FCC Plans to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules
On Tuesday, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality rules annulled under former president Donald Trump.
The move comes a day after Democrats took majority control of the five-member FCC for the first time since President Biden took office in January 2021.
According to FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the vote on the reinstatement of net neutrality rules is scheduled to take place on Oct. 19.
Pro-establishment narrative
Net neutrality is putting consumers first. All internet users should have equal access to online content without ISPs interfering. Net neutrality also promotes freedom of speech, encourages democratic participation, and prevents censorship. The FCC must prevent ISPs indulging in business practices that perpetuate inequality on the internet.
Establishment-critical narrative
The federal government shouldn't micromanage or throttle an open, competitive internet. Current net neutrality rules are outdated, give the FCC too much control over the ISPs, and make it difficult to innovate or expand networks. Reinstating net neutrality is futile — today's internet is complex and changes quickly, so any adjustments will become obsolete as soon as they are established.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that at least 72.2% of the world population will use the internet in 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low
On Monday, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced that the sea ice in the waters that surround Antarctica reached a new record low this past winter.
During the changes in seasons in the Antarctic region, sea ice grows and retracts and is measured by its maximum coverage at the conclusion of winter. The sea ice reaches its minimum in February and should reach its maximum in mid-September.
As of September 10, the maximum sea ice coverage had maxed out at 6.55M square miles (16.96M sq km). During the winter, the sea ice coverage dipped as low as 397K square miles (1M sq km), or an area similar in size to Texas.
Narrative A
Climate activists are wrong when they claim sea ice loss is a significant concern. There are economic gains to be made as the ice recedes, as the Arctic will become the new frontier for companies willing to commit to exploration. A significant portion of the globe’s undiscovered oil, gas, and mineral supply is in the polar region — the benefits may outweigh the costs when ice melts.
Narrative B
The loss of sea ice will forever change the landscape and humanity. The rapid reduction in sea ice will lead sunlight to be trapped on Earth's surface, further warming the seas and promoting more sea ice loss. Warming seas will become rising seas, leading to more problems. Adding sea ice loss to the climate equation creates a bleak result.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that the minimum Antarctic sea ice extent will be at least 2.37 million km^2 by 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
European Commission Study: X a Major Source of Disinformation
According to a European Commission study, X — formerly Twitter — has the biggest proportion of disinformation among six major social media platforms.
The study analyzed over 6K unique social media posts and 4K user accounts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and X in Spain, Poland, and Slovakia.
European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, asking online platforms to address the risk of online meddling in elections and war, specifically urged X's owner, Elon Musk, to comply with EU's laws around disinformation.
Narrative A
Elon Musk's policy changes at X have led to a tsunami of mis- and disinformation on the platform, as suggested by this report. Since his takeover, the platform has witnessed a cratering of ad revenue due to his failure to tackle toxicity and fake news. His plan to now end free access to X could trigger a final exodus of legacy users while disinformation and spammers fill the gap.
Narrative B
X has witnessed a much-needed course correction since the takeover by Musk as he eased restrictive and authoritarian content policies. He has also made the platform much more streamlined. Musk has also been a champion of free speech, and under his leadership, X has become a true digital town square.
Nerd narrative
There's a 51% chance that X will tag The New York Times tweet as misinformation before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Iran Says It Launched Military Satellite Into Orbit
Iran launched an imaging satellite into space on Wednesday, state media claimed, citing Communications Minister Issa Zarepour. If confirmed, this would mark Tehran's third successful launch of a military satellite in recent years.
The Noor-3 satellite is in orbit 450 km (280 miles) above the Earth's surface and was launched by the Aerospace Branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) using the domestically built Qassed satellite carrier, Zarepour said.
The announcement comes after Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said in August that Tehran was "involved in the development and launch of satellites," adding that Iran planned to launch at least two domestically built satellites into space in 2023.
