From Deep State Radio

SPECIAL EMERGENCY EPISODE: FROM SESSIONS TO WHITAKER, HOW LOW CAN TRUMP GO?

There are constitutional reasons why Mathew Whitaker should not succeed Jeff Sessions as even the Acting Attorney General of the US.  There are legal reasons.  There are ethical reasons.  But none of these stopped Donald Trump from beginning the latest chapter in his effort to obstruct justice and contain the threats he feel Robert Mueller’s investigation poses for him.  On this special episode Florida-based attorney and former prosecutor Katie Phang and Georgetown Law’s Rosa Brooks join us to discuss this disturbing and dangerous if not quite shocking turn of events.  Please tune in!  

1-ON-1 WITH JONATHAN GREENBLATT OF THE ADL: HATE IN AMERICA AND WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

It is one week after the shootings in Pittsburgh and 80 years after Kristallnacht.  How deep do the rivers of hate in America today run?  How much culpability do our political leaders have for channeling that hate into our daily discourse?  Who is put at risk?  On this 1-on-1 we have a conversation with one of America’s leaders in combatting these forces that are tearing our society apart, Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.  Join us for a timely and special conversation.

NEW DEEPTECH: Cryptographic Voting Systems: the Solution to Election Hacking?

America’s voting machines are a lot like the New York City subway system: expensive, old, vulnerable to attack, difficult to fix, and prone to human error. During the midterm elections, voting machines malfunctioned in Texas, and in Wisconsin and Kentucky computer servers exposed voter data to hackers. Part of the problem is that the entire voting machine industry consists of only 3 corporations. Experts warn that technical malfunctions erode public confidence in democratic institutions, especially amid federal investigations of foreign-state election interference. Cryptographic voting systems could reverse that trend. Continue

FP INTERRUPTED: WOMEN WAVE

There were a lot of firsts on Tuesday. A record number of women ran and won in elections across the United States. According to the New York Times, 250 women were on the ballot. Of those, 117 women won seats in Congress, governorships, and state legislatures (100 Democrats and 17 Republicans). Of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, women will occupy 100 (up from 84). Come January, the U.S. Senate will have 23 women. Read more here 

Stories We’re Watching

Federal Judge Blocks Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline

Yesterday A US district judge in Montana issued an order blocking construction of the $8B, 1,179-mile Keystone XL Pipeline, which would carry heavy crude oil between Alberta and the Gulf of Mexico. The order reverses the Trump administration’s previous approval and prevents construction until an environmental assessment can be made and evaluated. It is also a major setback for TransCanada Corp (TRP.TO), given the decade-long development efforts. Earlier today President Trump told reporters: “It was a political decision made by a judge. I think it’s a disgrace”.

• NPR: In A Setback For Trump, Judge Blocks Keystone Pipeline Construction
• Fortune: Federal Judge Blocks Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline
• The Globe and Mail: Trump slams U.S. judge’s decision to block Keystone XL pipeline
• Great Falls Tribune: Judge blocks construction of Keystone XL pipeline

China’s Mass Detention Camps Under Attack Again

Earlier this week at Geneva’s UN Human Rights Council, France, Germany and the US condemned China’s mass detention camps that hold up to one million Uighurs, Muslims, and ethnic minorities. Officials in China’s far west province of Xinjiang use cutting edge technology to strictly control the Uighur population. Facial recognition software and QR codes allow Chinese police officers to track movements and target surveillance. Houses in the region are required to display a QR code that gives information about residents. Asia Society reports that “Officials have also required Uighurs to place QR codes on items, like knives, which may be repurposed into weapons.”

• Asia Society: What’s Happening in Xinjiang? Four Questions About China’s Human Rights Crisis
• The Independent: China urged to close mass detention camps for Uighur Muslims
• The Interpreter: China: re-engineering the Uighur
• Reuters: West calls on China to close Uighur detention camps
• Stuff: The disappearing people: Uighur Kiwis lose contact with family

US Midterm Election Fallout: Ballot Initiatives & National Security

The hundreds of ballot initiatives in this midterm election ranged from community engagement initiatives to legalization of recreational marijuana. Voters in Florida overwhelmingly approved of restoring voting rights to felons. And several initiatives on relaxing the criminalization of marijuana passed in Missouri, Michigan, Utah, Ohio, and Wisconsin.The results also offer reprieve to the tech industry: it will be more difficult for critics to push through regulations on monopolistic business practices at least until 2020. In terms of national defense, the likely chairperson of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, has already indicated an agenda that includes US support for Saudi’s war on Yemen and the US nuclear weapons posture.

• Scientific American: Voters Reject Several Climate-Related Ballot Initiatives
• Wired: What The Midterm Election Results Mean For Big Tech
• Forbes: Marijuana Won The Midterm Elections
• Defense One: What the Midterms Mean for National Security

Anti-Semitic acts surge in France, government promises action on Kristallnacht anniversary

Earlier today, via Facebook post, France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pledged to increase efforts to punish perpetrators and combat online hate speech. PM Phillippe posted on Facebook that there was a 69% rise in the number of anti-Semitic acts compared to last year. He also announced a new task force to improve education and deal with anti-Semitism in schools. The timing of the announcement coincides with the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. In a speech delivered at aBerlin synagogue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned contemporary racism and reaffirmed Germany’s moral duty to fight rising anti-Semitism,

• Reuters: Merkel marks Nazi ‘Kristallnacht’ against Jews with synagogue speech
• BBC: Kristallnacht anniversary: France warns of steep rise in anti-Semitism
• CNN International: France hit by 69% rise in anti-Semitic acts
• The Local France: ‘Relentless’: Anti-Semitic acts rise by 69 percent in France in 2018
• Haaretz: French PM Raises Concern Over Sharp Uptick in anti-Semitism

Netanyahu takes tougher stance on Palestine & embraces China

Earlier this week, in remarks to members of his party’s parliamentary caucus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented that the 51 years of Israeli military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank was not an occupation. He said: “the ‘occupation’ is nonsense […] Huge states have conquered and replaced populations, and no one talks about them”. Analysts worry that President Trump has caused PM Netanyahu to take a tougher stance on Palestine. Amid an uptick in authoritarianism and minority discrimination, experts are watching China and Israel ties closely given PM Netanyahu’s recent trade and innovation conference with China’s Vice President Wang Qishan.

• Los Angeles Times: Emboldened by Trump, Israel’s Netanyahu suggests a tough new
• World Israel News: Analysis: Palestinian threats to Arab normalization with Israel
• Resident Advisor: Should DJs stand for Palestine? Perspectives on the cultural boycott
• The Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu pushes for free trade with China in 2019
• The Times of Israel: Co-hosting trade conference with Netanyahu, China’s VP hails Israeli
• World Israel News: Netanyahu, China VP meet: $10 billion and counting