Plus: Atlanta protesters disrupt the Border Patrol, an environmental org supports polar bear hunting, RFK Jr.'s "wellness farms," and a strong shrew spine
February 18, 2025 ❧ Javier Milei’s crypto scandal, the Trump administration blackmails Eric Adams, and union-busting in Utah
Plus: Atlanta protesters disrupt the Border Patrol, an environmental org supports polar bear hunting, RFK Jr.'s "wellness farms," and a strong shrew spine
❧ The U.S. State Department has changed the wording on its official documents to undermine the One China Policy. As a reminder, that’s the longstanding international agreement first struck by the Nixon administration in 1979. It holds that, while the U.S. may have unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it won’t support Taiwanese separatist movements who want to break away from China altogether. It’s a key part of maintaining peace in East Asia and, by extension, the world.
Now, though, the State Department—and its new leader, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—have started chipping away at the policy. They’ve released a new version of a “fact sheet” about Taiwan that no longer includes the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence,” deletes references to international agreements with Taiwan being made only “where statehood is not a requirement,” and adds sentences about the Pentagon’s role in aiding Taiwanese scientific projects.
This may seem like a small thing, but Chinese leaders are taking it as a provocation, accusing the U.S. of “using Taiwan to suppress China.” If the same kind of thing keeps happening, it could raise tensions in East Asia and increase the chance of a catastrophic war—one nobody would walk away from unscathed. (Al Jazeera)
CURRENT-EST AFFAIRS
In his recent profile of the former Senator, Bryce Greene warns that “Marco Rubio is at the State Department to Push U.S. Aggression Around the World”:
Peaceful relations with China depend on a peaceful solution in Taiwan; likewise, any attempt to increase tensions over the island increases the possibility of armed conflict, which would be disastrous for all sides and especially for Taiwan itself. Increasingly, though, U.S. China hawks have been attempting to prod China by deliberately crossing longstanding red lines.[...] To anyone concerned about the suffering these policies cause around the world, and the increasing risk of nuclear war, Rubio’s tenure at the State Department is deeply troubling.
❧ In the least surprising scandal ever, Argentina’s President Javier Milei is being accused of scamming his citizens with a dubious cryptocurrency. Last Friday, Milei made a now-deleted post on Twitter/X (the Everything App) that directed his 3.8 million followers to a site selling a new virtual “coin,” called $LIBRA. He described the cryptocurrency as a “private project” that was “dedicated to stimulating the growth of the Argentine economy,” adding that “the world wants to invest in Argentina.”
For a brief span of time after Milei’s post, the value of $LIBRA soared— “past US$1 billion, US$2 billion, all the way over US$4 billion.” But then it quickly crashed again, and investors who got in during the climb lost their money. In other words, this looks a lot like the kind of “pump and dump” scam that’s become a common feature of the crypto industry. There’s now a government probe into Milei’s involvement with $LIBRA, and some legislators have formally called for his impeachment—although his party still has a majority in government, so that’s unlikely to go anywhere. Still, this is a valuable lesson in why you should never trust libertarians on economic matters. (Buenos Aires Times)
This particular questioner, a Mr. John Ivens, is concerned that “the socialists” might impinge upon his financial holdings, which include “three mortgage-free rental properties,” around £100,000 in investment accounts, and “the maximum £50,000 in Premium Bonds.” It’s not clear who he means by “the socialists,” since Keir Starmer’s Labour government is barely socialist at all—but the Telegraph gave him actual financial advice, too boring to repeat here. We have our own response for Mr. Ivens, though: count yourself lucky you actually have some wealth, and aren’t one of the millions of Britons currently forced to rely on a food bank as your country’s cost-of-living crisis escalates. Then pay your taxes, and stop whining.
❧ The World Wildlife Fund, one of the most influential wildlife conservation groups, has helped to facilitate the hunting of polar bears, according to a new investigation by the Guardian. The polar bear has become a symbol in the fight against climate change, which threatens their natural habitat, and the WWF has used the bear’s image as a major part of its fundraising campaigns. Canada is the only country on Earth that still allows polar bears to be hunted, exporting 300 to 400 pelts per year. A two-year investigation reveals that the WWF has been lobbying the Canadian government to keep it that way. They have used the justification that the bears’ population is not yet low enough for them to be considered endangered, and that hunting is therefore “not a significant threat to the species.” They have taken similar positions against the protection of elephants, hippos, giraffes, and rhinos in Africa using similar logic. They have also said banning the polar bear trade would hurt Indigenous communities—though some members of Canada’s indigenous groups have disputed this.
