The Full Belmonte, 1/19/2023
Economy
“The US is expected to reach its debt limit today, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, but lawmakers have a few months to negotiate until the government defaults. Established by Congress, the debt ceiling is the maximum amount the federal government is able to borrow to finance obligations that lawmakers and presidents have already approved. The debt ceiling currently stands at $31.4 trillion and has been modified more than 100 times since World War II. Once the debt limit is reached, the Treasury Department will begin implementing extraordinary measures to delay a default in order to avoid a financial crisis. Essentially, if the government is no longer able to borrow, it would not have enough money to pay all its bills. That means it would likely have to temporarily delay payments or default on some of its commitments, potentially affecting Social Security payments, veterans' benefits and federal employees' salaries, among others.” [CNN]
New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, an icon to many, to step down
By NICK PERRY
“WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who became a global icon of the left and exemplified a new style of leadership, said Thursday that she would leave office.
Just 37 when she became leader, Ardern was praised around the world for her handling of the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting and the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. But she faced mounting political pressures at home and a level of vitriol from some that hadn’t been experienced by previous New Zealand leaders.
Still, her announcement came as a shock throughout the nation of 5 million people.
Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 would be her last day as prime minister after five and a half years in office.
‘I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,’ she said.
Lawmakers in her Labour Party will vote for a new leader on Sunday.
Ardern became an inspiration to women around the world after first winning the top job in 2017. She seemed to herald a new generation of leadership — she was on the verge of being a millennial, had spun some records as a part-time DJ, and wasn’t married like most politicians.
In 2018, Ardern became just the second world leader to give birth while holding office. Later that year, she brought her infant daughter to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
She notched up center-left victories while right-wing populism was on the rise globally, pushing pushed through a bill targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, overseeing a ban on assault weapons, and largely keeping the coronavirus out of New Zealand for 18 months.
Her approach to the pandemic earned the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, and she pushed back against wildly exaggerated claims from Trump about the spread of COVID-19 after he said there was a massive outbreak and ‘It’s over for New Zealand. Everything’s gone.’
‘Was angry the word?’ Ardern said about Trump’s comments in an interview with The Associated Press at the time.
In March 2019, Ardern faced one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history when a white supremacist gunman stormed two mosques in Christchurch and slaughtered 51 worshippers during Friday prayers. Ardern was widely praised for her empathy with survivors and New Zealand’s wider Muslim community in the aftermath.
After the mosque shootings, Ardern moved within weeks to pass new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. A subsequent buyback scheme run by police saw more than 50,000 guns, including many AR-15-style rifles, destroyed.
Less than nine months after the shooting, she faced another tragedy when 22 tourists and guides were killed when the White Island volcano erupted.
Ardern was lauded globally for her country’s initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic after New Zealand managed to stop the virus at its borders for months. But she was forced to abandon that zero-tolerance strategy as more contagious variants spread and vaccines became widely available.
She faced growing anger at home from those who opposed coronavirus mandates and rules. A protest against vaccine mandates that began on Parliament’s grounds last year lasted for more than three weeks and ended with protesters hurling rocks at police and setting fires to tents and mattresses as they were forced to leave. This year, Ardern canceled an annual barbecue she hosts due to security fears.
Ardern last month announced a wide-ranging Royal Commission of Inquiry would look into whether the government made the right decisions in battling COVID-19 and how it could better prepare for future pandemics. A report is due next year.
Many observers said that sexist attitudes played a role in the anger directed at Ardern.
‘Her treatment, the pile on, in the last few months has been disgraceful and embarrassing,’ wrote actor Sam Neill on Twitter. ‘All the bullies, the misogynists, the aggrieved. She deserved so much better. A great leader.’
But Ardern and her government also faced criticism that it had been big on ideas but lacking on execution. Supporters worried it hadn’t made promised gains on increasing housing supply and reducing child poverty, while opponents said it was not focusing enough on crime and the struggling economy.
Ardern described climate change as the great challenge for her generation. But her polices faced skepticism and opposition, including from farmers who protested plans to tax cow burps and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Ardern had been facing tough prospects at the ballot box. Her center-left Labour Party won reelection in 2020 with a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.
Ardern said the role required having a reserve to face the unexpected.
