North Korea Displays Possible New Missile at Military Parade
North Korea displayed as many as 11 new Hwasong-17 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) during a night-time parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday, state media reported. The new ICBMs have the potential of reaching the continental United States.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, presided over the parade — accompanied by his young daughter, Kim Ju Ae — as it marked the 75th founding anniversary of the country's army and emphasized its ability to face down its enemies "nuke for nuke, confrontation for confrontation," as characterized by official state media.
North Korea has continued to develop its ballistic missile program despite UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions. Last year Pyongyang test-launched dozens of advanced missiles.
Narrative A
Pyongyang is sending a message to the world that it has nuclear capabilities to deter and coerce. This was evident in Wednesday night's military parade, which featured ICBMs capable of striking the US mainland, as well as a variety of other nuclear-capable weapons. The new ICBMs support North Korea's policy of power-to-power, all-out confrontation against its enemies.
Narrative B
This show of force is actually about Kim Jong Un ensuring the continuity of his family's dynasty. Kim's daughter was prominent in the parade, which telegraphs an intention to maintain the survivability of his family's command of the nation if conflict were to occur.
Nerd narrative
There's a 33% chance that there will be at least one fatality from an offensive nuclear detonation in North Korea by 2050, if there's an offensive detonation anywhere, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 351: Zelenskyy Addresses EU Summit, Fighting Rages Around Bakhmut
On Thursday, during a summit of EU leaders, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked European countries for helping Ukraine while urging them to send more weapons to help Kyiv's forces. It came as the Kremlin responded to Zelenskyy's visit to the UK that took place the previous day, stating Ukraine would suffer if Western nations sent it fighter jets.
In his address, Zelenskyy said that a victory for Ukraine would be a victory for European values. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also posted a photo of himself and Pres. Zelenskyy with the caption: “Welcome home, welcome to the EU" via Twitter.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have called Zelenskyy "pompous" and "hypocritical" for traveling through Europe to rally support for Ukraine. UK PM Rishi Sunak said "nothing is off the table" regarding assistance to the war effort in Ukraine, adding that fighter jets "are part of the conversation."
Anti-Russia 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 is a 2% chance that Russia will be removed from the UN Security Council by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Church of England Approves Same-Sex Union Blessings
By a vote of 250-181 on Thursday, the General Synod — the legislative body of the Church of England — voted to allow blessings of same-sex marriages and unions, though priests will be allowed to opt-out.
The approval also includes an apology to LGBTQ+ people, and a review of the ban on clergy entering into same-sex civil marriages and the celibacy rule for clergy in same-sex relationships.
To get the vote passed, the Bishop of London — the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally — agreed to an amendment stating that there will be no change in official Church doctrine regarding marriage.
Progressive narrative
While Britons can certainly take the small win here, the Church of England is still holding on to old beliefs that the majority of Anglicans don't agree with anymore. Within the Church, as is already the case in secular society, there is plenty of room for differing views on sexuality and marriage. Hopefully, this is only the first step toward the Church finally approving same-sex marriage and thus fulfilling the demands of inclusivity preached by God and the British government.
Conservative narrative
This is the result of the decades-long secularist movement to overtake religious institutions as our moral leaders. Most of the world for most of its history understood marriage as a permanent sacrament between men and women who, regardless of their personal or emotional qualms, were unified in the goal of raising children. Though progressives will counter with anecdotal what-about-isms, this fundamental human purpose can only occur between the two sexes. While blessing unions is one thing, approving same-sex marriages would be an attack on fundamental Church doctrine.
Survey: Half of Americans Worse Off Than Year Ago
In a new Gallup survey, 50% of Americans have claimed that they are financially worse off now than they were the previous year — the highest percentage since the Great Recession over a decade ago.
The latest results are based on answers received between Jan. 2 - Jan. 22, with 35% of Americans stating they are better off than they were a year ago, compared to an even split between the two choices in the two years prior, with 41%-41% in 2022.
When split up by income, 61% of respondents from lower-income groups said that their financial situation had worsened over the past year, compared with 49% from middle-income groups and 43% from upper-income groups.
