June 27 2024
Internet free speech; southern border terror threat; gas price politics; astronauts stranded; Kenyan chaos
1 Supreme Court punts on internet free speech case
2 US security officials grapple with terrorists exploiting the southern border
3 ELECTION 2024 On oil, Biden’s foreign policy goals conflict with electoral politics
4 Astronauts stranded at space station after Boeing capsule malfunctions
5 Kenya in chaos over tax bill, President reverses course
6/27/1929 Scientists at Bell Laboratories invent TV
see ad astra on x @greg_loving
1 Supreme Court punts on internet free speech case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit alleging that Biden administration officials unlawfully pressured social-media platforms to remove content flagged as disinformation, ruling that two GOP-led states and several individuals who posted content online didn’t suffer harms that allowed them to sue. The 6-3 decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett capped a wild ride for a case that was a product of the Covid-19 era and persistent claims that conservative viewpoints about lockdowns, vaccines, pandemic election rules and other issues were being censored online. The 2022 lawsuit, led by Republican state attorneys general in Missouri and Louisiana, had fared well in the lower courts, at one point resulting in an unprecedented injunction that blocked several government agencies and scores of officials from communicating with social-media companies about removing “content containing protected free speech” from their platforms. The high court said the plaintiffs, which included a handful of doctors, an antivaccine activist and a far-right web publisher, failed at a first fundamental step for any lawsuit: showing that they had suffered specific injuries that judges are capable of redressing.
WSJ
The Supreme Court today punted on Internet censorship, sending free speech advocates back to the drawing board while Joe Biden’s White House celebrated.
“The Supreme Court’s decision,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “helps ensure the Biden administration can continue our important work with technology companies to protect the safety and security of the American people. That “important work,” of course, includes White House officials sending emails to companies like Facebook, with notes saying things like “Wanted to flag the below tweet and am wondering if we can get moving on having it removed ASAP.” The Supreme Court sidestepped ruling on the constitutionality of this kind of behavior in the Murthy v. Missouri case with one blunt sentence: “Neither the individual nor the state plaintiffs have established Article III standing to seek an injunction against any defendant.” The great War on Terror cop-out, standing — which killed cases like Clapper v. Amnesty International and ACLU v. NSA — reared its head again. In the last two decades we’ve gotten used to the problem of legal challenges to new government programs being shot down precisely because their secret nature makes collecting evidence or showing standing or injury difficult, and Murthy proved no different.
Racket Substack
Article Source: WSJ and Racket
2 US security officials grapple with terrorists exploiting the southern border
When eight Tajik men sought asylum at the southwestern U.S. border months ago, federal authorities had no reason to doubt that they were desperate migrants fleeing a poor country in war-torn Central Asia. But soon after they were admitted into the country, the F.B.I. learned they might have ties to the Islamic State and opened a counterterrorism investigation. This was no ordinary inquiry. Dozens of personnel monitored the men closely as they made their way to different cities across the United States, officials said. The White House was updated regularly. The bureau hoped to gather information about a broader terrorist network. But heightened concerns about a potential attack in at least one location triggered the arrest of all eight men earlier this month on immigration charges, according to several U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive investigation. So far, the men have not been charged with any terrorism-related offenses. The dramatic episode unfolded as anxiety has risen among U.S. officials, who have been warning for months that the conflict in Gaza and unrest in Central Asia could spill into the United States, most likely in the form of small radicalized groups acting on their own initiative or lone-wolf terrorists.
NYT
The Department of Homeland Security has identified over 400 immigrants brought to the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network as “subjects of concern.” While more than 150 have been arrested, the whereabouts of over 50 remain unknown, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is actively looking to arrest them on immigration charges. Despite the potential ties to ISIS, no information has linked these individuals to any threats to the U.S. homeland. The focus has shifted to monitoring immigrants from countries where ISIS-K is active, following recent terrorist attacks in Russia. Officials are using immigration violations to detain individuals as a precautionary measure. Some of the detained individuals have already been deported, while others are still under surveillance. Counterterrorism officials emphasize that the threat from migrants crossing the U.S. border remains historically low.
Cipher Brief
Article Source: NYT and Cipher Brief
3 ELECTION 2024 On oil, Biden’s foreign policy goals conflict with electoral politics
The Biden administration wants to keep gas prices stable ahead of the election by encouraging oil to flow into global markets. The effort has run square into another priority: being tough on adversaries Russia, Iran and Venezuela. The policy has led to softer-than-expected sanctions on major oil producers, according to diplomats, former government officials and energy-industry players briefed by current officials. A case in point arrived on Tuesday, when the U.S. levied fresh sanctions against Iran. The measures affect a fraction of the country’s oil exports and are unlikely to gum up global markets, analysts said.
Article Source: WSJ
4 Astronauts stranded at space station after Boeing capsule malfunctions
Boeing's Starliner's return to Earth has already been delayed three times due to leaks and other problems, and the spacecraft remains docked at the International Space Station indefinitely, according to NASA. The capsule, carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, launched on June 5 and was supposed to return on June 14 following a short visit to the ISS. NASA says the earliest possible return is now an unspecified date in July. NASA officials permitted Boeing to launch despite a small helium leak after determining it wasn't dangerous. However, the Starliner developed four additional leaks in orbit, and five thrusters failed. Boeing reports that four thrusters are now fixed, but they're still investigating the cause of the issues.
Article Source: The Flyover
5 Kenya in chaos over tax bill, President reverses course
Kenyan police on Tuesday opened fire on protesters after crowds stormed the country’s parliament, where lawmakers had been debating a raft of tax increases aimed at stemming a debilitating debt crisis. Local rights groups and activists said at least five protesters and first responders were killed and scores injured in the capital Nairobi, which had been at the center of largely peaceful nationwide demonstrations against the tax measures. Footage broadcast by Kenya’s Citizen TV showed smoke rising from one section of the parliament, where police in riot gear patrolled in front of shattered windows, and other parts of downtown Nairobi.
WSJ
In a sudden reversal, President William Ruto of Kenya announced on Wednesday that he would not sign a finance bill that he had long said would stabilize the country’s economy — a response to devastating protests a day earlier that left nearly two dozen people dead. Though the precise toll was still being tallied, human rights groups said that 23 people were killed and over 300 others injured after the police used tear gas and bullets to respond to demonstrators who had marched on Parliament to protest the tax increases in the bill.
NYT
Article Source: WSJ and NYT
6/27/1929 Scientists at Bell Laboratories in New York reveal a system for transmitting television pictures
Sources
1. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/supreme-court-rules-for-biden-administration-in-covid-era-speech-case-2e34ad25?st=nejjghh0l4h9twq&reflink=article_copyURL_share; https://open.substack.com/pub/taibbi/p/the-supreme-court-punts-on-censorship?r=d9vo5&utm_medium=ios
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/us/politics/terrorism-threat-fbi-tajik.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
3. https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/biden-us-gas-prices-iran-russia-oil-4f9a1cf9
4. Email
5. https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/protesters-storm-kenyan-parliament-over-tax-increases-0aa21f19; https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/26/world/africa/kenya-protests-taxes.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
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