Iran attack: US troops targeted with ballistic missiles

Link to BBC post

Following the recent assassination of General Qasem Soleimani of Iran, in what appears to be retaliation for this US-backed attack US troops have been targeted with ballistic missiles in Iraq, where Iran has recently maintained a heavy military presence. As of the time of this post, no fatalities have been reported. Tensions surrounding this attack have been exacerbated by contradictory messages from President Trump and his administration, the former promising "disproportionate retribution" if Iran were to antagonize the US, potentially including attacks on Iranian cultural sites (a war crime), and the latter denying any intent to commit war crimes. Many have criticized Trump's apparent hotheadedness in geopolitics, as he is often incited to conflict or seemingly unaware of the consequences of his words; on the international stage, where a flippant remark may result in stock prices plummeting or vigilante retaliation, there is little room for impulse.

Questions/Discussion Topics:
1. Many in Iran and abroad have described General Soleimani as a "martyr"; the top general of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's military, said "The martyr Qasem Soleimani is more powerful... now that he is dead." What do you think the ramifications of this idea will be in the coming weeks? How can someone be more powerful when dead?
2. There have been many reports of Iranian nationals and Iranian-Americans being detained on the border of the US and asked questions about their political allegiance. Is this a legally or morally justifiable practice? If conflict between Iran and the US were to escalate, could we see the level of scrutiny afforded to Iranian-Americans and Iranian nationals in the US increase? Consider historical connections, for instance the detainment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Letter to John Lewis

Article link

                                          Source: Damon Winter, NY Times

John Lewis, a civil rights leader and U.S. representative from Georgia, was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was a leader on the march across the Edmund Pettis bridge before having his skull cracked by an Alabama State Trooper on March 7, 1965 (Bloody Sunday) in Selma, AL. Prior to that he was a leader in the March on Washington in 1963 before going on to serve the people of the 5th district of Georgia in Congress for the past 33 years. In recent years, some of the issues he's fought for include gun control legislation, expanding health care coverage, and strengthening the Voting Rights Act.

Discussion Questions
1. How can we continue the fight for racial equality in the 2020's that John Lewis spent much of his career promoting?
2. Given that this is a key presidential election year, what can be done to protect people's right to vote?
3. John Lewis said "if you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it." How does that apply to our city/state/nation/world?

Could Asia's passion for tofu help solve the plastic crisis?

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/02/asia/soybeans-plastic-wrap-intl-hnk/index.html

Soybean is one of the important ingredients in Asian diet, commonly used to make tofu, soymilk, etc. Recently, scientists have found another use of soybeans: an alternative for plastic. William Chen, a professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, invented a biodegradable food wrap made of cellulose. According to Chen, they can extract the cellulose from the large amounts of residues of soybean products, and will form a form of fiber after going through a fermentation process. Durian husks, which are full of cellulose, can also be turned into plastic wraps.


This is not the first case of cellulose based plastic wraps, but it is the most sustainable. Chen's approach not only helps reduce the amount of plastic but also reducing the amount of food waste. F&N, a soy-based drinks producer, had collaborated with Chen's lab by providing residues directly from the factory. These bio-plastics costs "almost nothing" because the materials are free, the only charge would be expenses such as storage and quality control.


Previous bio-plastics are problematic when degrading because it requires full exposure to temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius for a long time to fully degrade. But Chen's soy-based bio-plastic will be digested by microbes and completely disappear with in a month. Chen says, "My dream is that our technology, which is cheap and simple to implement, will cut plastic and food waste and create a cleaner environment."

Questions:
1. Do you think this is a sustainable approach to reduce plastic usage?
2. How would the government or the people maximize its impact?
3. In what ways can the government help in reducing plastic?

MSNBC’s Unfair Coverage of Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang

Link to Open Letter

On November 27th, a coalition of 23 community non-profit organizations representing
Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders wrote an open letter to MSNBC president Phil
Collins about his network’s lack of coverage of 2020 presidential candidate Andrew
Yang, the first Asian-American man to run for president. Over 1000 organizations,
businesses, and individuals expressed their support for the letter.

The letter raised concerns about MSNBC’s unfair moderation of the debates: waiting
32 minutes to give Andrew Yang a question and giving him only 6.8 minutes of
speaking time. The letter also pointed out MSNBC’s intentional lack of coverage of
Andrew Yang, omitting him from over a dozen graphics while including other candidates
who polled lower. It also mentioned that this lack of coverage plays into the narrative
of those who call liberal media such as MSNBC “fake news.” Lastly, the non-profits
requested MSNBC give all presidential candidates fair coverage and investigate the
root causes of the incidents about Andrew Yang and take corrective actions accordingly.

In response to the open letter Brian L. Roberts, CEO of the parent company of
MSNBC, Comcast, released this message, dismissing his network of any
guilt or wrongdoing.

As of December 10th, Andrew Yang qualified the 6th Democratic Debate with over
200,000 unique donors and four national polls at 4%.

