US Senate Report: Female Inmates Sexually Abused by Prison Workers
A report released Tuesday by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations found that federal female prison inmates nationwide have been subjected to sexual abuse by prison guards and other officials for nearly a decade.
According to the report — which interviewed officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, alleged victims, and whistleblowers — prison workers sexually abused women in 19 out of the 29 women's federal prisons.
It added that the "seriously flawed" investigative procedures of the bureau’s Office of Internal Affairs led to a backlog of 8k cases with "at least hundreds" involving sexual abuse.
Narrative A
Though this report may be news to the public, the epidemic of sexual abuse in female prisons has been a well-known secret within the government for a long time. Authorities at the DOJ and other agencies ignored such horrific acts for years, so it's only right that these victims be released early.
Narrative B
While atonement and accountability are undoubtedly needed, the primary response to this horrific phenomenon should be how to prevent it from happening in the first place. The good thing is we already know the cause — the imbalance of power between male guards and female inmates. Now, there must be a concerted effort to be proactive rather than reactive.
Istanbul Mayor Sentenced for Insulting Officials
A Turkish court on Wednesday handed a more than 2.5-year jail sentence and a political ban to the mayor of Istanbul and key opposition politician, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on charges of insulting members of the Supreme Electoral Council.
The lawsuit against him was prompted by a 2019 comment by İmamoğlu to celebrate his electoral victory. He stated in a press release that "the ones who canceled the March 31 election are fools," referring to an annulled election he had also won.
İmamoğlu was sentenced to 2 years and 7 months in prison. He hasn't been arrested and his party will appeal; per Turkish law, he wouldn't be incarcerated but would be barred from office and political activity during this time.
Establishment-critical narrative
This ruling demonstrates Erdoğan's efforts to use the court to rid himself of yet another possible contender in the upcoming presidential election. His regime has long used defamation and insulting charges to suppress dissent, with thousands in Turkey convicted on these charges since Erdoğan took power in 2014.
Pro-establishment narrative
The opposition's allegations that the ruling against İmamoğlu was politically motivated are absurd. No person, authority, or body can interfere in the exercise of judicial power in Turkey. This is not a final decision, and the appeals process will continue with due process.
UK: SNP Proposes Lowering Parliament Candidacy Age to 16
On Wednesday, the devolved Scottish Government published proposals for the minimum age of candidates for Holyrood elections to be cut from 18 to 16, which would reportedly be the youngest minimum age for a national political candidate worldwide.
Scotland lowered the voting age ahead of the 2014 independence referendum. This then carried over to the 2016 Holyrood election, but the age for candidacy remained 18.
The consultation document acknowledged that there would be challenges with 16 and 17-year-olds running in Holyrood elections, such as "wellbeing concerns," including exposure to hate speech as well as potential implications to the candidate's education.
Left narrative
Despite concerns, the success of the Scottish Youth Parliament is proof that a significant number of young people are already engaged in politics. There's no reason to see a 16 or year-old elected as anything but a positive force, with the voices of the future being the ones that truly matter.
Right narrative
With Scottish independence lagging, Nicola Sturgeon's desperate attempt to retain the initiative is to turn year-olds into members of the Scottish Parliament. Rather than attempting to implement meaningful policy, Sturgeon's Scottish National Party is solely driven by gaining independence and will go so far as to unleash the pressure of the debate's toxicity onto adolescents.
Nerd narrative
There's a 9% chance that Scotland will hold an official, sanctioned referendum on independence before May 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 295: Dozens Exchanged in Russia-Ukraine Prison Swap
Dozens of people, including a US citizen, were exchanged in the latest prison swap between Russia and Ukraine earlier in the week, it was revealed late on Wednesday.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said the exchange included 64 Ukrainian soldiers and a US national identified as Suedi Murekezi — a Rwanda native and US Air Force veteran who went to Ukraine in 2018. The bodies of four Ukrainians were also repatriated, Yermak said.
Daria Morozova, a pro-Russia official from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said 135 of its fighters were freed from Ukrainian captivity, stating that 104 had returned home while the other 31 were receiving medical treatment in the DPR and other regions of Russia.
Pro-establishment narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
Nerd narrative
There's a 1% chance that there will be a bilateral ceasefire or peace agreement in the Russo-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Biden: US 'All In' on Africa's Future
US Pres. Biden on Wednesday told the 49 African leaders attending the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington that "the United States is 'all-in' on Africa's future."
Biden pledged over $15B in new commitments and deals with African nations on projects including in the sectors of sustainable energy, connectivity, finance, health, and infrastructure.
Washington also agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. When fully implemented AfCFTA will reportedly create a $3.4T continent-wide market.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though Washington pretends that it wants to close the growing trust gap between the US and Africa, the Biden admin. still sees Africa merely as a pawn in its strategic goal of competing with China and Russia. However, African leaders have long known that the US isn't concerned with cooperation for mutual benefit. Africa is unlikely to benefit from the summit in a meaningful way.
Pro-establishment narrative
Biden's influence on the US-Africa summit includes vital cooperation on economics, health, sustainability, and governance. The US is interconnected to all African nations, and this forum is an opportunity to enhance a deep partnership for years to come.
Nurses Hold Biggest Strike in NHS History
Thousands of UK National Health Service (NHS) nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on Thursday held the first of two day-long walkouts, with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) demanding a 19% pay raise and for the record number of staff vacancies to be filled.
Calls for a 19% pay bump — 5% above retail inflation — come after, when adjusted for inflation, nurses' pay dropped 1.2% every year between 2010 and 2017, according to the Health Foundation charity. For the first three of those years, their pay was frozen.
