Australia: Immunotherapy Trial for Babies With Peanut Allergies Launches
Australia is set to become the first country to offer oral immunotherapy to babies with peanut allergies as part of a free program available to infants under 12 months old with diagnosed peanut allergies.
The program will be available to eligible children at ten pediatric hospitals across five Australian states. Patients will receive a regular dosage of peanut powder with the goal of safely building tolerance.
The National Allergy Centre of Excellence Director, Kirsten Perrett, said that the treatment has only been available in clinical trials. Children in the program will eventually reach a maintenance dose, which they must maintain for two years before halting treatment for monitoring.
Narrative A
This is a program that could change the lives of countless children and is a win for children's health. The evidence is becoming clear that the early introduction of allergenic foods, such as peanuts, is the best way to prevent the onset of serious allergies. Keeping kids in metaphoric bubble wrap and quarantining them from allergens may have done more harm than good.
Narrative B
While scientists and governments are eager to embrace this treatment as the antidote to peanut allergies, many studies suggest that it may not be effective. Exposure to peanuts in some form could decrease the chance of developing a severe allergy, however, a child as young as six months old could already have an allergy. And additional studies suggest that there's no effective treatment post-diagnosis.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that a de-allergenized peanut, soy, or wheat-based product will first be sold somewhere in the US or EU by March 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
FBI to Resume Talks With Social Media Companies
Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, the FBI is set to resume regular talks with social media firms over "potential [Foreign Malign Influence] threats" on their platforms, according to a draft Justice Department memo.
The federal agency will reportedly make social media companies more aware of its new protocol for monitoring suspected foreign influence operations online.
A report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz last month asserted that agencies must speak with tech firms on such influence campaigns but that safeguards were needed to avoid risks to freedom of expression.
Democratic narrative
The FBI's renewed collaboration with social media companies is critical to address foreign malign influences, particularly amid the upcoming election, which must be protected. The Justice Department aims to improve transparency about these efforts while ensuring First Amendment rights are respected.
Republican narrative
Recent disclosures of the FBI's interactions with social media firms like Twitter suggest attempts to influence information flow. Besides pressuring the platforms to act against so-called misinformation, it also influences political decisions. The need for vigilance against government overreach is key.
UK: Ex-BBC Anchor Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges
Former BBC News at Ten presenter Huw Edwards pled guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Edwards was sent a total of 377 sexually explicit images by an adult male on WhatsApp — 41 of those were indecent images of children. Of the 41, seven were considered to be in the worst category and mostly included children believed to be between 13 and 15. One child was estimated to be between seven and nine.
Edwards' lawyer said there was no indication the former BBC presenter created any images "in the traditional sense of the word." Under UK law, the term "making" can include opening, accessing, downloading, and storing the content on a device.
Narrative A
The BBC was shocked to hear of Huw Edward's crimes. The outlet condemns such behavior and, as internal policy mandates, had the former presenter still been employed following the verdict his contract would've been immediately terminated. The BBC strives to uphold the highest standards of integrity. Throughout these events, it allowed its independent editorial team the freedom to scrutinize and inform to the best of its capabilities.
Narrative B
While talk about Huw Edward's uncomfortable relationship with younger staffers had existed for some time, the long-time face of the BBC's admission of possessing child pornography has left the UK in a state of shock. Edward's crimes will once again reopen questions surrounding the BBC's current culture and future existence as he becomes yet another high-profile employee to be an exposed pedophile.
Bank of England Cuts Interest Rates from 16-Year High
The Bank of England's (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a margin of 5-4 on Thursday to reduce its Bank Rate of interest by 0.25 percentage points to 5% — citing "progress in moderating risks of persistence in inflation."
Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in the UK sat at 2% — the BoE's target figure — in both May and June. The MPC projects inflation in the UK to rise to 2.75% in the second half of 2024 before falling to 1.7% and 1.5% in two and three years, respectively.
The cut is a first since March 2020. Beginning in December 2021, the BoE had increased interest rates 14 consecutive times to 5.25%, while inflation hit a peak of 11.1% in October 2022.
Pro-establishment narrative
With many expecting the BoE to remain firm at 5.25%, today's decision is a small win for the property and mortgage markets. With lenders already beginning to bring down prices, the news is reaffirmation to many that things are slowly but surely getting better.
