Amazon sued by FTC: Legal Action Against Online Retail Dominance

Amazon, the online retail and technology company has been officially sued by the FTC and 17 other states, alleging anti competitive and unfair practices to maintain an illegal monopoly. The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, and seeks a court order blocking Amazon from engaging in the alleged practices. Through this lawsuit, The FTC, along with its state partners, are seeking to prohibit Amazon from engaging in these malpractices, or breaking up the company overall to prevent a monopolization of this market.

(Image credit: NPR)

According to the FTC, Amazon has prevented competition by mandating sellers on its platform to purchase Amazon’s logistics services in order to secure “Prime eligibility”, or the best seller benefits. The parties also allege that Amazon punished sellers by using anti-discounting measures such as burying search results or knocking them off their "Buy Box" feature which allows the shopper to purchase the product. Furthermore, Amazon’s dominance in online commerce leaves sellers with little options but to accept Amazon’s terms, resulting in higher prices and worse services for consumers. 

Following the launch of this new case, the FTC Chair Lina M. Khan argued that, “The complaint sets forth…how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service … Today’s lawsuit seeks to hold Amazon to account for these monopolistic practices and restore the lost promise of free and fair competition.”

(Image Credit: Bloomberg )

This case is a prime example of the national government's ability to intervene in the economy specifically through the use of laws such as the Sherman Anti-Trust act, which serve to prevent monopolies from emerging in the market. This power is mainly granted through the commerce clause, as many corporations (including Amazon) have interstate deliveries and manufacturing, and thus falls under interstate commerce, and therefore is under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

From my perspective, it is invaluable that the government takes action against powerful companies such as Amazon. Domination of the market often leads to lower quality products and excessive greed, as the company has no fear over public reception due to their status as a monopoly. It seems to me that, by suing Amazon over their practices, the FTC serves as a reminder that there are still checks against malicious business practices in an age dominated by corporate lobbying and excessive deregulations.

- Daigo Hayashi

Bibliography:

- Sandhu-Longoria, A. K. (2023, September 27). “monopolistic practices”: Amazon sued by FTC, 17 states in antitrust lawsuit. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/09/26/us-sues-amazon-for-monopoly/70972850007/

- Fung, B. (2023, September 27). US government and 17 states sue amazon in landmark monopoly case | CNN business. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/tech/ftc-sues-amazon-antitrust-monopoly-case/index.html

- Day, M., & Nylen, L. (2023, September 26). FTC chief Lina Khan aims to end Amazon “illegal conduct.” Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-26/ftc-chief-aims-to-end-amazon-illegal-conduct-quiet-on-breakup#xj4y7vzkg

- Selyukh, A. (2023, September 26). U.S. sues Amazon in a monopoly case that could be existential for the retail giant. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/09/26/1191099421/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-antitrust-monopoly

- Ritchie, J. N. & A., & Staff in the Bureau of Competition & Office of Technology. (2023, September 26). FTC sues Amazon for illegally maintaining monopoly power. Federal Trade Commission. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-power

The APEC Summit. What's Happening and Who's Going?

    With September coming to a close, the international Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is quickly rounding the corner. Formed in 1989 in Australia, the summit became a place in which international discussion about free trade and economic cooperation could be held. Due to the rapid economic growth of nations along the Pacific Rim, they banded together in order to further spur growth as a collective. Nations including China, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and others were all in attendance. With the previous annual summits, nations saw immense growth and better international relations. The "residents of the Asia-Pacific saw their per capita income rise by 74 percent, lifting millions out of poverty and creating a growing middle class in less than three decades" (APEC). 

    As the summit will be held in San Francisco, Mayor of San Francisco London Breed mentions her hopes for the summit, "they will look at San Francisco and say to themselves, '... I want to experience more of San Francisco. I want to do business in San Francisco'"(S.F. Chronicle). With the hopeful success of the APEC summit, Breed hopes to highlight the pleasant features of San Francisco with a warm attitude.With the international attention around the APEC summit, possible economic growth is of high importance.  This can be connected to the effects of commerce and the commerce clause. As the government highly values international relations and how that effects their own economic situation, the U.S. commerce can be heavily affected. This explains the attentiveness of the U.S. government to host a successful APEC summit.

