing along with the US national anthem before their World Cup match against the Netherlands on Wednesday in New Zealand.
Although Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Lindsey Horan were seen singing, the majority of their teammates were silent before playing the Dutch team – who all sang with Netherlands’ anthem – to a 1-1 draw.
Previously before the team's opening game against Vietnam last Friday, six of the 11 US starting players didn’t place their hands over their hearts during the anthem – instead, keeping their arms at their sides or behind their backs.
Narrative A
These athletes are spoiled and disrespectful. They want the prestige that comes with playing for the USNWT, but they do a poor job of representing the country. They’re setting a poor example for younger Americans, who are becoming increasingly unappreciative of everything afforded them because they're American.
Narrative B
One of the things afforded all Americans is freedom of speech, and that’s exactly the right these players are exercising. Every American is fortunate to live in a country where they’re not forced to sing the anthem and can represent their country as they wish. Luckily, the players are focused on playing the matches while their critics are trying to make a controversy out of nothing.
Zuckerberg: House to Consider Contempt of Congress Recommendation
Before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee could consider a resolution recommending that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg be held in contempt of Congress, Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Thursday said the vote was on hold because Meta committed to cooperate with the committee's investigation.
The committee has asked Facebook to turn over internal communications similar to those it received from Twitter that allegedly showed the government pressuring the company to censor certain speech.
Jordan subpoenaed top executives from Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple in February as part of Republicans’ investigations into alleged suppression of conservative speech. Until now, Zuckerberg “willfully refused” to comply with the subpoena as characterized by Jordan.
Republican narrative
While Big Tech thinks it’s above the law and will be protected by Democrats, Republicans like Jordan are holding them to account. Meta and the other social media platforms must answer for censoring conservatives, so it might as well cooperate with the probe instead of being held in contempt.
Democratic narrative
This is all theatrics. Meta has done what’s been asked of it and cooperated as much as the other tech firms. But Jordan knows that targeting Zuckerberg will earn him headlines, while also pleasing Elon Musk — the owner of Meta-rival X, formerly Twitter. Musk has become an ally to Republicans, and Zuckerberg recently launched a competitor to X, so this could be a political price he has to pay.
US Fed Hikes Interest Rates by 0.25%
On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) hiked interest rates a quarter point, putting the benchmark rate in the 5.25%-5.50% range. Chair Jerome Powell also suggested that more might be needed to lower inflation to the Fed's 2% target.
The midpoint of the benchmark rate now stands at its highest since 2001, with Powell saying that it was "certainly possible" another hike could come at the Fed's September meeting, saying there is a "long way to go" before inflation returns to the central bank's target.
The recent hike was the 11th consecutive increase by the bank and their first after a one-month pause in rate movements in order to assess the economy. The Fed's inflation index stood at 3.8% in May, compared to a year prior, down from April's 4.3%.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Fed needs to stay the course on its inflation reduction regime, as every dire prediction of a Fed-induced collapse from the rate hikes has failed to come true. The economic outlook in the country is stabilizing, which gives the Fed more latitude to raise rates and help curb rapid inflation. Powell and the Fed are taking reasonable, responsible steps to fight inflation and should ignore the political pressure to hold back.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Fed needs to hold off on any additional interest hikes for the time being, lest they risk prematurely ending the economic growth America has been experiencing. The data suggests that the economy's hot streak will cool off by the end of the year as pandemic-era savings and stimulus money is depleted by households, with reports suggesting personal savings have reached a record high. The Fed should let the succession of rate hikes take its course before making another hike.
Singapore Executes First Woman in 20 Years
According to authorities, Singapore hanged Saridewi Djamani on Friday in what was the country's first execution of a woman in nearly 20 years.
Djamani — found guilty of trafficking heroin in 2018 — was one of two women on death row in Singapore. The last woman to be put to death was Yen May Woen in 2004 on drug-related charges, according to the human rights group Transformative Justice Collective.
This comes after Singapore reportedly executed Mohammed Aziz Hussain on Wednesday after being put on death row for trafficking heroin in 2018.
Narrative A
Singapore's zero-tolerance stance and strict narcotics laws have allowed the country to remain safe, secure, and relatively drug-free — which shows that capital punishment does work to deter drug traffickers. The death penalty is essential to Singapore's criminal justice system, and since it is an effective deterrent against drug-related crimes, the public widely supports it.
Narrative B
Those on death row in Singapore are often from the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in the city-state, and executing these people just goes to show that the Singaporean state views them just as disposable as their drug kingpins do. There's no evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent for drug-related crimes or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs. Singapore needs to repeal the death penalty.
El Salvador: Congress Votes to Allow Mass Trials for Gang Members
El Salvador’s congress passed legislation on Wednesday that will permit courts to try accused gang members in mass trials. This is an effort to expedite thousands of cases for those imprisoned under an operation against street gangs.
The new bill could allow the state to try up to 900 people at the same time if they come from the same region or are accused of belonging to the same designated criminal organization. It also increases prison time for gang leaders from 45 years to 60.
Legislators from Salvadoran Pres. Nayib Bukele’s New Ideas party, which has a majority in Congress, said the policy will strengthen security and efficiency. The bill passed by 67 votes in favor and six against.
Narrative A
In contrast with previous administrations, Bukele's crackdown on the country's notorious gangs has been highly successful — putting more than 60K dangerous criminals behind bars and dramatically slashing the murder rate that has plagued the nation for decades. Other nations in Latin America should take note of his wildly successful law and order policies, which have widespread approval with the voting public.
Narrative B
Bukele's all-out war on criminal organizations has taken a terrible toll on democracy and human rights. Thousands of innocent people have been arrested on loose grounds, as the rise in safety comes at the expense of grave human rights abuses. Bukele has consolidated his power to near-dictatorial levels — if he's let off the hook for his abuses, then any politician could be free from scrutiny.
Mitch McConnell Says He's 'Fine' After Press Conference Incident
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) froze mid-sentence while speaking during the GOP leadership conference Wednesday. The 81-year-old went silent for 19 seconds before being escorted away from the media by his top deputy, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and a physician.
McConnell went back to his office after the episode but returned to the podium a few minutes later to address reporters. McConnell told the press that he was “fine” and an aide said he was just feeling lightheaded.
This latest incident fueled speculation about the veteran politician’s health as McConnell is just four months removed from a fall that caused a concussion and broken rib. McConnell also reportedly fell during a February trip and on July 14 at Washington's Reagan National Airport.
Narrative A
It’s time to come out and state the obvious American politicians are too old, and it's hurting their ability to function in high-level positions. It is not discriminatory to acknowledge the cognitive and physical decline of people in their 80s and 90s, and it's wrong to look the other way when elderly people are clearly struggling to keep up with a high-demand job. There needs to be some testing and safeguards to protect both the politicians and their constituents from the effects of advanced age. America's gerontocracy is a legitimate cause for concern.
Narrative B
Americans have made great progress in opposing discrimination upon characteristics such as race, gender, and sexual orientation, yet many people seem to be just fine with blatant ageism. At every turn, older politicians on both sides are heavily scrutinized after every slip-up, as the media calls for them to retire. The fact is that many of these plus-year-old politicians are wiser and more effective than their younger counterparts. Modern technology and medicine have done wonders to keep people mentally and physically acute for much longer, and America's political system desperately needs seasoned leadership.
Nerd narrative
There is a 56% chance that Mitch McConnell will cease to be the Senate Republican Leader before Jan. 20, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.