Russian prison service says Putin critic Navalny's health 'stable and satisfactory'

March 25, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service on Thursday said prominent imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s health is “stable and satisfactory,” as Navalny’s allies continue to raise concerns about his wellbeing.

The Russian prison service said prisons in the Vladimir region where Navalny is prisoned had conducted medical examinations on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

“His health is deemed stable and satisfactory, according to the results of the examination,” the Interfax news agency reported, citing the penitentiary service.

Navalny’s allies were not reassured by the statement, according to Reuters.

“Now we are really worried,” the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Navalny founded, wrote on Twitter. “Even the Federal Penitentiary Service can’t call Navalny’s condition good.”

Navalny was poisoned last year with what is believed to have been a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok. The Russian critic was hospitalized in Germany for treatment.

After returning to Russia, he was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in February for violating parole while recovering from the poisoning.

Navalny’s imprisonment has led to international outcry and protests in Russia. The European Court of Human Rights, Europe’s highest human rights court, called for Navalny’s release due to the “nature and extent of risk to the applicant’s life.” Thousands of Russian protesters have been arrested during pro-Navalny demonstrations that the Russian government has cracked down on.

The Biden administration issued several sanctions against Russia in March over the use of chemical weapons against dissidents including Navalny. The Department of Commerce blocked the export of items controlled for national security reasons that were meant to go to Russia.

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North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into sea

March 25, 2021 KANKENNEWS

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea, Japan’s prime minister said, the first major provocation by Pyongyang since President BidenJoe BidenSupreme Court will hear Boston bomber’s death case — if the Biden administration lets it The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Democrats face questions over agenda MORE entered office.

The launch came a day after South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff disclosed that Pyongyang had fired two cruise missiles off its west coast on Sunday, its first missile test in approximately a year.

A U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson said in a statement the U.S. military was aware of the launch.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our allies and partners,” the statement read. “This activity highlights the threat that North Korea’s illicit weapons program poses to its neighbors and the international community.

Japan’s Coast Guard urged ships to be on alert Thursday after the latest launch.

“Vessels are requested to pay attention to further information and to keep clear when recognizing falling object,” the Japanese Coast Guard alert stated.

The projectiles launched by North Korea were identified as ballistic missiles by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who said he will “thoroughly discuss” North Korea with Biden when he visits Washington next month.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies were examining data from the launch, according to a statement reported by Reuters.

Two senior U.S. administration officials had previously confirmed that North Korea tested a “short-range system” over the weekend, though the officials downplayed it as “normal military activity” by Pyongyang.

Biden also told reporters Tuesday that “nothing much has changed” and appeared to laugh off a question about whether that test affected diplomacy.

Harry J. Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Washington-based Center for the National Interest, said the latest launch may have been a response to Biden’s reaction to the previous test.

“The Kim regime, just like during the Trump years, will react to even the slightest of what they feel are any sort of loss of face or disparaging comments coming out of Washington,” Kazianis said in an emailed statement.

North Korea resumed weapons testing following weeks of anticipation after Biden entered office.

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Biden’s Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into sea Will diplomacy work with Iran? MORE said during his confirmation hearing in January that the administration planned to “review the entire approach and policy toward North Korea, because this is a hard problem that has plagued administration after administration.”

Negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. on nuclear weapons stalled under former President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Democrats face questions over agenda Democrats divided on gun control strategy MORE after their second summit in February 2019. The talks fell apart after North Korea requested eased sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.

North Korean leaders have not directly returned the Biden administration’s communications. Instead, state media published Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s statement that the country won’t speak to the U.S. until it “rolls back its hostile policy” toward North Korea.

Pyongyang has also protested the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, with North Korean Leader Kim Jong UnKim Jong UnNorth Korea fires two ballistic missiles into sea OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Pentagon asked to hold migrant children at two Texas bases | Admiral warns China invasion of Taiwan closer than people think | North Korea tests missiles North Korea conducts first missile test since Biden took office MORE‘s sister issuing a cautionary statement to the Biden administration.

“We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land,” Kim Yo Jong said. “If it wants to sleep in peace for [the] coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”

– Rebecca Kheel contributed

Updated: 10:53 p.m.

