Haiti’s In Disarray, Biden’s Cash Infusion, & The Academy Awards
March 11, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Monday! Today, we’re talking about Haiti’s ongoing chaos, patrol in New York subways, the UNRWA getting more funding, a new trade deal for India, Biden’s campaign cash, Colorado’s DNA problem, and, of course, the Oscars.
Here’s some good news: The Dongs, a Chinese family that was unable to find a place to rent in 1939 is donating $5 million to Black college students in honor of the Thompsons, a Black couple that allowed the family to rent and eventually buy their property. The Dongs are using the proceeds from selling that house to make the donation. Also, new technology uses subatomic particle detectors to help archaeologists see through hundreds of feet of rock and explore historic landmarks without damaging them with their tools.
“Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live.” – Joe Montana
Haiti Heads Further Into Havoc
The violence in Haiti has reached new heights. Gangs have launched a series of attacks on multiple police stations in the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince, and government forces have responded by taking back control of parts of the city. Leaders of other Caribbean countries have called an emergency meeting to address Haiti’s “dire” situation — they’ve invited the U.N., Brazil, the U.S., and other Western nations to attend the meeting as well.
So far, members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) bloc have floated the idea of setting up an umbrella unity government to help Haiti transition into a new regime, but the group says that “the stakeholders are not yet where they need to be” for that to happen. Meanwhile, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is still unable to re-enter the country following his trip to Kenya last week, which saw him attempt to secure a deal for Kenyan police to come to Haiti and restore order. Unfortunately for him, the deal has been blocked by a Kenyan court, and he’s currently stuck in Puerto Rico.
Things in Haiti have declined so much that other countries have begun extracting their diplomats from the Caribbean nation. The U.S. reportedly airlifted its embassy staff out of Port-au-Prince on Saturday night once gangs began targeting the capital’s political quarter. Germany and other E.U. nations have also evacuated their representatives.
No More Big Guns In The Big Apple
Last week, New York City deployed 1,000 National Guard troops to patrol the Big Apple’s subway system. The troops, armed with rifles and dressed in camouflage, set up stations to search through riders’ bags before they were allowed to enter certain stations. As you might guess, the optics of heavily-armed troops at these stations painted a slightly dystopian picture, so New York’s governor issued a directive preventing the soldiers from carrying long guns at the checkpoints. Maybe they could try smiling a little more, too.
The soldiers were first ordered to set up the subway checkpoints in response to a 45% spike in major crimes in the subway system in January compared to January 2023. One New York Democratic politician criticized the move as a “ham-fisted and authoritarian response” to “GOP propaganda about urban lawlessness in an election year.”
According to city data for this February, crime rates declined compared to last February. Overall, the city’s crime rates from January 1 to March 3 rose 13% year over year, meaning the problem actually partially went away before the troops were even sent in.
The Verdict On The UNRWA Is That There Is No Verdict
- Sweden and Canada have announced plans to resume their funding for the UNRWA, the U.N. organization that provides aid to Palestinians. The White House has made it clear that the U.S. has no plans to continue funding the agency, but two of its close military allies have now joined the European Union in resuming their commitments to the organization.
- In February, many countries that supply funding to the UNRWA temporarily suspended their contributions after Israel accused 12 of the agency’s thousands of employees of participating in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. In response, the UNRWA has promised to increase its transparency and impose stricter controls on employees. The agency has also released a new report claiming that Israel used physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of harm to family members in order to get UNRWA workers to falsely disclose the agency’s links to Hamas.
A New Trade Deal For New Delhi
- India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) have agreed to a new trade deal that lifts India’s tariffs on the European trade group in exchange for investments totaling $100 billion over 15 years. The EFTA consists of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, and the deal will lift India’s high tariffs on many of those countries’ exports.
- “Norwegian companies exporting to India today meet high import taxes of up to 40% on certain goods,” said Norwegian Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre in a statement. “With the new deal, we have secured nil import taxes on nearly every Norwegian good.” Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal “a modern trade agreement, fair, equitable and win-win for all five countries.”