‘But I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job,’ she said. ‘I am leaving because with such a privileged role comes responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not.’
She said her time in office had been challenging but fulfilling.
‘I am entering now my sixth year in office, and for each of those years, I have given my absolute all,’ she said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ardern ‘has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength.’
‘She has demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities,’ Albanese tweeted. ‘Jacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand, an inspiration to so many and a great friend to me.’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Ardern on Twitter for her friendship and ‘empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership.’…” Read more at AP News
Debt fight more dire
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
“Today, the U.S. is expected to hit its borrowing limit, forcing the Treasury to resort to ‘extraordinary measures’ to stave off a potential default.
Why it matters: The perennial fight over hiking Uncle Sam's $31 trillion credit limit — a charade Wall Street abhors — is likely to be even more prolonged now that divided government is back, writes Javier E. David, Axios managing editor for business and markets.
House Republicans are digging in against raising the debt limit.
The White House yesterday called that ‘economic vandalism.’
What's happening: Normally, investors see a gridlocked government as a good thing, preventing either major party from implementing dramatic changes.
But this time, the stalemate raises the prospect of the world's largest economy defaulting on its debts, igniting a firestorm in global markets at a time when a U.S. recession seems like a growing possibility.
The deadlock is expected to last into the summer. Among the challenges:
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has a tenuous hold on a GOP caucus dominated by Republicans who reject the normal mechanics of governing.
The Biden administration is unwilling to negotiate substantive concessions in response to what it sees as threats that may wreak havoc in global markets.
The big picture: The debt ceiling debate is an avatar for a U.S. democracy that's increasingly polarized, ungovernable and incapable of tackling major challenges.
Substack author Josh Barro notes that extraordinary measures have been deployed at least nine times in the last 20 years.
What's we're watching: There's lots of speculation the government will need to rely on creative accounting to end-run a default.
The Treasury isn't expected to exhaust all its options for at least several months, at which point a technical default — or a credit downgrade from Wall Street ratings agencies — will loom large.
Long-shot tools at Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's disposal include minting a trillion-dollar coin (unlikely) — or issuing bonds with an above-market interest rate, which would reduce their face value.” [Axios]
Mayors try to shame gunmakers
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, speaks at the Capital Hilton yesterday. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
“Mayors and gun-safety advocates are getting increasingly aggressive about trying to bring public and financial pressure on major gun manufacturers, Axios' Alexi McCammond writes.
‘Mayors ... won’t shy away from naming those who make the guns that are killing our communities,’ said Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Mo., who co-chairs the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition.
What's happening: At this week's winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, mayors are unveiling new data about top gunmakers.
In 2021, four manufacturers accounted for over half of the recovered guns used in crimes in 31 cities, according to an Everytown for Gun Safety analysis shared first with Axios.
Axios reached out to the four manufacturers — Glock, Smith & Wesson, Taurus and Ruger — but hasn't heard back.
What we're watching: Authorities are recovering more and more ghost guns — untraceable, unregistered, and privately assembled via a 3D printer or homemade kit.” [Axios]
Inside the White House document strategy and its pitfalls
Biden aides are said to have tried to defer to DOJ, lay low and avoid Trump-like behavior. They got a political firestorm — and then a special counsel.
“One of President Biden’s personal attorneys entered the luxurious 10-story office building, so near the U.S. Capitol that its promoters billed it as ‘the front seat to power,’ on a Wednesday last November to begin what seemed a mundane task: clearing out a rarely-used office that Biden occupied after leaving the vice presidency.
The attorney, Pat Moore, went through a large closet and found nothing out of the ordinary, a person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Then he tackled a smaller closet, finding it stuffed with folders, boxes and other political memorabilia, including documents related to Beau Biden’s funeral, drafts of political speeches and boxes of personal books, the person said.
But next, Moore made a surprising discovery: a folder with a cover sheet saying it contained secret government documents. Moore immediately called another attorney and notified the White House Counsel’s Office, which in turn contacted the National Archives, according to two people familiar with the matter.
But if the way they found the classified documents was out of the ordinary, Biden’s lawyers were determined to be sticklers for the rules once it happened, said people familiar with their work.
