UK Navy Intercepts 'Iran Missiles' Likely Headed for Yemen
The British Royal Navy said on Thursday that it had seized anti-tank missiles and fins for ballistic missile assemblies during a raid on a small boat heading from Iran. It added that the boat was likely headed to Yemen in the Gulf of Oman when it was raided on Feb. 23.
The boat reportedly contained Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles — known in Iran as "Dehlavieh" — and small fins that the US Navy identified as jet vanes for medium-range ballistic missiles. It was also carrying impact sensor covers designed to be placed on the tips of the ballistic missiles.
The US Navy said the seizure happened "along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to Yemen." Under a UN Security Council resolution, arms transfers to Yemen's Houthi rebels are banned.
Pro-establishment narrative
Russia-backed Iran, which considers the Houthis part of an axis of resistance against Israel and the United States, is providing arms, training, and financial support to the rebels to increase their ability to put significant pressure on US-backed Saudi Arabia. This seizure of a weapons cache from an Iranian ship is the seventh such interdiction in the last three months, demonstrating Iran's increasing malign maritime activity in the region.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Houthis are neither Iranian proxies nor puppets. In fact, Iran has publicly advocated in favor of a diplomatic solution in Yemen. Western accusations that Iran supplies Houthi rebels with advanced weapons are politically motivated and designed to mislead the public. Those supplying arms to aggressors and enablers of the blockade of the oppressed people of Yemen are in no position to accuse others.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Iran will possess a nuclear weapon before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 372: Scholz Joins US in Urging China Not to Provide Russia with Weapons
Ahead of a trip to the US on Friday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz followed suit with America in urging China not to provide weapons to Russia in its fight against Ukraine.
Addressing the German parliament on Thursday, Scholz said: "My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops. And don't deliver any weapons to the aggressor Russia." China has denied it has any intention of providing Russia with weaponry.
The warning from Scholz comes as a report from Reuters, citing four US officials, stated that the US is consulting close allies on the possibility of imposing new sanctions on China if Beijing provides military support to Russia. The US Treasury Dept., which leads the imposition of sanctions, declined to comment on the report.
Pro-establishment narrative
China must be made to understand that the international community will not tolerate any attempt to aid Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine — Beijing's international diplomatic relationships and economy will suffer if this continues.
Establishment-critical narrative
The US has prolonged the conflict in Ukraine by intensifying its arms deliveries to Kyiv, yet it continues to spread false information about China’s supply of weapons to Russia. US sanctions are demonstrations of double standards and bullying.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that China will get involved in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US House Panel Approves Bill Allowing Biden to Ban TikTok
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 on Wednesday to give Pres. Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok, the social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
The legislation was introduced last Friday and was fast-tracked by committee Chairman Michael McCaul. If passed, the Biden admin. would have the power to ban TikTok under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
All 24 Republicans voted for the measure while all 16 Democrats voted against it, with ranking committee Democrat Gregory Meeks expressing concern it would "damage" US global allegiances, send more companies to China, and "undercut" the American values of free speech and free enterprise.
Pro-China narrative
The current scrutiny of TikTok by the Biden administration and the West is nothing more than an ideologically motivated move. There's no evidence to support these allegations, and the hysteria in the US is merely an attempt to clamp down on Chinese tech companies. The ghost of McCarthyism still haunts the US through incredible paranoia surrounding anything Chinese.
Anti-China narrative
Not only are there legitimate concerns over data security, but also over the effects the app has on children as TikTok burrows into the minds of American youth. Even if the app wasn't developed specifically as a Chinese propaganda tool, it has certainly become one. The fact that China's domestic version — Douyin — limits those under 14 to educational videos shows its intentions for the outside world.
Nerd narrative
There's a 22% chance that the US will ban TikTok before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Eli Lilly to Cap Insulin at $35 Per Month Out-of-Pocket
US drug manufacturer Eli Lilly announced Wednesday that it will slash prices for some of its older insulin products later this year and immediately expand a cap on costs that insured patients — who currently face annual costs of more than $1K — pay to fill prescriptions.
The company said it will cut the price of its two insulin products, Humalog and Humulin, each by 70% as well as cap the cost of commercially-insured and uninsured patients’ out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month.
CEO David Ricks said the company was working to address issues that impact the high prices patients often pay for insulin. He suggested that the discounts Lilly offered from its list prices often did not reach patients through insurers or pharmacy benefit managers.
