Japan Launches 'Moon Sniper' Lunar Mission
On Thursday, Japan launched a lunar exploration spacecraft in hopes of becoming the fifth country in the world to land on the moon.
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency said the H-IIA rocket carrying the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) took off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.
Nicknamed the "moon sniper," SLIM is designed to land within 100m (328ft) of a specific target on the moon — significantly more accurate than the usual range of several kilometers.
Pro-establishment narrative
If this landmark mission touches down on the moon, it will mark a turning point in advanced optical and image processing technology. The success of Japan's mission will make it possible for humans to land on planets even more resource-scarce than the moon.
Establishment-critical narrative
Countries worldwide spend billions of dollars on space exploration, but very little is achieved. Our planet faces many existential issues, such as climate change, that would be a better use of the time, money, and effort spent studying and exploring space.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least four spacecraft will land on the moon from 2022 through 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Mali: Over 60 Killed in Twin Attacks
At least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed on Thursday in two separate attacks by suspected Islamist militants on a passenger boat and an army base in Mali, according to the country's armed forces.
The attack on the ferry in the country's north near Timbuktu occurred Thursday morning, followed by an attack on a military camp in the neighboring Gao region later that day. The Malian government has announced a three-day national mourning period after the attacks.
Approximately fifty militants were killed by the military during the assaults in the conflict-ridden north of the country, the military government said, adding that the attacks were claimed by the local and al-Qaida-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims.
Pro-establishment narrative
That dozens of innocent civilians and soldiers have been killed yet again is the result of the Malian junta's short-sighted policies. Bamako's decision to kick out the UN blue helmets allowed the Islamic State group (IS) to double the territory it controls in the country. Moreover, since the regime's calculation to trust the Russian Wagner mercenaries did not work out, an ominous mix of IS terrorists, local Islamists, and Tuareg rebels now threatens to usher in a new era of violence and chaos in the country and the region.
Establishment-critical narrative
The recent deadly attacks are a sad reminder that the terrorist threat in Mali remains very real. However, the attacks are a symptom, not the cause of the problem. The alleged "war on terror" in Africa is nothing more than a cover under which France and the collective West, with the UN as a tool, ensure they can continue to control the economic and political fortunes of African countries. Countries like Mali, however, have decided to take the rocky road of achieving true decolonization and welcoming new partners like Russia.
Apple Shares Slide After China's iPhone Ban
Apple shares have fallen by over 6% since Wednesday following reports that the PRC has prohibited government employees from using iPhones.
The technology giant has consequently lost nearly $200B in stock market valuation. Apple reportedly sells about 50M iPhones in China annually, and the ban could bring it to 5-10M units annually.
In 2022, while iPhone sales in China generated $74B — nearly a fifth of Apple's revenue — the ban could affect its global supply chain as the country is a manufacturing hub for almost all Apple devices.
Narrative A
The PRC's ban on iPhones will likely have little impact on the tens of millions of smartphones expected to be sold in China next year. Private sector demand will more than make up for the public sector restriction as Apple is ready to unveil its newest models — the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro — next week.
Narrative B
Apple is finding itself in a tricky situation as China continues to encourage domestic technology manufacturers' growth and reduce foreign companies' influence amid heightened Beijing-Washington tensions. The ban reflects Apple's vulnerability in the Chinese market.
Nerd narrative
There's an 18% chance that China's GDP will overtake the US before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Musk Under Fire for Stifling Ukrainian Attack on Crimea
Elon Musk — the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and owner of the X social media platform previously known as Twitter — has this week come under fire for stifling a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet in the peninsula of Crimea.
It comes after CNN, citing passages of a new biography on Musk penned by Walter Isaacson, reported that the entrepreneur ordered his engineers to shut off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the coast of Crimea as an attack with explosive-laden submarine drones was taking place. As a result, the drones "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly," Isaacson said.
