Canada: Police Charge Quebec Man with Terrorism over Alleged Haiti Coup Plot
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced on Thursday that Gérald Nicolas, a 51-year-old resident of Lévis, Quebec, will face terrorism charges for allegedly planning "a terrorist act to overthrow Haiti's then-president Jovenel Moïse."
Canadian police have stated that the accused — who is charged with leaving Canada to facilitate terrorist activities, facilitating a terrorist activity, and providing property for terrorist purposes — sought to stage an armed revolution in Haiti and ultimately seize power.
If convicted, Nicolas could face up to 14 years in jail for the first two counts, and a maximum 10-year sentence for the third.
Narrative A
Nicolas fraternized with individuals engaged in taking part in a coup against the Haitian government, and actively planning an armed revolution with the ultimate aim of seizing power. While this is an atypical case, it shows that Canada is committed to holding its citizens accountable even if they break the law in foreign countries.
Narrative B
Nicolas maintains his innocence, and hasn't yet been found guilty of any of the allegations against him. He has asserted that the Lévis authorities are pursuing charges against him based on a story fabricated by his dejected ex-girlfriend. Nicolas has also vehemently claimed he was only a Canadian citizen sending humanitarian packages to Haitians in need, and has even accused the police of racial discrimination. He should be treated as innocent until proven otherwise.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that Haiti will become a World Bank upper middle-income country by January 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Gaza Residential Building Fire Kills 21
On Thursday, a fire erupted during birthday celebrations in a Gaza apartment, spreading quickly through the four-story building in Jabalia refugee camp. At least 21 people were killed, including many children, and several others were injured.
An initial investigation revealed that large amounts of gasoline had been stored at the site. No one inside the residence survived.
The densely-populated Gaza Strip has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, leaving the electricity supply sparse, and forcing Gazans to seek alternative sources for cooking and light. It's not unusual for families to store cooking gas, diesel, and gasoline in their homes.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel is responsible for this tragedy due to its inhumane year blockade of Gaza. The blockade affected the speed at which firefighters could battle the fire, as there are restrictions or bans for bringing equipment and machinery. This was an avoidable catastrophe.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel has expressed its sympathy for the serious disaster and immediately offered to support Palestinians in the humanitarian evacuation. This is a tragic event, and Israel will provide life-saving medical aid to Gaza residents.
Narrative C
Due to the geopolitical situation in Gaza, local civil defense services aren't adequately equipped to tackle such emergencies effectively. Both Israel and Palestinian authorities need to work together to prioritize public safety when these incidents occur.
Day 268 Roundup: Remains of Explosives Found at Nord Stream Blast Sites, Swedish Prosecutor Says
The Swedish prosecutor probing explosions that hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September confirmed on Friday that they were caused by "gross sabotage," and said the remains of explosives have been discovered at the sites.
The office of public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist stated: "During the crime scene investigations... extensive seizures were made and the area has been carefully documented. Analyses that have now been carried out show traces of explosives on several of the foreign objects that were found."
The statement made no mention of suspects and said that Ljungqvist wouldn't be available for media questioning. Earlier, without providing evidence, Russia's defense ministry blamed specialists from Britain's Royal Navy for the blasts — an allegation that the UK denies.
Pro-establishment narrative
Russia's deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure, which is unnecessarily increasing the suffering of civilians, amounts to war crimes. This ongoing Russian barbarity must be confronted.
Pro-Russia narrative
Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are a direct consequence of the failure of the country's leadership to meaningfully engage in peace talks. These attacks will stop once a more sober position is reached.
Nerd narrative
There's a 40% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
House GOP Moves Forward With Hunter Biden Probe
After securing a majority in the House of Representatives following the midterm elections, Republicans on Thursday outlined their plans to investigate Pres. Biden and his family’s business dealings, especially those regarding the president's son, Hunter.
James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the respective incoming chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, have led the charge against Biden. Comer said, "was Joe Biden directly involved with Hunter Biden’s business deals and is he compromised? That’s our investigation.”
The representatives alleged that both Hunter and Joe Biden partook in “waste, fraud, and abuse” regarding their business transactions.
Republican narrative
There's already plenty of evidence that Joe Biden has been involved in his troubled son's shady business dealings, and it's only fair to the American people that the situation is investigated. The Biden family's corruption seems quite clear, especially given that they became millionaires through proximity to high-ranking government officials.
