Elon Musk Reinstates Donald Trump’s Twitter Account

Since Elon Musk has purchased Twitter for $44 Billion, he has received an immense amount of criticism for his actions, such as laying off half of the company’s employees and implementing questionable policies into the site to foster “free speech,” such as allowing users to purchase a blue check mark next to their name that comes with Twitter Blue (because somehow charging $8 a month for users to promote their posts is “free speech”). 

But Musk has also used his platform to influence US politics. Leading up to the Midterm elections, Musk urged his followers to vote red in a tweet. His support for Republican politics continued when on November 18, Musk posted a poll asking if Trump’s Twitter Account should be reinstated to the website. It was banned in the wake of the January 6th insurrection due to the violence that then President Trump incited. Unsurprisingly (because the majority of his followers are right-leaning, in large part because of the “freedom of speech” persona that Musk puts on), the result of the poll was in favor of Trump’s reinstatement. The next day, Musk posted the results of the poll and said that Trump will indeed be reinstated. He prefaced his announcement by saying “The people have spoken,” implying that the results of a poll to his followers can be extrapolated to the website as a whole or the entire American population.

Donald Trump's twitter account amasses nearly 6 million followers just a couple of hours after being unbanned

Musk’s announcement comes at an interesting time in the political world of the US, as Trump recently announced that he will be a candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, US attorney general Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to determine if Trump should face criminal charges for his role in the January 6 insurrection and for the mishandling of national security materials. Getting charged for these crimes would hurt his chances at receiving the GOP nomination. Although it’s obvious that many of Trump’s supporters have no problem with his wrongdoings, the charges would funnel some support to likely opposing GOP nomination candidate, Ron DeSantis, which could alter the result of the nomination.

The event that set in motion Trump’s calls for violence was him losing the 2020 Presidential Election to Joe Biden, and Republicans just did worse than expected in the 2022 Midterms, so it will be interested to see how Trump utilizes his newly restored platform and how it may affect the US political scene over the next couple of years.

It's been a bad couple of weeks for crypto investors 📉

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Luna, FTT -- everyone has heard of cryptocurrencies over the past few years. The decentralized digital currency market, while a subject of numerous memes, has also just experienced a multi-billion dollar collapse. This implosion was due to the bankruptcy of one of the biggest crypto trading companies, FTX. 

FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, who was hailed as some sort of crypto-superhero-savior only a couple months ago, has lost billions of dollars in a matter of days. Founded in 2019, FTX quickly became one of the largest crypto companies, with its own currency, FTT. Binance, one of the other crypto giants, was one of its earliest investors. However, FTX’s rapid growth quickly made it a competitor. When suspicion arose due to the research company, Alameda, also founded by Bankman-Fried, having $14 billion worth of FTT, investors started to pull out. On November 6, Binance stated it would liquidate hundreds of millions of dollars of FTT. This sparked a mass wave of panic, a classic bank run, except a remixed 2022 version. Users attempted to pull out billions of dollars of crypto investments, too much for FTX to handle. 

It turns out, people were pulling out money FTX did not have (classic). The Wall Street Journal reported that FTX had used its users' investments for “risky bets” tied to the company Alameda. On November 11, FTX declared bankruptcy, being valued at $32 billion only months ago. More than a million investors in FTX have had their assets frozen or lost, as “Reuters reports that between $1 billion to $2 billion of customer funds have vanished from the failed crypto exchange.”

Steph Curry in an FTX commercial

Marketed as a “safe, easy” way to get into crypto, FTX is now being investigated for fraud. Bankman-Fried, along with celebrities who helped promote FTX, including Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, and Shaq, were named as defendants in a class-action lawsuit, with investors comparing FTX to a Ponzi-scheme “designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country.” 

Although this ordeal will not end the crypto market, it raises further questions about its reliability. There has always been an air of skepticism regarding online currencies (Elon Musk literally called Dogecoin a “hustle” on SNL). I mean, how many people really know what cryptocurrency is and how it works? The public is already aware of crypto’s volatility, but FTX was supposed to be the “reliable” company. What is clear is that if the market is going to recover from this scare, there needs to be much more transparency to build up investors’ trust. Crypto is inherently risky -- there may be no way around that. But a good place to start might be letting users know where their money is going and not secretly transferring $10 billion of it to a separate company. 

