Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.
A recent sampling:
The United Nation’s recent annual ranking of nations, according to “sustainable development goals” (good health and education, gender equality, clean air and water, reduced inequality, and absence of poverty and hunger), ranked the U.S. 41st.
Some countries that did better include Cuba, Croatia and Estonia.
The Sept. 28 January 6 House Committee hearing aired at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Recently CNN said a Danish documentary film crew turned over to the Committee footage of Trump ally Roger Stone saying, the day before the election in 2020, “Fk the voting, let’s get right to the violence.”
Senate Republicans successfully blocked the DISCLOSE Act recently, which aimed to name donors giving more than $10,000 per election cycle, the Washington Post said. Donor secrecy remains.
Donald Trump claimed on Fox News that he could declassify government documents by verbal declaration, or “even thinking about it.”
That has been declared inaccurate. Trump’s handling of classified material remains under investigation.
After Iran’s “morality police” detained a 22-year-old woman for allegedly wearing her headscarf too
loosely, she died in custody, triggering protests. Dozens were killed by authorities and internet restrictions were imposed, Vox said. Protesters chanted “Women, Life, Freedom,” and Iranian women have been burning their headscarves.
In recent decades Iranian women have struggled for abortion and divorce rights, and the right to “have a say about who her husband’s second wife is going to be.”
Climate watch: Hurricane Fiona pounded Canada’s Atlantic coast recently. One person witnessed his neighbor’s seafront home being snatched by the storm, then his own. All he could do was “walk away.”
That storm is now is regarded as “unprecedented” for the area. No deaths were reported, National Public Radio said. Prior to Canada, Fiona hit Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic; there were 17 deaths.
Three migrants on the flight to Martha’s Vineyard filed a class action lawsuit against those who arranged the flight: Florida’s governor, Florida’s Secretary of the Dept. of Transportation, and yet-to-be identified defendants who were in direct contact with the migrants.
Popular Information said allegations are that the defendants “executed a pre-meditated, fraudulent and illegal scheme.”
The Federal Reserve, led by Trump appointee Jerome Powell, has promised a series of interest rate increases that the Central Bank says will result in higher unemployment, (from the current 3.7% to 4.4%, meaning 1.2 million more unemployed, typically minorities and the less-educated).
The Feds’ goal is to lower inflation by slowing the economy and reducing demand.
ABC said economists who oppose Powell’s strategy note that interest rate hikes have failed to significantly reduce prices, leading some to propose other ways to dodge a possible recession -- such as expansion of U.S. production to address supply shortages, and price controls. Those controls were used during World War II.
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich testified to Congress last week about inflation, stating the difference between wage-price inflation and profit-price inflation. He said that over the last two years some companies have raised their prices beyond their own increasing costs, worsening inflation.
Reich told Congress that the Fed’s plan to sacrifice workers to lower inflation should be replaced by enforcement of anti-trust laws, windfall profit taxes and price controls to stop gouging.
President Joe Biden ditched “trickledown economics” for addressing the economy.
Results so far, reported by various media, include manufacturers adding a net gain of 67,000 workers above pre-pandemic levels; the American Rescue Plan of 2021 aided the recovery of manufacturing jobs; the real net worth of the bottom 50% of U.S. households is up 60%; and more companies have committed to building and expanding their manufacturing in the U.S., since the policy environment now makes that more attractive.
Russia: Japan has banned the export of chemical weapons-related goods to Russia, the AP said. Japan commented: “As the world’s only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, we strongly demand that the threat or use of nuclear weapons by Russia should never happen.”
Russian military enlistment centers are attempting to force more people to become soldiers - a goal of one million more soldiers is sought, according to some reports.
Protests have led to 1,300 arrests and there are long lines at the Finnish border of people leaving Russia.
The BBC said four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine would hold an illegitimate referendum vote on joining Russia; many residents of those areas have already fled. An annexation would allow Russia to claim they were under attack by a foreign power. A similar “vote” occurred when Crimea was annexed to Russia in 2014.
At that time Russia claimed 96.7% supported annexation, but a leaked human rights report showed the voter turnout was 30%, with possibly only half voting to annex.
A Russian security official “made clear” that nuclear weapons would protect annexed Ukrainian territories.
Blast from the past: “Be yourself. Well, maybe someone a little nicer.” Barbara Bush, 1925-2018, former first lady, wife of President George H.W. Bush.