MUERTA, MORTE, MORT, DEATH

Americans arrested in killing of Haiti president claim they were translators: judge
BY LEXI LONAS - 07/09/21 




Two Americans who were arrested in connection with the killing of Haiti’s president claimed they were translators for the group, according to a Haitian judge.

Judge Clément Noël said Friday the two American suspects, James J. Solages and Joseph Vincent, admitted to working as translators and plotted with the group for a month to attack Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, The New York Times reported.

The two Americans said the original plan was to kidnap the president and take him to the national palace, not kill him.

Solages admitted to yelling the attackers were U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency before the attack began.

Solages was in the country before as a former security guard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti. He said he found the job to translate for the group online, the judge said.

The judge said Solages “replied in a very evasive manner” when asked questions about the larger plot, according to the New York Times.

Vincent admitted the plan was orchestrated by a man named “Mike” who spoke Spanish and English.

The attack was plotted at a hotel in Pétionville, the suspects said. Solages said he was in Haiti one month before the attack began and Vincent said he had been in the country with his cousin for six months.

Colombians involved in the attack were in Haiti for three months, according to the men.

Along with the Americans, Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond told CNN it is clear the group had help from insiders.

“Indeed there were foreigners, but at the same time we have to recognize that they also have some help, internal help,” he said.

Six people were arrested after the attack while four were killed by Haiti’s National Police.

A new view of digital rights: Make them part of digital infrastructure

BY PRIYA VORA, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 07/09/21

© iStock

The proposed bipartisan infrastructure bill is still far from a done deal, but after the political wrangling over what is and isn’t “infrastructure,” at least one area of firm bipartisan agreement has emerged: broadband digital access is infrastructure, and if the U.S. lags behind, our economy will not remain competitive.

The proposed bill includes $65 billion to upgrade broadband nationally, though experts say that’s only a down payment on the goal of universal fast internet access. The broad agreement on broadband for all is a positive, overdue development.

But by itself, without better digital norms and governance, universal broadband access in the U.S. won’t do much to secure Americans’ digital rights, equitably distributed economic growth, or stronger competitiveness. Achieving those things requires another kind of digital “infrastructure” — data sharing systems that bake in users’ rights to privacy and control of their data.

Many other countries are already investing in them. Unless the U.S. does too, it will fall behind in the innovation economy.

Lina Khan, who came to prominence as a champion of digital rights, recently started her tenure as head of the Federal Trade Commission, which investigates antitrust violations, deceptive trade practices, and data privacy issues in the tech sector. Shortly after, the FTC’s landmark antitrust suit against Facebook was thrown out by a federal judge, sending Facebook’s market capitalization soaring passed $1 trillion. The suit could be refiled, but the ruling underscores the point that Big Tech has become so dominant, it has plenty of power and money with which to fight off regulation.

It’s not just Facebook, or even the “Big Five” (Google, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, aka GAAFA). Most companies you interact with online collect and share your personal details almost entirely without your knowledge. The shady industry of data brokers aggregates myriad data points collected about you — not only from your browsing history, but also from your smart fridge, your farm equipment, and thousands of other devices — and sells those insights to governments and companies all over the world.

Good luck regulating that.

Beyond regulation, we need a different kind of digital infrastructure. If we want to unlock the opportunity for truly equitable economic growth, we need to build a digital ecosystem that enables all people to access this valuable new asset class asset and that respects their digital rights. If we want those rights to be enforceable and compatible with democratic values and fair, free markets, we’re going to have to define them clearly, and embed them directly into digital systems.

Other countries are far ahead of the U.S. in this respect. For example, since 2001 Estonia’s government database system X-Road has put citizens’ documents and data online, which users can retrieve for hyper-efficient, real-time government services. The information is stored using secure, end-to-end encrypted pathways, which ensures it is decentralized, lives locally and is controlled by the users, who decide what parts of their data others can and can’t see. It works so well and is so trusted that private companies, neighboring Finland and countries as far away as Mauritius and Zambia are replicating it. The U.S. is not one of them.

In 2017, as a visiting fellow at Stanford, Estonia’s former president expressed his shock at how anachronistic the U.S. remains in terms of basic transactions, which in Estonia and other countries have been conducted smoothly online for many years: “It’s like the nineteen-fifties — I had to provide an electrical bill to prove I live here!” he told The New Yorker. “You can get an iPhone X, but, if you have to register your car, forget it.