More Mixed Nuts
- Royal Navy shoots down Houthi drones after US and allies attacked in Red Sea (Guardian)
- Irish prime minister concedes defeat in a vote over constitutional amendments about family and women (ABC)
- Russia’s new guided bomb inflicts devastation and heavy casualties on the Ukrainian frontlines (CNN)
- At least 19 dead, 7 missing as flash floods and landslide hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island (CBS)
Middle East Mixed Nuts
- Israel Finds a Lifeline in the U.A.E. as Its Ties to Arab Countries Fray (NYT, $)
- Israeli President Herzog opens Holocaust museum in Amsterdam amid domestic protest (CNN)
- Aid ship to leave Cyprus for Gaza within 24 hours, Christodoulides says (Politico)
- U.S. Military Enters a New Phase With Gaza Aid Operations (NYT, $)
- Hostage talks intensify as fears rise of violence during Ramadan (Axios)
The State Of Joe Biden’s Bank Account: Better Than Ever
- In the 24 hours following Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, the president’s reelection campaign said it raised a whopping $10 million. The sum is a record for the campaign, and a significant amount for any political fundraising effort — for context, the Democratic National Committee and other Democrat-aligned groups raised $42 million in the entire month of January.
- According to public records, the Biden campaign had $56 million in its accounts by the end of January, and the DNC had $24 million at the same time. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign had $30 million at that point while the RNC had just $9 million in reserve. Biden’s campaign plans to use its significant funding advantage to launch millions of dollars worth of ads in swing states over the next six weeks, pushing messaging that highlights Biden’s competency compared to his rival.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigating Itself
- According to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) internal affairs investigation, one of the bureau’s former forensic scientists tampered with DNA test results in hundreds of cases, violating multiple agency policies. The investigation into Yvonne “Missy” Woods found that her mishandling of DNA tests affected 652 cases between 2008 and 2023, and possibly more from 1994 to 2008 (though those cases are still under review).
- “This discovery puts all of her work in question, and CBI is in the process of reviewing all her previous work for data manipulation to ensure the integrity of all CBI laboratory results,” the agency said in a public statement. “CBI brought in third-party investigative resources to protect the integrity of the inquiry.”
- The now-former forensic scientist reportedly manipulated or omitted DNA test results in hundreds of agency cases, even posting incomplete results in a few instances. She had worked at the agency for 29 years in 2023, though she was placed on administrative leave after questions about her work arose. A recent lawsuit accuses Woods of leading to one man’s wrongful conviction, and a separate criminal investigation into her conduct is also underway.
More Nuts In America
- Katie Britt defends sex trafficking story that she implied occurred under Biden (Guardian)
- After Trump ballot ruling, critics say Supreme Court is selectively invoking conservative originalist approach (NBC)
- A California woman was targeted in a mortgage scam to take her home then killed in a murder-for-hire plot, sheriff says (CNN)
- Power line pole at fault in biggest wildfire in Texas history, report says (Guardian)
- Surge of illegal homemade machine guns has helped fuel gun violence in the US (ABC)
And The Oscar Goes To…
- Awards season reached its culmination last night with the 96th Academy Awards. The Oscars were dominated by Oppenheimer and another film starring a woman in the lead role (but probably not the one you’re thinking of). Christopher Nolan’s historical drama unsurprisingly swept the show, heading into Oscars night with 13 nominations and leaving with seven statues, while Poor Things, an eccentric black comedy starring Emma Stone, took home four Oscars. Barbie, despite its box office momentum, only took home the Oscar for Best Original Song.
- The event was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who’s now an Oscars veteran after emceeing the show four times at this point. He poked fun at box office bomb Madame Web and Greta Gerwig’s lack of a Best Director nomination, and was even blessed with a live review from Donald Trump, who fired shots at Kimmel through a Truth Social post.
- There were plenty of highlights in the show. John Cena presented the award for “best costume” almost fully naked. A number of stars could be seen sporting “Artists4Ceasefire” pins, including now-Oscar-winner Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, and Ramy Youssef. Oh, and Ryan Gosling performed “I’m Just Ken”, one of the two Barbie songs nominated at the show, and it was everything we could have hoped for.
More Loose Nuts
- Who Needs Paper? Many Students Embrace the All-Digital SAT. (NYT, $)
- Real-life Weekend at Bernie’s? Ohio women take dead friend on a bank run (Guardian)
- Why you should stop texting your kids at school (AP)
- 9 dead, 78 others hospitalized after eating sea turtle meat on Zanzibar’s Pemba Island (NBC)
- Apple backtracks, reinstates Epic Games’ iOS developer account in Europe (Ars Technica)
- Activision QA workers form the largest US video game union yet (The Verge)