Those first decisions inside the airy office complex at the Penn Biden Center at 101 Constitution Ave. NW launched a 71-day push by Biden’s team, federal archivists and the Justice Department to make sense of the startling discovery. It culminated in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision, to the deep consternation of many in the White House, to appoint a special counsel.
Interviews with people directly involved in the discovery and the subsequent fallout provided new details on the effort to handle the crisis created at the intersection of politics, intelligence and the law. Republicans and other critics say the White House was, at a minimum, slow to seek the truth and level with the public; Biden’s aides say they were simply proceeding cautiously in a sensitive probe and taking their lead from federal investigators.
In mid-November, in a communication that has not previously been reported, a senior official in the Justice Department’s national security division wrote a letter to Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal attorney, asking for his cooperation with the department’s inquiry. The Justice officialasked specifically that Biden’s legal team secure the materials from the Penn Biden Center and refrain from further reviewing them or other relevant documents that might be stored at different locations, according to the letter, the contents of which were shared with The Post.
The Justice official also requested that Bauer give the Justice Department formal consent to review the Penn Biden materials, and that he provide a list of other locations where relevant materials might be stored as the department weighted the proper protocols for future document searches.
That letter, with its implication that the Justice Department would take the lead in the inquiry, paved the way for the Biden team’s approach: They adopted a strategy of caution and deference, making only limited moves in coordination with federal investigators to determine the number of documents involved, their significance and how they were mishandled. They hoped that would earn the trust of investigators, avoid comparisons with former president Donald Trump, who is under federal criminal investigation for his own mishandling of classified materials, and end the matter quickly; instead, it yielded a political firestorm and repeated accusations of obfuscation, and instead of a speedy resolution, they now face a special counsel probe….” Read more at Washington Post
Covid-19
“Amid rising Covid-19 cases across the US, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing to permanently ban coronavirus vaccine and face mask mandates in his state. DeSantis, a vocal Covid-19 skeptic, signed measures in 2021 that made Florida the first state in the country to threaten businesses with fines if they required workers to get a Covid-19 vaccine. In addition to proposing permanent bans on mask and vaccine mandates, DeSantis also wants to prevent doctors from losing their medical licenses if they stake out positions that contradict medical consensus. This comes as medical experts have noted a national decline in childhood vaccination numbers. Among several reasons, experts say misinformation and disinformation around Covid-19 vaccines may have seeded doubt in other vaccines.” [CNN]
McCarthy's attendance weapon
Speaker McCarthy holds a news conference in the Capitol's Statuary Hall last week. Photo: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
“House Republicans quickly did away with the remote voting that was allowed after COVID stuck. The stricter rules could juice the GOP's slim majority, since only a handful of votes could be decisive, Axios' Stef Kight and Andrew Solender write.
Why it matters: Sickness, surgeries, funerals and other events calling House members away from D.C. suddenly have higher stakes.
What's happening: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also presided over perilously thin margins. But members could cast votes from home (proxy voting) due to the pandemic. Republicans ended that as soon as they got the gavel.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said it ‘may come as a shock to the D.C. bubble that we expect members to show up to work.’
By the numbers: Republicans hold their second-narrowest House majority (222-212) since at least 1963 — beat only by the 107th Congress (2001-2003), where the majority held just 220 seats, according to Pew Research Center.
What to watch: House members' ambitions for higher office will add to leaders' attendance headaches.
Just two weeks into the session, three House members have announced Senate bids. Another — Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García (D-Ill.) — is running for Chicago mayor.
At least a half dozen other House members are weighing bids for Senate or governor.” [Axios]
“Representative George Santos claimed his mother was at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. She wasn’t in the U.S. during the attack, documents show.” [New York Times]
Why are egg prices soaring?
“Egg prices continue to skyrocket – up 60% in December from a year earlier. Last year, the average price for a dozen large Grade A eggs in the U.S. was $1.93 in January. By December, when egg demand peaked, the price surged to $4.25. But why? Three reasons: an increase in holiday demand, higher production costs for farmers, and an outbreak of bird flu, a highly contagious virus that can be fatal to poultry such as chickens and turkeys. Read more at USA Today
Anyone going to buy a dozen eggs these days will have to be ready to pay up because the lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has driven prices up significantly.