The revelations have been met with widespread criticism from other environmental groups, which take the opposite view and support a full ban on polar bear hunting. Chris Packham, a prominent TV presenter who focuses on animals and conservation, has called the WWF’s actions “despicable,” pointing out that they have used an “adopt a polar bear” campaign to raise funds. The WWF, meanwhile, has defended itself, saying it opposes “unsustainable and illegal” hunting but calling it a “complex issue.” (The Guardian)
❧ Utah just banned public sector unions from collective bargaining. The new anti-labor law signed by Governor Spencer Cox bans teachers, firefighters, police, and healthcare workers and first responders in public hospitals from negotiating wages and working conditions with their employers. Utah is the third state to do this, following in the footsteps of the two Carolinas. And though the government cannot ban private sector unions from striking, federal labor law does not actually provide any protection for public employees who want to organize for fair working conditions. So there’s a good chance this would pass muster in the courts.
The bill passed despite a huge organizing campaign against it by some of the state’s largest unions. Thousands of workers packed the state capitol building after the Senate passed the bill, demanding the governor veto it. But he signed it into law despite the pushback. Now, the labor movement is exploring other means of removing the law, including sponsoring a ballot measure to have it repealed. They can get a measure on the ballot without approval from the Republican state legislature, but it will require them to gather 140,748 or more signatures within 40 days of the end of the legislative session, which will be a tall order. But when asked whether this was an effort he’d consider undertaking, AFL-CIO of Utah President Jeff Worthington said, “It is.” (Salt Lake Tribune)
Thousands of public workers flooded the state senate chamber to oppose the anti-union bill. (Photo: Utah Education Association, via People’s Dispatch)
❧ Anti-deportationprotesters disrupted a U.S. Border Patrol recruitment event in Atlanta. The Border Patrol had set up shop in a local Goodwill store, where it hoped to hire new agents from the majority Black and Latino neighborhood. But a handful of demonstrators from the Stop Cop City movement got wind of the event, and showed up with a banner reading “CHINGA LA MIGRA”—a rude Spanish phrase that roughly translates to “fuck the Border Patrol.” They were apparently so disruptive that the agency didn’t even try coming back on the second day of protests—a total victory. As the protesters wrote on social media: “Less than 20 people made this happen. The system has weak points. Target those.” (It’s Going Down)
(Image: Defend the Atlanta Forest/Stop Cop City via Twitter)
❧ Another NFL star got racially profiled by the cops. Last year. it was Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill who got dragged from his car during a routine traffic stop, by a cop with a “problem record” including six prior suspensions. This year, it was San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the receiving end of police bias. In an incident that he wisely recorded, Aiyuk got pulled over and accused of stealing his own Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk—which he had just bought, and had driven only two miles. The cop in question said it was because the Trackhawk is “commonly stolen,” and eventually let Aiyuk go without charges—but the fact he was a young Black man who didn’t look to the police like he “should” be driving such a nice vehicle certainly seems like a factor. (Marca)
❧ Oklahoma’s far-right school superintendent, Ryan Walters, may finally be on the hot seat. You might remember Walters from his bizarre scheme to put Trump-branded “God Bless the U.S.A.” Bibles in every classroom in Oklahoma, or from his vehement anti-LGBTQ bigotry. But now it seems his antics have annoyed business leaders in the state, who are calling for his removal. One politically-connected CEO, Richard Tanenbaum of Gardner Tanenbaum Holdings, says that “we’ve got to get rid of this guy” since “We're trying to attract businesses and keep them, and they all look at the politics.” Meanwhile state labor commissioner Leslie Osborn—a Republican—says that Walters’ crusade against Pride Month may have cost Oklahoma avaluable deal with Panasonic, which chose to build a battery plant in Kansas instead. It’s kind of repulsive that these economic and political leaders don’t care about far-right extremism until it affects their profit margins, but at this point any form of opposition is a step in the right direction. (The Oklahoman)
CROOKS vs. SICKOS (Or, “What are our politicians and oligarchs up to?”)
