Mask mandates lifted - Taiwan arms sale - Drug harm reduction

9 FEB 2022

Facts, not fear.

TRENDING TOPICS
Mask mandates lifted • Stolen cryptocurrency seized • Taiwan arms sale • US-Japan steel tariffs • Drug harm reduction

FEATURED UNDER-REPORTED STORIES
Big Oil's EV response • Sand harvesting consequences • Chromosome tectonics

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TRENDING TOPICS, MOST CREDIBLE STORIES

#1 in U.S. News • 83 articles

How are some states changing their school masking rules?

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Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
New Jersey, Connecticut, others to lift statewide school mask mandates.
NBC News (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 79% • 4 min read
New Jersey's governor, a proponent of strict Covid measures, announced Monday that masks will soon no longer be required in schools and daycares. Officials in Connecticut, Oregon and Delaware also made public their plans to drop mask requirements for schools after a decline in Covid-19 cases and the growing availability of vaccines for children.
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[In New Jersey] districts and childcare providers will still be able to decide whether they want to impose a mask mandate "should community conditions require it," Governor Murphy said. And anyone who wants to continue masking up in schools may do so.
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Connecticut's plan to drop its statewide school mandate by the end of the month would require the state's legislature to renew pandemic emergency powers, scheduled to expire Feb. 15. California's governor on Monday said that the state will allow its indoor mask mandate to expire next week but that masks will continue to be the rule in schools.

Different political viewpoint
White House pressed on mask mandates as Democratic governors switch stance.
Washington Examiner (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 79% • 2 min read

Selected long-read
Is it time to phase out mask requirements in schools? Why more states, doctors say yes. [Free read link]
USA Today (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 82% • 8 min read

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TODAY'S POLL

Have school mask mandates been effective in reducing Covid-19's toll?

Yes No Unsure

All votes are anonymous. This poll closes at: 9:00 PDT

YESTERDAY'S POLL

Would you join a union if given the option?

504 votes, 81 comments

Context: White House report lays out steps for increasing union membership.

HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTS

“ No - I was unionized a couple of jobs ago. I didn't find them very effective. My pay went up 150% after leaving a government union job and has since tripled. The only thing I liked about being unionized was that it was a lot of work to fire someone. Around the time of the Janus decision, I looked at AFSCME's own internal survey. Their satisfaction rate was around 30%. I'm not surprised that unionization fell since then.”

“ Yes - I am a member of two unions, one for teachers and one for performers. Without my unions there are many basic benefits that I would not be offered, including healthcare and job protections. My unions are far from perfect and I wish they would do better but without them I would absolutely be much worse off.”

“ Unsure - I would have to weigh the options of the companies benefits packages vs the value of the union's bargaining power. It also depends on the industry that a person works in. Certain industries allow employees better bargaining power and better benefits, where other industries are harder to gain wage increases and better benefits.”

Your comments and earned Respects.

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#2 in U.S. News • 25 articles

How did the Justice Department seize $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin?

Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
U.S. accuses couple of laundering $4.5 bln in Bitcoin tied to big 2016 hack.
Reuters (Center) • Factual Grade 76% • 3 min read
The pair is accused of conspiring to launder 119,754 bitcoin stolen after a hacker broke into Bitfinex and initiated more than 2,000 unauthorized transactions. Justice Department officials said the transactions at the time were valued at $71 million in Bitcoin, but with the rise in the currency's value, it is now valued at over $4.5 billion.
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It was the Justice Department's biggest financial seizure, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. Tuesday's criminal complaint came more than four months after Monaco announced the department was launching a new National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, which comprises a mix of anti-money laundering and cybersecurity experts.
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U.S. officials said some of the money was transferred to AlphaBay, an anything-goes version of eBay hosted on the dark web. When the site was [busted], it likely allowed authorities to access AlphaBay's internal transaction logs and connect them to a cryptocurrency account in [the accused's] name.

