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IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
‘Ceasefire Still Alive,’ Claims US Amidst Fighting
Now that airstrikes have ruined a perfectly mediocre ceasefire, the UN is now suspending all aid convoys in Syria. Hours after Syria declared the fledgling, week-old ceasefire over, the UN suffered a devastating attack on its lorries. Nobody wants to take credit for it, but the United States is accusing Russia of bombing the UN convoy, and Russia is obviously furious.
While believable, the US doesn’t exactly have a perfect grip on reality in Syria right now. Despite the airstrikes and Syria’s official stance that the ceasefire is over, the US is still trying to keep the dream alive. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the ceasefire was not derailed like others would want you to believe. US Secretary of State John Kerry echoed that sentiment, insisting that the ceasefire was “not dead.” Of course, when you’re the only person who believes there’s a ceasefire, you might be the only person that has ceased firing. Those odds don’t feel great.
The UNGA Could Use A Drinking Game
It was a red letter day at the United Nations General Assembly, where most of the event’s top headliners came to the stage. For those unfamiliar, UNGA is basically a Coachella for diplomats: a music festival where they
champion progressivism but still
make fun of the hippies. For us non-diplomats, however, these talks can get a bit dry, which is why we devised a
UNGA drinking game. We could have alternatively called it “diplomacy jargon bingo” but you get the idea. Here’s a quick recap of what you missed today:
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon used his farewell address to get a few things off his chest. Namely, the “sickening, savage and apparently deliberate attack” on UN convoys in Syria this week. He described the bombers at “cowards” but paused to honor the deceased aid workers in Syria as heroes.
- US President Barack Obama delivered his last ever address to the assembly. Reflecting on his previous work, he said that America had been “a force for good” in the world. Whether the audience agreed or not, Obama wowed the crowd in his special session on refugees, where he pledged to open US doors to 110,000 refugees in 2017.
- Making her UNGA debut, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK would begin the process of ratifying the Paris Agreement. Although this is a huge win for the Paris Agreement and could help ensure its effectiveness, May still received criticism for her discussion on refugees. Most notably, the new PM felt she needed to make a distinction between economic migrants and refugees fleeing war, as though one were more deserving of British security than the other.
In A Nutshell: What is the Paris Agreement anyway?
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Elizabeth Warren Roasts Wells Fargo CEO
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf did not have a good day. During a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee,
Senator Elizabeth Warren roasted him for his handling of the bank’s recent scandal in which two million fake accounts were created to meet sales goals. The bank recently settled with federal regulators for $185 million. That wasn’t enough for Warren, who called Stumpf a “gutless” leader, called for him to resign and said he should be criminally investigated.
The scandal was
uncovered in 2013 by LA Times reporter E. Scott Reckard, a win for journalists during a time when
trust in media is at an all-time low.
Pnut Poll: What do you think should happen to Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf?
Refugees In Greece Now Seek Refuge From The Refugee Camp
Clashes between ethnic groups and rumors of mass deportation from the island of Lesvos to Turkey are believed to be the triggers behind a
fire that blazed through the Moria refugee camp on Monday night. A group of
300 refugee protesters were intercepted and turned back by the police as they made their way to the island’s capital of Mytilene. Back in Moria refugee camp, there were allegedly
clashes between refugees and migrants of Afghan and Syrian origin followed by the breakout of the fire. The camp was haphazardly abandoned by some
4,000 occupants as the inferno, aided by strong winds, spread rapidly. There were no casualties, however, the camp is now largely uninhabitable and its occupants have been left displaced and robbed of their few possessions.
Trump’s Feud With Bushes Is Not Over
It’s standard practice for a party’s presidential nominee to get the endorsement of former presidents from the same party, but the 2016 race is far from normal. However, rumor has it that President George HW Bush said he
would vote for Hillary Clinton come November. Bush’s spokesman
hasn’t confirmed the rumor but refused to deny that Bush Sr. might break with party lines and vote for the Democrat. While he’s certainly the most prominent, he
wouldn’t be the first Republican to back Clinton. Meanwhile, his son and
occasional Uber driver Jeb has said he wouldn’t vote Trump but wasn’t ready to vote for Clinton either.
As if Bush Sr. needed further reinforcement, Donald Trump Jr. drew condemnation for tweeting an image that dehumanized Syrian refugees and compared them to poisoned Skittles. Wrigley, Skittles’ parent company, responded by saying that
“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it is an appropriate analogy.” Mic drop.
Good Read: Get The Full Rundown On The Campaign Trail
KEEPING OUR EYE ON
Terence Crutcher: The
Department of Justice will now investigate the death of Terence Crutcher, the unarmed black man who was shot by police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday. Graphic footage of Crutcher’s death went viral this week, sparking national outrage. Federal, state and local authorities are now involved in yet another tragedy that further strains relations between police forces and the black community.
France: The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that they have made
eight new arrests in connection with the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice. All eight men were arrested in the southeastern Alpes-Maritimes region and will be tried for their possible connection to the attack that left 86 people dead.
New York: Prosecutors
formerly charged Ahmed Khan Rahami for last weekend’s New York and New Jersey bombings, saying he drew inspiration from Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. It also emerged that the FBI had investigated Rahami after his dad called them to report that he suspected his son was a terrorist… which is a pretty clear warning sign.
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PNUTTY VIDEOS
Elizabeth Warren did not hold back when it was her turn to question Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf. We can’t say he didn’t deserve to be called “gutless” after
what his company did.
Watch Seth Myers do
what everyone on TV should do: call out Donald Trump and his surrogates for blatantly lying.
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
Humanitarian Angelina Jolie Reminds Us That Love Is Dead
The ceasefire in Syria is over. Brad and Angelina are over. What is the point anymore? Noted humanitarian Angelina Jolie has made a career of bringing joy to moviegoers and
refugees alike, but not even she could make a marriage work, so, really there is no point in any of us trying. News broke yesterday that Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, and the internet exploded into a sky full of sparkling
Jennifer Aniston jokes. We normally don’t cover celebrity news, but this was the top story on
CNN,
BBC,
The Guardian and other “super serious” news sources, even while President Obama was addressing the UN General Assembly.