This issue also has connections to recent elections. Bankman-Fried “helped bankroll Democrats’ overperformance in the midterms” contributing “more than $40 million to Democratic candidates and a network of super PACs that promoted crypto and public health policies.” In exchange for writing multi-million dollar checks for politicians, Bankman-Fried became the number one guy for politicians to turn to when making new policies regarding crypto. But any influence he had in Washington has quickly disappeared. It turns out you can buy influence, but politicians will likely tread lightly dealing with crypto and crypto magnates in the future. 

Sources:

https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-brady-stephen-curry-shaq-and-naomi-osaka-among-celebrities-sued-in-class-action-crypto-lawsuit-181117155.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/12/1-billion-to-2-billion-of-ftx-customer-funds-missing-report.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ftx-tapped-into-customer-accounts-to-fund-risky-bets-setting-up-its-downfall-11668093732

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/business/ftx-crypto-downfall-explained/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/10/crypto-megadonor-sam-bankman-fried-00066062

Does the Murdoch family have too much power?

This is hilarious and creepy at the same time.

Fox News Channel always had a conservative slant -- Roger Ailes, George H.W. Bush's campaign manager in 1992, was, after all, a founding member of the team -- but it hasn't always had the agenda-setting power that it appears to wield now in Republican politics. Try to re-imagine the past 2 years of politics if FNC had emphatically and clearly stated that Joe Biden clearly won a clean election in the fall of 2020, instead of allowing conspiracy theories to be amplified by numerous hosts and guests, followed by giving Tucker Carlson a platform for his "replacement theory" level of toxic racism and Q-adjacent fearmongering. Well, what Rupert giveth, Rupert can taketh away. Here is the page 26 coverage of Trump's formal announcement that he is running for President again from the Murdoch-controlled New York Post:

As a savage takedown, this is classic, but does it really mean that the Fox-affiliated political news empire will be taking sides against Trump? Maybe:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/15/murdoch-press-turns-on-donald-trump-in-favour-of-defuture-ron-desantis

My take on this is that while I wish Fox et. al. came to realize that Trump was a danger to the republic they are still loyal to, I think this is just another example of profit maximization within the confined sphere of conservative media. Fox could lose viewers if the Trump fans turn the channel to positive coverage they feel entitled to. However, Fox will make WAY more money if there is a competitive Republican primary than if there is not. They will end up hosting most of the TV debates in any nomination campaign between Trump, DeSantis, and others. So, Fox is more likely to take Trump down a peg while giving Trump challengers in the GOP airtime and a viable chance. If Trump wins the Republican nomination (and isn't disallowed from state ballots due to the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause) then I fully expect Fox to be as anti-Democrat as ever.

All the cable news channels made extra $$$ from the drama of the 2016 campaign and Trump's outrage of the day way of dominating the media space, so Trump running is good for business. But Trump having a competitive race is even better for business. And Joe Biden having a Democratic challenger is better still! Keep this in mind as the national political media, not just Fox, hypes 2024 throughout 2023.

Republican Party's claims of fraud and media coverage

After Catherine Cortez Masto's win in Nevada, the Democrats have taken the Senate with 50 seats. Before the race, Republican candidate Adam Laxalt had planned to "fight election fraud," and at a campaign event, criticized Trump's campaign for investigating voting fraud too late. However, there was no evidence of widespread fraud in Nevada during that presidential election, and the state had thoroughly investigated the Republican Party's claims of fraud. Now that Laxalt has lost, he has thanked his supporters and decided not to claim election fraud had taken place.

In the last few years, election fraud has been a major concern for Republicans, as evidenced by Laxalt's statements long before any voting had even started. After the 2020 election when the Trump campaign filed many lawsuits contesting the results, dragging on political races may become the new norm. 