White House confirms new round of talks with Iraq on US troop presence

March 25, 2021 KANKENNEWS

The White House on Tuesday confirmed the United States and Iraq next month would hold strategic talks on relations between the two countries and the remaining U.S. troops in Iraq.

“We look forward to renewing our Strategic Dialogue with the Government of Iraq over the month of April,” White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiDuckworth drops threat to oppose Biden picks over diversity concerns Saudi official made death threat against UN’s Khashoggi investigator: report Poll: 52 percent say Biden’s lack of press conferences isn’t hurting transparency MORE told reporters.

Psaki said the two countries would discuss mutual security, culture, trade, and climate interests, and would “further clarify that coalition forces are in Iraq solely for the purpose of training and advising Iraqi forces to ensure that ISIS cannot reconstitute.”

The U.S. first invaded Iraq in 2003, leaving in 2011 but returning in 2014 to help quell the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. About 2,500 U.S. troops are still there to help local forces fight the remnants of ISIS after the terrorist group in 2017 was pushed out of the territory it once controlled.

But opposition to U.S. forces has grown amid a tit-for-tat between the United States and Iran playing out on Iraqi soil, largely set off when a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January 2020 while he was at the Baghdad airport.

Washington and Baghdad in June began negotiating the U.S. troop presence in the country under the Trump administration, and in September it was announced that more than 2,000 of the 5,200 troops there would withdraw.

Then in November, the-President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges Online harassment is ugly and routine for women in journalism MORE ordered another 500 forces to be pulled from Iraq by mid-January, going against the recommendations of military and national security leaders.

The April talks would be the first time the United States and Iraq have discussed the future of the U.S.-Iraq relationship under President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges Dems plan to squeeze GOP over filibuster MORE.

The Associated Press first reported Tuesday that Iraq has sent a formal request to the Biden administration for a date to resume the talks, which would specifically include discussions on the withdrawal of remaining U.S. forces.

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India’s election: What you should know as the world’s biggest democracy votes

March 25, 2021 KANKENNEWS

New Delhi — Voting began Thursday in India, the world’s biggest democracy, to pick the next central government. The world’s second most populous nation is a key economic and security ally of the U.S., and the outcome of the elections will have a major impact on stability in the region, and possibly on New Delhi’s ties with Washington.

The election is being watched closely by every major world power, with a focus on India’s massive and growing economy, unemployment, and renewed tension with India’s neighbor and fellow nuclear weapons state, Pakistan. Below are some of the key points that make India’s exercise in democracy so interesting, and important
It’s huge – Here are some numbersIndia is predicted to surpass China as the world’s most populous country within three years. A baby is born every second in India. The current population is 1.34 billion people, compared to China’s 1.39 billion. The number of eligible voters (citizens over 18 years of age) in this election is the highest ever at 900 million. That’s about four-times the number of eligible voters in the U.S., and roughly 10 percent of the world population. Holding an election for such a huge population is a massive challenge and is done in phases. The votes will be cast in seven rounds in this election, pertaining to different areas, with the first beginning on April 11 and the last on May 19. Results won’t be declared until May 23. One million polling stations have been set up across the country. An estimated $5 billion was spent by political parties and candidates in the last Indian general elections in 2014, according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies. They said the figure would likely be more than $7 billion this year. What the elections determineThe elections are for the Indian public to choose lawmakers to represent them in the lower house of India’s parliament, called the Lok Sabha (“House of the people” in Hindi). They are elected for five-year terms. There are 543 elected seats in the Lok Sabha. Any party that wins at least 272 seats in the house has the right to form the next national government; to nominate the prime minister and fill the cabinet.