    

(Image Credits: S.F. Chronicle)

    With a booming economy second to only the U.S., China's representative serves as an important factor in negotiations and discussions. Even though the economic growth in China has reached a relatively low point, they still serve as one of the most important factors in economic discussions. As the two international superpowers look past the conflict over currnet issues in Taiwan, they are in communication as expectations of Xi Jinping attending are slowly rising. As Xi Jinping missed the G20 (Group of 20) summit, which was another major summit discussing international economic and financial stability, suspicion is starting to rise as to whether Xi Jinping honors the nations and the collective economic benefits. 

(Image Credits: Reuters)

    Recently speaking towards Xi Jinping's involvement in the summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attempts to set goals and conditions for the upcoming meeting. Serving as the representative, he points towards the fact that China will be deeply involved in the summit and will comply to the international community's expectations. As the APEC summit stands as an important convention especially towards the unclear future, strong representation of the respective nations should be upheld. In order to truly display the priorities of the nation along with the push for unification throughout nations, Xi Jinping should take a stand and prove that China is valuing the economic relations and negotiations throughout nations. 

- Aidan Ogasawara

Sources: 

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-says-willing-play-constructive-role-apecs-success-2023-09-26/

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-does-g20-do

https://www.apec.org/about-us/about-apec/achievements-and-benefits

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/apec-international-san-francisco-18363002.php

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1989-1992/apec#:~:text=Asia%20Pacific%20Economic%20Cooperation%2C%20or,cooperation%20along%20the%20Pacific%20Rim.

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez Faces Federal Indictment on Bribery Charges

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (D) has recently been caught under fire after being federally indicted for a corruption scheme. Funnily enough, this is not Menendez's first rodeo, as he is now the first sitting U.S. Senator to be indicted on two separate criminal cases. Although his first run at facing federal corruption charges ended in a mistrial, this time around, his luck has run out. Senator Menendez and his wife were indicted in a New York federal court on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion, and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. The New Jersey Senator was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, a Mercedez Benz, and multiple home mortgage payments. In exchange, Menendez supposedly leveraged his power to avail three businessmen (Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daides) and the Egyptian Government by sharing crucial and highly sensitive information about the US government. Menendez could do all of this because of his powerful position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but he has recently stepped down from this post. Menendez and four others--including his wife--will have to appear in federal court on September 27th. 

(Image Credit: New York Times)

As this controversy has gone on, multiple members of the Democratic party have been especially vocal about wanting their fellow party member to resign from his position as Senator. According to New York State Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D), "I think the situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interests for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment...it shouldn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat" (CBS News). According to Cortez, consistency is critical, and even though the Democratic party shares a near-even split in seats with the Republican Party in the Senate, Menendez must be brought to justice, even if it means that the party would lose some of its influence on this side of the legislative body. Multiple other Democratic Representatives and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy have also called for Menendez to step down. 

(Image Credit: NBC News)

Much like many other controversial cases involving politicians that have come beforehand, Menendez's indictment trial will take a long time. In the meantime, the Senator claims, "I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey's senior senator" (ABC News). More details about the case will reveal themselves as time comes, but as it stands now, Menendez is innocent until proven guilty under the American legal system. Suppose the Senator were to be proven guilty under these charges, though. In that case, he should most definitely resign to maintain and protect the integrity of our legislative branch, as members of Congress and Senate should have the people's best interest in mind, not their own selfish desires.

- Zen Yoshikawa

Bibliography:

“AOC Says Sen. Bob Menendez Should Resign after Federal Indictment.” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Sept. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WePvgRb2sc8.

Davis, Susan. “Senate Democrats to Bob Menendez: Resign.” NPR, NPR, 26 Sept. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/09/26/1201727844/senate-democrats-to-bob-menendez-resign.

“Defiant Sen. Bob Menendez Speaks out after Indictment, Will Not Resign.” ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-bob-menendez-facing-corruption-charges-rebuffs-calls/story?id=103463381. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

“Legal Experts Compare Menendez Indictments Past and Present.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Sept. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQpdCdE2pB4.

“Sen. Bob Menendez Faces Growing Calls from Democrats to Resign after Federal Indictment.” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Sept. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAoBw9hbmgA.

“Sen. Bob Menendez Indicted on Fraud, Extortion.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Sept. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vWhjKhG12o. 

Why Russia Won't Collapse.