With these claims of fraud being so widespread while having little evidence supporting them, many voters may believe this misinformation, particularly from biased media sources. Given that many journalists adhere to the principle of fairness by providing coverage of all perspectives, it's easy for readers to fall victim to misinformation if they do not think critically about the content they consume. For example, if a Republican voter only watched FOX News for political coverage, they may believe that there is truly election fraud taking place. The issue appeals to American values such as democracy and fairness, and creating anger and fear surrounding the issue encourages voters to participate in politics. While this may garner more support for the Republican Party who has advocated for greater transparency with voting, it is based on false claims.

Regardless of whether claims of election fraud continue to surface, it is in the best interest of readers to assess the outlets they get information from and to not blindly believe claims they see from politicians or journalists.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/12/us/elections/senate-control.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20221113&instance_id=77434&nl=the-morning&regi_id=101588001&segment_id=113030&te=1&user_id=439bfc2dccf8aadb282e824e81f98296

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/04/1120904265/claims-voter-fraud-donald-trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/us/politics/adam-laxalt-election-fraud.html

NBA Takes Election Day Off

 

 

Coach Steve Kerr encourages NBA fans to vote

In an unprecedented move, the NBA did not hold any games on Tuesday, November
8, Election Day. The move was announced on August 156, but it is the first
time that the league has altered its schedule in an effort to encourage voter
turnout.

This isn't the first time the NBA has taken steps to encourage civic
engagement among its fans and communities, though. Back in 2020, when access
to voting was limited because of the state of the pandemic, 14 teams used
their arenas or practice facilities as polling locations or voting centers.

NBA figures are using their voices to spread the message, as well. While the
Warriors were hosting the Sacramento Kings after a sequence of road games
that spanned 11 days, Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr addressed the crowd
before the game. He pointed out that players across the league were wearing
shirts that tell fans to vote and that all Warriors players and coaches are
registered, encouraged fans to create a plan to get their vote out while the
polls are still open, and informed watchers that if they're not registered,
they have the ability to do so and vote tomorrow (in California).

The NBA, although it announced the schedule change well before both the 
season and Election Day, has received some backlash from media and fans, who
claim that the worlds of sports and politics mustn't interfere with each
other. However, NBA teams plan an average of once every two days, so
scheduling a day off isn't harmful, nor does it lack precedent. Additionally,
the NBA is making sure to keep its recommendations nonpartisan, simply
encouraging a greater number of citizens to make a plan to vote.

The time that it takes to vote is a deterrent for many would-be voters.
Many, including myself, believe that Election Day should be a national
holiday to reduce this deterrent to voting. A major sports league using its
influence to encourage civic engagement is definitely a step in the right
direction for increasing voter turnout and accessibility. 

Sources:
https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/why-are-there-no-nba-games-election-day
https://theathletic.com/3772755/2022/11/07/nba-election-day-games/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/ct-chicago-bulls-nba-election-day-schedule-20221107-ja5dseknrzgktgugxzk2n4e7ei-story.html

Results of Midterm Elections Continue

Image of Capitol Hill 

November 7 has come and gone without a definitive outcome for the state of the House or the Senate. As of now, both Republicans and Democrats hold 49 seats in the Senate and Nevada and Georgia seem to be the two states that will establish the majority. We’ll hopefully know Nevada’s results soon and if it turns in favor of Republican Adam Laxalt, which it is currently, Georgia’s runoff between incumbent Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker in December will be the final decision.

As of yesterday, incumbent Mark Kelly won Arizona, awarding the tying 49th seat to Democrats. Kelly ran more so as a moderate, hoping to appeal to the independent voters of the state. His support for abortion and securing stable water supply in a hard-hitting drought for Arizona proved popular among residents. Also, Kelly’s incumbency likely contributed to his ability to raise more money than his Trump-endorsed election-denier opponent, Blake Masters, and maintain a small lead against him throughout the race. 

If Democrats want to keep a majority in the Senate, they only need to win one state and Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tiebreaker, but a Republican majority in the Senate would be more difficult, needing to win both Nevada and Georgia. Thus, Democrats are projected to slightly edge out the Republicans and take the Senate, creating a similar situation to how it’s been the past two years. However, Republicans are predicted to take the House with razor thin margins, currently leading 211 seats to 203. This creates a threat of congressional gridlock where one party controls the House and the other the Senate. In this situation, compromise between parties is crucial and should produce bipartisan legislature that reflects a broad range of ideas and people. Unfortunately, in our largely polarized political climate, this ideal outcome seems beyond our capabilities. 

