The stories that matter.

Did Trump and Democrats Just Agree On Something????

And Why Facebook and Amazon’s Dominance Needs To Be Reigned In.

1. No, hell hath not frozen over (although those on the East Coast would be forgiven for thinking so, with this weather.) But Trump did indicate he would back a bill that would provide some criminal sentencing reforms, an issue which has the backing of many Democrats. Such reforms are much needed, after decades of “tough on crime” measures and the “war on drugs” have made the US the world’s leading jailer, disproportionately incarcerating individuals, overwhelmingly people of color, for too many years at a time.
   Dubbed the First Step Act, the bill provides some reforms to minimum sentencing and consecutive sentencing for a variety of offenses. It also aims to reconcile with a bill passed by the House which aims to reduce recidivism. The bill is not guaranteed to pass, though, not least because it still opposed by some prominent Republicans, including Senator Tom Cotton.
2. If you were hoping for some harmony between Republicans and Democrats just in time for the holidays, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is here to reprise his role as the live action Grinch and put a damper on all that. Yesterday, McConnell blocked a bill to protect the investigation of Robert Mueller, should acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker move to limit or shut it down (which Whitaker has said, on record, that he’d like to do.) The measure was brought up by Republican Senator Jeff Flake and Democratic Senator Chris Coons. Senator Flake has said he will not approve any of the judicial appointments Republicans want to put forth during the so-called lame-duck session in Congress until the bill is brought to the floor. We’ll see if he follows through, as he has a history of empty posturing; for example, during the Kavanaugh vote. In the meantime, McConnell’s calls for bipartisanship ring ever more hypocritical.
3. Tech companies have been receiving a lot of flak for their actions lately. Top of the list is Facebook, where a New York Times story has shed new light on the social media giant’s activities in relation to its role in the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and propaganda. According to Facebook insiders, the company was notified that its platform was being used to spread disinformation, most notably by Russia in its bid to influence the 2016 election for Donald Trump. However, the warnings were largely ignored. When reports of Russian interference and the appropriation of data by Cambridge Analytica mounted, founder Mark Zuckerburg and COO Sheryl Sandberg began a dedicated cover-up campaign. This included deliberately concealing the extent of the Russian exposure, mounting a lobbying effort against Democratic lawmakers trying to put forth social media regulations, and, most egregiously, hiring a Republican opposition research firm to discredit anti-Facebook protest groups and link them to conservative boogeyman George Soros. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was also specifically mentioned as one politician helping Facebook in its activities. Facebook is, of course, dismissing the NYT story as inaccurate. Now there’s a familiar refrain.
4. Amazon is also drawing the ire of many after it split its planned second headquarters between the already burgeoning metropolises of New York City and Washington, DC. For more than a year, Amazon has made just about every major American city do backflips to win over their so-called HQ2, promising to set up in a place that has robust amenities such as a highly educated workforce, but where they will make a positive impact. In the end, they chose to split the endeavor into two parts and put them in two of the wealthiest cities, with some of the most saturated labor markets.
   Proponents say this will bring even more jobs; Amazon promised 25,000 new jobs in each area. Virginia governor Ralph Northam, in whose state the DC Amazon site will reside, reckons another 22,000 can be created via add-on economic effects, including other companies moving in. Critics, however, point out that most of those jobs will go to high skilled workers migrating from elsewhere, exacerbating the already insufferable inequality and gentrification for which both cities are known for. They also fret about the influx further straining already shoddy transportation systems and clogged roads. Tax breaks worth $2.8 billion for a company that is worth more than a $1 trillion also draws ire from those worried large corporations are not paying their fair share. Amazon sold their second headquarters to cities as the deal of the decade; many locals would prefer a return policy.
5. Bangladesh scrapped plans to repatriate thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, after massive protests and international criticism. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh last year, following widespread ethnic cleansing and genocide- including gang rapes and the burning of villages- perpetrated by Myanmar’s military left more than 10,000 dead. The refugees and aid agencies in the region say it is still unsafe for them to return. The UN principle of non-refoulement, of which Bangladesh is a signatory, dictates that a state cannot expel a refugee to a place where their life would be threatened on account of their “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” Sending the Rohingya back to the generals who tried to wipe them out would certainly have fit that bill.

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