Mulvaney says we need more immigrants, US women sue soccer federation, House briefed on election meddling + What Just Happened and 'Autopilot Angels'
NewsHero - Feb 21, 2020 - Issue 39
New York University published a report Tuesday entitled Disinformation and the 2020 Election: How Social Media Should Prepare. (Image: a screenshot of the report)
Welcome to this edition of NewsHero for Friday, February 21, 2020.
Today’s newsletter is a free-for-all! Yes, for subscribers and first-timers alike, this one is free for all.
Also, we decided that being NewsHero—putting the hero of every story in the headlines as our priority—we’d go ahead and readily identify those heroes in each piece of coverage.
For example, heroes will be designated as follows:
🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️ - the hero, hands down. -Meaning that it wasn’t even a close call.
🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️ - the hero, but… -Meaning that in this situation the call needed to be looked at in a little more detail. For example, In this case, they did the right thing but there have been some questionable calls in the past.
🦸🏽♀️ - the hero, but only here, and it was a close call. -Meaning that in this instance they did the right thing but it was either out of character or a maddeningly close to call.
We love feedback. Whether it’s about this system or our choice of hero, feel free to let us know what you think here.
As always, thank you for your support as we strive to grow as an independent news source so we can offer more for our readers.
Please consider sharing us with anyone you think might like what we do—or might need another perspective, and please consider subscribing also if you haven’t already and get the first two weeks for free.
Team NewsHero
NewsHero Notes
NBC News reports that Twitter is toying with adding colored labels beneath lies and misinformation posted by politicians and other public figures, according to a leaked demo. Twitter confirmed that the demo is one possible variation of a new policy to target misinformation. Twitter = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Here’s one for the books. The University of Southern California announced Thursday that it would get rid of tuition for students from lower-mid income families, becoming the latest institution to take on rising costs during a national debate over excessive student debt. American students from families with annual incomes of $80K or less will be eligible for the full undergraduate tuition waiver at U.S.C. starting in the fall. USC = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Afternoon Brief
Immigration
White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said at a private event Wednesday that the U.S. is “desperate” for more legal immigrants to help boost the economy, according to The Washington Post. “We are desperate—desperate—for more people,” Mulvaney said during the event in England, according to the Post. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we've had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.” Mulvaney’s comments seem to conflict with the opinions of a number of administration officials, such as White House adviser Stephen Miller, who has advocated for harsh restrictions on all immigrants. Mick Mulvaney = 🦸🏽♀️
Equal Rights
Players on the U.S. women’s national team are seeking more than $66 million in damages as part of their gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The damages were included in papers filed Thursday night in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ahead of a trial scheduled to start May 5. Players on the women’s national team sued the federation last March alleging institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation between the men’s and women’s teams. The lawsuit has drawn worldwide attention. When the U.S. won the World Cup final last summer in France, fans in the crowd chanted “Equal Pay! Equal Pay!” U.S. women’s soccer team = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
2020 Election
Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Trump get reelected, according to three officials familiar with the closed-door briefing. The officials, who asked for anonymity, said Thursday that the briefing last week focused on Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 election and implant discord in the American electorate. The intelligence warning was first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post. A senior administration official told The Associated Press that the news infuriated Trump, who complained that Democrats would use the information against him. Intelligence officials coming forward = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
What Just Happened
A look back at this week’s stories
Monday
More than 2,000 former U.S. Justice Department officials are calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign over his handling of the trial of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone. In a letter released last week, the former officials criticized Barr for overruling his own prosecutors in a case that has led to accusations of political interference. Ex-Justice Department officials = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
The Justice Department says it will not seek criminal charges against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to a letter sent to his attorneys. Justice Department = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
The Army will not investigate Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the former National Security Council staffer who testified in the president’s impeachment investigation, the service’s top civilian said. Vindman = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Tuesday
We’ve mentioned once or twice that The New York Times is offering live updates on developing coronavirus news. In an op-ed piece published by the Times itself, “We’re Reading the Coronavirus Numbers Wrong,” John Allen Paulos, a professor of mathematics at Temple University, discusses the notion that “Up-to-the-minute reports and statistics can unintentionally distort the facts.”
Along similar lines, a Times article printed last week says that “Coronavirus ‘Hits All the Hot Buttons’ for How We Misjudge Risk,” and addresses how "Psychologists say that differing responses to coronavirus and the flu illustrate our shortcomings when it comes to evaluating danger.” NY Times = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Wednesday
The Associated Press news agency has obtained a database from China that exposes methods the Chinese government used to target Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The database—known as the “Karakax list” after the county where it was compiled—profiles the internment of 311 individuals with relatives abroad and contains information on more than 2,000 of their relatives, neighbors and friends. Associated Press = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Thursday
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Trump ally Roger Stone today to more than three years in federal prison, following a bold move by Attorney General Barr to reduce his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation. Judge Berman = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Edward Fitzgerald, lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, told a London court on Wednesday that Donald Trump offered to pardon Assange if he would say that Russia had nothing to do with hacking emails from Democrats during the 2016 presidential election. Assange Lawyer = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
John C. Rood, the Defense Department’s top policy official, who warned against withholding military aid to Ukraine last year, resigned on Wednesday at Donald Trump’s request. Rood is the latest member of Trump’s national security team involved in the Ukraine matter to be forced out of the government following Trump’s acquittal. Rood = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Extra! Extra!