If no one party wins that many seats, the biggest vote-getting party can try to build a coalition with other parties to form a government. The key battle: Modi vs. GandhiCurrent Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a massive mandate in the last elections in 2014. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won 282 seats alone. The BJP’s party alliances added another 54 seats, giving the governing National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a huge 336 majority in the lower house of parliament – the best election performance by any group in three decades. Modi, the face of his party, has campaigned hard across India to get out the vote for BJP in regional and local elections since the 2014 win, and now he’s seeking hoping for second term as prime minister. His main challenger is Rahul Gandhi, the president of the Indian National Congress party (INC). Gandhi’s party was reduced to just 44 seats in the 2014 elections, the worst performance in its history and a major blow to the party that has governed the country for 49 of its 72 years of independence from Britain. There have been recent state election victories for INC, however, and many analysts have predicted a possible comeback this year, even if it can’t win a majority.Security in a nuclear neighborhood”India being a key ally of the U.S., Washington will be closely monitoring the polls,” Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at The Wilson Center, a Washington-based think-tank, told CBS News. “India shares U.S. concerns about regional terrorism and China’s rise.” Washington views India as a major Asian power that, as it develops, can help to offset the simultaneous rise and growing influence of China. It is a role that Kugelman believes to be stronger than relationships between individual leaders.

“The U.S.-India relationship is unlikely to be altered in a big way by the election outcome, whatever it may be,” he said. But the election outcome could have a major impact on peace and stability in the region — something the U.S. does have a vested interest in. India is going through a renewed period of military tension with Pakistan. The neighbors have fought three major wars since 1947 over Kashmir, a Himalayan mountain region divided between them but claimed by both. Modi has fostered a tough-on-Pakistan strongman image in recent months, and if he secures a second term it could mean continued clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The Trump administration intervened to bring the two sides back from the brink of a war in late February after they traded airstrikes, but cross-border clashes haven’t stopped, and dozens of civilians have been killed since then. Analysts believe Modi’s tough stance on Pakistan will likely help win him votes. The opposition, however, has accused him of conducting the airstrikes for political reasons, hoping to shift the pre-election narrative from development to security.Other key election issuesIndia may be a growing economic power, but it still faces massive economic and social challenges. Demand for education and healthcare services, and new jobs is ever growing. India is the world’s sixth largest economy, but is tipped to overtake the U.K. next year and move into number five. The growth rate, however, has slowed over the last decade, and unemployment has been on rise. Unemployment: Leaked government data earlier this year showed the worst unemployment levels in four decades, with nearly 20 percent of young Indians unable to find jobs. The opposition has attacked Modi for failing to deliver on promised job creation numbers. Poverty: Millions of Indians still live below the international poverty line, and millions still lack access to basic necessities like clean drinking water. Farmers have been committing suicide due to debt and falling crop prices. Pollution: Seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India, according to the latest data released by IQAir, AirVisual and Greenpeace. Women’s safety: The security of women in India has proven a huge challenge. India has a dismal record of violence against women, and rape. Government data showed that, on average, more than 100 women were raped every day in the country in 2016.These issues, however, seem to have taken a back burner to security and terrorism amid the tension with Pakistan.

India’s fake news problemThanks to cheap smartphones and dirt-cheap mobile data, India is a nation online. That has made social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and messaging services like Whatsapp, popular targets for exploitation by political parties and their shadowy backers online. Facebook alone has 300 million users in India, Whatsapp has 200 million. Fake news designed to benefit a particular party is often pushed through these mediums. Facebook’s AI helping to block or remove 1M accounts daily”There is no way India’s Election Commission, with just 300 staff members, can monitor and combat disinformation on social media platforms,” Syed Nazakat, founder of DataLEADS, a digital media company that works with the Google News Initiative to fight fake news in India, told CBS News. “Politicians know voters on social media platforms can be influenced with targeted campaigns.” Nazakat is part of the Google initiative to train thousands of journalists in India on tools to help debunk fake content online.Key races to watch Uttar Pradesh, with a population of over 200 million, is the most populous state in India. It sends a total of 80 members to the Lok Sabha. Traditionally, the party that wins the most seats in Uttar Pradesh ends up forming the central government. Modi’s BJP won 71 of the 80 seats in the state in the last election in 2014. Along with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra (48 seats), Bihar (38 seats), and West Bengal (41 seats) are the other key states. Together they have a combined population of half a billion people.

Modi’s BJP was polling strong in three of the four states ahead of the voting.

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New top hospital lobbyist plunges into battles on COVID, public option

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Starting a new job usually comes with some uncertainty. Then there’s starting a new job representing hospitals in the middle of a pandemic.

That’s the task facing Stacey Hughes, who in January joined the American Hospital Association (AHA) in its top government relations role. She is taking over for the retiring Tom Nickels, who has worked at the association since 1994 and whom she describes as “a bit of a legend.”