Alas, all eyes will be on Nevada and Georgia as the results for midterm elections continue. 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-results-congress-senate-house-11-09-2022/in

dex.html 

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/what-happened-red-wave

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/09/first-thing-red-wave-fails-to-materialise-as-democrats-beat-expectations-in-the-midterms  

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/11/democrat-mark-kelly-arizona-senate-blake-masters

https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/3727864-corporate-america-braces-for-congressional-gridlock-gop-investigations-in-2023/ 

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/12/nevada-senate-control-2022-elections-00066610 

https://www.kiplinger.com/politics/afteru-the-midterms-expect-gridlock-to-reign-on-capitol-hhill 

Abortion in the Midterm Elections

 

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, the controversial issue of abortion has been a major topic of debate, and during the midterm elections, was a major deciding factor for who people voted for. 

Abortion has contributed to further political polarization, as both Democrats and Republicans have taken a stance on the issue and have taken advantage of support from pro-choice and pro-life people. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, supporters of abortion have been more politically active as there is more at stake, giving the Democratic party a competitive advantage. Democrats have repeatedly stated that abortion is on the ballot, mobilizing more voters who care about the issue, and these same voters have voted for Democrat candidates more than Republicans in the midterm elections based on their stances on abortion. This is a shift compared to the past, as Republicans have long used the issue of abortion to garner more support by appealing to Catholics and evangelicals who are against abortion. 

More recently, Democrats have also broadened the issue of abortion by connecting it to values such as freedom and democracy, garnering wider support for their party. They've spent almost half a billion on advertisements about the issue, according to the New York Times. At the same time, they've portrayed Republicans as having extreme beliefs, anchoring their messages on people's fears of losing their freedom and right to choose. These strategies have also contributed to polarizarion, driving voters further away from the center. 

While these strategies' full effects have yet to be seen, according to CNN, 27% of voters overall stated that abortion was the issue most important to them. Additionally, in an exit poll in Pennsylvania, many voters prioritized the issue of abortion over the economy as the top issue on their minds, which could be promising for Democrats.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/politics/abortion-midterm-elections-democrats-republicans.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20221110&instance_id=77130&nl=the-morning&regi_id=101588001&segment_id=112703&te=1&user_id=439bfc2dccf8aadb282e824e81f98296

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/politics/abortion-rights-2022-midterms

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/09/abortion-rights-american-voters-democrats-midterms

Controversy over reparations for “loss and damage” due to climate change

 

In lieu of the upcoming COP27 to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, a select few rich and high-emission countries have become partial to paying reparations to “underdeveloped”(overexploited) nations suffering the consequences of severe climate change such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, and an extreme increase in temperature. 

However, the controversy lies in the possibility of opening up unlimited liability directed toward the countries providing the funds. Essentially, there is fear present that the countries producing the most carbon emissions will be held responsible for their unceasing harmful actions.  

This specific issue referred to in the conference as “loss and damage,” calls for massively industrialized nations such as the U.S., EU, and China to provide supportive funding for developing nations that have suffered massively from disasters as a result of the changing climate, yet lack much responsibility at all for the crisis itself. Despite having contributed little to none of the cause of global warming as a result of harmful emissions, such vulnerable nations tend to endure the worst of the aftermath. 

Among the nations to potentially be compensated are island states such as the Maldives, Vanuatu, and Jamaica. Currently, the situation rests in the hands of the International Court of Justice, whose opinion would carry much more legal weight and moral authority.

Sources:

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/05/climate-change-china-emissions-00064736 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/06/climate/loss-and-damage-climate-cop27.html 

https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/cop27-what-is-loss-damage-compensation-who-should-pay-2022-11-06/ 

https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/cop27-summit-begin-with-plea-discuss-climate-compensation-2022-11-06/ 

Midterm Elections See the Most LGBTQ+ Candidates in History

 

The pride flag flies in front of California’s state Capitol in Sacramento

With midterm elections just around the corner, it’s essential to recognize the notable increase in openly LGBTQ+ candidates running this year. For the first time in history, every state and territory in America has an openly gay candidate running for an elected office position. California has the most LGBTQ+ candidates, 178, while states like Mississippi have one. 

