Mexico's Supreme Court Elects First Female President
Mexico's Supreme Court on Monday elected Justice Norma Lucía Piña as its first female chief justice in history, a result welcomed by opposition parties as she is not thought of as an ally of Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Justice Piña, who was appointed for a 15-year Supreme Court term in 2015, received six votes against five for Justice Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena in the third round of voting to succeed Arturo Zaldívar as the head of Mexico's top court and the Federal Judicial Council until December 2026.
Narrative A
A constitutional law specialist, Piña's breaking of the glass ceiling in the legal profession has created an opening of women to positions of power. However, there is more to her extensive experience and exceptional abilities than her gender. The next four years of her presidency could bring a proper balance of powers, an absolute defense of the Constitution, and judicial independence against any attempt at intervention by Obrador's government.
Narrative B
Mexico has serious challenges when it comes to gender equality. Femicide, the crime of killing women, is rampant. Piña's victory may not be enough to win the battle for Mexican women living in fear and fighting for social, political, and economic justice. Only time will tell if her ascent can reform the criminal justice system that all-to-often lets murderers and rapists roam free.
Report: Australia's Health Chief Urged Against COVID Checks for PRC Flights
Internal documents made public on Tuesday, reveal that Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, had advised the government against imposing any restrictions on travelers coming from China just a day before Canberra announced new testing requirements.
Kelly argued to Health Minister Mark Butler that there was no "sufficient public health rationale" for new travel rules, citing Australia's high level of vaccination and prior infection as well as the fact that the BF.7 Omicron subvariant was already circulating in the country.
Establishment-critical narrative
It's unacceptable that the Australian government has imposed new restrictions claiming they were out of an abundance of caution even though available evidence and scientific information indicate that Australians have already been exposed to variants circulating in China. Rather than protecting the nation, this move will only interrupt family reunions and affect the country's economic activity.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Australian government is right to adopt precautionary measures as China arrivals resume. Although an imminent public health threat is unlikely, China has long failed to provide trustworthy information so other variants could be circulating unreported there. This is a prudent move given the extraordinary mass infection occurring in the PRC.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that China will first reach 250k confirmed COVID cases per day by May 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Bills’ Hamlin Awake, Still in Critical Condition
Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, who collapsed from cardiac arrest during the team's NFL Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, was awake and able to communicate through writing Thursday, according to his doctors.
Hamlin's collapse occurred following his tackle of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, which saw Hamlin hit in the chest. He stood up for around three seconds before collapsing, with athletic trainers immediately rushing onto the field to administer treatment.
Pro-establishment narrative
This type of situation is the reason the NFL and NFLPA developed emergency action plans for each city and stadium, including providing an ambulance and a Level 1 trauma center at every game. The league understands serious injuries can occur during the game, and it goes to great measures to ensure players receive the best treatment available.
Establishment-critical narrative
With incidents like this becoming commonplace in the NFL, this injury serves as another reminder that the league prioritizes monetary gain over the safety of its players. It took the league a staggering hour after CPR was first administered to Hamlin to postpone the game, and the postponement only happened after coaches, captains, and players declared they wouldn’t continue.
Day 314: Russian Backlash After Makiivka Strike
According to multiple reports, a number of prominent Russian nationalists and military bloggers, as well as some lawmakers, have demanded punishment for commanders they accused of ignoring dangers after a Ukrainian attack in the Donetsk region on New Year's Eve killed dozens of Russian troops.
In a rare disclosure on Monday, Russia's defense ministry said 63 soldiers were killed on New Year's Eve blasts that destroyed a temporary barracks in a vocational college in the city of Makiivka, just nine miles (15 km) east of and a twin city to the regional capital of Donetsk city. Donetsk city and Makiivka have been controlled by Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) forces since 2014.
Pro-establishment narrative
Putin is losing the narrative war against his nationalist base after the deadly strikes in Makiivka. Some reports say the vocational college housed as many as 600 newly mobilized troops and that as many as 100 were killed.
Pro-Russia narrative
Ukraine's strike on Makiivka was carried out with US-supplied HIMARS rockets and killed 63 Russian soldiers on New Year's Eve. This is another example of the deadly carnage resulting from US and Western meddling.
Nerd narrative
There's a 46% chance that Ukraine will join the EU before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Study: Increase in Kids Sickened by Marijuana Edibles
According to a study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics, the number of children younger than six accidentally ingesting cannabis edibles rose 14% as recreational marijuana use became legal and has grown in popularity in the US over the last five years.
A retrospective analysis of the National Poison Data System data reveals that more than 7K confirmed cases of kids eating marijuana edibles were reported between 2017 and 2021 — up from about 200 in 2017 to over 3K in 2021.
Narrative A
Cannabis exposure can be dangerous and life-threatening for young children, which is why urgent local, state, and federal action is required to stop unregulated sellers and copycat products from reaching American households. Kids under six years old can't read the health warnings on pot-laced edibles in the first place. Therefore, by shifting to plain packaging of marijuana products, regulators can reduce their appeal and protect children from accidental ingestion.
Narrative B
While the issue of kids accidentally ingesting cannabis edibles does need to be addressed, a thoughtful, multi-pronged approach is needed. Federal narcotics regulation has barely changed since the 1970s. Regulators can enhance safety for children while loosening the drug classifications that have long punished law-abiding adults. This issue doesn't show that cannabis is dangerous but that regulators must catch up to the times.
Nerd narrative
There's a 60% chance that cannabis will be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Kashmir: Two Children Killed In Blast
Indian officials stated that a bomb blast killed two children and wounded five other civilians on Monday in Dhangri village in the southern Rajouri district, located in Indian-administered Kashmir. This is the same area where four people died a day earlier after two gunmen opened fire at a row of houses.