❧ The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, says he plans to “instantly terminate” $20 billion worth of funding for green energy grant programs. The funds for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund were allocated in 2022 by the Biden administration to fund a “green bank” that would distribute them to projects aimed at mitigating climate change, particularly in low-income areas. The money has already been sent to the green bank, but Zeldin is hoping to claw it back, which makes this markedly different from previous efforts by the Trump administration to impound federal funds. In this case, some of the grants have been announced already. For instance, the Climate United Fund, which received $7 billion of the funds, has already announced funding for $31 million solar farm in Arkansas. Zeldin’s efforts to take the funds back will be telling on multiple levels. Not only will it give us a sense of how far the Trump administration is willing to go to destroy any and all clean energy investment in this country, but it will surely be challenged in court and will force the courts to rule on whether the Trump administration can snatch back money that has already been allocated to government projects. (The Hill)
❧ About a third of the Republican “Project 2025” agenda is already complete. Despite President Trump claiming on the campaign trail that he had “nothing to do with” the Heritage Foundation policy roadmap, he sure seems to be carrying it out. There’s now a website called the “Project 2025 Tracker,” created by an amateur data analyst called Adrienne Cobb, and it does exactly what the name suggests, itemizing exactly which right-wing priorities have been enacted and which still remain. At USAID, for instance, goals like “cut budget” and “prioritize funding for faith-based organizations” count as “complete,” for a total of 92 percent—almost done. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor is still relatively intact, with just 25 percent of Project 2025 goals accomplished. But across the board, the number stands at 34 percent and climbing, despite Trump having been in office for less than a full month so far. That’s terrifying—but it also shows what a government can do when it’s really motivated, which the Left should keep in mind for the next time it’s in power. (Heatmap News)
❧ Trump is openly blackmailing New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams. Last week, the Justice Department dropped corruption charges against Adams after he’d effectively begged for months for a legal reprieve by slathering Trump with praise. In the following days, it’s become increasingly clear that there were strings attached. Adams has instructed his underlings not to criticize or obstruct Trump’s immigration efforts, and Adams met Thursday with Trump immigration czar Tom Homan to discuss ways to cooperate on carrying out those deportations. He has also opened up the prison on Rikers Island for ICE to operate from. It had already been widely speculated that some sort of agreement was made between Adams and the Trump administration. But Homan made that explicit in a Fox News appearance, in which he told Adams to his face, “If he doesn’t come through… I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘where the hell is the agreement we came to.’” Importantly, the Justice Department dismissed Adams’ case “without prejudice,” meaning that it can re-file the charges in the future.
This is about as blatant a case of “weaponizing the federal government” as you’ll see. Adams is the perfect person to be exploited because he has absolutely no principles and is willing to do anything in his own self-interest (hence, why he was facing bribery charges in the first place!). On Monday, four of his top deputies resigned in protest against their compromised mayor, and Adams now faces calls from throughout his party to resign himself. In an odd quirk of the New York legal system, the governor has the power to force the mayor out of office—though that power has never been used. Governor Kathy Hochul is reportedly weighing the possibility of taking this step, which seems like the only sensible thing to do at this point. (The Nation)
We’d tell Eric to blink twice if he’s being held against his will, but he seems to be enjoying his new life as a MAGA hostage. (Screenshot from Fox News)
❧ Newly-confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has laid out a plan for his first 100 days. In addition to the widely-known RFK, Jr. stuff, it brought to the fore yet another weird medical fixation of his: antidepressants.
The document says that the government would “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, [and] mood stabilizers.” Kennedy has a long history of attacking medications for anxiety and depression—most notably making the highly dubious claim that people who take them are more likely to commit school shootings, a claim he later denied making during his confirmation hearing. Kennedy has called for the creation of “wellness farms” where people “addicted” to psychiatric medications, or any other drugs—including ADHD medications like Adderall—can live, potentially for several years, while they “recover.”
While Kennedy stressed that residence on these wellness farms would be for people who choose to go there, the prospect that the government may soon begin treating prescription drugs that millions of people rely on as “threats” to public health is a frightening prospect. The implication is that the government may restrict their use, which would constitute a major infringement on bodily autonomy. (Mother Jones)
*Bob Dylan voice* “I ain’t gonna work on the wellness farm no more”
We’ve already introduced you to the exceptionally tiny Etruscan shrew, but there is more shrewy excellence where it came from! Its cousin, the “hero shrew,” which can be found in Africa’s Congo basin, lives up to its name by having a heroically strong spine—the sturdiest of any mammal in the world.
In Science News, Jake Buehler describes them as the “Clark Kents of the shrew world, with superpowers hidden beneath their humble exteriors.” Their spines have interlocking vertebrae, which one scientist likened to “a line of soda cans positioned end to end.” Unlike other mammalian spines, which are more like “bendy units,” when the hero shrew contracts its muscles, it functions like “a single block of bone.”
As a result, hero shrews can withstand remarkable weight. The shrews only weigh about as much as a deck of cards and are only about 4 to 6 inches long, but Congo’s Mangbetu people reportedly discovered that a fully-grown adult man could stand on top of a shrew’s back without causing any damage. Scientists have chosen not to replicate that study, for obvious reasons. If you happen to stumble upon a hero shrew in the wild, we implore you not to attempt it, either.
It’s not entirely clear why hero shrews specifically developed such strong backbones. But we could sure use some of these little guys in Congress!
Writing and research by Stephen Prager and Alex Skopic. Editing and additional material by Nathan J. Robinson and Lily Sánchez. Header graphic by Cali Traina Blume. This news briefing is a product of Current Affairs Magazine. Subscribe to our gorgeous and informative print edition here, and our delightful podcast here.
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