Up to 100k nurses are estimated to join the strikes, each day of which will last for 12 hours. The RCN said the areas that will be "exempt from the strike action" include chemotherapy, dialysis, pediatric A&E, intensive care and high dependency, and neonatal and pediatric intensive care.
Right narrative
This is highly reminiscent of the strikes of 1979, which saw much of the country brought to a standstill. The only difference is Margaret Thatcher was elected that year to quash the union dominance and restore order. Though the pay concerns of nurses are understandable, a minimum level of service must be maintained when it comes to essential sectors. Sunak needs to put his foot down.
Left narrative
If Sunak sees himself as the successor to Margaret Thatcher, he should be reminded that she agreed to a 25% pay raise with trade unions in 1979. While private sector pay has grown 7% annually, public sector workers like nurses have received a dismal 2% average, dangerously below the inflation rate. Thatcher was a realist who understood the impact the public sector has on the wider economy, and Sunak should realize the same.
US House Approves Puerto Rico Referendum Bill
On Thursday, the US House voted 233-191 to approve a bill that will allow Puerto Rico — a US territory — to hold its first-ever binding referendum to determine the governmental status of the island.
The bill gives Puerto Ricans three options for consideration: statehood, independence, or independence with free association with the US.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico) struck a deal to bring the bill to a full House vote with outgoing Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) leading the way in negotiations.
Democratic narrative
Puerto Ricans must be given the right to determine their future. The island has been under US colonial rule for over 100 years — stuck in limbo with neither independence nor statehood, and it's time this changes. While this bill is a step in the right direction, it likely won't be the deciding factor in this debate, which is why the US must commit to a status change one way or another.
Republican narrative
Thankfully, this bill has little to no chance of passing in the Senate, but it's still important to note the true sentiment behind the push to get it through Congress. Under the guise of acting in Puerto Ricans' best interests, the power-hungry Democrats are looking to buy favor and are willing to go as far as creating an entirely new voting block to do so.
Nerd narrative
There's a 39% chance that Puerto Rico will become a US State by 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US House Report Alleges COVID Intelligence Missteps
A newly declassified report by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee alleges that the US intelligence community missed the opportunity to better understand COVID by not spying on Chinese health professionals more quickly when it knew the PRC was reportedly hiding valuable information.
Other findings from the report suggested that intelligence agencies haven't made changes to their protocols regarding advance warnings of new global health crises, including novel diseases.
The CIA and other spy agencies were partially absolved by the report because they were able to raise the warning of a looming pandemic before the WHO made that declaration about COVID on Mar. 11, 2020.
Democratic narrative
Trump’s deliberate efforts to undermine the US response to COVID were already part of the public record, but these reports are vital for stressing how badly he bungled the pandemic. The Trump admin. mischaracterized pandemic intelligence for political reasons and tried to pressure health officials into authorizing discredited treatments. These findings are extremely concerning.
Republican narrative
The Democrats' report is Monday morning quarterbacking, but what’s important now is what committee Republicans have discovered about obstruction from US intelligence agencies regarding COVID origins. If we’re going to prevent another pandemic, and possibly hold someone accountable for the COVID outbreak, we can’t rule out the lab-leak theory, which is the real bombshell that needs scrutiny here.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that COVID-19 will be eradicated by June 2082, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UN Expels Iran from Women’s Rights Body
Following a US resolution last month, Iran was removed from the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) on Wednesday due to its alleged “systematic oppression” of women and its violent crackdown on street protests in response to the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in September while in police custody for "improperly" wearing a hijab.
Of the 53 members of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), 29 voted to expel Iran from the UNCSW, with eight countries voting against and 16 abstaining.
Prior to the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Iran's membership put an “ugly stain” on the commission’s credibility, as the country has been experiencing intense protests since September.
Anti-Iran narrative
Removing Iran from the UNCSW is the bare minimum the international community can do to show solidarity with the brave protesters in Iran. As the regime in Tehran butchers demonstrators in the streets, the US has sent a clear message that this repression will not stand. The US still must do more to support young Iranians in their struggle with this tyrannical regime.
Pro-Iran narrative
Yet again, the West demonstrates its double standards regarding Iran and its contempt for cultures different than its own. The decision to remove Iran from the UNCSW was nothing more than a political stunt to fan the flames of sedition within Iran. The US has supported so much violence against the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979, even providing Iraq with chemical weapons, so this time is no different.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Iran will cease to be an Islamic Republic by October 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Ga. Sec. of State Calls for End to Runoffs
Georgia Republican Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger called for the state’s legislature to end election runoffs, noting that Georgia is one of the last states that holds a general election runoff.
This comes a week after the state's Senate runoff, which saw Sen. Raphael Warnock secure reelection. Georgia has held three hotly contested runoffs in the past two years that garnered national attention.
Louisiana is the only other state with a general election runoff. Other states – except Maine and Alaska, which feature ranked-choice voting – allow a winner to prevail with just a plurality of the vote.
Republican narrative
The runoffs are a Democratic relic that dates back to when state Rep. Denmark Grover tried to rig the system after he lost his reelection race. There’s no reason why the candidate who gets the most votes can't be declared the winner in a general election without putting the state’s election workers through the grind of managing a runoff, especially when it falls just after Thanksgiving.
Democratic narrative
Groover was a Democrat from a different time, and he blamed Black voters for his loss. He admitted he invented the runoff system to suppress the Black vote. So there's no question Georgia should get rid of it. But rather than focusing on disrupted holiday times — ironically the result of a Republican law — there should be collective recognition of how this system hurt marginalized communities.