China Sets Policy Goals & An Emissions Monitor In Space
March 5, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Tuesday! Today, we’re talking about Germany’s embarrassment, the New York Times’ controversy, France’s abortion rights, China’s policy goals, an OTC birth control, Jack Teixeira’s prison sentence, and a satellite to track methane leaks.
Here’s some good news: There is a booming movement on and off social media to counter the “toxic masculinity” movement. The Labour party announced a plan to help boost positive male role models, helping schools develop mentors from their own students. Also, the world’s largest ocean carbon dioxide removal (OCDR) facility is set to be up and running in Singapore by 2025. Scientists say carbon dioxide removal could be a game changer for the environment.
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” – George Bernard Shaw
The Leaky, Leaky Luftwaffe
The Kremlin has scored a major information victory over Germany, leaking calls between top-level German air force leaders about Western operations in Ukraine, including scrapped plans to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to help Ukraine, and the presence of British soldiers “on the ground” in Ukraine.
The recordings, leaked by state media outlet RT, involved German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz and Brigadier General Frank Gräfe discussing whether the Taurus missiles have the range to hit the land bridge connecting Russian-occupied Crimea and mainland Russia. Gerhartz also says, “I know how the English do it, they do it completely in reachback,” adding, “They also have a few people on the ground, they do that, the French don’t.”
In response to the recordings, the Kremlin summoned Germany’s ambassador to Russia for a nice reprimanding session. While Western leaders have accused Moscow of waging an “information war,” the U.K. confirmed that a “small number of personnel” were operating on the ground in Ukraine. Former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been quoted as saying that the leaks show that Germany is “neither secure nor reliable.”
Some Reporting On Reporters
In December, the New York Times published a story covering the evidence that Hamas conducted acts of sexual violence in its October 7 attacks that took the lives of about 1,200 Israelis. According to critics, the story is biased and lacks evidence, and the divisive reporting has caused conflict within the Times. One of the three co-authors, Anat Schwartz, works with Israeli state-owned media, and has liked multiple inflammatory tweets about the Israel-Hamas conflict, including one calling for the IDF to turn Gaza into a “slaughterhouse” and another calling for the enclave to be leveled by bulldozers.
The story was initially set to be featured on an episode of The Daily, the newspaper’s hit daily news podcast, but staff with the podcast raised multiple concerns before eventually scrapping the episode. Apparently, the podcast’s staff leaked those internal arguments to sources at The Intercept, which published its own story criticizing the Times’ coverage and highlighting the conflict attached to it. Now, the Times is investigating how those leaks occurred. A local union representing writers for the paper has now said that the investigation has unfairly targeted employees with Middle Eastern or North African backgrounds for “particularly hostile questioning.”
Bonjour To Abortion Rights
- On Monday, France became the world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution. French lawmakers voted 780 to 72 (though they only needed a three-fifths majority) to amend the country’s constitution in a clear response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
- While the issue of abortion is highly contested in the U.S., it has wide support in France thanks to its more secular government. Earlier this year, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti warned that history is full of “fundamental rights” such as abortion which can often be taken away in the blink of an eye, “as we were recently reminded by the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.”
I’m China Get My Economy Back
- China’s National People’s Congress is convening today in Beijing to set policy goals for the rest of 2024, including a crucial official economic growth target. State media has suggested that the target should be set around 5%, on par with 2023’s growth rate of 5.2%, but the country’s growing national debt, flagging stock market, and struggling housing sector might drag China down this year.
- “The problem in China has been the same problem for the last 10 years … and that is that domestic demand driven by consumption is very weak,” said one analyst. “So this year is really a year in which they try to figure those imbalances out. They want to raise consumption. But it’s very hard to do that because that involves a major redistribution of income.” Some economists expect China to try and boost its economy by increasing exports, evidenced by Chinese companies selling electric vehicles and solar panels overseas.
More Mixed Nuts
- Houthi rebels namecheck Britain’s newest MP George Galloway (Politico)
- Red Sea cables have been damaged, disrupting internet traffic (CNN)
- Explosion at rail bridge deep inside Russia shows Ukraine’s reach (WaPo, $)
- Ukraine: Eastern villages tumble as Russia exposes vulnerable defenses (CNN)
Middle East Mixed Nuts
- Gaza War Is Shifting Ties Between Secular and Ultra-Orthodox Israelis (NYT, $)
- Children starve to death in Gaza, Palestinian officials say, as Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal sticking points remain (CNN)
- UN agency accuses Israel of detaining, coercing staffers into false confessions about ties to Hamas (CNN)
- War in Gaza and settler violence are taking a toll on mental health in the West Bank (NPR)
Hallelujah, It’s Raining Pills
- Perrigo announced yesterday that the first over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill, will be available online and on shelves in stores and pharmacies across the U.S. later this month. The USDA approved Opill for OTC use for all ages in July, but the medication has been approved by the FDA since 1973.
- Opill is said to be 98% effective when taken as directed. It will be available in one-month, three-month, and six-month supplies for $19.99, $49.99 and $89.99, respectively. The company also announced that it will offer a cost-assistance program to help low-income, uninsured people get the pill.
Was Winning The Discord Argument Worth It?
- Yesterday, Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira agreed to accept a prison sentence of up to 16 years to avoid being charged with additional counts under the Espionage Act. Teixeira’s sentence could end up being the longest sentence in an unlawful retention case in history.
- The 22-year-old “accessed and printed hundreds of classified documents” and shared them on Discord last year. He agreed to plead guilty to all six counts charging him with willful retention and transmission of national defense information. A defense official confirmed to ABC News that Teixeira remains on active duty in the Air Force and could face U.S. military charges as well.
More Nuts In America
- Supreme Court restores Trump to ballot, rejecting state attempts to ban him over Capitol attack (AP)
- Texas town evacuated as firefighters battle state’s biggest ever wildfire (Guardian)
- Why North Carolina is set to host the biggest governor’s race of 2024 (NBC)
- Former Trump accountant Allen Weisselberg pleads guilty to perjury for lying at fraud trial (USA Today)
- Viral video shows moment Philadelphia LGBTQ director and husband were arrested (CNN)
- Ex-Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg pleads guilty to perjury in civil fraud trial (NBC)
It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s A Public-Humiliation-Satellite!
- Using a washing-machine-sized satellite, a group named the Environmental Defense Fund is launching plans to “name and shame” the worst polluters in the oil and gas industry. The satellite, named MethaneSAT, will provide the group with a near-comprehensive global view of methane leaks in order to both help good actors keep their emissions down and hold bad actors accountable.
- “MethaneSAT is a tool for accountability,” said the EDF’s senior vice-president, Mark Brownstein. “I’m sure many people think this could be used to name and shame companies who are poor emissions performers, and that’s true. But [it] can [also] help document progress that leading companies are making in reducing their emissions.”
- The satellite has a resolution of about 140 meters, making it effective at spotting the smaller leaks that make up larger problems. All of the data will be publicly available, with the full flow of data expected to be released by early 2025.
More Loose Nuts
- A volcano on an uninhabited Galapagos island erupts and sends lava flowing to the sea (AP)
- AI-generated images of Trump with Black voters being spread by supporters (Guardian)
- Jason Kelce, Super Bowl champ and star Philadelphia Eagles center, retires from NFL (NBC)
- Two fragile DC neighborhoods hang in the balance as the Wizards and Capitals consider leaving town (AP)
- Miami Beach is ‘breaking up’ with spring breakers (NBC)
- Taylor Swift is related to Emily Dickinson, genealogy company reveals (Guardian)