Seth Wenig, AP
FBI’s opposition to releasing Leonard Peltier driven by vendetta, says ex-agent
Exclusive: retired FBI agent Coleen Rowley calls for clemency for Indigenous activist who has been in prison for nearly 50 years
“The FBI’s repeated opposition to the release of Leonard Peltier is driven by vindictiveness and misplaced loyalties, according to a former senior agent close to the case who is the first agency insider to call for clemency for the Indigenous rights activist who has been held in US maximum security prisons for almost five decades.
Coleen Rowley, a retired FBI special agent whose career included 14 years as legal counsel in the Minneapolis division where she worked with prosecutors and agents directly involved in the Peltier case, has written to Joe Biden making a case for Peltier’s release.
‘Retribution seems to have emerged as the primary if not sole reason for continuing what looks from the outside to have become an emotion-driven ‘FBI Family’ vendetta,’ said Rowley in the letter sent to the US president in December and shared exclusively with the Guardian.
Rowley added: ‘The focus of my two cents leading to my joining the call for clemency is based on Peltier’s inordinately long prison sentence and an ever more compelling need for simple mercy due to his advanced age and deteriorating health.’
‘Enough is enough. Leonard Peltier should now be allowed to go home.’
Peltier, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe and of Lakota and Dakota descent, was convicted of murdering two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota in June 1975. Peltier was a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), an Indigenous civil rights movement founded in Minneapolis that was infiltrated and repressed by the FBI.
Rowley refers to the historical context in which the shooting took place as ‘… the long-standing horribly wrongful oppressive treatment of Indians in the U.S. [which] played a key role in putting both the agents and Peltier in the wrong place at the wrong time’.
The 1977 murder trial – and subsequent parole hearings – were rife with irregularities and due process violations including evidence that the FBI had coerced witnesses, withheld and falsified evidence.
Peltier, now 78, has been held in maximum security prisons for 46 of the past 47 years. He has always denied shooting the agents. Last year, UN experts called for Peltier’s immediate release after concluding that his prolonged imprisonment amounted to arbitrary detention….” Read more at The Guardian
“To win reelection in a landslide last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis harnessed the power of a key group of voters — motivated parents — in a strategy that could serve him well if, as widely expected, he runs for president in 2024. Michael Smith explains how the potential Republican rival of Donald Trump was able to exert his influence in local school board races, convincing some moms and dads that he shares their values and concerns about what’s happening in classrooms and then harnessing it for his own political gain.” [Bloomberg]
DeSantis. Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Maryland’s first Black governor was inaugurated yesterday.
“What to know: Wes Moore is only the third Black governor to be elected in U.S. history. The first was Douglas Wilder, who was elected in Virginia in 1989.
Who is he? Moore is an author, veteran and the former leader of a poverty-fighting nonprofit. The Democrat’s agenda includes tackling the racial wealth gap, childhood poverty and climate change.” [Washington Post]
France strikes bid to halt Macron's rise in retirement age
Image caption, Only two driverless lines were working normally on the Paris metro on Thursday
By Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris
“President Macron's reform programme faces a make-or-break moment, as French unions stage a day of mass strikes and protests on Thursday against his plans to push back the age of retirement.
A new bill due to go through parliament will raise the official age at which people can stop work from 62 to 64.
Intercity and commuter train services are badly disrupted.
Many schools and other public services are shut. At Orly airport in Paris, one in five flights has been cancelled.
On the Paris metro only the two driverless lines are working normally.
Large demonstrations drawing tens of thousands are expected in Paris and other cities, where police will be out in force in case of violence from ultra-left ‘black bloc’ infiltrators.
Under the proposals outlined earlier this month by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, from 2027 people will have to work 43 years to qualify for a full pension, as opposed to 42 years now.
Image caption, Élisabeth Borne announced the planned reforms last week
Hailed by the government as a vital measure to safeguard France's share-out pension system, the reform is proving deeply unpopular among the public - with 68% saying they are opposed, according to an IFOP poll this week.
All the country's unions - including so-called ‘reformist’ unions that the government had hoped to win to its side - have condemned the measure, as have the left-wing and far-right oppositions in the National Assembly.
‘On Thursday the walls of the Élysée palace must tremble,’ Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said on Tuesday.
