Look What You Made Me Do | Fake Plastic News | A Nation Shooting Itself In the Foot

“Perhaps it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.” ― Orson Scott Card

“Men who succeed at an enterprise of great moment often tie a snare for themselves by assuming that they have discovered some universal truth.” ― Neil Sheehan

Canadian Crossfire: So far Canada is bearing the brunt of a growing diplomatic crisis over its arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the Trump administration. Two Canadians are now under arrest in China. Michael Kovrig is a former Canadian diplomat who works for the International Crisis Group, a nongovernmental research think tank that a Chinese spokesperson initially said had failed to properly register under a new law. Then Wednesday, Canada’s Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, revealed that Michael Spavor, a writer and entrepreneur who operates a cultural organization that promotes trips into North Korea, was also being held. On Thursday Beijing said both men were being accused of national security crimes, though details are unspecified.

When Meng was first detained in Vancouver two weeks ago, China immediately began insisting that she be released. But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with other government officials, has repeatedly said there was no other choice under treaties with the US but to arrest her. They have also emphasized that Meng’s fate was for Canada’s legal system to decide, not its politicians. And while very little information has been forthcoming from China about the status or whereabouts of Kovrig and Spavor, Meng has been represented by lawyers and received a three day public hearing, after which she was released on bail to return to her Vancouver home. Freeland urged China to let the legal process unfold, and warned both China and the Trump administration not to further politicize the situation. Warnings aside, Canadian manufacturers, farmers, fisherman and loggers are increasingly concerned that retaliatory measures put forth by Beijing will seriously affect their export-dependent livelihoods.

Additional Reads: “Canadians detained in China could be held incommunicado for months. China has significantly upped the ante in its diplomatic standoff with Canada, not just detaining two Canadian citizens, but also accusing them of serious crimes — charges that could result in their imprisonment for months with no outside contact.” Bloodthirsty’ like a wolf: Inside the military-style discipline at China’s tech titan Huawei. And “First Saudi Arabia, now China — Canada has a new foe, and its southern ally isn’t helping.”

Fake Plastic News: The government in France is trying a novel experiment to combat the spread of online misinformation. It is coordinating national media and internet literacy efforts to teach students, beginning as early as middle school, how to spot junk information online. Since 2015, the government has increased funding for courses that teach the downsides of the online world. About 30,000 teachers and other educational professionals participate in training targeting this subject each year. Journalists even get involved by teaching student workshops. (NYT)

Look What You Made Me Do … Except Not You Stalkers: When Taylor Swift concert-goers stopped by a special kiosk at the Rose Bowl last May they didn’t know they were looking into a facial recognition camera while viewing clips of her rehearsals. The images taken by the camera were cross-referenced with a Nashville database of hundreds of Swift’s known stalkers. Since concerts are technically private events, Swift has no obligation to notify ticket holders that they could be surveilled. Swift has had to take out several restraining orders against a few of the hundreds of stalkers who plague her life. (Guardian) Additional read: “Should We Be Worried About Computerized Facial Recognition? The technology could revolutionize policing, medicine, even agriculture—but its applications can easily be weaponized.” (New Yorker)

America’s African Realpolitik: In a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, US National Security Adviser John Bolton unveiled a new plan by the Trump administration to counter what it calls Russia’s and China’s “corrupt” and “opaque” practices to “deliberately and aggressively” attempt gaining an economic advantage over the US in Africa. The new strategy will focus on trade and countering terrorism. With that goal in mind, Bolton warned the US will no longer be funding “unproductive” peacekeeping efforts. He went on to say, “under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further US priorities in the region.” (BBC)

Tensions rise as arsonists burn 7,000 voting machines ahead of DRC election: Opposition supporters accuse Kabila regime of trying to postpone historic vote. (Guardian)

Salt Meets James Bond Villain: 30-year-old alleged Russian spy, Maria Butina, appeared in federal court Thursday and pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy against the US, both before and after the 2016 election. Prosecutors said beginning no later than March 2015, Butina, a fervent gun rights supporter, wrote a draft proposal called the “Description of the Diplomacy Project” to a Russian official, Alexander Torshin. Her plan was to come to America on a student visa to pursue graduate studies at American University in Washington DC, while really working as a foreign agent infiltrating Republican political circles.

