N. Korea Claims Test Of Nuclear-Capable Underwater Drone
North Korea on Friday claimed to have test-fired a new nuclear-capable underwater attack drone that it said could trigger a "radioactive tsunami" during a military exercise overseen by leader Kim Jong Un this week.
According to state media, the new weapon system called "Haeil" (Tsunami) detonated a non-nuclear charge in waters off the country's east coast on Thursday after traveling at a depth of 80 to 150 meters (260-500 feet) for more than 59 hours.
Pro-establishment narrative
For decades, North Korea has invoked Washington's supposedly hostile policy to justify its increasingly aggressive posture. Yet it was Pyongyang that resumed escalation after Seoul and Washington suspended most of their joint exercises during the Trump administration. By constantly conducting new weapons tests and expanding North Korea's nuclear capabilities, Kim has solidified the regime's pariah status, not broken it.
Establishment-critical narrative
North Korea's weapons tests are a symptom, not the cause, of regional tensions. The US bears the main responsibility for declining diplomatic relations with North Korea, especially as the Biden administration has switched back to a confrontational course following former Trump's efforts at de-escalation. By fueling conflict, the US hopes to establish closer ties with Japan and South Korea to cut into China’s regional influence.
Nerd narrative
There's a 37% chance that North Korea will possess enough fissile material to produce at least 100 warheads before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Ukrainian Commander: Russia 'Losing Steam' in Bakhmut
Russian forces in the Donetsk city of Bakhmut are "losing steam," Ukraine's commander of its armed forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday, pledging that his army will soon launch a counter-offensive to retake ground in the area.
The account matched earlier analysis from the UK's defense ministry, which said in an intelligence assessment earlier in the week that "there is a realistic possibility that the Russian assault on the town is losing the limited momentum it had obtained."
Anti-Russia narrative
Russia's attacks on Bakhmut are losing momentum. Ukrainian forces will soon exhaust Moscow's attempts to take the city and will turn the tide on fighting to recover the ground.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia has practically surrounded Bakhmut and all supply roads in and out are controlled by its artillery fire. It's only a matter of time before Russia takes the city.
Nerd narrative
There is a 10% chance that Russia will capture or surround a large Ukrainian city before June 1, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
France Pension Protests: Bordeaux City Hall Set on Fire
In France's southwest city of Bordeaux, the front door of the town hall was set on fire as nationwide protests over pension reforms gripped the country on Thursday.
Trade unions claimed that 3.5M Frenchmen took to the streets, including a record 800K in Paris where clashes erupted late into the night. However, authorities suggested the figure was far lower at 1.1M, claiming that no more than 120K people marched through Paris.
Narrative A
French citizens have to embrace pension reforms. With longer life expectancies and an aging population, the cost to the state's coffers has become unsustainable. France needs to get with the times and raise the pension age like all other European countries have done.
Narrative B
In spite of those that say the numbers are unsustainable, the deficit for future years is not as dramatic as Macron and his supporters make it out to be. Besides, there are other ways of raising the necessary money outside of raising the pension age — including reversing the tax cuts for businesses that Macron's government itself has implemented.
New Utah Law Requires Parental Consent for Child Social Media Use
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law on Thursday requiring anyone under 18 to have parental consent for the use of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as prohibiting these companies from employing techniques to cause minors to develop an "addiction" to the platforms.
Cox said via Twitter that it was his responsibility to protect Utah's children from these "toxic" platforms, adding: "Youth rates of depression and other mental health issues are on the rise because of social media companies."
Democratic narrative
This is simply the next step in the far-right's attempt to rescind American civil liberties. Despite rights groups pointing out this fact, GOP lawmakers, and the parents who vote them in, want full control over America's youth so they can spy on and prevent them from accessing the digital world. This could backfire in the long run, as these children will likely remember what their parents voted for.
Republican narrative
Democrats care more about having "swag" on TikTok than they do about protecting children from the undeniable harm caused by social media. The risks posed to our kids have been known about for a long time, but the left wants young people to remain glued to their screens so that they are raised by the internet rather than their parents. This is about the rights of American children as well as their parents.
Nerd narrative
There's a 30% chance that the US will ban Tiktok before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Conducts Air Strikes in Syria After Contractor Killed
In response to an alleged Iranian drone attack that killed a US contractor in northeast Syria Thursday, US Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Biden admin. ordered airstrikes against facilities in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor governorate used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
The Dept. of Defense said that Thursday's attack occurred in al-Hasakah, a region controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) when a "one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base."
Pro-establishment narrative
The US will not tolerate Iranian attacks against US forces in Iraq or Syria. Any attack by Iranian-backed forces will result in strong reprisals, as the US must defend its positions against Iranian aggression. Iran has deployed its terrorist militias throughout Syria and Iraq, and US forces must counter these threats whenever necessary.
Establishment-critical narrative
The US has relentlessly attacked Syria as it continues its illegal occupation of the country. Iran is a friend of Syria and has been invited by the government to help protect Damascus from Western-backed terrorists. Though the US says it's in Syria to "fight the Islamic State [group]," in reality, its only goal is to steal oil and block any resistance to Western neo-colonialism.
World Athletics Bans Trans Women From Competing
On Thursday, World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, banned transgender women athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in female world ranking competitions beginning March 31.