In fact, there are many such examples of countries that are lightyears ahead of the U.S. in building user control and trust into their systems.

India’s experimental data sharing system exchanges data not only across all government agencies, but also across regulated private sectors like healthcare, banking and education. It has instituted a new regulatory license for data fiduciaries known as “account aggregators,” whose job it is to manage people’s data flows in accordance with their wishes, where they can exercise control over their digital footprint, and easily change or revoke their consent to share their data at any time.

This new function holds breakthrough benefits for Indians from all walks of life. For example, it helps them get better treatment by letting them show confidential medical history to trusted care providers in real time. It enables them to qualify and secure better terms for loans because they can securely access and share their financial information. And it helps them land jobs by letting them show verifiable education credentials to prospective employers.

India’s system doesn’t just block suspect use of people’s personal information; it opens up economic opportunity — so people can reap the benefits of the data they generate. For example, it levels the playing field for start-up companies, so they can access data previously monopolized and monetized by the big players alone.

The EU is taking a close look at India's approach as a meaningful framework for defending Europeans' digital rights (codified in the EU's General Data Protection Regulation).

But for Americans who have become used to all kinds of data breaches and inscrutable terms and conditions that leave them virtually no practical control over their data, this all sounds radical. A trustworthy fiduciary structure dedicated to giving users control of their data and letting them enjoy its benefits — as opposed to companies wresting control from them and exploiting it for their own profit — is hard for us to imagine. That should change.

If the EU is taking inspiration from India's approach, why can't the U.S.? Isn’t the whole point of infrastructure spending to expand and extend opportunity to all?

Achieving that in the U.S. depends on building a trustworthy, non-exploitative digital environment that respects users’ rights and needs.

Digital infrastructure doesn’t have to be run by the public sector to serve the public good, but so far, Big Tech hasn’t shown an inclination to deliver services that do. On the contrary, it has spawned a frightening, unaccountable system that extracts and exploits data without meaningful consent, and leaves people unable to control or benefit from it.

So as long as the U.S. government is agreeing to spend many billions on improving and expanding broadband infrastructure, let’s also agree that at the same time, we should also invest in approaches to digital governance that expand user rights and create a more equitable data economy. Building trust and rights, not just cables and servers, is critical infrastructure for U.S. competitiveness and democracy.

Priya Vora is the co-founder of Future State and the Africa Data Leadership Initiative, programs affiliated with the United Nations. Previously she launched the Financial Services for the Poor program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ocasio-Cortez slams infrastructure critics as New York suffers from Elsa-related flooding
BY CAMERON JENKINS - 07/09/21 

© Greg Nash


New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) is slamming critics of President Biden's multitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan and the "Green New Deal" as tropical storm Elsa wreaked havoc on her state.

The progressive lawmaker responded to videos of flooding in subway stations and on New York's Major Deegan Expressway as examples of why the legislation is needed.

In one video, cars appear stranded in a river of floodwater on one side of the expressway as other vehicles attempt to maneuver around the standing water and some drive through it on the other side.

"I’m so glad the filibuster is here to fix this oh wait," Ocasio-Cortez said, a sarcastic reference to growing frustration with the filibuster on the left as Democrats struggle to get major legislation through the 50-50 Senate.

Ocasio-Cortez also condemned those who have referred to the Green New Deal as "unrealistic," as climate change heightens natural disasters across the country.

“Instead we will do the adult thing, which is take orders from fossil fuel execs &make you swim to work,” she tweeted.




Ocasio-Cortez helped introduce the Green New Deal in 2019. The climate proposal aims to move the nation toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, focus on creating a renewable energy power grid and invest in high-speed rail roads and support of family farming.

New York faced intense downpours Thursday as tropical storm Elsa pummeled the Northeast. Several local news outlets took to social media to share images of flash floods and high water.





The tropical storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

Redefine infrastructure for a resilient future

BY ANNA FRIEDMAN AND JEB BRUGMANN, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS — 07/09/21 

© Getty Images

In February of this year, Texans faced a triple threat. There was the ongoing pandemic, with its devastating toll on lives and jobs. Then came the winter storms that crippled the state’s poorly prepared electrical grid. When the grid went down, families across the state were left without water, food or heat.