This comes as a blast was reported near the home of a victim of Sunday's attack despite a massive ongoing search operation to track down those suspected of involvement in the shooting.
Narrative A
The Jammu and Kashmir region was incorporated into India's union territory four years ago on claims that stripping the state of its constitutional autonomy was the only way to tackle terrorism. However, the central government has failed to achieve this goal. As New Delhi contributes to the atmosphere of hatred, innocents will continue to be killed as militants do not discriminate between their victims.
Narrative B
These latest incidents in Jammu and Kashmir expose the importance of the Indian nation remaining united and standing with its security forces who are battling Pakistani terrorists daily. An in-depth probe into the security lapses that allowed these twin terror attacks to occur must be conducted to prevent the further targeting of civilians as Pakistan-based terrorists seek to infiltrate the country.
Israeli Minister Visits Contested Holy Site, Sparks Outrage
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al Aqsa mosque, whose Jewish name is Temple Mount, on Tuesday, sparking condemnation from Palestinians and other Arab communities.
Ben-Gvir, surrounded by police, briefly toured the religious site in his first public act since Israeli PM Netanyahu's government was sworn in five days ago. The hilltop site is considered the most sacred place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Considering that the Second Intifada was sparked by former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's storming of Al Aqsa Mosque in 2000, Ben-Gvir's recent stunt is clearly a dangerous provocation. Israeli politicians like Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir are far-right religious nationalists who believe that all of Palestine should be annexed and occupied by Israel. Theatrics like this could seriously worsen an already violent situation; in the last year, Israeli forces have killed over 200 Palestinians, and Ben-Gvir's visit signals that such violence will continue.
Pro-Israel narrative
The controversy regarding Ben-Gvir's visit is just another example of the double standard to which Israel is held. When Jews want to visit the Temple Mount, which they consider the holiest site in their religion, they're severely criticized by world governments and the media. However, when Palestinians incite violence and riots because they can't accept Jews' rights to pray at their holy site, they're applauded. Either way, Ben-Gvir's visit doesn't threaten the status quo or previous agreements.
Tesla Announces Record Sales for 2022
On Monday, Elon Musk's Tesla announced it set a new record by delivering 1.3M cars in 2022, 40% more than in 2021 but less than needed to meet the billionaire's 50% annual growth target.
The company reportedly delivered more than 405k vehicles in the final three months of the year, just shy of the 430k predicted by Wall Street analysts.
Narrative A
Musk should consider devoting less time to Twitter and more time to helping Tesla meet its current challenges. Although its increase in sales outpaced the rest of the industry, much of the company’s appeal has relied on Tesla’s ability to grow at an even greater rate, like other Big Tech companies. If Musk doesn’t get things under control, Tesla’s stock dip could be just the start of great troubles.
Narrative B
There’s no reason to panic. Tesla is still growing, and there’s still a strong chance it’ll be the most valuable company in the near future. The stock market is volatile, and it’s not an accurate — or sole — indicator of a company’s success, especially relative to the excellent work of Tesla’s employees and the car-maker's record performance during a strenuous year.
Japan Offering Reward for Migrating Out of Tokyo
In an attempt to revitalize areas with shrinking demographics and reduce density in Japan’s main city, Japan’s government is offering ¥1M ($7.5K) per child to families who leave Tokyo and move to less populated regions.
The current program, in which the government pays families ¥300K ($2,291 USD) to make the move, has achieved growing success, with annual household relocations jumping from 71 to 290 between 2019 and 2020, and again to 1,184 in 2021.
Narrative A
Japan’s population is in crisis as birth rates continue to stay catastrophically low and the population rapidly shrinks. Communities are being hollowed out, and even Tokyo is experiencing a population loss. As fertility issues are nation-specific and no single solution exists, Japan’s government must try whatever it can to increase families and birthrates, or else the consequences will be massive.
Narrative B
Japan’s shrinking population, especially in rural areas, is not as big of a problem as it initially seems. While the current mindset is focused on growth at all costs, there is a positive aspect to downsizing and slowing down the pace of life. As the country has failed in its attempts to reverse fertility issues for decades now, rural areas in Japan are simply learning how to adapt. Scaling down can be correlated to happiness.
US: Kevin McCarthy Loses Third-Round House Speaker Vote
With a 218-vote majority needed to secure the position, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday lost three rounds of votes to become Speaker of the House after a small group of Republicans voted against him. Voting has been adjourned until noon local time Wednesday.
McCarthy received 203 GOP votes in favor to 19 against in the first and second rounds, and 202 in favor and 20 against in the third round. As the GOP only holds a slight majority in the House and every Democrat voted for Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY), McCarthy could only afford to receive four Republican "no" votes.
Republican narrative
After coming up embarrassingly short in the midterms, the fringe hard-right wing of the GOP is giving Democrats even more to celebrate. Whether he's the perfect candidate or not, Kevin McCarthy wasn't at fault for the Trump-endorsed midterm losers, and he's the only one that can realistically lead the party into the next Congress. Until these fringe detractors finally give up, the party won't be able to conduct any of the business they've been talking about for the past several months.
Conservative narrative
Just like Mitch McConnell in the upper chamber, Kevin McCarthy may have "Republican" next to his name, but he's only really on team Washington elite. A man like Jim Jordan, however, has proven to put the American people, and true Republicans more specifically, first. The GOP base has changed for the better and is showing its distaste for establishment players like McCarthy.
Democratic narrative
What's supposed to be a routine and celebratory procedure has quickly turned into division, animosity, and chaos, marking an ominous beginning to Republican control. Neither Jordan nor McCarthy are fit for the role of speaker, and the infighting that has followed this reality will likely pave the way to a GOP civil war, making the 2024 presidential election ripe for a blue wave.