November 25, 2020

empowering you with insights and information from the edge of today’s headlines

Politics

Leaders under Fire: Two prominent former leaders are currently facing court battles over corruption charges. The former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is accused of offering preferment to a judge in return for information about another corruption case against him (this is the first of several corruption cases). The former South African President Jacob Zuma and members of South Africa’s governing ANC party are also charged with corruption and the pilfering of public funds while Zuma was in power. When your time in office ends, so does your legal immunity (hint, hint).

Ethiopia in Civil War: Ethnic tensions between Ethiopia's federal government and nationalist forces in the northern Tigray region have erupted into a full-blown armed conflict. Ethiopia is home to more than 80 ethnic groups, and members of the Tigray region ran the federal government until two years ago. On November 4, however, the prime minister Abiy Ahmed (from the Oromo) launched a military offensive over an alleged Tigray attack on a federal army base. The crisis has already sparked the exodus of tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the conflict to neighboring Sudan, and apparently neither side in the conflict appears to be willing to back down.

Hong Kong Activist Plead Guilty: Joshua Wong, who was instrumental in the 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement," is pleading guilty in a Hong Kong court to organizing and taking part in pro-democracy protests that gripped the semi-autonomous city for much of 2019. He and his two co-defendants have been remanded until sentencing, scheduled for December 2, and are likely to face prison terms of various lengths. The pro-democracy movement has all but shut down following the imposition in May of the excessively harsh national security law. The trio of defendants reportedly decided to plead guilty in order to speed up the process of the sham trial. The government continues to crack down on activists, and to date, there have been more than 2,000 prosecutions linked to last year's protests.

Beijing Eyes the TPP: President Xi Jinping’s announcement that China “will actively consider” the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has sent a ripple of intrigue across the Pacific Rim. Former officials and analysts say Biden being confirmed as the US president-elect ahead of his inauguration in January may be the galvanizing force for Beijing‘s interest. There is only a slim chance of the US rejoining immediately, but nonetheless, Beijing analysts view China’s interest in CPTPP as a “now or never issue” given the political machinations in Washington.

Secretary of the Interior: While Biden announced his picks for Treasury, Secretary of State and other National Security posts, we actually are waiting for the announcement of Interior Secretary. Most of Biden’s picks have been “goldilocks” — neither too left nor too right. However, Biden has the chance to make history by appointing New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to the interior. Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, and one of only two Native American women elected to Congress. The Indigenous Environmental Network, along with 25 organizations, sent a letter to Biden's transition team on Nov. 14 urging him to select Haaland for the job. "Our belief is that Representative Haaland will help facilitate the Biden/Harris vision for dealing with climate change, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Indian Country, ensuring an effective economic just recovery plan for Tribes and communities, overseeing the protection of public lands and fulfilling all treaty and statutory obligations."

Janet Yellen is a rock star: While Janet Yellen has an incredible resume (nominated for Treasury Secretary, head of the Federal Reserve and member of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors), we are really impressed with her OCD-level of preparedness. “Ms. Yellen prepares for tasks meticulously and doesn’t particularly like surprises or risks. She tends to arrive hours early for flights to avoid mishaps and to ensure choice space in overhead compartments. When she was a guest at a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2014, she was the first person to arrive at a ballroom that seats thousands.” (One reason Trump denied Yellen a second term as head of the Fed, she was too short at five-feet-tall to convey stature.) While her husband has taken over most of the household duties to support Yellen, he also has a Noble prize in Economics.

Business

Bentley Goes Electric: Bentley, the 100-year-old car company which is part of the Volkswagen Group, recently announced its “Beyond 100” strategy which takes a firm stand on electrification. Plans include two new plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) next year (and PHEV availability on every model by 2023), a battery-electric car in 2025, PHEVs and battery cars only by 2026, and an all-electric range by 2030. Amazingly, 55% of Bentley’s customer base say they’d consider buying an electric car from the company in the next five years. The company itself has already worked toward being carbon neutral: its main factory has been carbon neutral since 2019 (mostly due to solar energy) and the company committed to reduce its environmental impact by 75% by 2025.