We live in a time of cascading crises. Millions of American families lack the underlying physical and economic support systems that could help them contend with the economic, environmental, health and social strains presented by these increasingly common challenges. That is why we must invest in infrastructure to enhance our resilience to the threats of today, and the uncertainty of tomorrow.

President Biden's approach to infrastructure investment reflects these new realities. About half of the administration’s initially proposed infrastructure investments were directed towards buttressing traditional infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water systems, shipping ports and power grids. Federal investments in these forms of traditional infrastructure have also been incorporated into the recently negotiated bipartisan infrastructure framework.

But stopping here would be shortsighted. We’ve all witnessed first-hand over the past year that the hazards, vulnerabilities and productivity requirements of this century are dramatically different from those of the decades — let alone centuries ­— before. Historically, infrastructure investments have addressed each era’s unique challenges, which can, broadly speaking, be broken down into two categories: protective and economic.

Early protective infrastructure such as levees and seawalls enabled the establishment of our coastal port cities, facilitating trade and undergirding our manufacturing economy. Each generation of protective infrastructure reflected the very different hazards of the time. Beginning in the late 19ththcentury we built sewer and wastewater treatment systems to eliminate the risk of a mass health crisis. Military infrastructure, such as the shoreline bunkers of World War II, provided defense from Nazi invasion. Economic infrastructure includes investments in road, rail and water networks that increase the efficiency of markets and drive the nation’s potential to support a high quality of life.

While these two kinds of infrastructure have continuously evolved to take on new forms, their functions have remained largely the same. The past year has demonstrated vividly the need for additional investments in both protective and economic infrastructure that addresses the unique conditions of our time.

For instance, the intersecting health impacts of the pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, coupled with increasingly severe and frequent climate events, clearly threaten the United States’ ability to maintain its historic economic productivity — while pushing the American dream further out of reach for millions. Addressing these challenges requires significant investment in modernizing the country’s electrical grid, expanding broadband networks, building our public health system, and mitigating crisis-level business and household economic losses in the face of catastrophic events.

The most catalytic investments in infrastructure accomplish both protective and economic goals simultaneously, and that approach is at the heart of the original Biden plan.


For instance, Biden’s proposed investment of $400 billion in-home care services for older and disabled Americans is the kind of forward-looking infrastructure designed for this increasingly complex era. With an aging population, more and more Americans will require these services, and families overwhelmingly prefer to care for their loved ones at home and in their communities, as opposed to in a long-term care facility. More and more families face an agonizing choice between expensive care services and leaving the workforce to care for a loved one.

Biden’s approach transforms this systemic challenge into an opportunity. The proposal would make home-based care more affordable for the growing number of Americans who will need these services, keeping them out of distant facilities and closer to their families. At the same time, it would lay the groundwork for economic growth, enabling more family members to stay in the workforce while also catalyzing the growth of an automation-resistant home health care sector of our economy.

The bipartisan infrastructure framework is encouraging after years of gridlock. But it is only a promising start: Additional investments beyond traditional infrastructure will be needed to grapple comprehensively with the unique physical, economic, technological and social challenges that we have been witnessing daily.

Much of the attention on the Biden plan has been on the climate crisis — and justifiably so. But the genius in this approach is the expanded viewpoint on how infrastructure investments can reach individual lives.

This is a hopeful moment for our country. With the end of the pandemic in sight, we are poised to enter a new era with new possibilities. However, we cannot forget about the underlying fragility that the intersecting crises of the past year exposed — the fragility not only of our roads and systems but of families pushed to the brink both economically and socially, after decades of underinvestment.

Now, more than ever is the time to redefine — and fortify — the critical systems we call “infrastructure.” By making smart investments in both protective and economic infrastructure designed for our current challenges, we will be better prepared to weather future crises — whatever they might be.

Anna Friedman is an associate director and Jeb Brugmann is a founding principal with Resilient Cities Catalyst, a nonprofit comprised of urban practitioners and resilience experts with deep experience working in cities and regions around the world.

Surfside collapse: How safe are our coastal buildings?