Different political viewpoint
Justice Department says it seized $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin stolen in 2016 hack. [Free read link]
Wall Street Journal (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 72% • 4 min read

Selected long-read
Feds are seizing cryptocurrency from criminals. Now they have to figure out what to do with it. (2021)
Vox (Left) • Factual Grade 78% • 5 min read

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#1 in World News • 15 articles

Why is the U.S. selling arms to Taiwan?

Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
U.S. approves deal to boost Taiwan defense systems.
Deutsche Welle (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 73% • 2 min read
President Biden's administration has approved a $100 million sale of equipment and services to Taiwan. "This proposed sale serves [U.S. interests] by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability," the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
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Taiwan has complained of missions by China's air force in its air defense zone. "In the face of China's continued military expansion and provocative actions, our country will maintain its national security with a solid defense, and continue to deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States," Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said.
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The U.S. officially follows the "One China" policy and recognizes Taiwan as part of China. However, the U.S. is also committed to ensuring Taiwan can defend itself. Last month, China's ambassador to the U.S. said that the two powers could end up in a military conflict if Washington encourages Taiwan's independence.

Selected local viewpoint
China vows to take powerful measures against US' latest arms sale to Taiwan island.
Global Times (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 59% • 3 min read

Selected long-read
China and Taiwan know how to coexist, but the American defense establishment wants an enemy. (2021)
American Conservative (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 74% • 7 min read

Recent poll
Should the US continue arm sales to Taiwan?
337 votes • 24 comments

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#1 in Business News • 9 articles

What agreement did the U.S. and Japan reach on U.S. metal imports?

Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
U.S. to lift Trump-era tariff on Japanese steel.
CBS News (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 73% • 2 min read
In 2018, the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports from dozens of countries. Under the new agreement, the U.S. will permit 1.25 million metric tons of steel to enter the U.S. from Japan each year duty-free. [The agreement] does not address the tariff on aluminum imports from Japan.
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This announcement marks the second agreement between the Biden administration and allies to ease Section 232 tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Last fall, the Biden administration announced it reached a deal with the European Union to roll back tariffs on European steel and aluminum.
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"This agreement, combined with last year's resolution with the European Union, will help us combat China's anti-competitive, non-market trade actions in the steel sector, while helping us reach President Biden's ambitious global climate agenda," said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Selected local viewpoint
U.S. and Japan reach an agreement to remove Trump-era steel tariffs.
Japan Times (Center) • Factual Grade 60% • 4 min read

Selected long-read
Trump-Biden tariffs hurt domestic manufacturing. (2021)
Tax Foundation (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 93% • 5 min read

Recent poll
Are tariffs useful for protecting the domestic economy?
311 votes • 31 comments

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#1 in Health News • 10 articles

How is the Biden administration aiming to reduce harms from drug use?

Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
GOP outraged at $30m Biden plan to fund ‘crack pipe distribution’ in effort to reduce drug harm.
The Independent (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 78% • 4 min read
The controversy stems from a recently disclosed request for proposals under the Harm Reduction Grant Program. The initiative also intends to fund facilities offering safe syringe exchanges, opioid reversal drugs, fentanyl test kits, and other methods meant to stem the U.S. overdose crisis. The American Medical Association has endorsed harm-reduction measures like safe syringe exchanges and drug testing kits.
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The Washington Free Beacon said that an HHS spokesperson explained these kits could include pipes that could be used for drugs like crack cocaine. "[...] These grants must adhere to relevant federal, state and local laws or regulations," [an HHS spokesperson said].
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Late last year, the Biden administration unveiled a four-part plan to tackle drug addiction, including slowing the over-prescription of opioids and supporting harm reduction strategies. The Justice Department said Monday that it is currently “evaluating” whether it would be legal to operate safe drug use sites and other harm-reduction measures.

Selected long-read
Sobriety is just one pathway to recovery. Harm reduction is another. (2019)
STAT News (Center) • Factual Grade 70% • 5 min read

Recent poll
Should more cities open safe injection sites?
427 votes • 47 comments

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UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS

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