South Africa: Ramaphosa Re-elected Leader of Ruling ANC Party
South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) announced on Monday that the country's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been re-elected leader of the party following the ANC National Elective Conference, which began on Friday.
He garnered 2,476 votes of the 4,384 cast at the conference to beat his former health minister, and rival for the position, Zweli Mkhize. The result means that Ramaphosa — who also won four out of the other six positions in the party's leadership team — will guide the ANC for the next five years.
Narrative A
The ANC has shown its steadfast support for Ramaphosa, giving him a bigger win than he achieved in 2017 despite the recent scandal at his game farm. He must now avoid focusing too much on problems within his party, and instead start to govern on behalf of the entire nation amid this severe energy crisis.
Narrative B
Ramaphosa has won the presidency of the ANC, but he won't necessarily be able to resolve internal party divisions or put forward his renewal project for the party. The political culture of the organization is toxic, and conflicts between his faction and that of the Radical Economic Transformation group have only deepened during the conference. These political circumstances will act as an unyielding barrier to effective leadership and governance.
Day 300: Putin Tells Security Services to Root Out 'Traitors and Spies'
Speaking on Monday, which also saw the celebration of Russia's Security Services Day across the country, Pres. Vladimir Putin ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and called on his intelligence agencies to maximize use of their "operational, technical, and personnel potential." This was followed by comments made by Putin on Tuesday, suggesting the organizations should step up measures to root out "traitors, spies and saboteurs."
Referring to the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — which Russia claimed to have annexed in September despite Western countries arguing that the annexations were illegitimate — Putin described the situation there as "extremely difficult." He also claimed that: "people living there, Russian citizens, hold out hope for you, for your protection."
Anti-Russia narrative
Putin knows Russia is losing the war and is panicking. The Russian leader is clearly paranoid and believes anyone who wants to promote peace is a spy or traitor. Russian propagandists may argue that the country is operating from a position of strength, but they are shaking in their boots.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US — which have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification — are coordinating to impose their dominance, and Putin, knowing what’s at stake, is taking the lead to make sure his security leaders do too.
Nerd narrative
There is a 95% chance that Vladimir Putin will be the president of the Russian Federation by February 1, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Former Nazi Secretary Convicted by German Court
In what could be the final trial of its kind, a 97-year-old female former secretary at a Nazi concentration camp was found guilty in a German court on Tuesday of being an accessory in the murder of over 10k people during the Holocaust.
Irmgard Furchner, nicknamed "the secretary of evil" by German media, was sentenced to two years in prison in a landmark trial for her role in helping run the Stutthof concentration camp.
Narrative A
While those responsible for the Holocaust should rightfully be held to account, it's unclear just how much justice victims and families will truly get by convicting perpetrators who either don't have to serve their sentences because of their advanced age or receive lenient ones, such as in this case. It's time to consider alternative but equally promising ways of dealing with unresolved Holocaust crimes.
Narrative B
Trials like this are vital to keeping the tragedy of the Holocaust in our collective memories, and they send an important signal, reaffirming the political and moral responsibility of individuals in authoritarian regimes. This is especially true in this case, as the role played by female Nazi war criminals is often overlooked.
Report: FTX's Bankman-Fried to Agree to US Extradition
In a surprise turn of events, the co-founder and former CEO of crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, has reportedly waived his right not to be extradited to the US over fraud charges.
It followed confusion on Monday after the 30-year-old appeared in court in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, where he's being detained, and told the judge he didn't consent to waive his right to fight extradition. Reports prior to the hearing said he would do so.
Narrative A
According to the government's account, Bankman-Fried's corruption was baked into FTX's processes from the very start of its operation. Whether he was dishonest, deluded, or both, the US government needs to conduct the most thorough investigation and prosecution of this fraudulent crypto billionaire.
Narrative B
Among the charges that Bankman-Fried faces are those of campaign finance violations going up to tens of millions of dollars. These donations went to the highest level of leadership in both the Democratic and Republican parties, which begs the question did these political elites know where their high-dollar donations were coming from? And what will happen to all that money?
Lake's Ariz. Election Lawsuit Heads to Trial
A Maricopa County, Arizona Superior Court judge on Monday allowed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's lawsuit challenging the election’s results to go to trial on claims involving alleged issues with the voting machines, and ballot chain of custody violations.
After throwing out eight claims, Judge Peter Thompson ruled he was allowing Lake to try to prove that "printer malfunctions were intentional" and affected the results. In addition, her team can attempt to prove the lack of chain of custody was "both intentional and did in fact result in a changed outcome."
Republican narrative
Hobbs thought she could get away with these election irregularities without facing pushback, but Lake isn't going down without a fight. Arizona has endured widespread election issues recently. She may not win, but these hearings will give Lake — and voters who feel disenfranchised — a chance to take the stand and speak up. Due process can now play out.
Democratic narrative
After ranting and tweeting endlessly to her voters about "election fraud," and asking her supporters to foot the bill for her legal actions, Lake will now get her day in court. She’s told her supporters to “buckle up” for victory, but she needs to provide actual evidence there was indeed a conspiracy to tamper with votes, or she could face court sanctions in addition to defeat.