BY TIMOTHY H. DIXON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 07/09/21 

© Getty

The tragic collapse of the ocean-front Champlain Towers in Surfside, north of Miami, has captured the attention of high-rise dwellers around the world. In Florida, people are understandably worried about the safety of their own buildings, with questions asked about the role of sea-level rise, salt-water intrusion, coastal subsidence and other potential contributing factors. It will take months for investigators and structural engineers to determine the root causes, but here are some answers to commonly asked questions — along with a few recommendations.

1. Should we worry about subsidence?

Probably not. While subsidence contributes to coastal flooding, it usually is only a problem on reclaimed land. In the past, some cities allowed reclamation projects in their coastal wetlands, backfilling areas with dredged material to create land where there was once only marsh. These areas can undergo compaction and surface lowering over time (subsidence), eventually contributing to flood susceptibility. The original dredging also destroyed sensitive coastal habitats including fringing mangroves, important habitat for many aquatic species and good protection against storm surge.

However, the integrity of high-rise structures shouldn't be affected, since they are usually anchored on deep foundations designed to withstand the load of the building. The weak reclaimed material only makes up the upper few feet, while the building foundations typically extend much deeper.

The great majority of Florida's coast is quite stable, but the possible role of subsidence (in particular, differential subsidence, which can lead to tilting and stress build-up) is something investigators will look into.

2. Is sea-level rise a problem?

In the long run, sea-level rise is something all Florida residents should worry about, but it's not likely to be a major factor in this tragedy. Since the Champlain Towers building was constructed in the early 1980s, global average sea level has risen by about 4.5 inches. Locally, this value could be higher due to changing ocean currents but is still not significant compared to the vertical dimensions of the foundation, which are normally designed for saltwater conditions. While it might be appealing to point the finger at sea-level rise, it is likely not the cause of this sudden collapse. But there are some longer-term issues.

3. What about saltwater intrusion?

Similar answer here. Saltwater intrusion refers to the tendency of saltwater to replace fresh ground water in coastal aquifers as sea level rises, possibly exacerbated by excessive ground water pumping, but again it is unlikely to be the major cause of this tragedy. In the long run, it's something we should worry about: It accelerates corrosion of underground infrastructure such as water works, and of course affects our freshwater supply.

4. Is corrosion a factor?

This is certainly an area the structural engineers will be taking a look at. Long-time Florida residents who live near the ocean are well aware of the enhanced corrosion that comes with the territory, with humidity, salt air and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane contributing to the problem.

Whenever steel-reinforced concrete is used as a structural element, the steel reinforcement needs to be protected against oxidation (rusting), which can cause expansion and cracking of surrounding concrete, leading to further oxidation in a bad feedback cycle. Engineers work hard to minimize the process, but after many decades, corrosion barriers can break down. Regular inspection and preventive maintenance are key.

While sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion can exacerbate corrosion, steel reinforcing would need to be exposed to a wet, salty environment for a relatively long period of time before corrosion sets in, implying that regular inspection and maintenance can be effective. As investigators seek answers, they will surely be on the lookout for signs of corrosion.


5. Do regulations need to be tightened?

Several Florida counties already mandate inspection of high-rise or civic buildings after 40 years to insure structural, electrical and fire safety. As we learn more about the causes of this incident, state and local regulators will undoubtedly be taking a hard look to see if these regulations need to be tightened.

With the benefit of hindsight, 40 years is probably too long for properties in harsh marine climates. Condo owners should insist on structural inspections every 10 years followed by appropriate maintenance. Maintenance costs are like taxes — no one likes them, but we all need to pay them.

6. What about the long term?

While sea-level rise was probably not a significant factor in this tragedy, there are still lessons. Living on the coast carries rewards, risks and costs. As sea level rises, the cost of living in beautiful but dynamic environments like Florida’s coast will increase.

Death toll in Surfside condo collapse reaches 90

Eventually, some structures and activities will retreat from the coast because they are not economic. Maintenance and insurance costs will increasingly be factored into decisions about where people choose to live, work and invest.

Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones in the Surfside tragedy. We need to learn from it and make our built environment safer. While some of the environmental issues noted above are unique to Florida, the overarching issue of maintaining older buildings and other infrastructure is a national concern. A lot of our infrastructure was constructed in the post-war boom of the 1950s to 1970s including high-rise condos. As they approach or exceed their 50-year birthdays, it seems appropriate to consider the expected life spans of our infrastructure and begin the challenging job of maintenance or replacement.

Timothy H. Dixon is a professor in the School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa. He is the author of "Curbing Catastrophe," published by Cambridge University Press.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

Lauren Boebert campaigns against all government benefits — and it may haunt the GOP in the 2022 midterms

Bob Brigham
July 10, 2021

Zoom question and answer appearance screenshot

Controversial Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) excited the left on Saturday after a clip from her speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) provided fodder heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

While Republicans have largely avoided talking about policy while instead focusing on manufactured culture wars outrages, Boebert laid out her vision.

"We're here to tell government we don't want your benefits. We don't want your welfare," she said.

"Don't come knocking on my door with your Fauci ouchie," she said, probably referring to the effort to go door-to-door in with information about where to get a coronavirus vaccine.

"Republican congresswoman wants to end VA healthcare, VA disability payments and the GI Bill for America's veterans. Can't wait till the vets in her district find out!" he said.

Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson looked at how Democrats could exploit Boebert's speech for political gain.

"GOP wants to repeal the rescue plan and take back your $1,400 checks," Ferguson

"You leave us the hell alone," the GOP congresswoman said.

The idea of cutting Medicare and Social Security has often been called the "third rail" of American politics in reference to the electoral lethality of going after the popular programs.

Democrats were ecstatic, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged Boebert on.

"Tell 'em loud and proud girl! GOP will strip your unemployment protections and dismantle any semblance of a public safety net we have left!" Ocasio-Cortez posted to Twitter.

Occasional New York Daily News columnist Brandon Friedman noted how harshly cutting benefits would impact veterans

"Lauren Boebert's restaurant received a $233,305 PPP check and she receives a $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary," podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen wrote.

"This is one step removed from promising to get the government's hands off of Medicare," said The Washington Post's Helaine Olen.

Georgetown Prof. Don Moynihan noted a 2011 poll showing that 70% of Tea Partiers did not want to cut Medicare.

"One thing that has proven true again and again is that people actually like and want the government benefits that they get," he wrote.

Chef Andrew Zimmern said, "Dangerous, uninformed, naive, … someone should show the congressperson who in her district uses fed benefits of all kinds."

MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan questioned if Boebert's plan would work

Ocasio-Cortez knocks Boebert for call to end extra jobless benefits

Dominick Mastrangelo 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) ripped Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) for remarks regarding government unemployment benefits during a conservative gathering in Dallas over the weekend.

© Getty Images Ocasio-Cortez knocks Boebert for call to end extra jobless benefits

"We're here to tell government, we don't want your benefits, we don't want your welfare. Don't come knockin' on my door with your Fauci ouchie, you leave us the hell alone," Boebert said Saturday at CPAC, the annual gathering of conservative politicians, activists and organizers, referring to infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine push.

"Tell 'em loud and proud girl!" Ocasio-Cortez responded to Boebert in a tweet Saturday evening. "GOP will strip your unemployment protections and dismantle any semblance of a public safety net we have left! Then make working people pay way more for everything on low wages while Wall St gets a meal ticket!"

"Good ol conservative values baby!" the progressive lawmaker added.

Boebert, a conservative currently serving in her first term, was among a bevy of members of Congress loyal to former President Trump who spoke at CPAC over the weekend.

One day before, fellow Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn (N.C.) rallied the crowd by warning against President Biden's proposed "door-to-door" COVID-19 vaccine campaign, claiming the same methods could be used to "take" people's guns and Bibles.

"Think about the mechanisms they would have to build to be able to actually execute that massive of a thing," Cawthorn said. "And then think about what those mechanisms could be used for. They could then go door-to-door and take your guns. They could go door to door and take your Bibles."

Boebert made headlines earlier this year when she appeared to carry a gun on the streets of Capitol Hill in an advertisement.

Ocasio-Cortez has attacked Boebert and Cawthorn's fellow Republicans in the House for downplaying the dangers posed to members during the Jan. 6 insurrection by Trump supporters at the Capitol.

