Iran & Pakistan Heats Up & Pigs Help With Medical Discovery
January 19, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Friday! Today, we’re talking about tensions between Iran and Pakistan, Congress sending aid to Ukraine, Singapore’s corruption problems, Blinken’s trip, Congress’ budget solution, Republicans supporting Trump, & pigs helping with liver transplants.
Here’s some good news to hold you over through the weekend: The FDA has approved a second use for CRISPR-based medicine Casgevy. The treatment can now also be used to treat transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, in addition to its previous use to treat sickle cell disease. A $38 million investment by Bloomberg Philanthropies will pair hospitals with high schools, giving public school students a direct route to guaranteed jobs with the Mass General Brigham health system. Finally, according to a new WHO report, tobacco use rates around the world are falling, with only about 22% of adults reporting that they use a tobacco product.
Pakistan-Persia Pressures Pile Up
Tensions continue to rise in the Middle East as Pakistan fired off strikes into Iranian territory on Thursday. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry claimed that the attacks were aimed at facilities belonging to Baluch militant groups inside Iran, but they were most likely retaliation for the Iranian airstrikes earlier this week. Both countries have claimed to be targeting extremist groups hosted within each other’s territory.
Iran’s airstrikes came in response to dual suicide bombings in Iran that took the lives of 90 people attending a funeral ceremony in Tehran. Experts say there are also powerful internal pressures pushing both countries to seek conflict outside their borders. Iran’s theocracy has faced mass protests against its government since last year, and “Iran celebrated (Tuesday’s) attack in its media and the Pakistani public perception of a strong army is not as it used to be, so [Pakistan] had to respond,” according to one expert.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described its attack as “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes” in response to “credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities” within Iran. Both the U.S. and China have urged Iran and Pakistan to exercise restraint in the conflict.
So They Can Compromise On Capitol Hill
Top U.S. lawmakers say they’re optimistic that Congress will be able to hammer out a bipartisan agreement over a national security supplemental aid package following an hour-long meeting at the White House. The aid package would spend over $110 billion on international defense efforts, with large parts of the funding going to Ukraine and Israel. House Republicans have been holding up the spending package, using it as a bargaining chip to get a border security package passed.
Following the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said there was “Democratic and Republican agreement” about the need to send money to Ukraine, saying there was “an understanding that if we don’t come to Ukraine’s aid, that the consequences for America around the globe would be nothing short of devastating.” Republicans also seem more ready to compromise on their border spending package – one source familiar with what happened during the meeting said that House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that “it’s not HR 2 or bust,” HR 2 referring to a proposed border spending bill being pushed by the GOP.
A Shady Look For This City-State
- In 2022, Singapore was declared the fifth-least-corrupt country in the world as part of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. This week, the city-state charged a top government minister with corruption and hauled him off to court. The minister in question was Subramaniam Iswaran, the country’s now-former transport minister. He’s been charged with taking bribes in the form of private jet rides and tickets to musicals and soccer games.
- The corruption scandal is the latest in a string of rough PR incidents affecting Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Last year, two PAP legislators came under fire for their involvement in shady real estate dealings, and another’s extramarital affair also made headlines. The party’s rough period comes at a very inopportune time as Singapore’s next general election must be held by 2025.
You Blinken He’s Off On Another Trip
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to embark on yet another diplomatic trip as the White House continues to play its game of global diplomatic Whack-A-Mole. The trip will see Blinken visit Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Angola starting on Sunday as the U.S. seeks to maintain stability in Africa following a wave of coups and unrest in the region last year.
- Not even a month into 2024, this trip will mark Blinken’s third diplomatic mission this year. Africa is of particular note to Washington due to the rise of Islamic extremism in the area, and its strategic importance as a diplomatic battleground between the U.S. and China. Blinken is expected to highlight the Biden administration’s economic partnerships with local governments, especially its investments in climate, food, and health.