Pro-Iran narrative
The launch of the Noor-3 is the latest example of the enormous progress Iran's space industry has made in recent years — despite the illegal sanctions imposed by the West. Iran is now among the world's top 10 countries capable of developing and launching satellites. No matter how much pressure Washington and its allies exert, Tehran will continue to surprise the world in the coming years with its technological achievements to defend its national sovereignty.
Anti-Iran narrative
It's an exaggeration for Tehran to celebrate the presumed successful launch of Noor-3 as further proof of its technological advancement. The regime had claimed the same in 2020, but the satellite did not provide any significant intelligence — not least thanks to Western sanctions. Iran also suffered unsuccessful satellite launches in recent years. However, since Iran could also use its space program to develop nuclear weapons, the international community should still be very vigilant.
Nerd narrative
There is a 49% chance that Iran will possess a nuclear weapon before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Canada: House Speaker Resigns After Honoring Nazi WWII Soldier
Canada's House of Commons speaker resigned on Tuesday after inviting and honoring a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit in World War II.
Anthony Rota invited the 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to parliament as Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Canada on Friday and made an address to the country's legislators. Rota introduced Hunka as a "hero" who "fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today."
However, over the weekend it emerged that Hunka had served in the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis and has been directly linked to carrying out crimes against humanity. That prompted Rota to extend his "deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world."
Narrative A
While it is right that Rota resigned, he is not the only one that ought to go. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must also take responsibility for his part in this scandal and remove himself from his role.
Narrative B
After such a monumental mistake, Rota's resignation was inevitable. However, calls for Trudeau to also resign are wrong-headed. The mistake was the speaker's alone.
Nerd narrative
There's a 52% chance that the Liberal Party will win the most seats in the next Canadian federal election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UK: Development of Largest Untapped Oil Field Approved
The UK's Northeast Transition Authority on Wednesday approved Norway-based energy company Equinor to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field, located northwest of the Shetland islands in the North Sea.
Though oil production in the UK has declined in the last 20 years, the industry still employs over 200K people. The government says it will invest £6.3B (about $7.6B) into companies contracted to build it, including Equinor as the major stakeholder and Ithaca Energy with a 20% holding.
Equinor says the development of Rosebank, which is the largest untapped oil field in the UK, will occur in two phases and create £8.1B ($9.8B) of direct investment. It also expects the start-up stage to occur between 2026 and 2027, estimating a combined collection of 300M barrels of oil for its two phases.
Left narrative
Despite previous successful campaigns to stop oil field drilling, like that of the Cambo oil field last year, the UK government has shown it's still willing to put oil industry profits over the environmentally literate will of the people. This is a devastating setback in the fight to end fossil fuel burning, but the fight must not stop until Britain has secured a clean energy future for incoming generations.
Right narrative
The UK, even under the Conservative party, is still devoted to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. However, Sunak's government is also aware that you can't simply ban working Britons from driving gas cars or using oil burners, as that would absolutely destroy them economically. The UK, in line with its neighbors like Germany, is on a decades-long path to rolling back fossil fuels in a strong but careful manner.
Soldier Who Crossed Into North Korea Back in US Custody
The White House officially announced on Wednesday that Private Travis King, the US soldier who fled into North Korea in July, has returned to American custody with no concessions reportedly being made to Pyongyang for his release.
King was handed over to a US official at the Chinese border and then flown to Osan Air Force Base in South Korea before departing for the US, where he is expected to be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
This comes hours after North Korea announced its decision to expel the Wisconsin native, claiming that he had confessed to illegally entering the country while under interrogation.
Pro-establishment narrative
The return of this troubled young soldier is an outright diplomatic victory for the US. With the support of Sweden to solve this issue, Washington has successfully found a way to bring King back home in good health and good spirits without making a single concession to Pyongyang.
Establishment-critical narrative
Though the US may boast its diplomatic efforts to release King from North Korean custody in its latest propaganda stunt, the plain truth is that the US soldier who illegally crossed the Korean border is only returning home now because Pyongyang has decided to expel him after the investigation into this incident was concluded.