Hughes is largely working from home for now but going into the office in downtown Washington about twice a week.

“I think we’re being very cautious about that, but I am trying to at least see where the office is,” she joked in a recent interview with The Hill.

Hospitals are still on the front lines of battling COVID-19. While hospitalizations have fallen steadily from their peak in January, more than 40,000 patients across the country are in the hospital with the virus.

Through the Provider Relief Fund passed in last year’s coronavirus aid bills, Congress has given $178 billion to health care providers, though the AHA pushed for an additional $35 billion in the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law this month. That total ended up being $8.5 billion targeted at rural health care providers, but Hughes said her association will keep pushing for the full $35 billion, as well as a delay in the return of a 2 percent cut to Medicare payments known as the sequester.

Also looming, now that Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the presidency, is the potential push for a government-run, public option health insurance plan to compete alongside private insurers. Hospitals have long opposed such a plan, concerned that it would pay them less than private plans, particularly threatening rural hospitals.

“We are very concerned about any movement toward that direction,” Hughes said. “I think that it would be a negative, certainly from a financial perspective, and we will continue to advocate against that.”

Any such proposal faces an uphill battle in the 50-50 Senate, and it is unclear what health care policies could pass through the rules of the complicated fast-track procedure known as reconciliation.

“I would imagine that some folks will make an effort,” Hughes said, but added there is more “common ground” around building on the Affordable Care Act without a public option.

The American Rescue Plan signed by President BidenJoe BidenGood luck, Dan Bongino! The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s next act: Massive infrastructure plan with tax hikes Conservative group says polling shows Dems’ voting rights bill ‘out of sync with American voters’ MORE this month already started on that approach, increasing financial assistance under ObamaCare, in a move welcomed by the industry, without taking any steps toward a government-run option.

“We will work hard against that proposal,” Hughes said of a public option. “But in general, I think our hope is that the emphasis focuses on building on what’s working well.”

As legislative proposals grow, a major task of any industry association in Washington is meeting with lawmakers and their staff to try to shape the efforts. But in the age of COVID-19, in-person meetings are out, and Zoom meetings, phone calls and texts are in, meaning the community aspect of going to Congress and running into people in the cafeteria or on the way to a meeting has disappeared, at least temporarily.

Hughes got her start on Capitol Hill with former Sen. Connie Mack III (R-Fla.) after he was elected to the body in 1988.

She spent 18 years working in the Senate, including for then-Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.), before helping found the Nickles Group with him when he retired in 2005. Hughes worked there, including on behalf of the AHA, until taking on her new role this year.

She says that background gives her plenty of relationships to draw on, even when there are no in-person meetings.

“One of the things that’s fortunate in being in this town as long as I have been, you have a lot of relationships and colleagues and friends over many, many years,” she said. “Having that reservoir of relationships has certainly proved to be a great value, in particular, because you do have these contacts already, and you’re not making a new relationship.”

When not wading through the world of health policy, Hughes likes to meet up with family at a gathering place in the South Carolina Lowcountry, which also helps her feel in touch with her Southern roots as a Florida native who went to Florida State University.

As vaccinations increase and quarantine conditions start to wane, she’s looking forward to spending more time at the office and having “the ability to quickly put your head into someone’s office and say hi,” as well as potentially more rest and relaxation for some of her colleagues who “have really worked around the clock in trying to ensure that hospitals have what they need” during the pandemic.

“Obviously, we continue to have improvements in vaccination rates, as we sort of land the plane, if you will, I can be part of that process,” she said. “But there’s still obviously a lot going on.”

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Senate confirms former diplomat William Burns as CIA director

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

The Senate on Thursday confirmed William BurnsWilliam BurnsHillicon Valley: Twitter says Greene account suspended in error | Justice Dept. indicts hacker connected to massive surveillance breach | Trump reference to ‘Chinese virus’ linked to increase in anti-Asian hashtags The Hill’s Morning Report — Presented by Facebook — Biden delivers 100 million shots in 58 days, doses to neighbors Overnight Defense: Biden’s stalled Pentagon nominee gets major support | Blinken presses China on North Korea ahead of meeting | Army will not return medals to soldier Trump pardoned MORE as CIA director, marking the first time in decades that a former diplomat will lead the agency.