Because his Renaissance party does not have a majority in the Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron will be forced to rely on support from the 60 or so MPs of the conservative Republicans party. Though in principle in favour of pension reform, even some of them have warned they could vote against.
With the parliamentary process expected to take several weeks, Mr Macron faces a rolling campaign of opposition, with further days of action likely in the days ahead. The worst outcome for the government would be rolling strikes in transport, hospitals and fuel depots - effectively bringing the country to a standstill.
Image caption, A recent poll suggested 68% of people were opposed to the pension reforms
Political analysts agreed the mood of the country was hard to gauge, so it was impossible to predict whether the scale of the movement would be enough to force the president into a retreat. If that happened, it could mark the end of any serious reforms in this, his second term.
On the one hand, inflation, the energy crisis and constant reports of run-down public services have left many people feeling anxious and irascible. President Macron's poor image outside the prosperous cities contributed to the ‘yellow-vest’ insurrection four years ago, and could well do so again.
But on the other hand, pollsters have also identified a sense of resignation among many people, who no longer identify with ‘old-school’ social movements such as the unions specialise in. Many will also be too concerned about the loss of a day's income to go on strike.
The prime minister invoked the principle of ‘inter-generational solidarity’ to justify the decision to make people work longer. Under the French system, very few people have personal pension plans linked to capital investments.
Instead the pensions of those who are retired are paid from the same common fund into which those in work are contributing every month. Workers know they will benefit from the same treatment when they retire.
Image caption, Train drivers joined teachers and refinery workers in walking out on Thursday
However, the government says the system is heading for disaster because the ratio between those working and those in retirement is diminishing rapidly. From four workers per retiree 50 years ago, the ratio has fallen to around 1.7 per retiree today, and will sink further in the years ahead.
Nearly all other European countries have taken steps to raise the official retirement age, with Italy and Germany for example on 67 and Spain on 65. In the UK it is currently 66.
President Macron made an earlier, and more ambitious, attempt to reform the system at the end of 2019, but pulled the plug when Covid hit. This second plan was part of his re-election manifesto last year - a key argument deployed by the government in the battle for public opinion.
To palliate the effects of the reform, Élisabeth Borne has promised easier ways to retire early for people in dangerous or physically demanding jobs; steps to encourage older people back into the workforce; and a higher guaranteed minimum pension.
The opposition argues the system is not technically in deficit at the moment, so there is no urgency to act. It says there are cost-saving alternatives to making people work longer, such as cutting pensions for the better-off.
It also says the brunt of the reform will be borne by the poorest. These are people who tend to start work earlier in life, so have normally earned the right to a full pension by the age of 62. Now they will have to work two extra years for no added benefit.
This is the seventh French pension reform since President François Mitterrand cut the retirement age to 60 in 1982.
Every subsequent attempt to reverse that change has led to mass opposition on the street - though in most cases the reform did in the end go through. For example, in 2010, Nicolas Sarkozy raised the retirement age to 62, despite weeks of protests.” [BBC]
Ukraine
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today once again called upon Western allies and partners to send more weapons to Ukraine to help fight Russia. Zelensky's appeal comes as the US is set to finalize a massive $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine that includes a first shipment of Stryker combat vehicles, sources told CNN. The package is not expected to include tanks or the long-range missiles sought by Kyiv. US officials say the Biden administration also intends to provide $125 million in additional energy support for Ukraine. According to Zelensky, the additional weapons are crucial as Russia is likely to launch another series of drone attacks soon.” [CNN]
“Close to half a million workers are ready to strike on Feb. 1 as Britain faces an escalation of industrial action across a number of sectors.” [Bloomberg]
“Peruvian farmers and other protesters plan to demonstrate today in the capital, Lima, to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte after weeks of protests in impoverished rural areas.” [Bloomberg]
“The UK won’t call an election in Northern Ireland immediately after a deadline for the devolved government to be formed expires tonight, but will consider all options as negotiations continue with the European Union on the region’s post-Brexit status.” [Bloomberg]
“Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi appeared to use women’s rights as a bargaining chip to seek sanctions relief, telling a United Nations official that Taliban leaders currently saw little incentive to shift course.” [Bloomberg]
Parts of Greenland are the hottest they’ve been in 1,000 years.