Travel Holiday Gifts: Looking for an interesting holiday gift? British Airways is selling off thousands of surplus stock, from champagne flutes to bedding, in an effort to raise cash. BA had already been auctioning off precious artwork hanging in offices and airport lounges, as it struggles during the pandemic. Shockingly, the items are selling quickly, either for nostalgia or due to the low prices. We are not quite sure what we’d do with a metal equipment box from the airplane kitchen, but they seem to be selling like hotcakes.

Jay-Z joins a SPAC: Jay-Z has been named the “chief visionary officer” for a cannabis-focused SPAC. Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp is buying Caliva, a cannabis brand with direct-to-consumer sales, and Left Coast Ventures Inc., a producer of cannabis and hemp products. The new company aims to reach 75% of California consumers and Jay-Z will run its brand strategy and work on a related project to reform criminal justice. Personally, we are waiting for the Martha Stewart x Snoop Dogg Cannabis SPAC.

Culture

Thanksgiving Wine: A NYC-based sommelier rated 11 low-cost wines (all under $10) from stores like Costco, Target and Trader Joe’s. Her top picks for Pinot Grigio and Rose came from Target (The Collection for $9.99). As one commentator put it, wine is making a comeback: it requires no more effort than opening a bottle, and now without corks, life is even easier.

Get Hypnotized: We are not really sure what this is, but if you need to get hypnotized while staring at a never ending graphic adventure, try the ZoomQuilt.

RBG’s Fashion Statements: RBG sat on the Supreme Court for over 27 years, and she developed a large collection of collars that she wore over her robes, often in order to convey a subtle message. “The standard robe is made for a man because it has a place for the shirt to show, and the tie,” Ginsburg told the Washington Post in 2009. She and Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman Supreme Court justice, “thought it would be appropriate if we included as part of our robe something typical of a woman,” Ginsburg said. Ginsburg often wore a bejeweled collar that looked like armor on the days that she dissented (it was made by Banana Republic and Ginsburg received it in a swag bag at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in 2012).

NBA goes to the Vatican: A delegation of five NBA players and several officials from the National Basketball Players Association were at the Vatican this week for a private audience with Pope Francis to discuss their work on social justice issues. Apparently, the Pope wanted to learn more about how players had recently brought attention to pressing social justice issues and economic inequality.

Aliens come to Utah: A sheep-counting expedition found a mysterious metal monolith deep in the Utah desert last week. A helicopter crew discovered a 12-foot steel object that they described as a “monolith.” The crew found the object installed in the canyon’s rock floor on November 18th, and they found “no obvious indication” of its source. Reddit users immediately went on the hunt to find the location of the sculpture using Google Street Views and Apple Maps. Although no one has claimed authorship or ownership of the sculpture, it appears to be the work of John McCracken (who died in 2011) or someone paying homage to the artist. The sculpture is illegally placed on federal land, and is located in an inhospitable part of the desert, so we’ll happily accept that aliens have planted a landing beacon.

Animals come to Utah: The Utah Department of Transportation built a wildlife overpass over the busy Interstate 80, and the bridge is working. While wildlife overpasses are not new, this one just opened, and has already attracted the locals.

14-hour wait: We’ve been waiting in a lot of lines lately: lines to vote, lines for COVID tests, lines to get in the grocery store, but this line definitely takes the cake. In-N-Out burger opened one of its first locations in Colorado, and apparently customers waited in a 14-hour long line to get the burgers. The Aurora, Colorado police department tweeted “It’s official, traffic is double double animal style right now all around the mall.” The line was estimated at 2 miles long, and the chain store expected to sell over 60,000 burgers over the weekend.

— Lauren Eve Cantor

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