    In February 4th 2022, Russia, a once seemingly dominant country in the world with the 2nd strongest military, launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Although a strong military, Russia has not kept itself from corruption, and as of September 2023, the war still rages on. However, it's not like the world is just watching, many countries and citizens are doing their best to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. The West has been hitting Russia with sanctions and as of April, they hit Russia with a sanction on the basis of “War Crimes”. However, Russia will not fall, in an economical sense. Sanctions are a means to damage the economy, however, in the case of Russia; they don’t care. The citizens could be starving however Russia will still go on with its war. 

Russia is a country with the lowest national debt, meaning that if Russia wants to, they can go in a deficit for the next 10 years and still come out. Analysts have claimed “Russia is usually one of the ten least-indebted countries in the world. Russia’s debt is currently at a total of just over 302 billion USD.” Thus they can go on with this war for as long as they want until the populace has had enough.

                                 

Although Russia can hold on, that doesn't mean that it has not been hurt by sanctions, one of Russia's biggest exports is that of oil, not just oil however, natural gas. This natural gas is one of the leading energy sources that produces a somewhat clean energy. This venture of selling this energy however, has been cut short in Europe. Europe has placed heavy sanctions on Russia and aims to cut off Russian supply in the near future. An example can be seen in Nord Stream 2 where Germany has cut off its construction and its certification. 

This pipe, honestly should never have been a thing in the first place. While benefiting Germany in the first place, many countries including the USA detested the pipe's construction as increasing Germany's reliance on a power such as Russia was detrimental to NATO’s goal of fighting against Russia. Like, even Trump, who is not really seen in a very good light within younger generations and has done many questionable things, has outright gone against the construction. Although it is now not gonna be finished, Germany’s insistence on this pipeline can be seen as a weak point of NATO and its future as many countries have their own initiatives and objectives they wish to complete.

                                  

This cancellation of Nord Stream 2 however does not mean Russia can no longer export its resources, when one buyer is out, another buyer is sure to come in. This time however, it came in the form of India and China, both of which are buying larger and larger quantities of natural gas and oil. This increased purchase of Russian energy is what Russia needs to keep its war with Ukraine going.

In my personal opinion, Russia, while being targeted by the West, will not fall. As of September 17th 2023, Russia’s war with Ukraine is still ongoing and has seen no stop. Russia's unstoppable economic power along with Russia’s low national debt has seen to it that Russia will have the money to back its war and will not stop until they reclaim Ukraine or what's left of it. However, that cannot be said about Ukraine. Russia is at this point playing a war of attrition where it throws money and men into the war to whittle down Ukraine until  the western powers see that it is no longer worth supporting Ukraine. The USA and its government runs under a system of population governance where the government is influenced and run by the people that inhabit the country the government is formed upon. Therefore, any sway in the populace to no longer support the war will result in western or US support running dry just, and like Afghanistan and Vietnam, Ukraine will too fall under the pressure of the enemy.

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/21/1149745629/russia-oil-shadow-fleet-sanctions#:~:text=Before%20Russia%20invaded%20Ukraine%20last,such%20as%20China%20and%20India. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/business/nord-stream-2-germany-russia/index.html 

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-european-commission-united-kingdom-acb86730120a1230b9eb95c3ebdded77 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-national-debt 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50875935

F35 Crash and its Effects on the Global Exportation of the Aircraft.

     The F35 is one of the most advanced fighters of its time, with the most expensive military program to date. Yet, it seems that as with all technology, it is not immune to malfunctions. Recently, a F35, more specifically an F35B, which is the US Marine Corps version of the F35. One with VTOL or STOVAL capabilities also known as short takeoff and vertical landing or vertical take off and landing. This is by far the most expensive version of the F35 and so it seems to hurt the Arms forces the most than if any other jet crashed with its recent destruction.

                  

Flight reports indicate that the pilot had safely ejected however the plane did not go down for quite a while. In the police call the pilot made to local PD, he claimed that he no longer knew where the plane had gone as weather did not allow for it. Another problem for the US Armed Forces is the fact that they were trying to find a 5th generation plane. The  5th generation is known for their stealth capabilities and so the search for the aircraft was decently long compared to civilian aircraft crashes.

                               

This recent plane crash could have complications around the world, although America is the one who built these aircraft and did all the research. Many other countries are buying this aircraft, one major buying is Britain. This accident could have huge implications on orders of the F35 and the contracts already established between Lockheed martin and other countries. One such example is the Boeing 737 Max. This plane is infamous for its crashes months after its introduction. The plane had such a bad reputation, it was grounded by most of the world for months as Boeing tried to find and fix the problem, which by the way, culminated from large corruption within the FAA and Boeing executives.

