Cruz Control
October 29, 2021
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“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren Bennis
Cruz Control
In America, one political party is trying to govern, while the other is obstructing the process and stoking cultural division. It’s exceedingly important for American diplomatic and national security efforts to have U.S. ambassadors to foreign governments confirmed and placed in foreign countries. But as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has held up the confirmations of dozens of President Biden’s State Department nominees and other national security picks in an ongoing battle with the White House over its foreign policy agenda. Before Tuesday, just one of Biden’s choices had been approved by the Senate — former interior secretary and senator Ken Salazar (D), confirmed in August as ambassador to Mexico. At this point in his presidency, Donald Trump had 22 U.S. ambassadors confirmed.
Biden headed abroad Thursday to attend two international summits, the first being the G20 in Rome. Shockingly, 15 of the 19 other G20 members don’t have a U.S. ambassador in place (Indonesia and Russia have U.S. ambassadors from the Trump administration). Two days prior to Biden’s departure, the Senate confirmed former senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) as ambassador to Turkey; former senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) as ambassador to New Zealand; and Victoria Reggie Kennedy as ambassador to Austria. Allies of the administration are increasingly concerned about the diplomatic ramifications of delaying confirmations, and Democratic senators’ usual irritation at Cruz has reached new levels. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said of his colleague: “…what he’s asking for is to control American foreign policy…it’s like negotiating with a terrorist.”
Cruz’s public displays aren’t just hyperbolic and theatrical, they’re dangerous. In a hearing Wednesday, the senator upbraided A.G. Merrick Garland over his recent efforts to curb the risk of violence at public school board meetings, which have become increasingly bitter as parents roil over coronavirus policies, gender issues, and history lessons dealing with racism. Cruz referenced a letter from the National School Boards Association pointing to an incident where a Michigan man was removed from a chaotic local school board meeting about student mask mandates after he flashed the Nazi salute and chanted “Heil Hitler.” Deprecating the example, Cruz slammed his hand on the dais and cried out “My God! A parent did a Nazi salute at a school board because he thought the policies were oppressive.”
But in school board meetings around the country, parents have disrupted proceedings, threatened officials, and engaged in physical fights. And recently in Texas, a neo-Nazi group wearing swastika-covered clothing gathered to hang an anti-Semitic sign from an Austin freeway overpass, while an Austin high school with a large Jewish population was graffitied with swastikas and racial slurs. (WaPo, MetroTimes, CBS)
Straining Exercises
- Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated in recent weeks. China views the self-governing island as just an extension of the mainland. Beijing has sharply increased political and military pressure on Taiwan, including repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
- Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed that a small number of U.S. forces are present on the island participating in training exercises with Taiwanese soldiers. While several Taiwan and international media outlets previously reported such training with U.S. troops, official confirmation could further aggravate U.S.-China relations at a time when Beijing has ramped up its military exercises near the island.
- Taiwan’s Defense Minister reminded reporters that Tsai hadn’t said U.S. forces are permanently based in Taiwan. The U.S. withdrew its permanently-based forces in Taiwan when it severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979. The Chinese foreign ministry said earlier this month that the U.S. should cease military ties and arms sales to Taiwan to avoid damaging bilateral relations. (NBC News)
Channeling Your Anger
- French and British officials had hoped any dispute over cross-Channel fishing rights had been resolved by a post-Brexit agreement struck last December. The agreement provided that European fishermen could continue working in some British waters if they could prove they were fishing there before Brexit.
- But the two NATO allies have been arguing over the nature and extent of required documentation. Britain has refused permission to dozens of French boats, and France has been warning for weeks it would take retaliatory measures if British vessels didn’t follow the rules. On Tuesday, French authorities said if the situation didn’t improve by November 2, it would close most of its ports to British fishing boats and increase customs and health checks on goods crossing the Channel.