Stanford Releases Guide to Eliminate 'Harmful' Language
California's Stanford University has published its Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative, an index of "harmful language" it plans on deleting from the school's website and computer code. It also includes a list of replacement terms.
The index has 10 language sections, including ableist, ageist, colonialist, culturally appropriative, gender-based, imprecise, institutionally racist, and person-first words.
Left narrative
Stanford University is a diverse, inclusive, and highly respected institution of higher learning, which is why it has taken steps to redesign its website to that effect. Though small linguistic changes like these may seem inconsequential, they can have a monumentally positive impact on the communities that have historically been put down by the use of biased language. This is a welcome gesture.
Right narrative
While Stanford claims to be fighting for the disenfranchised through this new initiative, what it's really doing is implementing Big Brother tactics that, ironically, have long been used to silence the marginalized. No matter your race or gender, the best way to combat this is by speaking your mind — uninhibited by administrative rules — and exposing what a mockery of education and freedom the university's Orwellian guide is.
Palestinian Prisoner and Cancer Patient Dies in Israeli Custody
On Tuesday, Nasser Abu Hamid, a senior Palestinian fighter sentenced to life in jail by Israel, died of cancer — prompting outrage and mourning among Palestinians.
Abu Hamid is a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. He was sentenced to seven life sentences in 2002 for participating in the deaths of seven Israelis in the second Intifada.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israeli authorities purposefully neglected Abu Hamid due to his involvement in resistance to Israel's violent occupation. Abu Hamid is yet another martyr to die at Israel's hands because of their cruelty. Israel's systematic and deliberate killing of Palestinian prisoners is well-known, and the international community must intervene to prevent Israel from continuing these abuses.
Pro-Israel narrative
Abu Hamid was a mass murdering terrorist, plain and simple, yet Israel still provided him a level of decency. He was involved in the murder of multiple Israelis, as well as Palestinians. Accusations that Israel neglected Abu Hamid are also preposterous, as the relevant officials went out of their way to provide him with care.
Puerto Rican Cities File Racketeering Suit Against Oil Companies
Sixteen Puerto Rican municipalities have filed a lawsuit alleging multinational oil and coal companies conspired to deceive the public about climate change — specifically aiming to hold them accountable for the damage done by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
In a first for a climate civil suit, the plaintiffs are using the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to assert that the fossil fuel industry, trade associations, think tanks, and others obfuscated the link between greenhouse-gas emitting fuels and climate change.
Narrative A
It’s going to be difficult for the fossil fuel companies to deny these charges when there’s an actual Shell internal report predicting a suit like this would come in the future. There are numerous threads to the industry’s deception — including the funding of think tanks that would produce favorable studies, and the creation of lobbying groups that existed solely for the industry’s benefit. It’s about time the industry was held accountable.
Narrative B
These preposterous lawsuits are a desperate attempt to get a select handful of companies to pay for catastrophes that have resulted from decades of activity by numerous entities across the globe or simply natural causes. It’s a waste of money to sue rather than focus on the collaborative efforts being made by the industry with other groups to combat climate change in a meaningful way.
Afghanistan: Taliban Closes Universities to Women
A spokesman for the Taliban-led Afghan Ministry of Higher Education confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that the government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan.
The higher education minister stated in a letter that this move restricting women's access to formal education is until further notice, with reports expecting it to take effect immediately.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Taliban is committed to respecting women's rights as defined by the Islamic Sharia laws, not by secular customs imposed by the so-called international community. Female students will be allowed access to formal education once a decent cultural and religious environment has been created in Afghanistan.
Pro-establishment narrative
Barring women from higher education is a step in the wrong direction for the Taliban. The choice is guaranteed to hurt the group's efforts to receive international donations at a time when the country is deep in an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis. The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans.
Bipartisan $1.7T Bill Seeks to Avoid US Govt Shutdown
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill has unveiled a $1.7T funding package for the 2023 fiscal year that seeks to avert a government shutdown. A shutdown is set to occur on Friday if the bill fails to pass.
The sprawling legislation includes a 10% increase to defense spending, with $858B secured, and $772B for non-military domestic programs, amounting to a 5% boost. Additional pandemic aid requested by the Biden admin. was among the programs left out.
Republican narrative
While increased funding for the military and checks on wasteful domestic spending ought to be applauded, the GOP should not have supported the passage of this bloated bill that was rammed through a lame-duck Democratic session. While it wouldn't be pretty, a government shutdown would be preferable if it means that the incoming Republican-controlled House can save Americans from Biden's unchecked wastefulness.
Democratic narrative
The passing of this legislation would be a big win for democracy, as the bipartisan reform of the Electoral Count Act would stop Trump and other reckless leaders from attempting to undermine the Constitution, making the nation safer from tyranny in the process. Democrats should celebrate securing funding for the US's allies overseas, government programs for everyday Americans, and, most importantly, passing a budget before obstructionist Republicans take control of the House.
Cynical narrative
In a skillful piece of political theater, both Democrats and Republicans get to declare victory for an enormous, inflationary spending bill. Taxpayers will have to pick up the tab. 4,000 pages of spending increases rammed through both houses. These mountains of cash are being shoveled into bloated government agencies with reckless abandon as irrelevant policy measures are snuck into a piece of legislation no lawmaker will actually read.