Republican narrative
Biden is blaming inflation on the pandemic rather than his reactionary policies to it, and many of his comments at the SOTU highlight the real danger of his administration's attempts to arbitrarily control the markets rather than support them. Such a strategy has historically only taken power away from the average worker and destroyed nations — under Biden, the US economy looks likely to continue to suffer.
Democratic narrative
Americans' economic woes aren't unfounded, but it's Biden's agenda that's keeping hope alive. In a U-turn from years past, the president is calling out corporate corruption and tax evasion while highlighting the importance of a strong working class. Even Republicans, albeit grudgingly, applauded some of the president's speech, which — along with the poll's optimism surrounding the economy's future — shows the American people are willing to latch onto the hopeful message Biden has for the country.
Nerd narrative
There's a 30% chance that the US will enter a recession before the end of 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
EU Warns Twitter Over 'Incomplete' Content-Moderation Report
The European Commission on Thursday admonished Twitter for allegedly not being seriously committed to tackling disinformation as the company has reportedly lagged behind other tech giants in the last six months.
This comes as EU officials asserted that the Elon Musk-owned firm submitted to the EU an incomplete report about how it is fighting intentionally false and misleading information posted on the platform.
Twitter was allegedly the only tech company that failed to provide information about its plan to cooperate with fact-checkers as well as the required data on how they tackle falsehoods and foreign interference on their platforms.
Pro-establishment narrative
The EU has been taking decisive action to curb online hate speech and the spread of misinformation and extremism, with the regulatory Digital Services Act coming into effect next year to enforce social media platforms to protect people's life and safety. As the Internet is no longer a lawless land, Musk-owned Twitter could face fines and even a ban if goes down a shaky path.
Establishment-critical narrative
Most European countries have never genuinely valued free speech. Yet, Brussels is taking this attitude to a new level by imposing a radical censorship mechanism intended to force social media companies — especially Twitter — to follow an imposed ideological content-moderation policy.
Nerd narrative
There's a 44% chance that Twitter's net income will be higher in 2023 than in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
India Urges Citizens to 'Hug a Cow' on Valentine's Day
The government-run Animal Welfare Board of India is encouraging citizens to mark Valentine's Day as "Cow Hug Day" to promote Hindu values, saying on Wednesday that it will "bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness."
As India's economy has liberalized over the past decade, young people have increasingly celebrated Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, through romantic gestures like giving flowers, teddy bears, and heart-shaped gifts.
Due to the "progress of 'West' culture over time," the Board says Hindu traditions are "almost on the verge of extinction." However, the board added that "it's just an appeal to cow lovers" and that it hasn't "planned any special event around it."
Narrative A
India's democratic boom over the last decade is rapidly distancing from the multicultural and multiethnic foundation it was built upon. The beauty of India since its independence from the UK was that it allowed Hindu, Muslim, and secular beliefs to flourish side-by-side. The nation's constitution was written with those values in mind, but the current regime has sadly used its popularity to go directly against the founders' wishes.
Narrative B
Cows are the backbone of India's majority-Hindu tradition, which is under attack as Western influence grows. This innocent initiative is a light-hearted way of reminding the population of that fact and honoring Vedic traditions, all while bringing emotional and mental health benefits to those who partake.
Disney to Lay Off 7k Employees
On Wednesday, Walt Disney Co. announced plans for 7k layoffs – representing a 3.6% reduction in its global workforce – and a broad restructuring of the company in the aftermath of the release of its first quarterly results since the reinstatement of CEO Bob Iger.
According to the company, it earned a better-than-expected $1.28B (70¢ per share) in the last three months of 2022, compared to $1.1B (60¢ per share) a year earlier.
The company is looking to save $5.5B by undergoing what Iger, who returned as CEO in November after two years away, called a “significant transformation.” One of Disney’s main focus areas will be making its streaming business profitable.
Republican narrative
It shouldn't be surprising that Disney is suffering, considering all the bad press it earned last year. Iger took over a company that fought and lost a culture war against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and has made its name synonymous with “woke” content. Disney used to be old-fashioned fun for the whole family, but now most average Americans are steering clear of the brand and its sinister agenda.