                   

Similarly to the 737’s grounding, the US Marine Corps has issued a grounding of all F35B’s within its fleet pending investigation of the crash. The F35 already has a huge negative press with cost overruns and delays. Whether this outcome further negatively affects the reputation of the F35 and its flightworthiness is up to the investigation along with if countries such as Britain or Japan continue their contracts of purchasing the F35 for their airfleets. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II 

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/new-video-shows-debris-field-from-missing-f-35-fighter-jet-193307717960 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missing-fighter-jet-search-debris-field-found-f-35-mishap-rcna105754 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/business/boeing-737-accidents.html

Sept. 30th Government Shutdown Deadline

    Every year, congress passes a budget around 12 bills that fund every government agency for the next fiscal year. This is an extremely crucial budget that is needed to be passed every year in order for our government to operate. If not passed, a government shutdown will occur causing delayed paychecks to all federal workers and military personnel (4 million total civilians) and rattle America's financial markets. If congress doesn't pass this budget by September 30th, 2023, our government will shut down.
    
    It's extremely hard to get this bill passed because we have a split congress. The House of Representatives is made of majority republicans while our Senate is controlled by a majority of Democrats. The budget being passed by both the House and Senate in such polarizing times is very unlikely. The Republicans in the house are taking advantage of this opportunity to demand aggressive  spending cuts. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, tried to compromise on both ends but ended up shutting down congress early for the weekend. He said to the news “This is a whole new concept of individuals that just wants to burn the whole place down”. Speaker Kevin McCarthy needs to find compromise because if he doesn’t listen to the republicans, they have the option to remove him as speaker and if he doesn’t listen to the democrats, no bill gets passed.

There are three possible outcomes that will occur by October 1st. One, Congress can’t agree on anything and our government is shut down. This will lead to millions of federal workers not being paid, the stock market becoming unstable, and the travel sector losing up to 140 million dollars a day. Two, Congress passes a Continuing Resolution “CR” which pushes the deadline for a government shutdown by another month or two. This would allow for more time to compromise and avoid the looming shutdown but would inevitably just be pushing the deadline back with no real solution. Three, Congress passes some or all of the 12 bills and the government continues to operate as normal. While this would be the best case, it is highly unlikely with the polarization of political parties within Congress. 

It’s important to know what happens during a government shutdown and who's responsible for it. From this people can learn how to avoid personal disaster during a shutdown, how to keep personal finances safe, and knowing the job security of federal workers. Understanding the congressional budget process is an important factor in our education about different powers held in the constitution and how each branch of the government is affected by the federal budget which pays for everything they operate.

Source:
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2023-09-23/us-house-panel-approves-four-funding-bills-government-shutdown-deadline-approaches

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-government-is-headed-for-a-shutdown-whos-affected-and-what-happens-next

https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/shutdown-watch-guide-mad-dash-fund-federal-government-rcna104638

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/24/politics/government-shutdown-impacts/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/24/government-shutdown-congress-budget/

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/23/mccarthy-stares-into-shutdown-abyss-00117658

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republicans-appeal-far-right-conservatives-avert-us-government-shutdown-2023-09-24/

Poland No Longer Supplying Ukraine With Weapons Over Grain Deal Disputes

    Poland has been one of Ukraines biggest supporters since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war that started February 2022. Poland, who has borders with Ukraine, fears that if Russia successfully annexes Ukraine, it leaves its borders vulnerable to the community state. Supplying Ukraine with over 4.6 Billion dollars since the start of the war, Poland has been the main initiator in NATO to supply their neighboring country with ammunition, humanitarian aid, and most recently F-16 fighter jets. However, as a small country with limited resources, they have put in place a grain export ban from Ukraine to prevent the saturation of their economy for farmers causing criticism from their Ukraine allies.

As a warring country, Ukraine is trying to be as profitable in their countries main export, gain. On Tuesday, Ukraine sent one of their largest shipments of grain (3,000 metric tons of wheat) to Romanian territory on cargo ships. While Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia currently still hold bans on grain exports, they allowed the passage of the grain through the Dead Sea. These countries have these bans to protect their farmers from a surge in exports from Ukraine. If all the grain was introduced into their markers, the price of grain would be unstable and not sustainable for their economy. After Poland introduced new bans on Ukraine grain products, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Poland saying their "political theater" was in reality helping Russia. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki responded telling President Zelenskyy "never to insult Poles again" saying Poland will no longer supply Ukraine weapons amid the dispute. 

