RFK Jr. Granted Emergency Hearing in YouTube Lawsuit
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) secured an emergency hearing on Wednesday in his lawsuit against Google, which seeks a temporary order restricting the removal of his videos from YouTube.
On Wednesday, RFK Jr. submitted a 27-page complaint in California alleging that YouTube — a "state actor" under pressure from Pres. Biden — violated his "First Amendment rights by engaging in viewpoint discrimination."
The suit claims that, unlike other social media platforms, YouTube has treated RFK Jr. differently since he became a presidential candidate. Specifically, RFK Jr's discussions regarding COVID vaccines have reportedly been removed for violating its vaccine misinformation policy.
Establishment-critical narrative
It's egregious that a social media platform is removing the videos of a presidential candidate, robbing the voting public of a free and fair debate. Misinformation, in any case, is still speech and is protected under the First Amendment. The media has spread misinformation about RFK Jr's views, endorsing the silencing voices speaking out against the establishment. Big Tech should stop playing favorites and let the American public decide for themselves.
Pro-establishment narrative
Google, a private company, has every right to decide what can and can't be shown on its platform. While RFK Jr. is conjuring baseless conspiracies of federal meddling to make his case, misinformation has real consequences. YouTube shouldn't be obligated to give him preferential treatment simply because he is running for president. This lawsuit will undoubtedly be dismissed, as RFK Jr. has no right to force a private company to air his hateful views.
Nerd narrative
There's a 1% chance Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Pakistan: Over 100 Arrested Following Church Burnings
Pakistani authorities have arrested 129 Muslims for participating in mob violence after a group of Muslims attacked churches and the homes of Christians in the eastern Pakistani city of Jaranwala on Wednesday. The attacks followed accusations that two Christian men — who've also been arrested — had desecrated a copy of the Quran.
The two Christians, who fled their homes alongside their families, were accused of blasphemy, an extremely serious allegation in Pakistan. The police stated that they found pages of the Quran with derogatory comments written in red that were connected to the Christian suspects.
According to a Christian leader, local clerics incited the mob by saying that Muslims needed to defend their faith, after which police and rangers reportedly intervened to keep the crowds at bay.
Narrative A
This attack on Christians is completely unacceptable. Pakistan must reel in Islamic extremists who seek to spread their dangerous ideology. Minorities are constantly under threat in contemporary Pakistan, which for decades has become an increasingly hostile place for those who are not Sunni Muslims. Officials must do more to promote religious tolerance.
Narrative B
Mobs incited by accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are almost always a product of personal scores or attempts to acquire increased political clout. Though the ranks of these mobs are filled with extremists, religion is not necessarily the inciting factor. In order to address these conflicts, authorities must consider the motives of individuals or groups who believe they can acquire political or social gains via mob incitement.
UK Scientists Identify Smoking Addiction Causes, Cures
After analyzing the brain scans of more than 800 smokers, taken at the ages of 14, 19, and 24, scientists at the University of Cambridge say they've discovered differences in the brain from that of their non-smoking peers.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that teenagers who began smoking at or before the age of 14 showed a significant reduction in grey matter in a section of the left frontal lobe linked to decision-making and rule-breaking.
Co-author of the research, Prof. Barbara Sahakian from Cambridge's Dept. of Psychiatry, said that: "The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is a key region for dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical," and an area that has "long been believed to affect self-control."
Narrative A
This research is a positive step forward in understanding and treating nicotine addiction, but the rate at which young people in the UK are switching from cigarettes to vapes suggests a large degree of the study's usefulness will depend on whether it is also applicable to vaping. Teens across the world are facing the impacts of vaping, from bleeding lungs to lung collapse — scientists must determine if these results can be used to prevent such health disasters.
Narrative B
The threat of vaping is often massively exaggerated by media. Though deaths and serious illnesses do occur as a result of vaping, in terms of years of life lost, disability, pain, and the burden on global healthcare, smoking remains the first priority in terms of research and treatment. Western societies have chosen to treat e-cigarette usage interchangeably with tobacco smoking, even though the former remains far more popular. This research is excellent news, as it will help tackle an ongoing health crisis affecting the lives of many millions across the globe.
Nerd narrative
There's a 62% chance that smoking and sex will be less prevalent in the United States in 2050 than in 2021, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Over 60 Migrants Feared Dead Near Cape Verde Coast
Authorities and migrant advocates said Thursday that more than 60 migrants are feared dead after a Spanish vessel rescued a Senegalese traditional fishing boat carrying more than 100 people off Cape Verde.