Democratic narrative
Disney was predicated on being a morally instructive company and has long been esteemed as a model for a healthy civic society. Its recent so-called shift in content is merely a reflection of the nation's progressing culture, and GOP's accusation of woke nonsense attests to its inability to keep up with the mainstream.
Narrative C
Although Disney+ Hotstar took a hit in Southeast Asia because of the loss of Indian Premier League streaming rights, subscriber growth has been promising in the US and Canada. Streaming services are all facing stiff competition and are trying to find ways to stop finicky users from canceling and returning month to month. Disney+’s new, cheaper ad-based tier – in addition to its wide-ranging content – could help it grow toward the desired profits.
DR Congo: Eight Civilians Dead in Clashes With UN Convoy
Eight civilians were killed and 28 wounded on Tuesday as clashes erupted in the east Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) North-Kivu province after protesters blocked and attacked a convoy of UN peacekeepers.
The casualties were confirmed on Wednesday by Lt. Gen. Constant Ndima, who added that those killed had been displaced by attacks of the allegedly Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the territories of Nyiragongo and Rutshuru.
The UN mission MONUSCO, which has been in the DRC since 1999 and deploys some 16K soldiers, reported that the convoy was returning from a resupply mission north of the provincial capital, Goma, when rebels set four of its trucks on fire at Kanyaruchinya.
Establishment-critical narrative
While violence must be condemned, the Congolese people have a right to be upset with the UN peacekeepers. Decades of MONUSCO presence in the country have failed to subside rebel attacks and conflict that have displaced nearly 200K people. Furthermore, the UN mission has neither listened to the Congolese people about their grievances nor denounced Rwanda's involvement in this crisis.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though it's undeniable that MONUSCO has fallen short of achieving its mandate to stabilize the country and bring peace to eastern Congo, demanding UN peacekeepers leave the country is not a solution. As peacekeepers are the only ones ultimately trying to protect civilians, their departure would benefit only rebels and unscrupulous soldiers.
US Lawmakers Seek to End 'Forever War' Authorizations
A bipartisan group of six US lawmakers — Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Representatives Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) – has introduced legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 "Authorizations for the Use of Military Force."
The repeal would end both the Iraq and Gulf Wars, and revoke the president’s unilateral authority to deploy troops. Congress would reassert its authority over declaring war if the action is approved.
Previous legislation to repeal the authorizations was passed in the House in June 2021, but it didn’t receive a vote in the gridlocked Senate.
Establishment-critical narrative
Constitutionally, the argument against these Authorizations is clear as day Congress is the sole governmental body with the power to declare war. Since the illegal authorization to fight the so-called "War on Terror" 20 years ago, nearly a million people have been killed and more than $21T has been spent, all because of executive branch-led ventures. It's well past time to repeal these laws.
Pro-establishment narrative
These Authorizations are legal and necessary in the counter-terrorism era of warfare we live in today. The US faces threats from state and non-state actors — including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group — which is why the president and the Pentagon need authority and flexibility. Congress can be briefed by the executive branch, but the president can’t wait around for a painstaking declaration of war process.
Missouri Dismisses Ban on Minors Carrying Guns
Legislators in Missouri's Republican-majority House on Wednesday voted 104-39 to reject a proposal that would’ve banned minors from carrying guns in public without adult supervision. Only one Republican voted in favor of the proposal.
The provision, originally included in House Bill 301 by a bipartisan working group, was removed by the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee before a floor vote. It was then defeated after being reintroduced as an amendment by Democratic Rep. Donna Baringer.
Currently, there's no minimum age for firearm possession in Missouri, and possessing a weapon without a permit isn't illegal. Police can only act if someone is committing a crime or acting menacing.
Republican narrative
Unlike California's renewed anti-Second Amendment agenda, Missouri understands that gun control doesn't lead to safer communities. While those opposed to unfettered concealed carry laws will claim it allows criminals to run rampant, what it actually does is give citizens a more affordable chance to defend themselves. All Missourians should be free from police harassment so long as they carry their weapons properly and in accordance with the law.
Democratic narrative
Despite the proposal being unanimously recommended by the bipartisan working group, Republicans, in their fanatical attempt to protect the Second Amendment, decided to block it. But the Second Amendment isn't meant to allow children to carry weapons or hinder police from preventing crimes committed by armed minors.