We mentioned in our NewsHero Notes section yesterday that nearly a third of new cars sold in Norway last year were pure electric. A number of electric car makers are including automated features in their models, such as Tesla with its Autopilot. While many people recoil at the thought of self-driving cars or vehicles with the capability to “take over,” there was a case in the U.K. this week where Autopilot saved eight lives—in two of the same cars involved in the same accident.
According to a remarkable story from CleanTechnica, “There were two Tesla Model X vehicles involved in an accident caused by Storm Dennis blowing down a 400-year-old oak tree into the paths of these vehicles. The crazy thing is that when the tree fell, each Tesla was on the opposite side of the other. They were coming from opposite directions. Both families had Autopilot enabled and both credit Tesla’s Autopilot for saving their lives by stopping the vehicles in time.”
One of the drivers said, “Another second and we would have been crushed, as I wouldn’t have been able to react in time. The car undoubtedly saved our lives. We would have been killed without it.”
Say what you will about the progress of technology in our driving machines—or the notion of intervention as a whole—but whatever it was that kept these families alive is something that should be at least acknowledged, if not further invested in. Stay safe out there on the road everyone, and as our grandma used to say, “Watch out for other stupid people.” Tesla Autopilot = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️ Grandma’s Advice = 🦸🏽♀️🦸🏽♀️
Sources:
Twitter is testing new ways to fight misinformation—including a community-based points system - NBC News
U.S.C. Offers Free Tuition to Students Whose Families Make $80,000 or Less - NY Times
Mick Mulvaney says the United States is 'desperate' for 'more immigrants’ - The Week
Mick Mulvaney says US is 'desperate' for legal immigrants - CNN
Mick Mulvaney says U.S. is desperate for more legal immigrants, in contrast to Trump administration policies - Washington Post
American women seek more than $66M in damages from US Soccer - AP News
US women's soccer asks judge to rule in their favor in gender discrimination suit, award them nearly $67M - Fox News
U.S. women's soccer players seek more than $66 million in discrimination lawsuit - CBS News
Intel officials say Russia boosting Trump candidacy - AP News
Lawmakers Are Warned That Russia Is Meddling to Re-elect Trump - NY Times
Why Putin would want Trump to win in 2020 - CNN
Former Justice Department Employees Sign Letter Urging Barr to Resign - Wall Street Journal
1,100 Former DOJ Employees Call On Barr To Resign After Intervening In Stone Case - NPR
Former DOJ officials call on Attorney General Barr to resign - Reuters
Former Justice Dept. Lawyers Press for Barr to Step Down - NY Times
Justice Dept. won’t charge Andrew McCabe, the former FBI official who authorized the investigation of President Trump - MSN
DOJ drops probe into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe - Politico
Why Wasn’t Andrew McCabe Charged? - National Review
Army won't investigate Vindman over impeachment testimony, top leader says - Politico
Vindman will not be investigated after NSC ouster, Army secretary says - Fox News
Army: No investigation into Vindman - ABC
Hundreds of Americans flown home from cruise ship, 14 with coronavirus - Reuters
We’re Reading the Coronavirus Numbers Wrong - NY Times
Coronavirus ‘Hits All the Hot Buttons’ for How We Misjudge Risk - NY Times
Leaked data show China’s Uighurs detained due to religion - LA Times
Database shows how China targets minority Uighur Muslims - Fox News
China ‘war on terror’ uproots Uighur families, leaked data shows - Al Jazeera
Coronavirus Would Be ‘Disastrous’ for China's Prison Camps: Activist - Newsweek
China's Uighur camps - BBC News
China detains Uighurs for growing beards or visiting foreign websites, leak reveals - The Guardian
Trump offered Assange pardon if he denied Russian involvement in DNC email leak, lawyer alleges in court - Fox News
Donald Trump 'offered Julian Assange a pardon if he denied Russia link to hack’ - The Guardian
Trump Offered Assange Pardon if He Covered Up Russian Hack, WikiLeaks Founder’s Lawyer Claims - The Daily Beast
Trump offered WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange a pardon if he covered up Russian hacking of Democrats, lawyer tells court - CNBC
Trump dismisses John Rood, the Pentagon's policy chief - Washington Post
John Rood, Top Defense Official, Latest to Be Ousted After Impeachment Saga - NY Times
Top Pentagon policy official who warned against withholding Ukraine aid resigns at Trump's request - CNN
Tesla Autopilot Saved 8 Lives In Storm Dennis - CleanTechnica