Mexico: Senator Xochitl Galvez Set to Become Presidental Candidate
Mexican Senator Xochitl Galvez is set to become the main opposition candidate against Pres. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s (AMLO) governing National Regeneration Movement (Morena) in next year’s presidential election, after she won the endorsement of a key political party.
Galvez’s candidacy recently took a major step when the leader of Mexico’s former ruling party — the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) — endorsed her rather than the party’s own candidate, Beatriz Paredes. Paredes was absent from the PRI conference at which the candidacy was announced.
The PRI joins Galvez’s center-right National Action Party (PAN) and the Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD) in the three-party coalition (FAM) seeking to topple Morena. The 60-year-old Galvez bested a dozen challengers to secure the opposition nomination.
Narrative A
Xochitl Galvez is the perfect candidate to represent the opposition and take down AMLO’s Morena party. She is a unifying figure; a successful businesswoman with an indigenous background from humble beginnings. Her charisma and charm are undeniable, and AMLO’s smearing of her shows he is afraid of her rise. Galvez has only gained popularity, and electoral success will see her take Mexico in a new direction.
Narrative B
Despite all the smears against him, AMLO has had a very successful run as president, bringing about necessary reforms to help poor and working-class people. Of course, like any administration, AMLO’s government hasn't been perfect, but it has made tremendous progress which explains its ongoing extreme popularity. The Morena party will build on this momentum and Mexico should support the party even if AMLO isn’t at the top of the ticket.
US Approves Military Aid to Taiwan Under Foreign Financing Program
The White House has approved funding for the first-ever transfer of US military equipment to Taiwan under the US Dept. of State's Foreign Military Financing program — a process usually reserved for providing grant assistance to sovereign countries.
Congress was notified Wednesday of the $80M aid — which could include drones, ballistic missile and cyber defenses, air and coastal defense systems, and advanced communications equipment.
According to the State Department, the military aid intends to enable Taiwan "to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability" and is "consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and the US' longstanding 'one China' policy, which has not changed."
Anti-China narrative
This military aid is crucial for Taiwan as China takes an increasingly aggressive stance toward the self-ruled island. Any conflict in the region would gravely weaken the US position and allow the PRC to take one step further towards global hegemony, which is why Washington must speed up the delivery of weapons to help the island defend itself.
Pro-China narrative
Though the US doesn't officially recognize Taiwan, Washington wants to transfer military equipment just to weaken the one-China principle it claims to acknowledge. Under the pretense of providing self-defense, America is using the island to create more volatility in the Asia-Pacific and provoke military conflict in the Taiwan Straits to try to thwart China's development.
Nerd narrative
There's a 60% chance that the US will respond with military force if China invades Taiwan before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
GoFundMe Freezes Donations for The Grayzone
The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has frozen a fundraising campaign for the independent investigative journalism website The Grayzone, known for opposing the US' foreign policy doctrine.
GoFundMe refused to transfer the $90K raised on its platform for the Grayzone Project. Editor-in-chief Max Blumenthal asked why it had not received the funds collected, to which GoFundMe replied, "Due to some external concerns, we need to review your fundraiser to make sure it complies with our Terms of Service."
Grayzone's GoFundMe campaign sought to provide independent journalists Wyatt Reed, Kit Klarenberg, and Alex Rubinstein with long-term positions.
Establishment-critical narrative
Even those who don't agree with Grayzone's politics should be outraged and alarmed. The "anti-disinformation" complex is close to perfecting the application of financial pressure, finishing a job begun thirteen years ago when PayPal froze donations after Wikileaks got a letter from the US Dept. of State. This is a secretive public-private scheme to erode free speech, and all citizens should be alarmed.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Grayzone is not a freedom-fighting investigative journalism outlet, but rather a repeat offender with respect to spreading misinformation about major foreign military stories such as the gas attacks in Syria. The outlet's leadership has appeared in Russian state media, which is problematic to say the least.
Reports: Ukrainian Defense Minister to be Replaced Amid Graft Allegations
Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defense minister, is next week expected to be removed from his post and replaced, according to sources who spoke to multiple Ukrainian news publications.