Establishment-critical narrative
A small reduction in the BoE's interest rate will do next to nothing for millions who have been affected by the cost of living crisis. While the UK may be over the worst of the post-pandemic era, and an interest rate cut will certainly be of some help to small groups, the economy irrespectively remains extremely fragile.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that UK GDP per capita will be less than 50% of that of the world's leading economy by 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Gershkovich, Whelan Freed From Russia in Prisoner Swap
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and several dissidents were freed from Russia on Thursday as part of an agreement between at least six countries involving at least 24 prisoners.
The deal, which was facilitated by Turkey, included the US, Russia, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and Poland agreeing to release a total of eight prisoners, while Russia released 16.
Whelan had been detained by Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that both the Biden and Trump administrations denied. Gershkovich was similarly arrested in March 2023.
Democratic narrative
All administrations value American citizens' lives and will do almost whatever it takes to get them released from being detained around the world. But the Biden administration has been particularly effective at getting these deals finalized thanks to the president's skills and the resources it has devoted to bringing Americans home.
Republican narrative
The release of US citizens is paramount, but the Biden administration should consider the dangerous message it has sent by trading criminals for innocent Americans. The Russian regime has made hostage-taking part of its mode of operation, and there are still many Americans wrongfully imprisoned. These deals may incentivize Moscow to detain even more US nationals.
Pentagon Chief Revokes Plea Deals with Alleged 9/11 Terrorists
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked a pre-trial deal reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — and two of his accomplices — Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.
In a memo on Friday, Austin also relieved retired Brigadier General Susan Escallier, the head of the US military commissions, of her authority to enter into the agreements in the case, stating "responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior authority."
The US Defense Department announced Wednesday that the trio, held at the federal military prison at Guantánamo Bay, had agreed to plead guilty to all charges — including "the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet" — in exchange for a life sentence rather than the death penalty.
Narrative A
This plea deal was disappointing, heartbreaking, and a mockery of justice. By excusing the architects of the 9/11 attacks, the court had betrayed, disrespected, and victimized the families of victims all over again. The White House had played no role in the plea deal, which allowed the terrorists to avoid a death penalty trial. Austin's decision could result in significant new revelations about the planning of the attacks and force the defendants to face the prospect of being put to death again.
Narrative B
This is shocking news. The US government never bothered to intervene in the year-long pre-trial hearings, and now, after the settlement has been reached, it wants to continue the cruel, endless saga. Moreover, the head of military commissions — a statutorily independent convening authority — doesn't require approval from the top. The decision to remove Escallier breaches her jurisdiction and is a clear case of political influence and meddling.
Narrative C
Although the accused would have been spared the death penalty, this plea deal was a critical step toward judicial finality and justice after two decades of legal gridlock. This resolution avoided what could have been an endless trial against the terrorists and ensured the perpetrators of the heinous attacks admit to their conduct and are punished for killing thousands of Americans and scarring the nation forever.
Narrative D
The death penalty inherently violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment. It's inhumane, inequitable, and unjust, especially for the defendants who have been held at the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay without trial for years. This plea deal was the right call because it would have ended nearly two decades of litigation as well as opened a path to close the Guantánamo Bay detention center and end the CIA's unethical use of "enhanced" interrogation techniques.
Nerd narrative
There's a 78% chance that another 9/11 on US soil will be prevented at least through 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Bangladesh: New Student Protests Turn Violent
Demonstrators hit the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh Wednesday to protest the deaths and detainment of others who protested civil service hiring quotas earlier this month. Over 200 people have been killed and almost 10K arrested as protesters have clashed with police.
The death toll rose on Thursday after a 31-year-old man succumbed to his injuries after suffering 56 pellet wounds in the chest and 18 in his head. His family said he was caught between police and protesters on July 18 while walking to work.
The initial protests were over a new government job quota of 30% for descendants of veterans from the 1971 War of Independence. Following the protests, the Supreme Court lowered it to 5%, with 93% to be based on merit and 2% for ethnic minorities and disabled people.
Pro-establishment narrative
Lethal police crackdowns and mass arrests are oppressive tools that Sheikh Hasina has used throughout her 15 years in power. Not only did Hasina deploy her overwhelming security forces to break into homes, interrogate families, and round up tens of thousands, but her ruling party also unleashed its violent youth wing to help terrorize protesters. Hasina is perfectly fine with violence so long as it's perpetrated by her supporters.
Establishment-critical narrative
Hasina and her party have remained in power since 2009 not through violence but through elections. Due to this fact, the opposition BNP Party, often backed by Western powers, has taken advantage of genuine student protests and turned them into riots to destabilize the country and call for new elections. Hasina is no stranger to political upheaval — given her entire family was assassinated in 1975 — so hopefully she can fight through yet another era of inorganic chaos.