The State Department has awarded the following five grants since September 1:

An $18,000 grant to the Albanian-based non-governmental organization (NGO) the Institute for Democracy, Media, and Culture* to ensure a “whole-of-society response to cyber incidents and misinformation.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.

A $14,500 grant to Paraguay’s American Cultural Center [Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano] that will be used to implement workshops that “seek to combat misinformation and promote responsible digital citizenship.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.

A $15,000 grant to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Udayana University to “raise digital literacy among selected amcors communities, journalists, and social media influencers to combat misinformation, pre-2024 general election.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.

A $50,000 grant to New York University to complete the implementation of a speaker series that supports “countering misinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.

A $50,000 grant to the non-profit Digital Rights Nepal*** “to create a sustainable network of youth to promote digital rights, safer internet use and a collective resilience towards misinformation and disinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 2, 2023.

***Digital rights are the new Internet Freedom (think Arab Spring).

Skeptical Notes:

Millions to Go to Journalists Targeted in ‘Harassment Campaigns’

September 20, 2023September 21, 2023 Ms. Cat

President Joe Biden’s administration approved a $5 million grant for a university program that would help journalists who have been subject to “misinformation-driven harassment campaigns.”
Millions to Go to Journalists Targeted in ‘Harassment Campaigns’

White House floats research on blocking sun’s rays to slow global warming

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023 Ms. Cat

Congress wants climate change strategies from the Biden administration. One research option looks dark.
White House floats research on blocking sun’s rays to slow global warming

If the warmongering psychopaths keep egging on Russia, we won’t have to worry about climate change!

All aboard the gravy train: an independent audit of US funding for Ukraine

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023 Ms. Cat

In the absence of official scrutiny of Washington’s spending spree on Ukraine, The Grayzone conducted an independent audit of US funding for the country. We discovered a series of wasteful, highly unusual expenditures the Biden administration has yet to explain.
All aboard the gravy train: an independent audit of US funding for Ukraine

Video via Jason Hunt (Threats to international peace and security – Security Council, 9364th meeting)

Unexpected: Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class + More

May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 Ms. Cat

We’ve certainly been talking a lot about the “AI Doomers” who insist that AI is all too likely to destroy humanity. However, even people who aren’t fully on board with the existential threat of AI do often say that, at the very least, it’s going to destroy jobs for most people, potentially creating huge problems. For years now, people have been arguing for universal basic income, in large part, because they think that automation and AI will take away everyone’s jobs. I mean, it was a core plank of Andrew Yang’s silly run for President.
Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class

David Autor believes both these things to be true: one, that Donald Trump’s diagnosis of trade with China as the source of woe for countless American workers was both accurate and a crucial part of his appeal on his march to the White House. And two, that Trump’s plan to help those workers by cracking down on trade is likely to backfire.

How much did Trump-era tariffs on China cost Americans? New US findings confirm ‘self-inflicted harm’

US-Funded Media Fails to Produce Evidence of Russian “War Crimes”

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 Ms. Cat2 Comments

US government-funded Frontline PBS recently published a video regarding alleged Russian “war crimes” from early 2022.

Despite over half a year to gather evidence, the video report categorically fails to prove the Russian massacres of Ukrainian civilians.

References:
US-Funded Media Fails to Produce Evidence of Russian “War Crimes” (Odysee) via The New Atlas

Senate Passes $280 Billion Industrial Policy Bill Meant to Counter China

July 28, 2022July 28, 2022 Ms. Cat

Senate Passes $280 Billion Industrial Policy Bill Meant to Counter China

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 passed in a vote of 63-33, with 17 Republicans voting in favor. The over 1,000-page legislation includes $52.7 billion for direct funding for the construction and expansion of semiconductor manufacturing and $24 billion for tax incentives and other purposes.
The bill will authorize roughly $200 billion in science and technology research funding that will be spread across several government agencies over the next five years. The largest recipient of the research funds will be the National Science Foundation, which will receive $81 billion.

Related:

CHIPS Won’t Help China

Third, the CHIPS Act actually has provisions designed specifically to restrict investments in China. These so-called “guardrails” require that companies taking federal dollars for American projects must also agree not to invest in state-of-the-art technology in China—not just with the federal dollars, with any dollars. Good-faith critics have raised fair concerns that these guardrails should be broader, tougher, and firmer. But any guardrails at all represent unprecedented restrictions on what U.S. companies can do in the People’s Republic. It’s one thing to say an ideal bill would hurt China even more; it’s quite another to try and claim that less-than-perfect restrictions count as “help.”

Pelosi’s Husband Dumped Up to $5M of Tech Stock Right Before Senate Passed CHIPS