Left narrative
As Democrat-run California pushes for its own insulin price cap law and Biden calls on companies to do their part in making healthcare affordable, Eli Lilly has heeded the government's calling. As one of the largest insulin manufacturers in the world, this move could be the beginning of a genuinely transformational collaboration between the government and the private sector to ensure that diabetics get the affordable care they require and deserve.
Right narrative
The cost of insulin is not a left-right issue, but rather a race to see who can claim responsibility for finally lowering the life-saving drug's price. Donald Trump signed an executive order that did the same thing as Biden's Medicare price cap legislation, but Biden suspended it once he took office. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, too, called for a federal cap of $25 — 10 dollars lower than what Democrats are calling for. This is not a partisan win for Democrats because both sides want their constituents to have affordable medicine.
Robert Kennedy's Assassin Denied Parole For 16th Time
On Wednesday, Sirhan Sirhan, serving a life sentence for assassinating presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, was denied parole for the 16th time despite a review board recommending he walk free in 2021.
Sirhan was convicted of shooting and killing Kennedy, a New York Senator and brother of John F. Kennedy, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles right after he won the California Democratic presidential primary. Five others were also wounded.
The California panel behind Wednesday's ruling claimed that Sirhan, 78, still lacks insight into his actions that day. Sirhan's lawyer, Angela Berry, countered that he has shown awareness of the incident and that psychiatrists have said he's unlikely to be a danger to society.
Pro-establishment narrative
Sirhan hasn't developed the accountability and insight required for his parole. The murder not only deprived the nation of a promising leader during a time of national turmoil, but it also left 11 children without a father. Equally as important, his shifting narrative of claiming not to remember the crime and portraying himself as the victim to later expressing remorse shows he hasn't learned from the event and is still a risk of further violence.
Establishment-critical narrative
For decades, the state's own psychiatrists have deemed that Sirhan poses no threat to society. Robert Kennedy had a Catholic belief in redemption, forgiveness, and justice, and honoring the previous board's ruling to release Sirhan would uphold these values. With some evidence pointing towards Sirhan potentially not even being the ultimate murderer — despite his indisputable role in the crime — it's time to let him go.
India: Court Orders Bipartisan Panel to Select Election Officers
India's Supreme Court has ordered the creation of an independent panel to appoint members of the Election Commission. It will include the prime minister, chief justice, and either the leader of the opposition in the lower house of parliament or the opposition party with the highest number of house members.
The ruling comes after the current Election Commissioner (EC) Arun Goel's appointment process took less than 24 hours. He was appointed to a term of five years, with the court calling a tenure of less than six years a "clear breach" of the law, citing section 4(1) of the 1991 Election Commission Act.
Goel, a former Indian Administrative Service officer who retired on Nov. 18, was appointed EC a day later and took charge on Nov. 21, with the court questioning the swift process.
Narrative A
As was likely the case with Arun Goel and many other election-related peculiarities in recent years, the ruling regime uses its power to appoint commissioners who are biased toward the incumbent government that appointed them. This ruling addresses the unconstitutional actions taken by the ruling party and, hopefully, the world's largest democracy is now set on a path of transparency.
Narrative B
While the high court rightly pointed out that election regulations should not be taken lightly, the Constitution doesn't actually provide details regarding who selects commissioners. The newly-mandated panel has no constitutional ties, and thus, this is an arbitrary ruling. This drastic change in election law could also have unforeseen consequences, with the next election only a year away.
Judge Rules Starbucks Illegally Fired Workers After Unionizing
On Wednesday, US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge Michael Rosas ruled that Starbucks had illegally fired seven workers in New York in an alleged retaliation against unions and ordered the former employees' reinstatement.
The case revolved around unionization efforts in Buffalo, NY, and included 32 unfair labor charges made by Workers United against Starbucks for its actions between August 2021 and July 2022 at 21 Buffalo-area stores, including the company’s first location to unionize.
Rosas’s 200-page ruling — which found the company had committed "egregious and widespread misconduct" — also ordered Starbucks to compensate 27 other workers for alleged violations, such as not granting time off, and required it to reopen its branch in Cheektowaga.
Left narrative
Faux-progressive Starbucks is doing whatever it can to stop its workers from unionizing, even if it means resorting to illegal retaliation against workers, and this is unacceptable. Workers in all industries deserve the right to unionize and collectively bargain — this ruling will go a long way to ensuring this.