Democratic narrative
Republicans never miss an opportunity to showcase their hypocrisy and political theatrics at the expense of the American taxpayer. Though the GOP has seized on the suspicious activity reports, these aren't conclusive and don't necessarily indicate wrongdoing. Hunter has already been under investigation since 2018, and the FBI has yet to charge him with anything.
Nerd narrative
There's a 42% chance that Hunter Biden will be indicted by Nov. 5, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US: Saudi Crown Prince Immune From Khashoggi Lawsuit
On Thursday, the Biden admin. announced that Saudi Crown Prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) should be granted immunity in a lawsuit against him over the 2018 killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In a court filing late Thursday, the US State Dept. said that MBS, appointed PM in September, now qualifies as a "sitting head of government," which would grant him immunity from legal action under customary international law.
According to the State Dept., the administration's decision to shield MBS from the jurisdiction of US courts was "purely a legal determination" and not a judgment on the "merits of the present suit." The request, however, is non-binding, meaning a judge will ultimately decide whether the crown prince can be prosecuted.
Establishment-critical narrative
When MBS was appointed PM by royal decree, it was obvious that the main purpose was to protect him from prosecution for Khashoggi's murder. By now seeking to grant the crown prince immunity, the US is compromising its values and turning its back on its promise of accountability — proving that it isn't concerned with human rights and justice but only with its own interests.
Pro-establishment narrative
Of course, the US would like to see justice served in Khashoggi's case. The decision to grant immunity to MBS as the new Saudi Arabian PM is strictly a legal matter, not a political statement. The fact that Washington even-handedly applies the head-of-state immunity doctrine to the crown prince distinguishes the US as a democracy based on the rule of law.
Twitter Locks Out Staff After Mass Resignations
Twitter has told employees that the company's office buildings will be temporarily closed. Large numbers of staff have reportedly quit after new owner Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to work "long hours at high intensity" or leave.
The departures include many engineers responsible for maintaining the platform. With the temporary closure of its offices, multiple users began to issue predictions about the end of the social media giant.
Twitter's workforce had until 5 pm EST Thursday to decide whether to be part of Musk's new regime or effectively resign. Internal communications were reportedly filled with employees posting the salute emoji after the deadline, indicating they had chosen to leave.
Right narrative
The current Twitter tantrum by the woke, laptop-wielding left is bizarre to average, blue-collar workers. Jobs should have high standards, and most people don't simply have the choice to storm out. Musk is trying to run a business, and the chaos surrounding Twitter and its employees has only made the left seem even further estranged from the working reality of the average American.
Left narrative
Musk has continued to make one chaotic decision after the other since taking control of Twitter, and his refusal to see the failings in his plans highlights his misunderstanding of the company. Ironically, many are leaving the platform that Musk has stated he wishes to be used by all. Even if Musk continues to deny it, the bubble has burst at Twitter.
Nerd narrative
There is a 71% chance that Twitter will experience an outage of more than 60 minutes before mid-2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
COP27: Negotiations Stalled on "Loss and Damage" Fund
COP27 is expected to last beyond its Friday deadline and into the weekend as negotiations between rich and poor nations over a reparations fund remain undecided. The latest version of the framework released on Friday has been criticized for being lengthy, unclear, and vague.
The agreement doesn't provide or propose a solution to the controversial issue of "loss and damage." The framework would provide a financial arrangement aimed at compensating developing nations that are suffering from climate change impacts.
Wealthier nations have delayed the agreement, questioning if it is necessary, and if so, how it will be administered. The proposal released Friday, launched on behalf of the EU, is said to have considered the concerns of the G77 — a group of developing countries who would be the targeted group to receive funding.
Pro-establishment narrative
Climate change and the subsequent impacts are a global problem. The solution will undoubtedly have to be a global fix that requires every nation, rich and poor, to change its behaviors to mitigate risks. Will it be expensive? Absolutely. But the cost of inaction is greater in terms of the loss of life, the loss of tangible items, and the sustainability of humanity. The solution is something the entire international community should get behind.