Questions:

Why do you think MSNBC left Yang out of over a dozen graphics?
What are your thoughts on Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts’ message?
What have you heard about Andrew Yang?

2nd Circuit Appeals Court Rules Trump Must Hand Over Tax Returns

NBC News NPR

Throughout Trump’s presidency, we have seen a myriad of controversies regarding his character and fulfillment of the role of president. One that has consistently resurfaced is the question of the publicity of his tax records. First introduced during his 2016 campaign, the question of his tax records were brought to light because he had not released them to the public, an unprecedented move. Since Richard Nixon, all Presidents and presidential candidates have released their tax records; Trump has still failed to do so, despite almost completing his first term in office. However, recent lawsuits and congressional subpoenas could finally force him to release them, showing the public a record of his finances and possibly exposing why he worked so hard to hide them in the first place.

The House Intelligence and Financial Services committee filed a subpoena in April to see Trump’s tax records over the past six years, doing so as part of their investigation into possible foreign influence in American elections (specifically, Russian interference). Trump’s lawyers have cited that there is “no legitimate or legislative purpose” in using Trump’s financial records as part of the investigation, but there is a long history of Trump officials and associates meeting and collaborating with Russian officials. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, was an instigator of many of these alleged meetings, dating back to 2015 (several of the associates mentioned are currently in trial or have been indicted for crimes relating to the Russian interference investigation). In regards to the subpoena, Trump sued Capital One and Deutsche Bank to prevent them from complying with it, but multiple appeals courts supported the House’s decision to subpoena his tax records.

This past Tuesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supported a lower court’s decision to uphold the legitimacy of the House subpoena, a huge loss to Trump’s lawsuit. His lawyer and Trump himself have suggested that they are intending to appeal to the Supreme Court as part of their next possible initiative. However, it is unclear as to whether the Supreme Court will hear his case, and every appeals court has upheld the subpoena thus far. Specifically on the 2nd Circuit court, two of the three judges concurred with the lower court, while one presented a second opinion as she partially dissented. Personally, I believe that Trump has hid his tax records because of the failure of many of his businesses, and I don’t believe that there has been a foreign infiltration of the executive branch. However, his tax records could help provide evidence to exonerate him from the theory that there was collusion; if he has nothing to hide, why has he made so many vigorous attempts to stop them from being released to the public?

Questions:

1. Do you believe Trump was wrong to break the precedent that every presidential nominee since Nixon had fulfilled?
2. Do you believe the case will go to the Supreme Court, and be granted the writ of certiorari? 
3. Do you believe the House committees were justified in issuing a subpoena for Trump’s tax records? 

Hong Kong Police End 2-Week Campus Siege

Hong Kong Police End 2-Week Campus Siege

link to article

Personal items abandoned by protesters this week on the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Seeming to have no end, the conflict between Hong Kong protestors and the police has been going on for months, since June of 2019,  The protests have only escalated in intensity in both sides: police have fired at protesters, thrown tear gas at them, and protesters using firebombs, resulting in numerous injuries on both sides. Police have begun to use more severe means such as guns while protestors have amplified their ways of showing their dissatisfaction with the extradition law through demonstrations and blocking roads.

Recently, university campuses in Hong Kong have increased in popularity serving as gathering sites for protests. After several days of demonstrations at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in response to the death of a 22-year-old student during a protest, militant demonstrators joined them, bringing with them slingshots, firebombs, and bricks in an attempt to keep the police out. The police then threatened to charge them with rioting, which forced some students to find ways to leave the campus through means such as jumping fences when the police were not watching or even trying to escape through the sewers. One student at the University of Hong Kong mentions how depressed he feels given that the students are fleeing the Hong Kong University campus “as if they were refugees” despite being Hong Kong people. With over one thousand arrested on campus, and thousands more arrested since June, it is clear that compromise is needed to reach a mutual understanding.

Questions:

1. Neither side seems to be willing to back down. How do you think this issue could be resolved, if at all? 

2. What implications do these protests have for other countries? If this is happening right now in Hong Kong, what could this imply for the rest of the world?

3. Recently, Trump signed the bill that supported Hong Kong by imposing sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who are involved in the violation of human rights, how could this possibly affect our relationships with China and Hong Kong?

The Spectacular Collapse of Kamala Harris

Politico

Last Monday, Kamala Harris dropped out of the presidential race following her steady decline in the polls and lack of funding. Harris, as an ex-prosecutor, seemed to possess the necessary skills to tear into her opponents during the debates and take them down one by one. However, internal issues and the lack of a loyal base resulted in her far too early exit. Even when she eviscerated Biden in the June debate, giving her a huge boost in the polls, she failed to capitalize on the victory and allowed Biden to recover.

Harris is yet another heavyweight to exit the heated race for the Democratic nomination. Her once-promising campaign never got off the ground, leading to her political embarrassment. Still, her young political career still bears potential and she will retain her Senate seat through 2022.

1. Why did Kamala Harris's campaign fail?
2. Was Harris's bid for the presidency a mistake for her political career?
3. Should Harris consider running for president in 2024 or 2028?