Political science professor Gabriele Magni attributes an increase in candidacy to the recent uptick in anti-LGBTQ legislature such as Florida’s “Parental Right in Education Act” or more commonly the “Don’t Say Gay” law which outlaws teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to the third grade. This makes both LGBTQ+ youth and teachers feel “othered.” The 82 openly gay candidates running for school board positions versus 43 in the previous cycle suggests the more recent urgency to address anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum being pushed in schools. 

Also, The Human Rights Campaign cites around 300 anti-LGBTQ+ legislatures that have been proposed this year, such as Alabama’s law which criminalizes doctors from giving patients gender-affirming medical treatment. The sheer number and severity to which anti-LGBTQ+ bills are being put forward seemingly encouraged so many LGBTQ+ candidates to run and advocate for the needs of their community in Congress, state and local levels. Magni says that “when we ask LGBTQ candidates why they are running for office, many say that they feel the urgency to run in order to protect LGBTQ rights” 

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/6/historic-number-of-out-lgbtq-candidates-running-us-midterms 

https://www.metroweekly.com/2022/11/election-2022-pathways-to-lgbtq-victory/ 

https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/10/27/us-lgbtq-candidates-midterm-elections-record-numbers 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/dont-say-gay-law-brings-worry-confusion-to-florida-schools 

https://time.com/6167472/alabama-anti-lgbtq-legislation/ 

California Proposition 28: Funding K-12 Art and Music Education

 

    On Tuesday, November 8th, Californians will receive the opportunity to cast their votes on seven different propositions. Proposition 28, one of the seven propositions, is an initiative to provide K-12 public schools more funding for art and music education. 

    In 2019, a survey organized by Ipsos, a company that specializes in public opinion and research, revealed that 90+ percent of Americans believe that the arts play a significant role in our education system. Students that receive education in the arts are shown to perform better in STEM subjects, develop out-of-the-box thinking, and have better rates of attendance and mental health. Yet, when school districts face deficiencies in their budgets, art and music programs are usually the first programs to get cut. Only one in five public schools in California have a full-time music or art teacher even though all California colleges within the UC and CSU systems require at least one year of a VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) course. Thousands of students, especially those in low-income and marginalized communities, are deprived of arts and music education, and are not guaranteed a well-rounded education as a result.

    Austin Beutner, the former superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District, authored Proposition 28 which will provide approximately one billion dollars per year for art and music programs in public schools. Because the funding for these programs would be secured through a legislative requirement, taxpayers don't have to worry about paying additional money for the proposition. If the proposition is passed, the funding given to the schools must be used to support art and music education. Schools can use their funding to pay for supplies, training, teachers, and art/music partnerships. Prop. 28 supports both traditional music and art classes such as theater, drawing, dance, choir, and band, along with contemporary art classes including video, film, graphic design, and computer graphics. Annual audits and reports of schools' fundings will be required to guarantee that the funds are being spent properly.

    So far, committees in support of Prop. 28 have received over 11 billion dollars. Supporters of the proposition include California's Democratic Party, local art organizations, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California, and local music/art educational groups. Additionally, famous musicians such as Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Graham Nash, Earth Wind & Fire, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have shown their support for Prop. 28 through social media endorsements. The creators of the popular 1996 sitcom, "Everyone Loves Raymond", even donated $1 million dollars to support the proposition! Although there aren't any organized opposing groups, critics of Prop. 28 believe that the money will come at the expense of other essential state-funded programs. However, based on the lack of opposing groups, it won't be surprising if Prop. 28 is passed.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/us/california-prop-28.html

https://abc7.com/california-proposition-28-election-performing-arts/12295529/

https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/propositions/prop-28-arts-education/

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/Americans-Believe-the-Arts-Are-an-Important-Part-of-Society-and-Education

Is Throwing Food at Famous Paintings an Effective Way to Raise Awareness Towards Climate Change?