Greenland pancake ice and melt in July, as seen from a NASA plane. Photo: Kerem Yücel/AFP via Getty Images
“What to know: The coldest parts of Greenland’s ice sheet are warming rapidly and showing changes that are unprecedented in at least a millennium, scientists said yesterday.
Why it’s worrying: It suggests a long-term process of melting has begun, which is bad news for our coastlines. Greenland contains enough ice to raise sea levels by over 20 feet.” [Washington Post]
“Israeli Supreme Court says minister unfit. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Aryeh Deri, leader of the Sephardic Orthodox party Shas, was not fit to serve as a minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new coalition government (Netanyahu recently appointed him health and interior minister). Deri had previously been convicted of tax fraud.
Ten of the court’s 11 judges ruled against the appointment and said Deri should be removed. In her decision, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut ruled, ‘this is a person who has been convicted three times of offenses throughout his life, and he violated his duty to serve the public loyally and lawfully while serving in senior public positions.’ Following the ruling, Netanyahu went to visit Deri at home in Jerusalem, saying, ‘When my brother is in distress, I come to him.’
Deri, for his part, warned, ‘The people will judge and see for themselves,’ and ‘If they close the door on us, we’ll come in through the window. If they close the window, we’ll break in through the ceiling.’ In a statement, Shas said, ‘the court which presumes to look after minorities, tossed away the voice and vote of 400,000 Shas voters.’
Wednesday’s ruling took place amid a broader showdown between the government and the Supreme Court. Yariv Levin, the new justice minister, has put forth a plan to weaken Israel’s judicial system—a plan that Hayut warned would be a ‘fatal blow’ to Israel’s democracy. Roughly 80,000 people protested against the judicial reform plan in Tel Aviv last weekend. It is unclear whether Netanyahu will respect the Supreme Court’s decision, and what will happen if he doesn’t.” [Foreign Policy]
“Church of England blocks same-sex marriage. Following five years of debate, Church of England bishops announced they will refuse same-sex marriage and continue to teach that marriage is between ‘one man and one woman for life,’ even while offering an apology to LGBTQ people for ‘rejection, exclusion, and hostility’ they have faced because of the Church.
Instead of recognizing same-sex marriage, the Church said it would offer services including ‘prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God’s blessing on the couple in church following a civil marriage or partnership.’ Blessings will be voluntary for clergy, and those opposed can opt out. The decision was denounced by LGBTQ activists.” [Foreign Policy]
“Thirty-nine charged over storming of Brazilian buildings. Brazil’s prosecutor-general has announced the first charges in the storming of Brazilian government buildings on Jan. 8. Brazilian authorities also asked that the 39 charged be imprisoned. They were charged with armed criminal association, trying to violently subvert democracy, damaging public property, and attempting to stage a coup. Brazilian authorities argue that the goal of those storming the buildings was ultimately the installation of a new government. More people are expected to be charged.” [Foreign Policy]
“Activists say Iran fast-tracking trials. The BBC reports that sources have said protesters on trial are given mere minutes to defend themselves, and that authorities are using what are effectively show trials to try to instill fear in protesters. Sources also say that state-appointed lawyers act as additional interrogators rather than working to defend their clients.” [Foreign Policy]
“Ressa acquitted. Philippine Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa and her news outlet were cleared of tax evasion charges. The Court of Tax Appeals found that prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. had indeed evaded taxes. In a statement, Rappler said, ‘We thank the court for this just decision and for recognizing that the fraudulent, false, and flimsy charges made by the Bureau of Internal Revenue do not have any basis in fact.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Nicola Sturgeon has made a name for herself as a liberal foil to the UK Conservative government.
As Scotland’s first minister since 2014, she’s been a longstanding opponent of Brexit — as Britain’s exit from the European Union is known — took a more cautious attitude to the pandemic than her UK counterpart, and rejects hardline Tory migration policies, stressing that Scotland welcomes refugees.
Key reading:
Scottish Independence Support Rises as UK Standoff Escalates
UK’s Top Court Quashes Scotland’s Bid for New Independence Vote
Spain’s Win for Transgender Rights Almost Tore the Country Apart
Truss’s Jibe at Sturgeon Riles Scots Seeking Independence Vote
The latest point of contention sets up a potentially more damaging clash, one that she can’t be sure will benefit her Scottish National Party.