Establishment-critical narrative
Not only are the wealthy countries the cause of the worst impacts brought by climate change but they also refuse to support those that need it the most financially. The EU is putting more onus on India and China in this draft, with the intent of causing rifts among developing nations. The most impoverished countries have every right to be frustrated with these machinations and delays.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that the average global temperature in 2100 will be 2.54C higher than the average global temperature in 1880, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Lake Won't Concede Ariz. Gov. Race, Enlists Legal Support
Kari Lake, the Republican nominee in last week’s Arizona gubernatorial election, vowed in a short video Thursday to challenge the official results of her loss to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. She alleged that problems with voting machines led to long lines that disenfranchised significant numbers of voters.
Lake, endorsed by Trump, discussed his controversial election claims as a major part of her campaign. She said in her video: “For two years I have been sounding the alarm about our election system in Arizona...Our election officials failed us miserably. What happened to Arizonans on election day is unforgivable.”
Lake also said she has hired the “best and brightest legal team” to take action to question the legitimacy of her defeat. Polls had shown her with a lead heading into the Nov. 8 election.
Pro-Trump narrative
If Lake believes there was questionable action that led to her defeat, then she should exercise every avenue in her power. And if her top-notch legal team is willing to pursue this challenge, there must be something there. At the very least, Lake could shed light on an election system in Maricopa County that must be reformed.
Republican narrative
Lake didn’t lose because of problems with the election, she lost because she was a problematic candidate. She tried to sell Trumpism to the Arizona electorate. However, even in a year when the GOP did well in other races, Trumpism — with its election denial and absurd bashing of beloved Republican John McCain — was once again rejected.
Democratic narrative
How hypocritical is it that Lake is bemoaning the conditions voters had to endure? Where was she when Black and other minority communities were calling for national minimum standards for how elections should be conducted? She was silent and stood alongside the mostly white, mostly GOP politicians that claimed the election system was fine. It's time for her to leave the political scene completely.
Jeffries Announces Candidacy for House Democratic Leader
On Friday, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced his bid to replace Nancy Pelosi as Democratic leader in the US House, one day after the current House Speaker announced she would not be re-seeking the position.
Jeffries, who, if elected, would become the first Black leader of a political party in Congress in history, made his case for the post in letters sent to his colleagues outlining his plan for Democrats’ move to House minority.
So far, no one has stepped up to challenge Jeffries. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), seen as a potential far-left candidate, has announced she will not throw her hat in the ring and instead will remain chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Democratic narrative
A new day is dawning, and Jeffries is the best person to lead the party forward, not just because of the historic nature of his ascension to the post of leader but because of what he stands for. Jeffries will keep the caucus united and make sure it focuses both on legislating and working toward returning to the majority in 2024.
Republican narrative
The Democrats aren’t doing themselves any favors in their rush to make sure they make history with their leadership election. Jeffries is supposed to be a moderate establishment representative, but time and again, he’s practiced identity politics to divide the nation, subscribing to every conspiracy theory attached to Republicans and former Pres. Donald Trump.
Special Counsel Appointed in Trump Investigations
Following Donald Trump's re-election campaign announcement, US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigations into both the Jan. 6 riots and confidential documents seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
Garland appointed Jack Smith, a former federal prosecutor who currently works at The Hague, to begin "immediately." He was previously the chief of the Dept. of Justice's (DOJ) Public Integrity Section, overseeing public corruption and elections-related cases.
Smith, a political independent, began his career as an assistant district attorney in New York almost 30 years ago before serving as the US attorney for its Eastern District. Before returning to the DOJ in 2010, he also investigated war crimes at the International Criminal Court from 2008-2010.
Pro-Trump narrative
Though it conveniently waited until after the midterm elections to do so, the liberal Washington Post has already acknowledged that the Mar-a-Lago documents weren't the dangerous nuclear codes they thought they'd be. This largely ignored finding will be the first of many similar ones as these investigations into Trump, whether through an independent counsel or not, will prove to be politically motivated shams just like all the others.
Democratic narrative
First and foremost, this move proves the legitimacy of these investigations. Secondly, appointing the career and nonpartisan Jack Smith was the perfect addition to an already robust probe into Trump's many nefarious activities. With Trump no longer able to cry "witch hunt," the independent investigation can now proceed unhindered.
Nerd narrative
There's a 48% chance that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for US President in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.