    This shift has caused many to question the two counties' relationship with each other as Poland was one of Ukraines largest supporters. This shift has allowed Russia to capitalize on propaganda saying that the west is divided and tension filled. This media misinformation has created doubts in neighboring countries who were pressured into supporting Ukraine from the West. Countries in the EU that don't feel comfortable with Ukraine joining NATO in the middle of a war have started to push back on support from the West criticizing them for throwing so much resources into a country that's not in an alliance with them. Article 5 mechanism of NATO stating if any country is under attack, all allied countries consider that an act of war against all members. Many countries fear that Ukraine will use this mechanism to bring NATO and Russia closer to a world war, thus blocking Ukraine's NATO accession. 

    Regardless of what happens next, it will be important to follow the updates on relations between Poland and Ukraine and understand the context in which the alliance is continued or not continued. It's important to understand how the US is involved with NATO and who makes decisions when it comes to things like funding, war, and treaties. While the President can make decisions on treaties, Congress has the power to declare war, and the executive branch (department of defense) has power to fund other nations. Separation of powers allows not one person to have control over everything and allows big decisions like going to war and funding to go through more people. While Poland protecting its farmers is the best thing for their country and economy, it’s important to question if it's worth breaking the European Commission's ruling allowing Ukraine grain to be exported. This has resulted in Ukraine suing Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for imposing their own bans.  

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/europe/poland-ukraine-europe-relations-putin-intl/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-61759692

https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-will-sue-poland-hungary-and-slovakia-over-agricultural-bans/

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/21/poland-says-it-will-no-longer-supply-kyiv-with-weapons.html

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/09/21/why-poland-is-halting-its-supply-of-weapons-to-ukraine

120,000 Ethnic Armenians Expected to Flee Amid Fears of Ethnic Cleansing

A tough choice looms for approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic enclave in Azerbaijan—whether to abandon their homeland and seek refuge in Armenia, or stay, but risk experiencing potential ethnic cleansing and repression. This follows a swift and forceful military operation initiated by Azerbaijan, whereby the region was captured earlier this week. 

Nagorno-Karabakh, though acknowledged globally as part of Azerbaijan, has been under ethnic Armenian control for the last three decades. Azerbaijan's recent military offensive took control of the region and killed over 200 ethnic Armenians. Faced with military pressure, ethnic Armenians in the region were forced to declare a ceasefire.

"The 120,000 ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh will leave for Armenia as they do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan and fear ethnic cleansing, the leadership of the breakaway region told Reuters on Sunday" (CNBC).

The Arminian Prime Minister, ​​Nikol Pashinyan has said that the Arminian government will “lovingly welcome our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh.” However, where the 120,000 potential refugees will live is unclear.

Armenia has also expressed dissatisfaction with its long-standing ally, Russia, citing a lackluster defense of the area. However, Russia’s foreign minister dismisses the accusations as “ludicrous.”(BBC) Russia has positioned hundreds of “peacekeepers” in the area for years and in general, Russia serves as the dominant power for the region as a whole. Armenia may seek to strengthen ties with the US in the future.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan continues to reassure the ethnic Armenians who choose to remain in Nagorno-Karabakh, promising equal treatment and integration. Azerbaijan has also repeatedly denied allegations of intended ethnic cleansing, as Azerbaijan Foreign Minister, Bayramov has said “I wish to reiterate that Azerbaijan is determined to reintegrate ethnic Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan as equal citizens.”

The crisis is inherently complex, presenting not only a grave humanitarian challenge but also underscoring intricate geopolitical dynamics in the South Caucasus. The area is of strategic importance due to oil and gas pipelines. It is also home to an extremely ethnically diverse population (the cause of many past conflicts). Countries such as Russia, the US, Turkey and Iran have also been jostling for influence in the area.

Already the first wave of 400 refugees has crossed the border into Armenia. More will likely follow in the coming days.

This story is very new so it's likely more information will be available soon (although the general conflict in the region has been somewhat ongoing since the unraveling of the soviet union). Hopefully one of next week's bloggers can provide an update of sorts. 