The boat left Fass Boye, a small fishing village about 90 miles (145 km) north of Dakar, Senegal's capital, on July 10 and capsized according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Thirty-eight people were rescued from a boat off the Cape Verdean island of Sal. Almost all of the passengers were thought to be from Senegal.
Narrative A
Heightened border controls in northern Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia have pushed migrants from northwest African nations to opt for the more perilous route on the Atlantic to the Spanish Canary Islands. The trip can take anywhere from one to ten days, and it's common for migrants to run out of food, water, and fuel after only a few days on board. This is a sad and tragic outcome of a global migration crisis exacerbated by regional actors.
Narrative B
These deaths of migrants in the Atlantic are not accidental. European leaders have made a political choice to force refugees to make these dangerous journeys by setting up xenophobic border controls and severely limiting safe refugee routes. African nations should not be to blame — these crises are caused by inhumane European policies.
Appeals Court Upholds Limits on Abortion Pill Access
On Wednesday, New Orleans' Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that US access to mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill, will be limited, mandating a ban on its telemedicine prescriptions and mail shipments. The Biden admin. will reportedly appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Mifepristone, approved by the FDA in 2000, has been used by over 5M women in the US as part of a two-drug regimen alongside misoprostol, as the pill has a 99.6% success rate and a mortality rate of less than 0.001%.
In 2016, the window of mifepristone's use was extended by three weeks; in 2019, the FDA approved a generic version of the pill; and in 2021, the agency authorized pharmacies to deliver it via mail.
Right narrative
The abortion industry has lied about the effects of chemical abortions for a long time, and this legal battle is finally bringing the facts to light. By approving mifepristone, the FDA put women and girls at risk of symptoms ranging from cramping and nausea to infection and bleeding. Facing pressure from the powerful abortion lobby, the FDA prioritized abortion pill access over encouraging women to consult their doctors. This has always been a political issue, but the public is only opening its eyes to that fact now.
Left narrative
If the Texas ruling is ultimately upheld, it will open the door for right-wingers to challenge the FDA's authority on more than just mifepristone. Based on the judge's opinion, the plaintiffs had standing to bring this case simply because they alleged — without a shred of evidence — that some people were harmed by the pill. With that precedent set, anti-vaxxers and other conspiracy theorists can convince a judge to overrule any medicine they deem problematic.
Nerd narrative
There is a 5% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the US before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Canada: Wildfires Spark Evacuations in NW Territories
On Wednesday, residents of Yellowknife, the capital city of Canada's Northwest Territories, were given until noon on Friday to evacuate as a wildfire approaches the city. At the time of the order, the fire was 10 miles (16KM) outside of the city and expected to breach the city limits by the weekend.
In addition to the 20k residents of Yellowknife, the 3k residents of Hay River were swiftly evacuated by bus to escape a rapidly moving wildfire engulfing the area Wednesday night.
Prior to Wednesday's evacuation orders, 6.8K residents, or roughly 15% of the area's population, had already been evacuated. More than 200 fires have scorched the Northwest Territories, limiting visibility, closing highways, and shuttering evacuation routes.
Establishment-critical narrative
As wildfires ravage Canada and smother the US with smoke, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to point the finger at climate change. The warming planet is certainly one of the culprits but not the only entity at fault here. Those suffering under the weight of this wildfire season cannot let Canada escape its responsibility and culpability in its lack of planning, prevention, management, and mitigation. They must own their failures if there is any hope for improvement for future fire seasons.
Pro-establishment narrative
Canada is witnessing an unprecedented fire season and the impacts are far-reaching. Historically, the nation has been largely reactive to wildfires, suppressing them on a case-by-case basis with no holistic approach to wildfire and forest land management. More recently, however, there has been a shift in policy to increase fire specializations, improve and increase communications and warning systems, and management plans for firefighting by air. While this shift is positive, it will take time for the programs to grow and be effective.
New York City Bans TikTok on Government Devices
New York City announced on Wednesday that social media platform TikTok has been banned on city-owned devices, citing security concerns. City agencies must remove the app from their devices within the next 30 days and stop accessing the platform effective immediately.
The city joins 30 states and the US federal government in banning the Chinese-owned platform on government devices, with New York State banning the app in 2020. A City Hall spokesperson said a City Cyber Command review determined that the app posed "posed a security threat."
TikTok owner ByteDance has repeatedly denied claims that user data has been or could be shared with the Chinese government, saying US data are secured from foreign access. Montana passed a law in May to fully ban the app.