    

Just Stop Oil activists after tossing tomato soup onto Van Gogh's 134 year old painting

"What's worth more, art or life?...Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?" (Phoebe Plummer, Just Stop Oil Activist).

    On October 14th, two protestors from Just Stop Oil, an environmental activist group, launched tomato soup onto Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". On October 23rd, members from the climate activist group, Last Generations, dumped mashed potatoes all over Claude Monet's "Les Meules". This past Friday, activists from Last Generation tossed pea soup onto Van Gogh's "The Sower". Although none of the paintings were damaged due to protective glass, the protests have sparked controversy and conversations internationally.

    A simple search of "soup protest climate change" brings up over 3 million results. Throughout the last month, these protests have made global headlines, increasing awareness and publicity towards climate change activist groups such as Just Stop Oil and Last Generation. Members of Just Stop Oil have protested against new gas and oil production by throwing paint onto the main office of a fossil fuel lobbying group and have blocked streets in London, causing over 570 members to get arrested. Similarly, members of Last Generation have blocked streets and sprayed fake oil on the Berlin chancellery. However, none of these protests have received as much international attention as the painting protests.

Members of Just Stop Oil blocking streets in London

    Even though the protests have gone viral, much of the media attention the groups have received has been negative. Many are afraid that the negative portrayal of the protests will cause individuals to develop negative associations with climate activism and advocacy. Others believe that the protests are a form of reckless vandalism. After conversing with people in my own life about the protests, I've realized that although many have heard of the activists' actions, a much smaller percentage realize that the paintings were not harmed. Additionally, the media has not emphasized the protestors' goal: to halt oil and gas production. The actions the activists took during the protests have overshadowed the message the protestors were trying to convey, making their protests less effective.

    Despite the backlash, the activists are glad that their protests have received media coverage and attention. Phoebe Plummer, one of the activists who threw soup onto Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", shares,"[W]e're not asking the question if everyone should be throwing soup on paintings. What we are doing is getting the conversation going so we can ask the questions that matter."

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/opinion/just-stop-oil-soup-sunflowers-climate.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/learning/how-far-is-too-far-in-the-fight-against-climate-change.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/climate-protesters-throw-soup-van-goghs-sunflowers-91500234

https://time.com/6224760/climate-activists-throw-food-at-art/

https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/harrods-knightsbridge-store-just-stop-oil-1235395222/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers-painting-soup-protest-london/

Government warns threats of violence

          

                                (Security personnel wait for voters outside the Leon County Supervisor of Election Office in Tallahassee, Fla)

US security agencies have issued an advisory warning people of potential attacks on political candidates, politicians, and other election officials. This comes right after the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in their California home. The FBI, Homeland Security, and other agencies released a bulletin saying that more people will believe in election fraud because of the violence and that the risk of violence is due to increased extremism and ideological beliefs. These extremists attack specific election locations to "sway voting habits, undermine perceptions of the legitimacy of the voting process, or prompt a government reaction."  

In addition, election officials and federal agencies are on alert for hackers trying to breach systems that support elections. For example, in the past month, two unidentified hackers sent phishing emails to members of an election board. Also, in the past month, the FBI has noticed that Russian and Chinese organizations have been promoting misinformation about the integrity of American elections. This has become more common in recent years because, since the 2016 election, many foreign governments have been trying to shape US public opinion on elections. 

Since this is a huge issue and Russia, China, and Iran are all nations that have influenced elections, Jen Easterly, director of CISA, says that "it's so important that Americans realize that they need to build resilience against that ." In addition to the threats of violence and the information in the media, election officials have reached out to the CISA to do more to help them deal with this spread of misinformation and protect election officials. Easterly says that her agency will contact all state and local election officials who run and administer the elections to ensure they have the information they need to protect their voting system. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/midterms-cisa-jen-easterly-election-infrastructure-face-the-nation/

Top US cyber official says there's no 'specific' threat to elections, but is concerned about harassment and intimidation | CNN Politics

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/29/1132537240/government-warns-domestic-attacks-midterm-elections

Feds warn that domestic violent extremists pose heightened threat to midterm elections | CNN Politics

St. Louis School Shooting

Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on October 24. 2022 in St. Louis

On October 25th, a 19-year-old gunman went to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and killed two people, injuring many others. Authorities in St. Louis say that the suspect left a handwritten note in his car that shared with the world the reasoning for killing. He was killed in the shooting, but his message said, "I don't have any friends, I don't have any family, I've never had a girlfriend, I've never had a social life." Despite having a note from the suspect, the public has many unanswered questions. For example, authorities won't release how he entered the building or obtained a gun, but the doors were locked, and checkpoints were set up. In addition, the school had seven security guards during the shooting. 