Right narrative
Woke Starbucks workers are milking the current unionization frenzy simply so that they can work less for the same money and benefits, and with each demand, the quality of each location deteriorates rapidly. Ironically, however, unions can't come close to the benefits that Starbucks can offer. Rather than obstructing progress and making boisterous accusations, employees would be better off benefiting from the changes Starbucks can make unilaterally.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 12% of American workers will be represented by a labor union in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Report: Half of Sri Lankan Families Are Reducing Children's Food Intake
Child rights charity Save the Children published a report on Thursday urging the Sri Lankan government and the international community to immediately take action to prevent the country's children from "becoming a lost generation." It found that half of the nation's families have had to reduce children's food intake amid shortages.
After polling about 2.3K households across nine districts in Sri Lanka, the organization observed that the average household expenditure rose by 18% due to inflation from June to December last year — causing a 23% increase in households unable to meet most or all of their general basic needs.
Within this span of six months, 70% of the households lost most of their sources of income, of which 54% now obtain their main earnings from seasonal and irregular jobs. This instability puts children in a precarious position as these households can't guarantee nutritious food for their families.
Narrative A
The ongoing food shortage in Sri Lanka is the cursed legacy of deranged policies enacted by the former Pres. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who imposed a total ban on agrochemicals. While there was indeed wide support to turn the island into the world's first fully-organic producer of food, this process should have been phased in. Groceries began to run out, forcing the country to rely on imports when foreign reserves were already in a dire situation.
Narrative B
A more strategic plan and a realistic time frame would certainly have worked better for the nationwide transition to organic agriculture, but blaming this decision for Sri Lanka's current food crisis is nonsensical. The origins of this crisis are, in fact, the country's financial crisis and its long-standing dependence on imported food and chemical inputs at a large scale, which caused the ban to be short-lived. Going organic is not a problem, but rather a solution to reduce this vulnerability and ensure sustainable and affordable food production.
NFL: Judge Allows Brian Flores' Lawsuit to Proceed
The National Football League (NFL) and three of its teams must face trial after a judge rejected the option of arbitration to settle former head coach and current Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ accusation of discriminatory hiring practices.
Flores sued the NFL and teams after being fired as the Miami Dolphins head coach — alleging systemic racial discrimination against Black coaches for top coaching and management jobs.
While Judge Valerie Caproni’s ruling allowed Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Houston Texans — to proceed, it also said that his case against the Dolphins must be settled through arbitration.
Left narrative
The NFL desperately wanted to keep Brian Flores’ case against them behind closed doors and handled it via a biased arbitration. Thankfully, Flores’ claims of discrimination will go to trial where the NFL’s racism will be brightly displayed. NFL coaches, executives, and players have faced bigotry for decades — it's finally being exposed.
Right narrative
Brian Flores is right about one thing in his lawsuit against the NFL there is racial discrimination in hiring. However, it’s not against Black coaches. The NFL has been implementing rules that require teams to hire anyone other than White males. From staff requirements to free draft picks, the league is doing whatever it can to pursue an unfair, "woke" agenda.
Report: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Hit Record High in 2022
An International Energy Agency (IEA) report released on Thursday said global energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide rose by 0.9% in 2022 to a record 36.8B tons.
Carbon dioxide is produced by burning fossil fuels — oil, coal, or natural gas — to power vehicles, homes, and factories, and is a greenhouse gas.
Emissions from coal grew 1.6% as a result of a global switch to coal in the face of the high price of natural gas since Russia invaded Ukraine. A 2.5% increase in emissions from burning oil was largely caused by an increase in airline travel in 2022, with the aviation sector being responsible for about 50% of the oil burned.
Narrative A
Fossil fuel consumption has put the world on the road to ruin, and there’s no sign of it stopping. China and Europe slowed their industrial production last year, but if they resume at previous levels, there will be even more carbon emitted and less chance of saving the planet. This report is a very serious development.
Narrative B
For all those predicting doom for the world, this report shows that market forces are pushing renewable-energy sources to the fore, and they prevented a larger increase in carbon emissions than what occurred. As it turns out, as fossil fuels have increased in price, renewables have become a popular alternative. Natural market forces are working well when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions and the energy sector.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that global CO2 emissions will peak by December 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.