Things are not looking good in Syria, and the United States has launched a series of missile strikes on a Syrian base in response to the heinous chemical attacks carried out by President Assad that killed an estimated 100 people. The United States Navy launched 59 missiles that killed 6 people, according to the government in Syria, but leadership in the U.S. claims that no civilians were harmed in the strikes.
This strike represents a complete 180 for President Trump who had previously cautioned the government to avoid interfering in Syria. The decision to attack Syria has also drawn ire from Damascus and their ally, Russia. Creating further tension with Russia is not a great idea (though it may be necessary), and while these chemical weapon attacks by President Assad on his own people are horrifying it remains to be seen whether the United States getting involved is going to help or hinder things overall.
The missiles were launched from cruisers in the Mediterranean sea towards the Shayrat airfield.
“Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children,” said Trump while on vacation at his family estate in Florida. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”
In a statement to NBC, the government said that Syrian aircraft and infrastructure at the site were hit including the runway and fuel pumps.
The Russian government responded angrily to the attacks, which is to be expected as they’ve backed the Assad regime in a six year civil war against a collection of rebel groups.
Despite Trump’s hardline response against the use of chemical weapons, if the United States really cared wouldn’t we allow more refugees into the country rather than allowing children to be slaughtered? It seems Trump has mixed feelings. He doesn’t like chemical weapons but he dislikes outsiders coming into the country too.
Things continue to heat up and get worse in Syria, and the effectiveness of this missile strike is being debated, with Russian officials saying only 23 of the 59 missiles hit their mark. Will this strategic strike do anything more than further provoke Syria and Russia? We’ll have to wait and see how this situation continues to play out.
Industry and Service
Republican lawmakers and Apple CEO Tim Cook meet in Washington
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with Republican lawmakers who will probably lead committees that regulate the tech sector.
Republican representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Darrel Issa of California, and Cathy McMorris Rogers of Washington are among those with whom Cook has booked meetings.
The meetings were probably planned several weeks, if not months, beforehand. Top conservatives have criticized Apple since the beginning, and many of them have joined with Twitter CEO Elon Musk in their recent dispute with Apple.
Jordan has publicly expressed his support for Elon Musk, as Bloomberg notes.
When the GOP wins over the House in 2023, Jordan is also set to serve as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s chairman is most likely to be McMorris Rodgers.
They both will play a key role in developing the GOP’s technology policy agenda for 2023.
What is particularly on the agenda is unclear. Even when he is not called to testify about big tech, Cook travels to Washington, DC, on several occasions each year.
Gadgets
EPA establishes a new office devoted to civil rights and environmental justice
The goal is to make sure marginalized people are considered in environmental decisions.
According to Reuters, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a new office to assist underserved communities in coping with the additional responsibilities of pollution and climate change. 200 EPA workers from the Washington headquarters and 10 regional bureaus will work in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
“The establishment of a new office dedicated to advancing environmental justice and civil rights at EPA will ensure the lived experiences of underserved communities are central to our decision-making while supporting community-driven solutions,” remarked Kamala Harris, vice president of the US.
As part of a $60 billion investment in environmental justice, one of the main responsibilities of the new office will be to supervise the distribution of $3 billion in grants for environmental justice that were made possible by the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, it will ensure that other EPA initiatives adhere to President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of certain government spending go to underserved communities. Finally, it will assist localities in obtaining funds, upholding human rights legislation, and resolving environmental disputes.
The opening of the new office took place in Warren County, North Carolina, the scene of demonstrations against the disposal of toxic waste there in 1982. While the 22-acre dump was not stopped as a result of the civil disobedience actions and arrests that followed, the current environmental justice movement was born. Participants remembered the protests’ 40th anniversary last week.
Politics
Pewdiepie has Gotten into Trouble Yet Again
The competition between Pewdiepie and T-Series has been going on for quite a while. I say this mostly because if Pewdiepie was in the middle of a smear campaign, I would certainly believe that it was all a ploy by T-Series in order to make him lose popularity. However, it seems like T-Series doesn’t have to do much as Pewdiepie is no stranger to getting himself into trouble.
So, what did Pewdiepie do this time? Well, in his most recent edition of “Pew News,” a semi-satirical series where Pewds offers his own take on news events or YouTube discussions, he dedicates the last portion of the video to shouting out smaller YouTube creators he enjoys watching. One of those creators is E;R (otherwise known as “EsemicolonR”), an essayist who often includes anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, and cruel language in his videos.
At least that’s what TheVerge and so many outlets/other YouTubers are saying. I took a look at E;R’s content and saw mostly meme videos about political stuff. The guy even made a tribute to Tay AI. You can see a whole documentary made about this by Internet Historian down below:
However, the subjects tackled in the videos can be a bit more problematic because of the current political climate with Pewdiepie. As such, we can assume that a lot of people don’t find this very funny and even reprehensible. Especially when the US is caught in the middle of tension thanks to laws like FOSTA, which are an indirect cause of Tumblr’s collapse right now.
Ever since Pewdiepie has made the shoutout, the channel has gained over 15,000 Subscribers. Of course, this also means that the ire of the people who are against him has risen even more. As such, we’re in this situation where Pewdiepie has gotten himself into trouble yet again despite knowing that the current situation is tense. I guess some people will never learn.
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