Sturgeon’s semi-autonomous administration in Edinburgh passed a bill last month making it simpler for people in Scotland to legally change their gender. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government blocked it yesterday, prompting Sturgeon to brand the move a “full-frontal attack on our democratically elected Scottish Parliament.”
It’s a familiar refrain. She used a similar argument in her response to the UK Supreme Court’s decision last year against allowing her government to hold another referendum on independence.
Even putting aside the merits of each case, the political reality is that increased tensions between Edinburgh and London may serve the SNP goal of achieving an independent Scotland.
But inflaming them is a gamble for both sides.
For Sturgeon, the question is whether voters who failed to rush to back independence during Brexit or the disastrous Liz Truss premiership will rally around transgender rights.
Sunak, who is struggling with strikes, a recession and a cost-of-living crisis, can rely on giving the Tory faithful a thrill by acting tough on a hot-button cultural issue. Yet a constitutional crisis going into UK elections due late next year is the last thing he needs.
The SNP and Tories are both looking tired after more than 15 and 12 years in office respectively. The clash over gender may yet be their final showdown.” [Bloomberg] — Alan Crawford
Supporters of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill protest outside the Scottish Parliament on Dec. 20. Photographer: Jane Barlow/PA/AP Photo
Sint Maarten approves plan to destroy entire population of vervet monkeys
The Caribbean territory plans to exterminate at least 450 of the invasive primates – but critics disagree with the proposal
Rebecca Bird
Wed 18 Jan 2023 05.10 EST
“The government of Sint Maarten in the eastern Caribbean has approved a controversial plan to cull its entire population of vervet monkeys, as the proliferation of the invasive species becomes an increasing nuisance on the Dutch island territory.
Authorities will fund the Nature Foundation St Maarten NGO to capture and euthanise at least 450 monkeys over the next three years in the territory which borders French St Martin….” Read more at The Guardian
“As its only remaining elected officials depart, Haiti is reaching a breaking point. In the years since Haiti last held a democratic election, the country's challenges have spiraled: gang violence, inflation, a cholera outbreak and now, a piecemeal government.” [NPR]
Amazon
“The Labor Department has accused Amazon of failing to keep warehouse workers safe from workplace hazards at three US facilities. Federal safety regulators have issued hazard letters related to physical injury risks from workers lifting packages after inspecting warehouse facilities in Florida, Illinois and New York. ‘Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety,’ said Doug Park, assistant secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This is not the first time the e-commerce giant's labor practices have been under scrutiny. A study published last year by a coalition of labor unions found that the rate of serious injuries in 2021 at Amazon's US warehouses was twice as high as those at other, non-Amazon warehouses.” [CNN]
Future of jets
Rendering via Boeing
“NASA will invest $425 million over seven years in developing greener commercial jets, Alex Fitzpatrick reports in Axios What's Next.
Boeing's ‘Transonic Truss-Braced Wing’ concept, seen above in an artist's rendering, would use long, thin wings supported by struts.
The design is meant to reduce drag — decreasing fuel burn and improving efficiency.
What's next: NASA wants to test such aircraft by the end of the decade, so the tech can be used in the next generation of single-aisle jetliners.” [Axios]
Robot doctors
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
“ChatGPT, the generative AI juggernaut, is ready to disrupt health care, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack writes.
Why it matters: Lots of clinical diagnoses and decisions could someday be made by machines, rather than human doctors.
‘I think we're in the middle of a 20-year arc — kind of like what we already saw with finance,’ Vijay Pande, a health care investor with Andreessen Horowitz and adjunct professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, tells Axios.
‘In 2000, it was insane to think that a computer could beat a master trader on Wall Street. Today, it's insane to think that master trader could beat a computer.’
ChatGPT recently passed all three parts of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination — although just barely — as part of a research experiment.
As the researchers note, medical students often spend hundreds of hours preparing for the test.
Zoom in: Ansible Health, a Silicon Valley startup focused on treating COPD, had been researching various AI and machine-learning tools.
‘There was so much excitement in the tech world when ChatGPT came out, so we wanted to see if it was just hype,’ explains Jack Po, Ansible's CEO and a former Google product manager.
‘[W]e were pretty amazed at the results. Not only at what it was getting right, but at how it was explaining itself.’