Starlink, which is operated by SpaceX, is an alternate method of connecting to the internet that came to be heavily relied upon by Ukraine's military after Russia knocked out many of the country's more traditional forms of communication. Musk donated many of the terminals for free but began to question that decision once Ukraine's forces used the platform to launch offensive operations.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
In preventing Ukraine from striking Russia's Black Sea fleet, Musk allowed those ships to launch further missile attacks on Ukraine, thus allowing them to inflict more destruction and death upon Ukrainian civilians.
Pro-Russia narrative
Musk was quite right to prevent Ukraine from attacking Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Such an attack would've been a major escalation of the war and would've forced Russia to respond accordingly.
Nerd narrative
There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Hurricane Lee Rapidly Intensifies in the Atlantic
On Thursday, Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified to a Category 5 before being downgraded to a Category 4. The storm is expected to fluctuate in strength as it continues its track through the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), as of Friday Hurricane Lee was located 550 mi. (885 km) from the Lesser Antilles and over the weekend is expected to bring dangerous surf and rip currents to the Caribbean — including the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.
While the cyclone is expected to pass north of Caribbean island nations, the NHC warned that "[i]t is way too soon to know what level of impacts, if any, Lee might have along the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, or Bermuda late next week, particularly since the hurricane is expected to slow down considerably over the southwestern Atlantic."
Narrative A
Since 1990, 88% of hurricanes in the North Atlantic have undergone rapid intensification, and some experienced an extreme level of this phenomenon. Some scientists will attribute these astronomical numbers to better scientific tools for observation, but the truth is our climate is changing. As the planet warms, simmering sea surface temperatures are fuel to feed these super-intense and enormous storms that have and will continue to threaten the life and property of rapidly growing coastal communities.
Narrative B
While the rapid intensification of hurricanes is happening and the phenomenon is on the rise, we can't ignore the fact that tropical cyclones are a necessary natural process for the planet. A cyclone simply pulls heat from the oceans in an upward motion and distributes it outward into the atmosphere toward the poles. The purpose of these storms is to regulate the planet's temperature. Without them, the weather systems we're used to would go unregulated — ultimately humanity must also appreciate the importance of these powerful storms.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 8 hurricanes in the North Atlantic in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Lebanon: Ceasefire Announced in Palestinian Refugee Camp
After a week of violent armed clashes between members of the Fatah movement — which makes up the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank — and Islamist groups in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp outside of the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon, a ceasefire was reportedly agreed upon on Thursday. The fighting killed at least 17 people and injured over 100.
Local media claimed that Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri spearheaded negotiations to end the fighting. It was also reported that officials from Fatah and Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian political party and armed group that controls the Gaza Strip and also has a presence in Lebanon, met in Beirut in an effort to stabilize the situation.
Fatah-aligned Palestinians announced last week that their joint security forces would launch raids against the Islamist militants, with Fatah officials alleging the Islamist groups launched a pre-emptive attack to forestall their goal to push militants out of schools in the camp.
Narrative A
This is a failure of the Lebanese government to impose the rule of law and maintain the security and stability of the country — including in the Palestinian refugee camps. Though Lebanon never misses an opportunity to condemn Israel, Palestinians in Lebanon are treated like second-class citizens. Mostly, though, this violence is due to the failure of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been hyper-politicized.
Narrative B
When the camp was established, it was only intended to offer a temporary solution, not to last for 56 years. Though Palestinians are deeply discriminated against in Lebanon, ultimately, the only reason for their presence in the country is because of Israel. And, at times, international aid also inadvertently compliments Israel's colonial policies toward Palestinians as Tel Aviv prepares to annex even more Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Canada Launches Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference
The Canadian government announced Thursday the launch of a public inquiry into foreign interference in the past two federal elections. This sets the stage for the next chapter of a years-long dispute over how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has handled the issue.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, from the Quebec Court of Appeal, has been named to lead the inquiry, which will look into potential interference from China, Russia and other foreign and non-state actors.
She will have access to review security documents and files covered by cabinet confidence as well as the power to subpoena witnesses, including the prime minister and members of his cabinet, for hearings that will at least begin in public.