Following the shooting, St. Louis Police urge parents to look out for people who show signs of mental health issues. In addition, interim Police Chief Michael Sack said, "It's important that all of us be engaged so that we can try and intervene as early as possible in a person's life to try and prevent a tragedy from occurring." Classes were also canceled on Tuesday, and SLPS provided virtual and in-person resources to students and staff members throughout the district. Finally, Davis, the district's director of safety and security, notes that students did exactly what they were told to do and that the police department had taken an active shooter training course in the prior month. 

School gunman had AR-15-style weapon, 600 rounds of ammo | AP News

St. Louis police urge vigilance around mental health following Monday's school shooting

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/us/st-louis-school-shooting

St. Louis school shooting suspect had AR-15-style rifle, 600 rounds of ammunition: Police - ABC News,

Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter

Musk is now facing the harsh realities of his new leadership position.

Billionaire Elon Musk became Twitter's new owner on Thursday after his $44 billion purchase. He claims the reason for his purchase is to end the divisiveness created by Twitter and promote free speech. Ironic, considering that Musk is a staunch union opponent and is infamous for firing employees who disagree with him. In fact, his first actions were to fire top executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal. 

Social media has become an incredibly powerful political tool in recent years. Donald Trump famously ran a campaign from his wildly popular Twitter account before getting banned. The algorithms used by social media platforms are able to present users with personalized ads and posts, allowing for a more convenient and entertaining site. However, these advertising algorithms often isolate people into bubbles by only showing them political content that aligns with their preexisting beliefs. It's how misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccination spread so quickly on so many sites. Musk's acquisition of Twitter and his unequivocal support for "free speech" brings up concerns about how this landscape will change in the coming months.

Musk claims Twitter unfairly suspends accounts, pandering to the right-wing narrative that conservatives are persecuted by liberal tech executives. What he doesn't realize is that the minimal censorship that does occur on Twitter is to satisfy advertisers. Most companies seeking to advertise online recognize that sharing a platform with Kanye's white-supremacist "Jewish media" rhetoric does not paint their product in the best light. Simultaneously, Twitter is reluctant to permit openly anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist opinions because Twitter doesn't have a moral code, it has an allegiance with its advertisers. Elon Musk, the supposed tech genius and pundit of private property, should recognize this.

Musk has clearly bitten off more than he can chew. On one hand, he has made a promise to his fans that he will abolish Twitter's censorship measures. On the other hand, he has to keep the company successful by retaining its advertisers. Combined with the added buyout debt of $13 billion, Musk will have a substantial amount of trouble maintaining profitability while simultaneously pleasing his supporters. It's hard to imagine that he will get by without paying out of pocket. One of the ways in which he plans to ameliorate his debt is by callously firing even more employees, placing thousands of working-class livelihoods at risk.

Elon Musk's shortsighted Twitter purchase and his bumbling leadership is a consequence of the right's contempt for censorship and their incompatible worship of the free market. Musk, caught in the middle, will have to relinquish his dry, intelligent persona as well as a significant amount of capital to keep the company afloat. He may realize that running a social media corporation is not as easy as exploiting African child laborers. It's hard to say what effect users will feel, as Musk has kept his future plans largely secret. Either way, Twitter's new leadership may impact online political discussions and the algorithms that govern them.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/elon-musk-completes-44-bln-acquisition-twitter-2022-10-28/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-twitter-takeover-seen-swelling-the-companys-debt-11666609106?mod=series_musktwitter

https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-deal-live-updates-78d68790fb0b9971d6e65b76d97e3670

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jul/19/elon-musk-delay-trial-denied-twitter-takeover 