Senators approved his nomination by voice vote.

Burns, an ambassador twice over who finished his diplomatic career as deputy secretary of State, has played a key role in major security matters for multiple administrations.

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His nomination by President BidenJoe BidenAstraZeneca says COVID-19 vaccine found 79 percent effective in US trial with no safety concerns The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Back to the future on immigration, Afghanistan, Iran This week: Senate works to confirm Biden picks ahead of break MORE earned bipartisan support, and he was introduced at his confirmation hearing by James Baker, who led the State Department under former President George H. W. Bush, and Leon Panetta, CIA director during the Obama administration.

Thursday’s confirmation came after Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Back to the future on immigration, Afghanistan, Iran Future of the GOP? The art, promise — and lesson — of politics The Hill’s Morning Report — Presented by Facebook — Biden delivers 100 million shots in 58 days, doses to neighbors MORE (R-Texas), a potential 2024 White House contender, dropped his blockade of Burns’s nomination.

Cruz had threatened to hold up the nomination over questions about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. But announced on Thursday afternoon that Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Back to the future on immigration, Afghanistan, Iran Iran’s supreme leader says US promises not credible Biden’s Asian outreach reflects the power of demographics MORE’s warning that entities involved in the controversial Russia-to-Germany project could be sanctioned convinced him to back down.

“In light of the Secretary’s strong declaration, I’m following through on my commitment to lift the NS2-related holds I have placed on William Burns & Brian McKeon, the President’s nominees for director of the CIA & Deputy Secretary of State for Management & Resources,” Cruz tweeted.

During his confirmation hearing, Burns sought to strike a different tone than that set under former President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Back to the future on immigration, Afghanistan, Iran Juan Williams: Biden flips the script The Memo: Two months in, strong Biden faces steep climbs MORE, who often dismissed the intelligence gathered by U.S. agencies.

“Good intelligence delivered with honesty and integrity is America’s first line of defense. I learned that intelligence professionals have to tell policymakers what they need to hear, even if they don’t want to hear it,” Burns said of his experience working alongside intelligence officers during his time with the State Department.

“And I learned that politics must stop where intelligence work begins,” he added. “That is exactly what President Biden expects of the CIA. It was the first thing he told me when he asked me to take on this role. He said he wants the agency to give it to him straight. And I pledged to do just that.”

He also made clear he sees China “our biggest geopolitical test,” an area where he received much agreement from China hawks on both sides of the aisle.

“China is a formidable authoritarian adversary, methodically strengthening its capabilities to steal intellectual property, repress its own people, bully its neighbors, expand its global reach and build influence in American society,” he said during his confirmation hearings.

“For CIA that will mean intensified focus and urgency, continually strengthening its already impressive cadre of China’s specialists, expanding its language skills, aligning personnel and resource allocation for the long haul and employing a whole-of-agency approach to the operational and analytical challenges of this crucial threat,” he said.

Burns was U.S. ambassador to Russia between 2005 and 2008 and was U.S. ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. He retired in 2014 and has been serving as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He will take over at CIA at a time when the Biden administration has said diplomacy will be a cornerstone of its national security strategy.

“America is back. Diplomacy is back. Alliances are back,” Biden wrote in his recent interim national security strategic guidance.

Updated at 6:08 p.m.

Biden to unveil 'skinny' budget proposal next week

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges Dems plan to squeeze GOP over filibuster MORE is set to release a “skinny” budget proposal for fiscal 2022 next week, which will contain top-line spending numbers for defense and domestic discretionary spending, as well as major priorities.

“Our priority is to provide Congress with early information about the President’s discretionary funding priorities, which is what they need to begin the appropriations process,” White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spokesman Rob Friedlander said.

“As is standard during transition years – and given the significant obstruction we faced during the transition – we will be releasing the President’s budget later this spring, which will show how his full agenda of investments and tax reforms fits together in a fiscally and economically responsible plan to address the overlapping crises we face,” he added.

The budget proposal will be the opening bid in a months-long process for Congress to approve some $1.4 trillion to fund the government in the fiscal year that starts in October, covering everything from defense to education to health to foreign policy.

While incoming administrations often miss the February deadline for submitting their budget proposals, previous administrations have released proposals by mid-March.