Right narrative
Trudeau has been obfuscating his authoritarian tendencies, doing everything he could to prevent a public inquiry even at the expense of faith and confidence in the Canadian democratic system. This move has only been made possible due to intense pressure from Conservatives as they fight to deliver real answers to Canadians.
Left narrative
Trudeau was right to carefully choose how to react to PRC actions because fueling a new Cold War would be a catastrophic geopolitical mistake. It's certain that Beijing seeks to shape reality in its own interests — as every great power does — but allegations of Chinese interference are mainly about suppressing dissent on its own soil, not installing a pro-Chinese government in Canada.
Nerd narrative
There's a 60% chance that Pierre Poilievre will become Prime Minister of Canada before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Former Trump Adviser Navarro Convicted of Contempt of Congress
On Thursday, Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to former Pres. Donald Trump was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol riots.
Navarro, who indicated he would appeal the jury’s decision, is scheduled to be sentenced in January when he’ll face a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of $100K for each count.
During the short trial, prosecutors argued Navarro acted as if he was “above the law” when he defied the subpoena; his defense claimed Trump invoked executive privilege.
Republican narrative
It’s not surprising that the witch hunt against Trump and his former aides led to prosecution from the weaponized Dept. of Justice and a conviction from a politically motivated jury. This case should be appealed — to the Supreme Court if necessary — so that this injustice against Navarro can be reversed.
Democratic narrative
For a party that preaches the importance of "law and order," these actions by the GOP are deeply hypocritical. If this was part of a witch hunt, Navarro could have just cooperated with the House subpoena and proved his evidence rather than acting as though it was an optional request.
Court Report: Ga. Grand Jury Recommended Indicting Other Lawmakers
According to a court report released Friday, the Fulton County, Ga., grand jury investigating allegations of election interference recommended indictments against 39 people — 20 more than prosecutors have sought to charge.
After hearing testimony from 75 witnesses on the question of whether former Pres. Donald Trump or any of his allies had sought to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, the jury also recommended prosecuting Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, and former Trump attorneys Boris Epshteyn, Cleta Mitchell, and L. Lin Wood.
Other names include former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and current Georgia Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones. Jones, whom Willis was blocked by a judge from investigating after she fundraised on behalf of his Democratic challenger, is being investigated by a special counsel.
Democratic narrative
This report shows that Fani Willis was extremely lenient with over half of the proposed co-conspirators who attempted to overthrow America's democracy. Michael Flynn, Lindsey Graham, and Boris Epshteyn, for instance, faced votes overwhelmingly against them but were saved by the grace of the district attorney.
Republican narrative
Fanni Willis is attempting to criminalize federal employees for doing their jobs as well as dirty Trump's image ahead of the next presidential election. Jim Jordan is rightly investigating this smear campaign because if he doesn't, the Democrats will have the precedent to criminalize all political opponents from here on out.
Nerd narrative
There's a 30% chance that any US court will rule that Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency before January 20, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Govt: Southern Border Wall Damaged Native Lands, Ecosystem
The US Government Accountability Office on Thursday released a report detailing how construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border during former Pres. Donald Trump’s term disturbed Native American burial grounds and caused other damage.
The first independent assessment of the damage caused by the 450 miles (724 km) of wall being built — after in-depth environment reviews were reportedly waived and Native American tribes’ concerns were mostly ignored — also described the toppling of saguaro cactuses in Arizona and the threatening of endangered ocelots in Texas.
The 72-page report covers a period from 2017 through January 2021. During this time the federal government relied on national security concerns to move construction forward by waiving existing protections on the lands and wildlife.
Democratic narrative
It's heartbreaking that this inhumane wall caused so much damage while doing nothing to address illegal immigration and smuggling at the border. Continuing to build the wall would make this disaster even worse. That’s why Trump, who has vowed to complete the wall if he returns to the White House, must never get that chance. This has done enough damage to vulnerable people and the environment.
Republican narrative
If the southern border wall deterred any illegal immigration or foiled a cartel’s plans, it was worth putting up as much as was built – even if there were some minor environmental impacts. Biden’s pause on construction is making things worse while making the US less safe. The wall should be completed for urgent national security reasons.