Anti-China narrative
A majority of Americans consider TikTok to be a national security threat. Chinese state-sponsored snooping is globally notorious, and there's no reason to take the company at its word that it's not violating the privacy of US citizens. It's just due diligence that an app that could facilitate spying by the Chinese Communist Party should stay off government devices. ByteDance should be forced to sell off TikTok if they wish to continue operating stateside.
Pro-China narrative
Leaders on both sides of the aisle are leading a cynical assault against TikTok to foment anti-China sentiment, with there being not one shred of evidence that the app is used for espionage purposes by China. TikTok collects no more data than American tech platforms but is under much more scrutiny. The TikTok crusade is bordering on hysteria, as US leaders ignore the grave privacy concerns posed by Western social media platforms.
Nerd narrative
There is a 15% chance TikTok's US operations will be sold to an American entity by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Study: ChatGPT Holds 'Systemic' Left-Wing Bias
A study by researchers at the UK's University of Anglia has found that ChatGPT contains a "significant and systemic" bias towards left-wing ideology.
Researchers asked the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to take part in a survey based on politics in the UK, US, and Brazil from both an unprompted perspective and from a left-wing perspective.
The paper concluded that, within the surveys, the AI showed favor towards Democrats in the US, President Lula in Brazil, and the Labour Party in the UK.
Narrative A
AI can certainly contain bias, despite not being alive. This has the potential to become extremely problematic in the future, holding the possibility of portraying societal opinions as truth on a mass scale. Luckily, there is still time to control and amend the problem. Programmers and their vigilance hold the key to mitigating this and making sure that AI becomes both an efficient and objective tool for all to use.
Narrative B
The ramifications of developing AI technology are far too vast to even try to predict. But the positives are just as numerous as the negatives. AI could act to tackle loneliness, solve climate change, and address income inequality. Attempts to stifle the technology will not work, and versions of AI will regardless soon permeate the lives of billions. AI is likely to evolve and improve over time.
Nerd narrative
There is a 5% chance that there will be an 'AI Bust' or 'AI Winter' by the end of 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Niger: ECOWAS 'Ready' to Intervene Militarily if Diplomatic Efforts Fail
Abdel-Fatau Musah, the commissioner for peace and security at the 15-member ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States], stated Thursday that regional forces are "ready" to intervene militarily in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
He further said that all member states except those under military rule — Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali — as well as Cape Verde stand prepared to join a standby force.
This comes as military chiefs from the bloc gathered in Ghana's capital of Accra to begin a two-day meeting on the ongoing crisis in Niger, following the activation of the force last week to "restore constitutional order" in the country.
Narrative A
A military intervention in Niger would not only be ineffective as support for the junta grows, but could aggravate the crisis in West Africa and the Sahel. A regional war would likely sidetrack anti-terrorism efforts, embolden human traffickers, and provoke a mass influx of refugees — while risking to push Niger closer to Russia and the Wagner Group.
Narrative B
The military takeover in Niger was the last straw in a long string of coups that have recently taken place in ECOWAS countries, so it's time to send troops to topple the junta and deliver a strong deterrence message against coup plotters. If the regional bloc fails to fulfill its duties in trying to appease these authoritarians, then military coups will soon become epidemic in West Africa.
Nerd narrative
There's a 46% chance that ECOWAS will intervene militarily in Niger before Oct. 1, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Researchers: Pig Kidney Transplanted into Human Functions for 32 Days
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and New York University (NYU) Langone Health both independently reported research on Wednesday that shows genetically modified pig kidneys transplanted into humans functioned well for one week and a record 32 days, respectively.
These results give promise to xenotransplantation, where humans receive organ transplants from other animals, as animal organs are typically rejected by the human body in the minutes after the transplant. The NYU team says the pig kidney has the functions of a healthy human kidney.
The UAB results were published in the JAMA Surgery journal, describing a case where a brain-dead man received a genetically modified pig kidney. The study authors assert that while the findings are limited, xenotransplantation could save the lives of thousands waiting for organ donations.
Narrative A
Thousands of Americans die every year waiting for an organ transplant, as the dream of xenotransplantation finally seems within reach. Leaps and bounds have been made in a lifesaving field of research, but the FDA and insurers need to be ready to help get it to the American people. There is now enough evidence to start clinical trials in living patients, and organ shortages could finally become a thing of the past if we move quickly.
Narrative B
Pigs are sentient creatures who feel fear and pain, and should not be treated as a source of spare parts. These genetically modified animals live miserable lives, and their organs could pose a health risk to humans, carrying diseases unknown to us. There are real steps we could take to stop the organ shortage, such as making organ donation opt-out and using engineered human tissue, that do not involve this unconscionable practice.