Biden’s original nominee to head the budget office, Neera TandenNeera TandenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Duckworth drops threat to oppose Biden picks over diversity concerns Duckworth, Hirono vow to oppose Biden picks over diversity concerns MORE, removed herself from consideration after it became clear that she lacked the votes to be confirmed over a history of mean Tweets toward political opponents.

Biden has yet to name a replacement, but is set to appoint incoming Deputy OMB Director Shalanda Young as the acting director in the interim. Young was confirmed earlier Tuesday, and has the support of top House Democrats to fill the role.

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The administration was also focused on quickly passing the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package signed into law earlier this month.

Republicans have hammered Biden for the delay.

“What does not seem to be a priority for the President is being transparent with the American people about what all of this will cost and how he plans to budget for it,” House Budget Committee ranking member Jason SmithJason Thomas SmithBiden to unveil ‘skinny’ budget proposal next week Former Missouri GOP Gov. Eric Greitens launches Senate bid Ambitious House lawmakers look for promotions MORE (R-Mo.) said last week.

“Rather than being left in the dark, American families deserve to know how high the Biden administration will raise their taxes or how much it will borrow against the country’s future in pursuit of its agenda,” he added.

Hillicon Valley: John Matze takes on Parler | Prince Harry heads to Silicon Valley | YouTube leaves up Boulder shooting video

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking HERE.

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

Departed co-founder John Matze is suing the right-wing social media site Parler over his dismissal earlier this year, arguing that GOP megadonor Rebekah Mercer conspired against him. Prince HarryPrince HarryPrince Harry to be named chief impact officer at BetterUp UK royal family considers appointing diversity czar Prince Harry pens personal note in children’s bereavement book: ‘I know how you feel’ MORE is joining a Sillicon Valley start-up. And YouTube made a controversial call about footage from the Boulder shooting.

MATZE v. PARLER: Parler co-founder John Matze has sued the social media platform over his firing earlier this year.

Matze filed suit on Monday in a Nevada state court, according to a copy of the complaint published by The Las Vegas Sun.

The former Parler CEO accuses co-owner and GOP megadonor Rebekah Mercer of conspiring to dismiss him for “endeavoring to preserve Parler’s commitment to free expression while combatting any misuse by violent extremists and domestic terrorists in the wake of the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol.”

Fox News reported in early February that Matze was dismissed by Mercer, a benefactor to Breitbart News, and Steve BannonStephen (Steve) Kevin BannonHillicon Valley: John Matze takes on Parler | Prince Harry heads to Silicon Valley | YouTube leaves up Boulder shooting video Parler co-founder sues company over his firing Dershowitz advising MyPillow CEO’s lawyers in Dominion case MORE, a campaign and White House adviser for former President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges Online harassment is ugly and routine for women in journalism MORE.

Internal dispute: The suit alleges that Mercer ignored Matze’s proposals for moderation policies that would have booted extremist content while preserving free speech. Instead, she and now-interim CEO Mark Meckler allegedly sought to turn Parler into a media outlet that would be the “tip of the spear” for conservatism.

After the Jan. 6 riots, Parler was booted from several platforms including Apple and Google’s app stores, as well as Amazon’s web hosting service, over its failing to moderate extremist content on the platform.

PRINCE OF START-UPS: Prince Harry will be joining the Silicon Valley startup BetterUp as its chief impact officer, the company announced on Tuesday.

BetterUp is a career and life coaching platform.

The Duke of SussexPrince HarryUK royal family considers appointing diversity czar Prince Harry pens personal note in children’s bereavement book: ‘I know how you feel’ UK tabloid paid private investigator K for info on Meghan Markle: report MORE wrote in a blog post on Tuesday that his goal is to “lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations.”

YOUTUBE MAKES BOULDER CALL: YouTube says it’s leaving up a live-streamed video of Monday’s shooting in Boulder, Colo., which left ten people dead, including a police officer.

The company said it is adding a warning to the footage, which was captured by a self-described citizen journalist who live-streamed the shooting for three hours.

YouTube’s stance: “Following yesterday’s tragic shooting, bystander videos of the incident were detected by our teams,” YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez told The Hill in a statement. “Violent content intended to shock or disgust viewers and hate speech are not allowed on YouTube, and as a result we have removed a number of videos for violating our policies.”