This comes as Reznikov has found himself embroiled in new corruption allegations, which he denies. This time, he was accused of profiting from the purchase of military jackets from Turkey in which the Ukrainian government is said to have paid three times the normal cost of the items — with those involved in the scheme reportedly pocketing the difference.
Last February, Reznikov came under fire after local journalists exposed another scheme in which Ukraine's defense ministry reportedly paid inflated prices for soldiers' food rations. Reznikov did not personally sign the procurement contract — however, journalists and watchdog groups said he bore ultimate responsibility as head of the department.
Pro-establishment narrative
Zelenskyy understands that if Ukraine is to join NATO or the EU, it has to clamp down on its problem of corruption that existed long before the war with Russia. He is rightly taking steps to eradicate this problem and should be commended for taking Ukraine in the right direction.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite Zelenskyy's public pronouncements, he himself has been at the center of corruption allegations to the tune of several hundred million dollars. How can he be taken seriously on corruption if he's also involved?
Nerd narrative
There is a 0.8% chance that Ukraine will join the European Union before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UK: Sunak Appoints Grant Shapps as Defense Secretary
As part of a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Grant Shapps as the UK's new defense secretary. The role is Shapp's seventh within the cabinet since 2012.
The role is also his fifth cabinet position in a year — he notably held the position of home secretary under former Prime Minister Liz Truss for six days. Shapps stated that he was "honoured" to lead the ministry of defense and promised to continue to oppose Russia's "barbaric invasion" of Ukraine.
Shapps resigned from his role as Conservative party chairman in 2015 following accusations he failed to deal with a culture of bullying — the incident came after controversy over Shapps holding a second job during David Cameron's premiership under the pseudonym Michael Green.
Right narrative
While Shapps may not be the most experienced choice for defense secretary, he's widely seen as an effective communicator and a safe pair of hands. It's a complicated brief, but Shapps will undoubtedly rise to the opportunity.
Left narrative
At a time when global international relations are in crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict risks escalating into a global war, the UK is taking a massive risk in appointing someone with no experience in defense to this key role in cabinet. The tories are more concerned with their electoral chances than global stability.
Nerd narrative
There's a 98% chance that Rishi Sunak will remain Prime Minister of the UK on January 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Georgia Election Case
On Thursday, former US president Donald Trump pled not guilty to 13 felony counts as part of his criminal indictment in Fulton County, Georgia.
Trump's plea was entered via a court filing, waiving his right to attend a court arraignment next Wednesday. Trump's charges allege that the former president unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Trump had previously attended the arraignments of his other three criminal indictments. Trump's plea comes a week after he traveled to the Fulton County Jail on Aug. 24 to turn himself in, becoming the first former president to have his mugshot taken.
Pro-Trump narrative
The decision by Donald Trump to waive his right to appear in court intelligently starves the woke media in its shameful quest to push a disingenuous message. It's this strategic thinking that the Biden White House sorely lacks — making it evermore important that Trump survives the ongoing witch-hunt so he can win the presidency and right the ship in America.
Democratic narrative
Trump attempted to lead a conspiracy in the state of Georgia as part of an attempt to undermine the entire US system of democracy. No matter the fame or fortune of any US citizen, any individual who takes part in such a crime should held accountable for their actions. The Georgia case is a vital one for America's future.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that Donald Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Envoy: US May Mediate Israel-Lebanon Border Dispute
At the end of a two-day visit to Lebanon, senior White House adviser Amos Hochstein said that the US might help mediate the border dispute between Israel and Lebanon, building on the 2022 delineation of maritime borders between the two nations.
Hochstein helped broker last year's deal and has said that he visited border areas to "learn more" from the Lebanese. His next step will be to hear Israeli concerns to determine whether it's the "right time" to push for a land border resolution, adding that he's "optimistic."
Israel and Lebanon have experienced decades of conflict and maintain no official diplomatic relations. In 2000, the UN established the "blue line" as a border between the two, an ongoing source of tension.
Establishment-critical narrative
By intervening in the Israel-Lebanon conflict, the US has effectively disregarded all of Israel's security interests in this dispute. Chasing after a PR-friendly agreement has led to the US protecting Lebanon and the terror groups that they harbor, exposing Israel to danger. The interests of Israel and the US are not aligned in this matter, with Israel now facing the threat of an emboldened Hezbollah alone.