Regardless of what happens next, this serves as a reminder to be grateful for the social freedoms we experience in the US. The freedom to worship is not global and unfortunately, conflicts like this result from the lack of acceptance. (Armenians are Christian, while Azerbaijan is primarily home to Muslims).

It will be interesting to see how the US national government exercises its right to deal with foreign affairs over the next days and weeks. Advances in global connectivity, communication, and technology have led to more foreign issues being raised with the US government, representing an informal change to the Constitution as Congress and the president hold more power than in the 18th century. What do you think the US government should do if anything?

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66905581 

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/24/ethnic-armenians-will-leave-nagorno-karabakh-adviser-to-their-leader-.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/24/world/europe/armenians-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan.html

https://indianexpress.com/photos/world-news/ethnic-armenians-leave-karabakh-cleansing-fear-8954227/

https://www.wionews.com/world/explained-mass-exodus-underway-karabakhs-120000-armenians-to-leave-amid-fears-of-ethnic-cleansing-639178

Tens of Thousands Protest Climate Change - Demand Biden End Fossil Fuels

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Manhattan in a march against climate change. While previous protests have been directed at the government as a whole, the message of Sunday's march was more focused as according to NPR, “protesters [called] on  Biden to stop federal approvals of new fossil fuel projects, phase out oil and gas drilling on public lands, and declare climate change a national emergency.” This protest comes a week before the UN General Assembly in New York City. 

Climate change is undoubtedly a large issue as we’ve just experienced the hottest summer in recorded history and climate related disasters such as floods and fires have decimated countries all across the globe from Canada, to Libya, to China. It seems that every week, a new weather related record is broken and it's clear something needs to change to knock the world off its current trajectory. 

The protest and similar protests in Germany, England, Senegal, South Korea and India are the largest since the start of Covid-19. 

Protesters at Sunday’s event seemed to hold a common sentiment: the Biden administration has not done nearly enough for climate change. Moreover, representatives of the associated groups have warned that if Biden hopes to secure the young population’s vote, their climate demands must be met. 

A large part of Biden’s presidential campaign related to his plans to end climate change. In general, the Biden administration has done well in working towards this goal; Biden has enacted numerous bills and executive orders designed to reduce carbon emissions and transition towards renewable energy. The Biden administration has also made significant progress in removal of carbon dioxide, both through natural (trees) and technological means (scrubbers). However, the Biden administration approved new oil drilling permits allowing expansion of operations in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. 

The group has threatened that without clear action against new fossil fuel drilling, they will not support Biden in the upcoming election. But that raises the question: if not Biden, then who else? Biden will likely be the democrat’s best shot at winning the 2024 presidential election and no republican candidates have made promises nearly as progressive as Biden’s. Moreover, Trump, the leading republican candidate, “scoffs entirely at the idea that the planet is warming” (New York Times). 

In a polarized two party system, factions such as liberal climate change activists have no choice but to vote for “the best option” that most nearly represents their ideas. Although they believe that Biden has not followed through on his promises, realistically, they hold little negotiating power in regard to his actions since at the end of the day, they will likely have to choose between Biden and someone worse (in respect to progressive climate change promises). 

Climate change related reforms are also an example of the government exercising power not explicitly mentioned in the constitution. While the constitution doesn’t directly give the National Government power to work on climate change, it is a necessary part of ensuring the future and current safety of the population and is thus within the scope of the national government. 

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/17/1200027693/thousands-expected-to-march-in-new-york-to-demand-that-biden-end-fossil-fuels https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/17/climate/climate-protests-new-york.html https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/17/march-to-end-fossil-fuels-new-york-city https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-thousands-march-in-nyc-ahead-of-un-summit/a-66839873 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/opinion/climate-summit-2023-un.html

Iran Prisoner Exchange

(Credit: Al Jazeera)

For a long time now, Iran has subjected its people to an oppressive regime. The people often experience brutal suppression of their opinions through violence, imprisonment of activists and political proponents, and all too commonly murder. As an Iranian myself, I know the effects of the Iranian rule first hand, having relatives who have been arrested, placed in jail, and even executed for their political and religious beliefs, and activism against the tyranny of the government. 