“We do allow certain violent or graphic content with sufficient news or documentary context, and so we’ve applied an age restriction to this particular content. We will continue to monitor this rapidly changing situation,” Hernandez said.

Dean Schiller began livestreaming at around 2:45 p.m. local time on Monday after he heard the first shots at the King Soopers grocery store, Vice News reported. The video was uploaded to the channel ZFG Videography.

FACEBOOK CHECK: A nonprofit found that 267 Facebook pages and groups spread material glorifying violence ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Avaaz, a group focused on misinformation, said in a report on March 18 that it found “267 pages and groups – in addition to ‘Stop the Steal’ groups – with a combined following of 32 million, spreading violence-glorifying content in the heat of the 2020 election.”

They believe that 118 of those groups had “clear violations” of Facebook’s policies.

Facebook responded to the report saying that of the 118 pages that Avaaz believes clearly violated the social media giant’s policies, only 18 groups actually had clear policy violations.

CRYPTO(-IC) WARNING: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Monday warned of the risks associated with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, in part because of their high volatility.

“They’re highly volatile, see Bitcoin, and therefore not really useful as a store of value and they’re not backed by anything,” Powell said during a digital panel discussion hosted by the Bank of International Settlements.

Casting doubt: He added that crypto assets are more used for “speculation,” rather than a “means of payment.”

“They’re more of an asset for speculation, so they’re also not particularly in use as a means of payment. It’s more a speculative asset that’s essentially a substitute for gold, rather than for the dollar,” he said.

Powell also addressed the potential for the Federal Reserve to institute its own central bank digital coin. He said the Fed is “exploring” the issue, but that it is “not in a mode of trying to make a decision at this point.”

OATH KEEPERS AT RISK: The Department of Justice is eyeing charging members of the Oath Keepers militia group with sedition for their alleged role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, The New York Times reported on Monday.

Law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told the Times that authorities have been mulling whether to file sedition charges for weeks, accusing the militia group’s members of conspiring to overthrow the government.

Rare charges: Newly sworn-in Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges 18 attorneys general call on Garland to close ghost gun loophole MORE is expected to have the final decision over whether prosecutors would move forward with such charges, which the department has not successfully argued for in more than two decades, the Times noted.

Oath Keepers members Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins and Donovan Crowl have all been indicted on conspiring to obstruct the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote that confirmed President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden leans heavily into gun control Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges Dems plan to squeeze GOP over filibuster MORE’s election win.

What’s next: Justice Department senior officials have been given evidence on the three charged individuals and have examined whether a sedition charge could be pursued. But prosecutors have not yet provided a formal prosecution memo or a draft of an indictment, one official told the newspaper.

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GOP picks fight over states' rights in coronavirus relief

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Republicans are aiming to stir up a legal battle over Biden’s pandemic relief bill, targeting a provision in the American Rescue Plan they say is an unconstitutional infringement on states’ ability to devise their own tax policies.

A provision in the bill that forbids states from using billions in aid to offset any tax cuts they might implement has sparked a backlash from Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general. Their criticisms could lay the groundwork for a court battle over states’ rights and government overreach akin to the Supreme Court case over the fate of ObamaCare.

This time, the GOP appears to be framing the issue as the Biden administration getting in the way of state and local leaders cutting taxes for their own residents.

On Tuesday, a group of 21 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to the Treasury Department threatening legal action if the administration intends to prevent states from cutting taxes.

“This language could be read to deny States the ability to cut taxes in any manner whatsoever – even if they would have provided such tax relief with or without the prospect of COVID-19 relief funds,” the letter reads.

“Absent a more sensible interpretation from your department, this provision would amount to an unprecedented and unconstitutional intrusion on the separate sovereignty of the State through federal usurpation of essentially one half of the State’s fiscal ledgers. Indeed, such federal usurpation of state tax policy would represent the greatest attempted invasion of state sovereignty by Congress in the history of our Republic,” they wrote.

Another Republican state attorney general, Dave Yost of Ohio, went a step further this week, filing a federal lawsuit against the administration and asking a judge to declare the provision unconstitutional, arguing that it would effectively prevent the state from implementing any tax cuts.

