There has been yet another plot twist in the mediocre soap Opera that is Brexit. On Tuesday, less than a month after officially beginning Brexit, Theresa May has made one of the most astounding U-turns in recent political history. After spending most of her tenure downplaying the possibility of a snap general election, Theresa May has announced today that she intends to hold a snap general election on June 8th.
Many analysts believed that the Prime Minister would refuse to hold an early general election. Not least because of the difficulties involved in actually calling one. The Prime minister will either need to pass a motion of no confidence against her own government, or to get 434 MPs to back the snap general election. Unsurprisingly, she has opted for the latter option. It would be a little embarrassing for a government to declare no confidence in itself and who knows, the public might take it to heart.
While the move is a pretty dramatic about-face there is some solid political logic behind it. The Conservatives currently hold a razor-thin majority and their back-bench party members have taken full advantage of this. They have forced the government to back down on a number of issues. Theresa May clearly hopes that a general election will give the Conservatives a strong majority that will allow them to enter the Brexit negotiations with a stronger hand.
Recent polls have shown a pretty big lead for the Conservative party, but this might not hold on election day. A day is a long time in politics let alone a month and recent elections have proven nigh impossible to predict. There is a possibility that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may be able to bring people out to vote in larger numbers before. Traditionally Labour areas could also balk at supporting the conservatives once they enter the ballot box. There is even the slim chance that the liberal Democrats may be able to cobble together a loose coalition of Pro European voters. Recent history has shown that anything is possible.
The focus of the short campaign will likely be on Britain’s relationship with the EU and this makes it incredibly unpredictable. Views on the European Union transcend party loyalty to a degree and even in Britain’s first past the post system may lead to some unusual results. Even the parties try to campaign away from the issue of Brexit, everything they say will be viewed through the lens of Britain’s departure from the European Union.
As always, turnout will be important, particularly youth turnout. Young people are significantly more likely to be pro-European and left leaning than their older counterparts. High turnout among young voters has the potential to swing the election in favour of Pro European parties and could provide a much needed boost to the Labour party.
When it comes down to it, Theresa May has essentially offered the British public the opportunity to confirm whether or not they actually wish to leave the European Union. The question is, what will they say?
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.
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.
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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