She arrived in 2016; not long after, the FBI began monitoring her. Part of her ‘Diplomacy Project’ was to use $125,000 from a Russian billionaire to attend conservative conferences associated with the GOP — particularly the NRA, which she believed “had influence over” the Republican Party. She hooked up with Republican political operative, Paul Erickson, who became her boyfriend and provided her extensive contacts. She has admitted acting “under direction of” a Russian official, identified as Torshin, and becoming an unofficial conduit of communication between Russia and the US.

When describing Butina’s admitted criminal conspiracy, twice prosecutors noted how the GOP candidates for president in 2016 were a backdrop to her actions, including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and then candidate, Donald Trump. When Trump became the party’s nominee, Butina worked to establish backchannel communications between his campaign and Moscow, while also having meetings in Washington DC with Russian officials. In the summer of 2018, fearing she would leave the country, the FBI finally arrested her. The bureau found materials suggesting Butina was also in contact with Russia’s domestic intelligence service, the FSB. Butina’s plea agreement calls for her continued cooperation with federal prosecutors on other ongoing investigations, including one on her co-conspirator, Erickson. As of now, she remains in prison, but her official sentencing is on hold until further notice. Following that, she faces deportation.

A Nation Shooting Itself In the Foot & Killing One Another: A new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that gun deaths in the US have reached the highest level in nearly 40 years. Almost 40,000 people died from firearms last year. Other analyses, by CNN and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, have reached the same conclusion. The latter non-profit’s director of public health research said this: “In 2017, nearly 109 people died every single day from gun violence. Gun violence is a public health epidemic that requires a public health solution, which is why we must immediately enact and implement evidence-based interventions — like permit-to-purchase policies and extreme risk laws.” On Wednesday the NRA tweeted its long-standing position that “gun control laws are not the answer. If we want to prevent more horrific acts of violence our leaders need to stop demonizing the men and women of the @NRA and find solutions that will save lives.” (CNN)

Religion & America: Southern Baptist Seminary Confronts History Of Slaveholding And ‘Deep Racism’: Seminary President, R. Albert Mohler, has commissioned a report detailing the founders’ “deep involvement in slavery.” (NPR) The political tribalism of Andrew Sullivan: Sullivan’s essay on political tribalism shows he’s blinded by his own. (Vox) And The Return of Paganism: Maybe there actually is a genuinely post-Christian future for America. (NYT)

US recall after women say tampons ‘unravel’ during use: Kotex has announced a recall of some products after complaints of tampons unravelling and becoming stuck inside women’s bodies. (BBC)

– “While Working for Trump, Giuliani Courts Business Abroad: Rudy Giuliani has been seeking work overseas for his security company while representing President Trump in the special counsel’s investigation.” (NYT)

– ‘They don’t care’: Facebook factchecking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties: Journalists paid to help fix Facebook’s fake news problem say they have lost trust in the platform. (Guardian)

– The Golden Age of Rich People Not Paying Their Taxes: An eight-year campaign to slash the IRS’s budget has left the agency understaffed, hamstrung, and operating with archaic equipment. The result: a hundred-billion-dollar heist. (Atlantic)

– Rare brain-eating amoebas killed Seattle woman who rinsed her sinuses with tap water. Doctor warns this could happen again: Researchers said the amoebas likely got into the woman’s brain through the tap water she used to fill a neti pot, rather than using saline or sterile water. The organisms entered her brain after she squirted the water up into her upper nasal cavity. (Seattle Times)

– It Could Be the Age of the Chicken, Geologically: With 65 billion chickens consumed each year, the signature fossil of the modern epoch may be the leftovers. (NYT)

– Showering Has a Dark, Violent History: In the 19th century, cold rinses and days-long baths became a way to treat—and control—psychiatric patients. (Atlantic)

– How Do You Recover After Millions Have Watched You Overdose?: Amid an opioid crisis, police and strangers with cameras are posting raw images of drug users passed out. For those whose bleakest moments now live online, life is never the same. (NYT)

– Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humans: Experts say the rise of artificial intelligence will make most people better off over the next decade, but many have concerns about how advances in AI will affect what it means to be human, to be productive and to exercise free will. (Pew Research Center)

– “Does It Matter Where You Go to College?: Research suggests that elite colleges don’t really help rich white guys. But they can have a big effect if you’re not rich, not white, or not a guy.” (Atlantic)

Please consider making a donation to Daily Pnut, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!