Issue 5
December 11, 2023
FLASH Putin to seek ‘re-election’
1 US was net importer of food in 2023, forecast to be net importer in 2024
2 FDA approves first CRISPR-based medicine
3 Fervor over Ivy League antisemitism continues; UPenn President fired
4 Drones threaten US homeland
5 US political ad spend surges
1620 Mayflower arrives
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FLASH Putin to seek ‘re-election’
1 US was net importer of food in 2023, forecast to be net importer in 2024
the United States had an agricultural trade deficit in 2023 and is forecast to import more agricultural products than it exports in 2024 — after the U.S. was a net agricultural exporter for nearly 60 years until 2019 (ReThink Trade)
2 FDA approves first CRISPR-based medicine
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved the world’s first medicine based on CRISPR gene-editing technology, a groundbreaking treatment for sickle cell disease that delivers a potential cure for people born with the chronic and life-shortening blood disorder. The new medicine, called Casgevy, is made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. Its authorization is a scientific triumph for the technology that can efficiently and precisely repair DNA mutations — ushering in a new era of genetic medicines for inherited diseases. (Source: statnews.com)
3 Fervor over Ivy League antisemitism continues; UPenn President fired
The resignation of the University of Pennsylvania’s president following her testimony over how to handle calls for the genocide of Jews has highlighted the tightrope school leaders are walking as students protest the war in Gaza — and fueled instant debate over how far colleges can go to restrict speech.Liz Magill’s departure, announced Saturday, divided politicians, academics and the nation, with some hailing it as a needed corrective to curb hateful rhetoric on college campuses. Republican lawmakers, who have argued in recent years that America’s most prestigious schools are also its most out-of-touch, were especially eager to paint universities as hotbeds of angry leftist rhetoric where liberal ideologies are tolerated, while conservative viewpoints are shut down.
Democrats and Jewish groups celebrated the exit, too, which came after Magill refused to say, during testimony before Congress last week, that calling for the genocide of the Jews violated her school’s code of conduct. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who himself is Jewish, said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation”: “At the end of the day, when somebody is saying they believe in genocide of the Jewish people ... that is not acceptable.” (Washington Post)
4 Drones threaten US homeland
Terrorists are learning to use drones in increasingly creative ways—and that’s bad news for the U.S. homeland. Hamas employed camera-equipped quadcopters, the kind flown by hobbyists, to scout and map Israeli defenses. Then it strapped light munitions onto such drones, creating flying improvised explosive devices, and used them to knock out sensors and automated machine guns along Israel’s border with Gaza. These tactics paved the way for the killing and kidnapping spree by gunmen that left more than 1,200 people dead and 240 taken hostage. Today, virtually anyone can buy their own air force for a few hundred dollars, using drones or parts bought online or in a hobby shop. Yet federal law bars most law enforcement agencies from effectively defending against such flying machines within U.S. borders, leaving Americans shockingly vulnerable to attack. “Right now we don’t have the legal authorities to properly defend our country, and we’ve known about it for years,” said retired Maj. Gen. James Poss, formerly the Air Force’s most senior intelligence officer. “It’s almost like we’re waiting for our next Pearl Harbor to happen, but our plan is to call a lawyer about what to do next instead of fighting back.” (WSJ)
5 US political ad spend surges
The market just for political ads in the U.S. next year could be bigger than the entire Australian advertising market combined — a stunning stat that makes clear we're in for a staggering ad onslaught as the 2024 election gets closer. New projections from GroupM, one of the world's largest paid advertising agencies, suggest that political ad revenue will reach $15.9 billion in 2024, or $17.1 billion including direct mail (Axios)
This day in history
1620 Mayflower Pilgrims come ashore in Plymouth Bay, traditionally thought to be at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