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China's 'wolf warrior diplomacy' has come to Wall Street
llopez@businessinsider.com (Linette Lopez) 

Chinese President and Chairman of the Communist Party Xi Jinping appears on a large screen as performers dance during a mass gala marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on June 28, 2021 at the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

China's assertive, nationalistic behavior - known as "wolf warrior diplomacy" - has come to the financial markets.

This week Beijing punished a Chinese tech company that listed on the New York Stock exchange, and announced rules to govern all Chinese companies listed abroad.

Consider this part of the Chinese Communist Party tightening its grip on power at home, and closing its doors power from abroad.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

It was only a matter of time before Beijing's heightened nationalism came to Wall Street.

This week, Chinese authorities punished Didi, a ride sharing company, for its June 30 public debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Shortly after the Didi crackdown, Beijing announced new measures that could restrict Chinese companies going public abroad.

What all this is telling us is that Beijing is no longer going to tolerate its tech stars making foreigners rich on foreign exchanges. And it is further evidence that China is closing its society and economy to the West.

Bring it all back home

In order to more freely list on foreign stock exchanges, Chinese companies create something called a "variable interest entity." In such an arrangement, a Chinese company creates another company in a tax haven like the Cayman Islands where foreigners can invest. The Chinese company then signs an agreement that gives control and profits to the Cayman entity, from which money is distributed to shareholders and the company back in China. For years, Beijing generally looked the other way when it came to VIEs.

Now, according to Bloomberg, Beijing's new regulations are designed to limit the ability of Chinese companies to set up these entities. The proposed rules would govern what data can and can't be shared abroad, target "illegal securities activities," and set up extra-national laws Chinese companies would have to follow regardless of where they are listed.

Didi shares are down around 20% since it's IPO, in part because Beijing announced these measures, and in part because it has become a target for authorities at home. On July 2, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced it was investigating Didi. Two days later China's app stores were ordered to stop allowing users to download Didi. The CAC claims that Didi was illegally collecting user data.

And perhaps that's true. But it's also likely that this is a signal that "wolf warrior" aggression - a kind of Chinese diplomacy named after a hyper-nationalistic film- has come to financial markets. Two other Chinese tech companies listed in the US - Kanzhun and Full Truck Alliance - also had their downloads halted by Chinese regulators. The almost 250 Chinese companies worth $2 trillion in market cap listed on major US exchanges should all be watching their backs.

China is closing

Video: China's 'wolf warrior diplomacy' raises risks of a military clash with foreign countries: Asia Society (CNBC)

There are two main reasons for this seemingly sudden crackdown - one is China's increasing antagonism with the West, and the other is the Chinese Communist Party's own desire for power and self-preservation. Together they amount to the reality that China is once again closing its doors to the world, reversing the opening that began in the 1970s.

As part of a larger crackdown on civil society, the Chinese Communist Party has been tightening its control over any sources of power that might challenge it at home. That includes tech billionaires like Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who has recently been publicly brought to heel by Beijing. And it includes tech companies, like Tencent and Pinduoduo, another e-commerce giant.

Targeting tech companies that list abroad also puts pressure on Chinese companies to consider an IPO to list in Shanghai or Hong Kong instead. It is no secret that China's encroachment into Hong Kong prompted an exodus of financial firms from the city. Making it the new landing place for Chinese tech companies to go public could help it maintain its status as a global financial center.

It is also no secret that the US and China are at risk of what some call "decoupling"- essentially breaking ties and creating a world with separate US or China-centric technologies and financial centers. In some ways, because the two powers have become so antagonistic, this is already happening. Domestically, Beijing has been investing in technological advancements with the hopes making the country a techno-superpower by 2025. Now it's calling its companies home.

What's doubly important is that none of the above is primarily about making China rich. It's all about hoarding power for the CCP. Under President Xi Jiinping that has become Beijing's motivation above all else, and we should all expect it to act accordingly - even when it means hurting its own domestic companies.

A chilling effect

Last year Congress passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which requires foreign companies listed on US stock exchanges to be audited by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's. If they refuse for three years in a row they can be delisted. Last month, the Senate passed a law that would shorten the time frame to two years in a row.