U.S. Imposes Tough Sanctions on Chinese Supply of Semiconductors

Xi Jinping Speaks Before the Chinese Congress

A recent wave of U.S sanctions has destroyed China's semiconductor supply in one night. The new sanctions, aimed at weakening Chinese control, was sent in response to the news that China was using supercomputers, and semiconductors to create weapons of mass destruction and commit human rights abuse. These news restrictions, are some of the toughest ever enacted, aimed at stopping China from producing advanced chips. Multiple U.S. companies have halted exports into China in order to freeze its technological progress. One provider, Applied Materials, estimates the new sanctions will prevent them from making roughly $400 million dollars in the fourth quarter. Some experts do believe however, that these restrictions could have some affects on the United States. Professor Willy Shih of Harvard Business School, says that stopping China from accessing these high end chips could force them into pumping out low end chips and driving down the price. Ultimately, driving up competition for western companies.

Another part of the restrictions is that the government has forced many companies into suspending trade with China. The U.S. government has barred any "U.S. persons," which includes green card holders or any Americans from supporting Chinese production or development of advanced chips. This is unless they were to receive an American license. 

The large part behind this wave of sanctions was that China was using a large number of semiconductors to develop stealth and hypersonic weapons. They were also decrypting U.S. messages, putting American security into jeopardy. Other countries were more hesitant to end commerce with China, as China is one of the most important technological markets. While these sanctions indeed do not stop foreign manufactures from selling semiconductors to China, not having U.S. chips will severely impede China's ability to produce advanced technology.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/13/us/politics/biden-china-technology-semiconductors.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-sanctions-china-semiconductors-industry-b2202941.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/17/export-controls-us-china-chips/

Why Am I Seeing That Political Ad? Voter scoring’s relationship with political ads

To help campaigns target ads, voter-profiling firms score millions of Americans on issues like guns, vaccines and QAnon. By: Tim Enthoven

Present for the upcoming election is a vast voter data-mining ecosystem that involves dozens of political consulting, analytics, media, marketing, and advertising software companies. Campaigns are tapping a host of scores and using them to create castes of their most desirable voters. Examples include "gun-owner," "pro-choice," and "Trump 2024" scores covering everyday politics. Campaign and media consultants say political issue scores make it easier for candidates to target messages and mobilize receptive voters.

Consumers are subject to predictive scoring systems that include hidden rankings based on demographic profile, socioeconomic status, online activities, and offline interests. Ad tech firms use these scores to help political campaigns target audiences on video services, podcasts, websites, and apps. Political party committees and advocacy groups use scores to create lists of specific voters to call or text. A mirrored example of this strategy can be seen in Darrin Camilleri's campaign for the upcoming 2022 primaries. 

Digital consultants working for representative Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat in Michigan House running for State Senate, targeted 64,000 moderate female voters, likely pro-choice, with an ad promoting reproductive rights. Similarly, he also ran a general video ad directed at over 77,000 democrats and independent voters with messages for his campaign on streaming platforms like Lifetime, Vice, and other ad-supported services. The agency behind Camilleri's ad campaign pulled from the voter database to match them on various platforms to run streaming ads on behalf of Camilleri's campaign.

Camilleri's campaigning strategy is part of a trend growing faster than ever. Political ads on streaming services are expected to generate $1.44 billion, or 15% of the projected $9.7 billion ad spending on the 2022 election cycle. The boom in ad streaming ads underscores the shift in how candidates, party committees, and issue groups target voters. Campaigns now employ advanced consumer profiling and automated ad-buying services to deliver different streaming video messages tailored to specific voters.

The support of large corporations in providing insight into political campaigns fuels this trend. Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, plan to give outside researchers detailed information on how political ads are targeted across its platform. They plan to provide insight into how political campaigns, operatives, and strategists buy and use ads ahead of the November midterms. The company wants to make advertiser targeting criteria available for analysis and reporting on ads about social issues, elections, and politics to help people better understand the practices used to reach potential voters on their platforms. The new data from Meta will cover the period from August 2020, three months before the last U.S. presidential election, to the present day.

Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/23/technology/voter-targeting-trump-score.html 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/business/custom-political-ads.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/technology/meta-political-ad-targeting.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article