Additional World News
- Rishi Sunak urges Lords to back Rwanda bill (BBC)
- France ramps up weapons production for Ukraine and says Russia is scrutinizing the West’s mettle (AP)
- Red Sea ship diversions boost bunker demand, prices in Africa, Mediterranean (Reuters)
- An airstrike on southern Syria, likely carried out by Jordan’s air force, kills 9 (ABC)
- Cesar Suarez: Ecuadorean prosecutor investigating TV station attack has been assassinated, attorney general says (CNN)
Middle East Reads
- Michigan school board approves Mideast cease-fire resolution that had stoked controversy (NBC)
- In Davos, Israel’s president calls ties with Saudi Arabia key to ending war in Gaza (AP)
“Focus on what lights a fire inside of you and use that passion to fill a white space. Don’t be afraid of the challenges, the missteps, and the setbacks along the way. What matters is that you keep going.” – Kendra Scott
Congress Kicks The Can Down The Road, Again
- Mere hours before today’s deadline to pass an extension to fund the government, Congress got it together and, with a 77 to 18 vote in the Senate and a 314 to 108 vote in the House, the bill was passed. Lawmakers still have to figure out a way to pass full-year spending bills before March deadlines. The funding bill will now be signed by President Biden.
- House Republicans were nearly evenly divided over the short-term funding extension – 107 voted in favor and 106 voted against it. House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced backlash from the far-right members of the House as he works to find bipartisan solutions to the funding problem. “This is what surrender looks like,” the House Freedom Caucus posted on X.
Another Court Case For Trump?
- Something that Republicans do seem to be able to agree on is that former President Trump should be on the ballot for the 2024 presidential election. Nearly 200 congressional Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have joined a Supreme Court brief urging the court to let Trump appear on the Colorado ballot.
- The December ruling in the state cited the 14th Amendment’s ban on someone holding office if that person has “engaged in insurrection” – the question then becomes whether or not January 6 was an insurrection and, if so, was Trump a part of it. The brief glosses over the question of whether the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection or not, but argues firmly that Trump was not responsible for it, even if it was.
Additional USA Reads
- Justice Department report finds ‘cascading failures’ and ‘no urgency’ during Uvalde, Texas, shooting (AP)
- Maine judge delays Trump ballot decision until SCOTUS rules on Colorado case (Axios)
- More brutal winter weather is on the way after deadly storms and cold (CNN)
- California governor vows to block proposed ban on tackle football for kids (Guardian)
- Supreme Court action already upending January 6 rioter sentencings, being looked at by Trump defense (CNN)
- Alarm as Alabama man to be executed via gas method rejected by veterinarians (Guardian)
This Little Piggy Became An Organ Donor
- How much of your humanity would you be willing to give up to live a little longer? You might think we’re about to talk about some new technology that makes you a cyborg or a new type of stem cell treatment, but the story we’re bringing you today is a bit more … down to earth – or muddy, if you will.
- Apparently, scientists have begun experimenting with using pig organs to help out humans. Just yesterday, surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania announced that they’d successfully kept a pig liver functioning in a braindead human body for 72 hours, raising hopes that we might one day be able to use pig livers to support extremely sick patients with failing livers. For example, we might implant pig livers into people waiting for liver transplants, or use them to temporarily help people whose livers are expected to eventually fully heal from failure.
- The surgeons were able to keep the liver stable by keeping it outside the body in a device called a perfusion machine. They circulated blood from inside the body (which was kept “alive” with a ventilator) to the liver via a series of tubes. Tests showed that the liver “still looked pretty good after three days,” according to one of the researchers, and maintained the body’s bile and blood acidity levels just like a human liver. The team is looking to repeat the experiment (which was conducted with consent from the person’s family) with three other bodies in the near future.
Additional Reads
- Former ESPN sportscaster Cordell Patrick ejected from RV on busy California freeway (USA Today)
- In Guatemala, New Utopian Neighborhood? Or a Testament to Inequality? (NYT, $)
- The 1.5-degree climate goal may be ‘deader than a doornail,’ and scientists are bitterly divided over it (CNN)
- Oldest black hole in the universe discovered using the James Webb Space Telescope (USA Today)
- SpaceX to launch first Turkish astronaut aboard private European space mission (CNN)
- Genetic sequence of coronavirus was submitted to US database two weeks before China’s official disclosure, documents show (CNN)