- On Wednesday evening, a French patrol detained a British trawler that wasn’t licensed to operate in French waters. On Thursday, France announced it will close nearly all of its ports to trawlers from the UK. The government in London immediately summoned France’s ambassador for talks. (CNN)
Additional World News
- China’s hypersonic missile test ‘close to Sputnik moment’, says US general (Guardian)
- Sudan military leader fires 6 diplomats who criticized coup (AP)
- Queen Elizabeth II announces she will no longer attend COP26 summit in person (WaPo, $)
- Budget 2021: IFS predicts ‘real pain’ for low-income households (Guardian)
- Ex-Greenpeace activist Steven Guilbeault is Trudeau’s climate chief pick ahead of COP26 (WaPo, $)
- Vatican cancels live broadcast of Biden greeting pope (AP)
- Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak unveils help for low paid, pubs and businesses (BBC)
Privileged Payout
- In 2018, Michigander David Duvall was senior vice president of marketing and communications for Novant Health Inc., based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Duvall had worked for the company since 2013, but just shy of his fifth anniversary with the company, he was fired and replaced by a Black woman and a white woman.
- He filed suit in 2019, claiming he was wrongfully terminated “as part of an intentional campaign to promote diversity in its management ranks.” In other words, he was fired without cause due to his sex and race, and by doing so, Novant Health had discriminated against him in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
- Novant Health denied the allegations and said Duvall was fired for deficient performance and the delegation of critical duties to subordinates. This month, the trial was held in a federal court in North Carolina, and the decision handed down Tuesday sided with Duvall. The jury found that race or sex was a motivating factor in Duval’s termination, and awarded him $10 million. (NBC News)
A New Face In Boston
- Asian Americans are the country’s fastest-growing electorate, but Asian American candidates often haven’t fared well in big-city elections. Of the 100 largest cities in America, only six have Asian American mayors, all in California or Texas.
- Come November 2, 36-year-old Michelle Wu could change that when she faces off against another city councilor in Boston’s mayoral election. Wu, a protégée of Senator Elizabeth Warren, proposes to make Boston a laboratory for progressive policy; to reapportion city contracts to firms owned by Black Bostonians; to peel back the power of the police union; to waive fees for some public transportation; and to restore a form of rent control, a prospect that alarms real estate interests.
- Wu says: “In nearly a decade in city government, I have learned the easiest thing to do in government is nothing. And in trying to deliver change, there will be those who are invested in the status quo who will be disrupted, or uncomfortable, or even lose out.” So far, Wu’s polling way ahead of her opponent. (NYT)
Additional USA News
- NYC firefighters are planning a protest at the mayor’s home over vaccine rules (NPR)
- New dads are ‘losers’ if they take 6 months paternity leave, prominent venture capitalist says (CNN)
- A California Law School Reckons With the Shame of Native Massacres (NYT, $)
- Oil company CEOs will discuss climate policies at Congress (NPR)
- Trump suggests he might drop a bomb on the Va. gov race. Then leaves. (Politico)
- 9 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump outraised GOP challengers in recent filings (USA Today)
- Biden admin may pay millions to migrant families separated under Trump (NBC)
Ohi-Oh No
- Somebody forgot to fact-check Ohio’s latest license plates before printing off 35,000 new ones. The design illustrates both the rural and urban parts of Ohio, with cornfields and sunshine and tall buildings and the Wright Brothers’ historic first plane sporting a banner that reads “Birthplace of Aviation” across the horizon. Swell idea, really pulls at those nostalgic heartstrings.
- Unfortunately, the banner attached to the Wright Flyer, which should have been trailing behind the plane, was anchored to the wrong end. State officials realized the mistake almost immediately after the new plate was unveiled on Thursday. The assistant director of Ohio’s Department of Public Safety said they would recycle the 35,000 plates that had already been printed and have the corrected ones out by the end of the year. “It is too early to know about if there will be any additional cost,” she said.
- Here’s an idea. Don’t recycle the first batch. Like a misprinted stamp or a shredded Banksy, these plates are bound to be valuable. Think about the person who tweeted right after the announcement about the messed-up plates: “Okay, but what did you do with the ones that were already made? Because I totally want one!” (AP News, Twitter)
Additional Reads
- Mystery of deadly US infections solved; aromatherapy spray at Walmart to blame (Ars Technica)
- Malaysian gynaecologist creates ‘world’s first unisex condom’ (Reuters)
- This Program Can Give AI a Sense of Ethics—Sometimes (Wired)
- Escapee, 64, sentenced after 29 years on the run in Sydney (AP)
- A ‘pancake’ on Jupiter: Juno probe reveals details of Great Red Spot (NBC)
- Watch the sun spit out a whopper X1 solar flare that could fuel Halloween aurora lights (CNET)
- Solar wing jammed on NASA spacecraft chasing asteroids (ABC)