The problem with this is that so far, Chinese regulators will have absolutely none of it.

This is a stare down. If Chinese companies listed here in the US do not comply they will be delisted. If they do comply Beijing could come down hard on these companies at home. In the meantime recriminations are flying. GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida called the Didi IPO "reckless and irresponsible" weeks before Beijing clamped down on the company, arguing that Didi is a black box.

Rubio and Democratic Sen. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania introduced a bill in May that would prohibit companies from going public on US exchanges if they do not comply with US regulators and submit to an audit from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

All of this pressure from Beijing and Washington will, without a doubt, have a chilling effect on Chinese companies listing here in the United States. So yes, this is another form of decoupling - and it's coming from both sides of the Pacific.

1. Wolf Warrior - Wikipedia

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Warrior
   • Overview
   • Production
   • Plot
   • Cast
   • Box office
   • Popular culture
   • External links

   The script went through 14 drafts over seven years. In order to portray more realistic combat scenes, the movie used five missiles (each at a value of one million yuan), more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and a variety of Chinese active military aircraft, including the Chengdu J-10, Harbin Z-9, and CAIC Z-10. In one large battle scene, 32 active tanks appeared in the same shot, including a Type 96 tank.
   In order to prepare for the film, with the support of Chinese PLA Nanjing Military Region, Wu Jing traine…

   Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license

KENNEY DEMANDS 3% ROLLBACK FROM NURSES HOW'S THAT WORKING OUT
Royal Alexandra, Lacombe hospitals temporarily close beds due to staffing shortages
Nicholas Frew 

© David Bajer/CBC The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, seen here in this file image, has had to temporarily close six beds.

Temporary staffing shortages have forced two Alberta hospitals to close 17 hospital beds combined, Alberta Health Services says.

The Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre has closed 11 beds as a temporary measure and a "last resort," according to a health services statement, as vacancies for registered and licensed practical nurses have yet to be filled.

A "short-term staffing shortage" at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton has caused it to temporarily close six beds in its emergency department, health services said.

The health authority is working to quickly resolve both situations and is making efforts to fill the vacancies, a spokesperson said.

The beds in Lacombe — 120 kilometres south of Edmonton — will be reopened once staffing levels are stabilized. In the meantime, patients at the hospital will continue receiving proper care and there is still capacity for admitting patients to the facility, AHS said.

There are 24 hospital beds left at the Lacombe hospital, 20 of which are currently occupied by patients. There is space for patients to receive care, including private space for palliative patients, and the emergency department remains open, health services said.

There are no other service disruptions at that site, AHS added.

At Royal Alexandra meanwhile, there remain 50 beds open and the emergency department is open and accepting patients as, health services said.

Patient flow for hospitals in the Edmonton Zone is managed by AHS. There are several other emergency departments in and around the city patients can attend too, AHS said.

Nursing shortages worsened by pandemic: union

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which represents over 95,000 public sector workers, says it has heard from members throughout the province that memos sent out over the past couple of months warned of potential bed closures due to low staffing levels.

The 11 hospital beds in Lacombe are the most recent consequence of AHS not filling vacant positions, said Bonnie Gostola, a union vice-president.

"The community is going to suffer for it," she said, adding that the bed closures could force people to travel to other communities to seek care.

"It's going to push people out of their homes and out of their communities — out of their comfort."

© Gaetan Lamarre/CBC David Harrigan, director of labour relations of United Nurses of Alberta, says morale among the province's nurses is as low as it's ever been.

Nursing shortages throughout most parts of Alberta are creating a vicious cycle of sorts, says the director of labour relations of United Nurses of Alberta, which represents over 30,000 nurses.

People will accept nursing positions, but their workload becomes overwhelming because the facilities in which they work are understaffed, said David Harrigan. That leads to the employees either moving to a different facility, or leaving the industry entirely, Harrigan said.

The vacancy issue started several years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded it and nurses are exhausted, said Gostola. But there is also a fear that once the pandemic is over, their jobs or salaries will be cut so the province can save money as it tries to recover financially.

"They're just fed up. They're done," she said.

There is a high level of anger and disillusionment among nurses toward provincial officials and morale is as low as it's ever been, said Harrigan.