Po and several others then decided to have ChatGPT take the medical exam, after ensuring that ‘none of the answers, explanations or related content were indexed on Google.’
The big surprise was that ChatGPT could perform so well without ever having been trained on a medical dataset.
Reality check: Don't expect a machine to autonomously diagnose patients anytime soon. AI models sometimes make confident assertions that turn out to be false — which could prove dangerous in medicine.
Generative AI remains in the early innings. So for now, it'll augment medical work rather than replace it.
What's next: Once the technology moves beyond text, it could incorporate tone of voice, body language and facial expressions.
One benefit would be a quick summary of a patient's medical records. Physicians often have only moments to scan a lifetime of charts.” [Axios]
Fastest Corvette
2024 Corvette E-Ray in Milford Mich. Photo: Carlos Osorio/AP
“The fastest Corvette ever made will hit showrooms in the second half of this year — and it's a gas-electric hybrid.
The front wheels run on an electric motor, with the traditional 6.2-liter V8 powering the back of Chevrolet's storied sports car.
Why it matters: The 2024 E-Ray — unveiled 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in 1953 — is a step toward an all-electric version, AP's Tom Krisher writes.
Aimed at affluent buyers who want new technology, the $104,000 E-Ray jerks your head back as it goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
GM says it can cover a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.” [Axios]
The Elgin Marbles at the British Museum in London.Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
A bitter dispute
“In the early 1800s, a British aristocrat brought some of the greatest treasures in antiquity home from Greece. The collection includes statues of Greek gods that once decorated the Parthenon in Athens. Today, we know them as the Elgin Marbles, which are on display at the British Museum and have become the subject of perhaps the world’s most notorious culture dispute.
Britain says the marbles were legally acquired and are best shown alongside other artifacts in a museum. Greece says they are looted treasures and a foundation of national heritage. One Greek lawmaker called it a “matter of dignity for all Greeks.”
The British Museum and Greece are getting closer to an agreement on returning them, The Times’s Alex Marshall writes, but no deal seems imminent.” [New York Times]
Julian Sands: British actor identified as hiker missing in southern California
By Sam Hancock
BBC News
“British actor Julian Sands has been reported missing after going hiking in mountains north of Los Angeles.
He disappeared last Friday in the Baldy Bowl area during bad weather in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Police said ground rescue teams abandoned their search at the weekend because of avalanche risks, but it was continuing by drone and helicopter.
Mr Sands, 65, is known for roles in popular films and TV dramas including A Room With A View, 24 and Smallville.
For weeks, California has been battered by deadly storms and a disaster declaration was issued by President Joe Biden.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's department said that when conditions were safer for rescue crews, they would resume the search.
It said it had responded to 14 calls on Mount San Antonio, known locally as Mount Baldy, and in the surrounding area over the last four weeks. It warned hikers to ‘stay away’ from that area.
‘It is extremely dangerous and even experienced hikers are getting in trouble,’ the department said. They are also searching for another hiker, an American, who went missing in the same mountains.
Last week, a mother of four whom friends described as an experienced hiker died after sliding more than 500ft down Mount Baldy.
Image caption, A Room with a View was a global hit in 1985
Mr Sands was reported missing at about 19:30 local time on Friday 13 January.
The department's search and rescue crews responded and began a search, but this was hampered by severe weather warnings and trail conditions.
‘However, we continue to search by helicopter and drones when the weather permits,’ the statement said.
Mr Sands has talked in the past about his love of hiking and mountain climbing.
Image caption, Mount San Antonio, commonly known as Mount Baldy, in the San Gabriel Mountains
When asked in a Guardian interview in 2020 what made him happy, he replied: ‘Close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.’
Born in Yorkshire, Mr Sands has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, but it was a lead role in the 1985 British romance A Room With A View that brought him global fame.
The father of three most recently appeared in the drama Benediction, which also starred Peter Capaldi.
Mr Sands lives in the North Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles with his wife, writer Evgenia Citkowitz. They have two children.
He was previously married to Sarah Sands, former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, with whom he has a son.” [BBC]
“Lives Lived: The former prima ballerina Lupe Serrano helped define ballet in America and was a beloved teacher to generations of dancers. She died at 92.” [New York Times]