Nerd narrative
There's a 12% chance that North Korea and South Korea will be recognized as a unified sovereign state by 2045, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Hunter Biden: House GOP Ties Funds to Pres. Biden's House, China
In a statement made on Tuesday, Republican Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) claimed that bank wires obtained via a subpoena show Hunter Biden receiving payments from Beijing which listed President Joe Biden's Delaware home as the recipient's address.
The statement, issued on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, claims that $260K was sent from Chinese business partners in Beijing to Hunter Biden in 2019.
The bank wires, one of $250K and another of $10K, are believed to be in relation to BHR Partners — a business created as part of a joint venture between Hunter Biden's company Rosemont Seneca, and Chinese investment firm Bohai Capital.
Left narrative
While the entirety of Congress should be focused on the looming threat of a government shutdown, House Republicans have made up another Hunter Biden scandal. The half-baked conspiracies against the Biden family unsurprisingly fall flat on their face once again. Republicans once again wish to mislead the public with a fantasy agenda, rather than dealing with genuine looming policy concerns.
Right narrative
There's now no question that Joe Biden lied to the American people when claiming that he lacked any knowledge of his son's foreign business dealings. The records now show that the Biden family indeed used political office for financial advancement. These are serious allegations with gravity — the GOP must press ahead with its investigation of Hunter Biden.
Nerd narrative
There is a 25% chance that Joe Biden will be impeached by the US House of Representatives, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Philadelphia: Teens Ransack Stores in 'Flash Mob' Robberies
More than 20 people were arrested Tuesday after groups of teenagers broke into several stores in downtown Philadelphia, stealing merchandise and vandalizing property.
The flash mob-style activity began shortly after the conclusion of a peaceful protest that was held in response to a judge’s decision to dismiss charges against a police officer who shot and killed Eddie Irizarry through a rolled-up car window.
John Stanford, Philadelphia’s acting police commissioner, stressed that the looting was not related to the protest, calling the rioters “criminal opportunists.”
Republican narrative
Big, Democrat-run cities like Philadelphia bring this activity on themselves with their decriminalization policies that have empowered people to commit crimes without fear of punishment. Types of activity like coordinated "flash mob" robberies are a feature, not a bug, for Democrats who think that their reckless policies will help them at the polls.
Democratic narrative
Republicans should stop politicizing crime, which is up across the nation. It just so happens that Democrats are in charge in most cities — where crime is naturally higher because of density and other factors. But there are plenty of Republican-led cities dealing with a crime surge. The economy, social services, and other aspects of society affect crime rates more than the political party in power.
Nerd narrative
There's a 55% chance that there will be 100 or more homicides in Portland, Oregon in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Texas Judge Rules Against Restrictions on 'Sexually Oriented Performances'
A federal judge in Texas struck down a state law that restricted “sexually oriented performances” on public property or in the presence of minors, ruling that limits on such performances– including drag shows– are unconstitutional.
The legislation in question, Senate Bill 12, doesn't mention drag shows by name, but some critics say it could allow the state to target the LGBTQ+ community since it refers to “a male performer exhibiting as a female”, or vice versa, as a “sexually oriented performance."
Reagan-appointed US District Judge David Hittner acknowledged that “Not all people will like or condone certain performances” but added that the Texas law “impermissibly infringes on the First Amendment and chills free speech.”
Democratic narrative
Not only did this discriminatory bill infringe on the rights of LGBTQ+ performers, but it was also so overly broad in scope that it could lead to a wide range of issues beyond just targeting drag performers. Thankfully, a federal judge saw through this assault on the First Amendment and struck it down.
Republican narrative
Contrary to criticisms, this bill doesn't seek to target the LGBTQ+ community but rather to protect children from inappropriate content, regardless of who circulates it. This ruling, however, prioritizes the interests of adults over the defense of America's youth. Texas — and the US as a whole — must keep fighting for its minors.