Alberta Health Services and the provincial government have to decide whether they want to fix the vacancy problem or provoke a fight with nurses, who were labelled as heroes throughout most of the past 16 months, said Harrigan.

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M
Take a look inside this underground crypto mining farm in Ukraine with its 3,800 PlayStations and 5,000 computers

kshalvey@insider.com (Kevin Shalvey)

© Security Service of Ukraine Around 5,000 computers were used in the mine, Ukraine officials said. Security Service of Ukraine

Ukraine police last week seized around 9,000 games consoles and computers in an illegal crypto mine.

The mine was stealing as much as $259,300 in electricity each month, investigators said.

Police said it was the largest underground crypto mine to have been discovered in Ukraine.

A huge underground cryptocurrency mining operation has been busted by Ukraine police for allegedly stealing electricity from the grid.

Police said they'd seized 5,000 computers and 3,800 games consoles that were being used in the illegal mine, the largest discovered in the country.

The mine, in the city of Vinnytsia, near Kyiv, stole as much as $259,300 in electricity each month, the Security Service of Ukraine said. To conceal the theft, the operators of the mine used electricity meters that did not reflect their actual energy consumption, officials said.

"Such illegal activity could lead to power surges and left people without electricity," the security service said.

Police said that criminal proceedings had begun over the theft of water, electricity, and thermal energy. The mine was run by residents of Kyiv and Vinnytsia, a city about three hours outside the capital, police said.

© Security Service of Ukraine Gaming consoles in the crypto mine in a photo released by officials. Security Service of Ukraine

Photos released by state investigators show a cavernous room filled wall-to-wall with metal racks of neatly lined-up computers and Sony Playstation consoles.

Along with the computers and consoles, officials said they also seized more than 500 graphic cards, 50 processors, and documentation on the site's electricity consumption. They also took notebooks, phones, and flash drives, according to the press statement.

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Transport minister orders CN, CP to take new wildfire prevention measures

OTTAWA — Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra ordered Canada's two major railroad operators to step up their fire prevention efforts as of Sunday as wildfires continue to scorch British Columbia.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways must ensure a 60-minute response time to any fires detected along rail lines running through Lytton, B.C., with the goal of extinguishing or controlling the blaze and asking the local fire service for help if necessary, Alghabra said in a release.

"Unprecedented weather conditions in British Columbia continue to pose a serious threat to public safety and railway operations," the statement reads. "The government of Canada remains committed to supporting those affected by the devastating wildfires in British Columbia and will not hesitate to take any safety actions that are necessary to mitigate these risks to public safety and the integrity of railway tracks and infrastructure."

The ministerial order comes after the Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation as a result of new information on the suspected source of a devastating wildfire that raced through Lytton on June 30.

The safety board said Friday the information came by way of probes by the RCMP and BC Wildfire Service into the cause of a blaze that destroyed much of the village and killed two people, though no cause has been disclosed.

It is not yet known which rail line is linked to the train in question, and neither Canadian National nor Canadian Pacific has filed any occurrence reports related to the Lytton fire, the board said.

CN has said its trains were not linked to the fire, and CP resumed its service through Lytton on Monday.

More than 200 wildfires are burning in B.C. as a recent heat wave and parched conditions combined to raise the fire risk in many parts of the province to high or extreme.

Lightning also continued to challenge wildfire crews in the province in the past few days.

The new order, in effect until Oct. 31, calls for at least 10 fire detection patrols every 24 hours on stretches of track that run through Lytton. It also makes conductors responsible for spotting and reporting fires on those lines and requires removal of combustible materials following "vegetation control measures."

CN and CP must also consult with First Nations governing bodies along the two rail lines to work Indigenous knowledge of the region into their fire hazard reduction and fire preparedness plans.

Alghabra had ordered all train traffic through Lytton to halt on Thursday and Friday while residents were on escorted bus tours through the village to take stock of the damage.

Sunday's order requires slower train speeds when the fire danger level for the area is "extreme" anywhere across the country. No locomotive can pass through one of those areas unless it has been inspected in the past 15 days to ensure its exhaust passages are clear of combustible material.

CN and CP must also implement an "interim extreme weather risk fire mitigation plan" within 14 days and send it on to municipal and Indigenous governments, the order states.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2021.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press