In 1979, Iranian militia took control of the U.S. embassy and held 66 people captive for 444 days, in what is known as the Iran Hostage Crisis. After the hostage crisis, the relationship between the two governments fell apart. In 2009, American hikers who accidentally crossed the Iran-Iraq border were arrested for allegedly spying, despite no evidence being presented. Soon after, each of the detainees was released after payment of around $465,000. A while later, in 2016, Iran began to restrict its nuclear program only after a deal was made with other countries to ease sanctions. More recently, on Monday, September 18th, Iran again used it's U.S. prisoners as a way to gain back capital, receiving 5 of its citizens and $6 billion worth of assets that South Korea had owed Iran but not yet paid, due to the sanctions that the U.S. placed on oil transactions in 2019. Each person was wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit, with one being imprisoned for nearly 8 years under inhumane conditions. Each event is an example of Iran using both foreign prisoners and their extreme agenda as a bargaining chip to their advantage.

(Credit: Getty Images)

This deal has opened up President Biden to a lot of criticism, with former President Trump calling the deal "absolutely ridiculous", and senator minority leader Mitch McConnell saying that he is "rewarding and incentivizing Tehran's bad behavior." Regardless of the politics involved, I believe that for once we should put our beliefs aside and ourselves in the prisoners shoes. It is a disgrace that politics and one's public image is often placed above people's lives. In Iran, the prisoner swap was labeled as a "purely... humanitarian action" by the President Ebrahim Raisi, further demonstrating the censoring that the Iranian people are subjected to everyday. The Iranian government brought no attention whatsoever to the money they received as a result of the deal. 

We should be thankful that we don't live in a country in which we are subjected to such horrific mistreatment. We should be thankful that we don't have to live day to day wondering which one of our friends and family is going to disappear next. We should be thankful that these American citizens have been rightly returned to the U.S. and that they are back with their families. Hopefully this event is able to signal improved diplomatic relations with the two countries, but knowing history, that is an unlikely outcome for the future.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-prisoner-swap-sanctions-assets-4e1fa477f8e6af45fb764acd259c2f1a

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66841137

https://www.reuters.com/world/south-korea-working-unfreeze-tehrans-funds-us-iran-detainee-deal-2023-09-18/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/09/18/us-iran-prisoner-exchange/

Homeless Shelter in Millbrae

    On September 12, 2023, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted to purchase two hotels and turn them into homeless shelters. These hotels would be located in Millbrae and South San Francisco. In total, this plan would be able to bring 120 permanent residences for the homeless people of our community. Furthermore, the residents of these shelters would have access to healthcare and counseling. 

    On a 4 to 1 vote, the board agreed to purchase the Millbrae residence for $33 million and separately, they agreed to purchase the South San Francisco residence for $11 million. While this seems like a very optimistic plan, many locals are protesting the addition of homeless shelters. 

(photo of the Millbrae Residence)

    Some members of the community are concerned about increased tax rates as well as the safety of their children at a school near the shelter. Around 60 people protested the decision, urging supervisors to postpone and reconsider the decision. Even the mayor of Millbrae is opposing the sale, stating that the city is losing a vital source of revenue. 

    Although there are oppositions against this plan, ultimately San Mateo County has made their decision, despite all the backlash. I thought that this decision revealed the sense of superiority that the county has over the cities, and found it similar to the scope of the federal and state governments. Under the Constitution, specifically the Supremacy clause that we learned about, federal law trumps state law. I saw a connection here, where the county ruling trumped the city ruling.  

    I think that this issue is difficult to comment on, especially from someone not directly affected by the decision. On one hand, I believe that homelessness is a huge problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Anyone who has walked in San Francisco can attest to how sad and sometimes scary seeing people living on the streets can be. Recently, there were also tents that showed up in Downtown San Mateo's Central Park. The reality is that lately, affordable housing is hard to come by. I also think that as a community, it is important that those who are able to give back should provide for the homeless. However, I also agree with citizens that having a homeless shelter near a school and within a community could potentially be scary, if not dangerous. 

Websites used:

https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/county-purchase-two-hotels-convert-supportive-housing-key-step-countys-functional-zero 

https://localnewsmatters.org/2023/09/15/community-upset-as-san-mateo-board-allows-to-turn-millbrae-hotel-into-homeless-housing/

https://www.ktvu.com/news/controversy-over-buying-la-quinta-inn-in-millbrae-for-homeless

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/peninsula/millbrae-hotel-housing-homeless-people/3316072/

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/county-plan-to-purchase-millbrae-hotel-approved-despite-pushback/

https://hoodline.com/2023/09/millbrae-community-divided-over-33-million-hotel-conversion-for-homeless/