Pro-establishment narrative
This agreement could finally settle one of the Middle East's longest-standing disputes, with the prospect of peace being something all sides should be excited about. After the breakthrough maritime agreement, the momentum could be carried over to a land border deal. The move could help Lebanon on the world stage, aid in Israel's security, and avert a new conflict. Both sides must seize this new opportunity.
Trial Set in Ralph Yarl Shooting Case
During a preliminary hearing Thursday, a Clay County, Mo. judge ruled that Andrew Lester, a White man, will stand trial for shooting Ralph Yarl, a Black teen who mistakenly rang the doorbell at Lester’s home.
Lester, who is charged with first-degree felony assault and felony armed criminal action, entered a not-guilty plea. He's scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 20.
In April, Yarl was picking up his siblings when he went to the wrong address. After he rang the doorbell, he was shot twice — once in the head and once in the right arm.
Left narrative
As an alarming number of stories and videos surface of unarmed Black men being murdered by "terrified" White people, you have to wonder what is it about Black men that seem so threatening. Going back generations, Black men have been falsely associated with criminal and social wrongdoings. These ideas are perpetuated in pop culture and echoed throughout White America — the case of Ralph Yarl is another tragic cry for deep systemic change.
Right narrative
If you're listening to the gloomy outlook peddled by woke culture warriors, you might not know that race relations in America have actually improved. Transcending race is actually championed by conservatives, but leftist identity politics regurgitate stale narratives about xenophobes, sexists, and racists leading the charge. This divisiveness is harming America's social fabric.
X to Collect Biometric Data Under New Policy
Starting September 29, X, formerly Twitter, will begin collecting biometric data and other personal information under an updated privacy policy.
The Elon Musk-owned company’s new policy says this data will be collected for “safety, security and identification purposes.”
Although it doesn’t provide the platform’s definition of biometrics, other social media companies have translated that term to mean data acquired from a person’s face, eyes, and fingerprints.
Narrative A
Collecting this type of data isn’t unusual in the social media realm because it's the best way to verify identity and give users an easier and better experience. Musk vowed to eliminate bots and make the platform more secure, and this is a great step down that path.
Narrative B
Musk’s ongoing destruction of Twitter is marching on during his attempt to turn it into an “everything app” like China’s WeChat. Although it’s not unusual for social media platforms to collect this sort of data, everyone should be wary of giving it to a company with such a fraught history of workplace malfeasance, especially without knowing everything X will be collecting and sharing.
Nerd narrative
There’s a 98% chance that Musk will remain the owner of X on Jan. 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: White House Sets Up Impeachment War Room
The US White House has ramped up efforts to prepare against a potential impeachment inquiry, setting up a war room of two dozen lawyers, legislative aides, and communications staffers to fight against a potential Republican-led inquiry, according to an NBC News report published Friday.
A White House aide familiar with the plan told NBC News that the White House has been preparing for an impeachment inquiry into Pres. Joe Biden ever since Republicans took control of the House earlier this year, and prominent Republicans like Speaker Kevin McCarthy have floated a potential inquiry.
The House has been investigating Biden and his son Hunter over their business dealings while Biden was vice president and claims that Biden accepted foreign bribes while his son worked overseas.
Republican narrative
Democrats ran on a platform to impeach Trump without any tangible reason and are now silencing hard evidence and testimonies from whistleblowers about the extensive corruption that permeates the Biden family. Evidence suggests Joe Biden accepted bribes while he was vice president, and he refuses to cooperate with congressional investigations. Impeachment is the only solution to this problem.
Democratic narrative
The GOP is playing an extremely predictable political game by trying to impeach Pres. Biden with no evidence. With no record to run on and a criminal as the frontrunner for its presidential nomination, the GOP has to resort to desperate measures that are out of touch with the real issues that Washington currently faces. The American people will easily see through this game, and it will only backfire on Republicans.
Nerd narrative
There's a 20% chance that Joe Biden will be impeached by the US House of Representatives, according to the Metaculus prediction community.