The new regulations will also require athletes with Differences in Sex Development (DSD) to reduce their testosterone levels to 2.5 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) — down from 5 — for a minimum of two years to compete in the female category.
Right narrative
Emerging science shows trans athletes have a biological advantage over women even after lowering their testosterone levels, and regulations like these are needed to protect the integrity of sports and the women who are at risk of being left to compete for second place. It's essential to prioritize fairness over the woke ideas and political correctness that has many participating in today's rendition of the Emperor's New Clothes.
Left narrative
The World Athletics' decision is deeply discriminatory, biased, and politically motivated. Not allowing transgender athletes to follow their passions because of who they are, on the assumption that they automatically have an unfair advantage over their cisgender peers in female sporting events, violates the IOC's framework on fairness, inclusion, and non-discrimination. These regulations don't protect the integrity of women's sports — they further the policing of women's bodies.
Progressive narrative
Biological differences — along with differences in gender identity, race, culture, religion, and sexual orientation — must be accepted and celebrated. To include or exclude is a binary way of approaching a nonbinary situation. Establishing a female category — excluding anyone with performance advantage — and an "open category" — including intersex, nonbinary, and gender-fluid people — can be a fair and inclusive solution for transgender women in sports.
Canada to Roll Back Asylum Access Per Agreement with US
The US and Canada reached an agreement on Thursday to allow border officials from both countries to turn back asylum seekers traveling across their shared border without considering petitions for sanctuary.
The agreement will expand a policy called the Safe Third Country Agreement that codifies that the US and Canada are both safe countries for refugees but that refugees must first apply for asylum in whichever country they arrive in initially.
Pro-establishment narrative
In the past few years, an overwhelming number of people have crossed the border between Canada and the US using unofficial ports of entry — taking advantage of loopholes in prior agreements and Canada's relatively liberal refugee resettlement policies. This new agreement will close loopholes that have allowed migrants to cross unlawfully.
Establishment-critical narrative
The updated Safe Third Country Agreement violates both Canada's and US's obligations to asylum seekers. This will not stop immigration and will instead force these vulnerable people to take even more dangerous routes and could help to incentivize human trafficking. This agreement is undemocratic, dangerous, and counter to the norms of the international community.
Michigan Appeals Court: Parents of Mass Shooter Can Face Manslaughter Trial
A Michigan appeals court ruled Thursday that the parents of teenager Ethan Crumbley, who pleaded guilty to a mass shooting at Oxford High School in November 2021, can face trial for involuntary manslaughter.
The court’s written opinion said there’s sufficient evidence that Jennifer and James Crumbley could be charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter because the parents “provided him with the weapon” that killed four students. The opinion said his parents didn’t remove him from the situation at school that “led directly to the shootings.”
Right narrative
This case will set a terrible precedent by charging people for not being able to predict the future. Crumbley’s parents might have made some bad decisions but holding them — or any parents — criminally liable for the actions of their child could take the justice system down a dark road.
Left narrative
The court was very clear that this is a unique situation, and it doesn’t expect parents to be held accountable for their child’s actions in every possible case. What these charges accomplish is setting the precedent that those who facilitate the committing of a heinous crime — be it the parents of the perpetrator or someone else — will have to face the consequences.
'Hotel Rwanda' Hero to Be Freed From Prison
On Friday, Rwanda's government said human rights activist Paul Rusesabagina would be released from prison after the country's Pres. Paul Kagame commuted his sentence.
Rusesabagina, a 68-year-old Belgian citizen and US resident, was allegedly kidnapped by Rwandan authorities in 2020. He was convicted on eight charges, including terrorism offenses, and sentenced to 25 years in 2021.
Narrative A
Why did a man who saved thousands of lives once end up in prison? Because Rusesabagina exaggerated his role in helping refugees escape the massacre, profited from the genocide, and had political aspirations. His admission at trial to having ties with a terrorist organization that sought a violent overthrow of the government is a testament to his crimes. Today, he walks out free because Rwandans forgive the unforgivable and don't get stuck with their past.
Narrative B
Rusesabagina was a dissident caught in the Rwandan ruler’s authoritarian net where Kagame exerts total control, plunders Congo openly, imprisons political rivals, and rules the country with an iron fist. He has increasingly transformed Rwanda into a dictatorship, brought the media and the judiciary under his rule, and suppressed the opposition. Rusesabagina was innocent, yet he was treated as an enemy of the state. His release is a victory for Kagame's opponents and other Rwanda heroes trapped outside the country.
US House GOP Passes Parents’ Bill of Rights Act
The Republican-led US House on Friday fulfilled a campaign promise and passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act by a 213-208 vote, with five Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it.
The bill calls for schools to make their curricula public, mandate teachers to meet with parents, and provide parents with information about any violence on school grounds.
Democratic narrative
Republicans are promoting this bill under the banner of parents’ rights, but it’s nothing more than red meat for their base, which wants to curtail vital school debates about race, gender identity, and sexuality. Rather than wasting time on manufactured "problems," the House should focus its attention on the real issues that American students face, such as teacher shortages and rampant gun violence at schools.
Republican narrative
This is much-needed legislation to remove the political wedge that the increasingly woke school system seeks to impale between families. Despite claims to the contrary, there’s no book ban or mechanism for revealing a student’s gender identity in this bill, it merely provides a route for parents to rightfully know what’s going on in their children’s lives and participate in molding their learning experience.