Leaders of the Group of 7 are in hot water of domestic discontent for different reasons but their shared struggles highlight the fragility of free societies in a time of deep political and cultural divisions, says an article published by New York Times on Saturday.
G7 summit becomes club for unloved leaders: media
Related:
[Statement by Socialist Action National Committee]
US Hands Off African Peoples Socialist Party
McCarthy-era witchhunt style, African People’s Socialist Party attacked by the US government on trumped up “conspiracy” charges.
US Hands Off African Peoples Socialist Party
Bill to Ban Tik Tok Would Give Government Sweeping Powers to Crackdown on Tech
A person who violates the act could be fined up to $1 million or punished with up to 20 years in prison. The broad and vague definitions in the legislation caused many to wonder if people could be handed such harsh punishments for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to get around future government censorship that could come as a result of the bill.
A spokesperson for Warner insisted that the legislation wasn’t designed to target individual users and pointed to the language that says someone “must be engaged in ‘sabotage or subversion’ of American communications technology products and services, creating ‘catastrophic effects’ on US critical infrastructure, or ‘interfering in, or altering the result’ of a federal election, in order to be eligible for any kind of criminal penalty.”
But the bill will give the Commerce Secretary the authority to deem what is considered “sabotage or subversion” or any of the other threats listed above. The legislation has grave implications for civil liberties and could be used against any individuals or tech and media companies the Biden administration, or any future administration would want to target.
Previously:
Tik-Tok bills could dangerously expand national security state
HUGE. In China-Brokered Deal, Iran and Saudi Arabia Restore Diplomatic Ties
Regime change for Saudi, or maybe some US-backed terrorist attacks?!
Related:
China brokers Iran-Saudi detente, raising eyebrows in Washington
Though blunting China’s influence in the Middle East and other parts of the world remains a priority for the Biden administration, it is of “two minds” about the latest agreement, said Jon Alterman, a Middle East scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It wants the Saudis to take increasing responsibility for their own security,” he said, “but it does not want Saudi Arabia freelancing and undermining U.S. security strategies.”
Emmanuel Macron wants to rebrand Paris’ presence in its former colonies as cultural and economic projects
French military bases in Africa will now self-identify as schools
Related:
Macron: ‘New era’ in economic, military strategy in Africa
Monday’s speech came at a time when France’s influence on the continent is facing its biggest challenges in decades. Growing anti-French sentiment has led to street protests in several West and North African countries.
In addition, historical economic ties that France had with the region are under pressure from the growing commercial presence of Russia, China and Turkey.
Macron acknowledged that Africa now is a “field of competition” and urged French businesses to “wake up” and get involved in the fight.
In the past year, French troops had to withdraw from Mali, which turned instead to private Russian military contractors of the Wagner group, and most recently from Burkina Faso, which also appears to increasingly look towards Moscow.
The Private Voluntary Organisation Bill, PVO Bill, has now passed the various stages of the legislative process.
Private Voluntary Organisation Bill will be signed into law
Related:
‘Shrinking civic space’: Mnangagwa to sign law effectively banning NGOs in Zimbabwe
Google to expand misinformation ‘prebunking’ in Europe
The tech giant plans to release a series of short videos highlighting the techniques common to many misleading claims. The videos will appear as advertisements on platforms like Facebook, YouTube or TikTok in Germany. A similar campaign in India is also in the works.
…
Google will announce its new German campaign Monday ahead of next week’s Munich Security Conference. The timing of the announcement, coming before that annual gathering of international security officials, reflects heightened concerns about the impact of misinformation among both tech companies and government officials.
Perfect timing!
For a variety of reasons, the US is already one of the worst places in the world to build infrastructure. And now, president Joe Biden’s plan to “buy American” for future government infrastructure projects will likely make things even worse.
Biden’s “Buy American” plan could kill US jobs
Progressives Say Congress Must Raise Debt Limit Now to Protect Social Programs
The programs have long been targets of Republicans, despite the fact that Social Security is fully funded through 2035 and is able to pay for 90% of benefits for the next 25 years, even without Congress acting to expand it.
Related:
GOP’s Thune Sees Debt-Ceiling Hike as Vehicle for Budget Cuts
White House Knocks Thune’s Bid to Tie Debt Limit to Entitlements
Last week, as expected, former President Donald Trump announced he is throwing his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential election. The move was widely expected, and as he is prone to do, Trump made a number of questionable claims in the speech announcing his candidacy.
Donald Trump’s Claims About Filling The SPR Are Not True
Related:
No, Former President Trump Did Not Fill The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.