“The Tax Mandate thus gives the States a choice: they can have either the badly needed federal funds or their sovereign authority to set state tax policy,” Yost’s office said in the court filing. “But they cannot have both. In our current economic crisis, that is no choice at all.”

The moves could potentially set up one of the Biden administration’s first major court battles over the new president’s policy agenda.

The Biden administration has so far stood by the provision, saying conditions on federal money to states is not unusual.

“The law does not say that states cannot cut taxes at all, and it does not say that if a state cut taxes, it must pay back all of the federal funding it received,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said this week in response to the Republican attorneys general letter. “It simply instructed them not to use that money to offset net revenues lost if the state chooses to cut taxes. So if a state does cut taxes without replacing that revenue in some other way, then the state must pay back to the federal government pandemic relief funds up to the amount of the lost revenue.”

“In other words, states are free to make policy decisions to cut taxes – they just cannot use the pandemic relief funds to pay for those tax cuts,” the spokesperson added.

The $1.9 trillion relief package has been hailed by progressives for delivering billions of dollars in aid to individuals, families, and state and local governments.

Josh Bivens, the research director at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, said he’s a fan of the bill’s provision against states using the aid for tax cuts, saying that he sees it as lawmakers hoping to avoid a similar situation to the drop in public investment across the country following the Great Recession.

“After 2010 we saw huge disinvestment at the state and local governmental level, just huge declines in spending,” Bivens said. “Education spending was kind of flat on a per-pupil basis for almost a decade. I think we really have sort of a decade of disinvestment to make up. So I would like to see in the next four to five years states use this federal aid and try to make up some of that investment deficit.”

But while the Republicans’ rhetoric about invasions on state sovereignty has prompted some eye-rolling from experts, some legal scholars believe that there may be some merit behind their potential arguments in court.

Mitchell Berman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania law school, says that because the law is open to interpretation, it could be read by the conservative Supreme Court in a way that would impose impermissible conditions or is not sufficiently clear about what is required of the states.

“Given that contracts in general have some vague and ambiguous terms, a court that wants to police federal conditions to the states in a very state-friendly way, will be able to conclude that conditions are insufficiently clear or unambiguous if it wants to,” Berman said. “And will be able to conclude otherwise, if it wants to. There’s enough wiggle room. Given the priors of a majority on this court, what one would be on the lookout for is that it would be hard to eliminate all uncertainty, or all ambiguity — really all vagueness.”

Fights over conditions on federal money to the states are not unusual. In 1987, the Supreme Court established a legal test for such cases when it upheld a federal law that withheld highway funds from states that did not raise their drinking age to 21.

Among other things, the criteria the court laid out is that conditions on federal money must be unambiguous and not coercive. And the condition, the court ruled, cannot be unconstitutional itself.

In 2012, the Supreme Court expanded on what it considers to be coercive conditions when it struck down a portion of the Affordable Care Act that provided states with increased Medicaid funding if they expanded eligibility to meet new federal standards.

Berman said that the decision, known as National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, would put Republican states on “stronger footing” in a court challenge against the relief bill’s tax provision.

But Bivens said that the fight could also backfire against the right, arguing that the kind of public investment that the aid makes possible is popular on a local level, even if Republicans see political advantages in stirring up a fight over whether the administration is getting in the way of lower taxes.

Bivens pointed out that after the Supreme Court’s ruling that made Medicaid expansion optional, the number of states that have refused to opt in has steadily dwindled and provided local Democrats in red states with a formidable campaign issue.

“That seemed like a horrible disaster for people who wanted that law to come out of the gate running,” Bivens said. “As a political issue, my sense is it’s been a pretty good one for Democrats in the states. So I think the whole political fight to remind people that governors are trying to pass on free money just so they can give away tax cuts — that’s one I don’t think Democrats need to be that scared of.”

“I feel like if we lose this fight, we’re really bad at our jobs because I do think once you dig into the specifics, it’s things that are generally popular and well thought of,” he added.

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Shipping through Suez Canal halted after container ship runs aground

March 24, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Shipping at one of the world’s most important waterways was halted on Tuesday after a cargo ship ran aground and reportedly suffered a power outage.

Photos posted on social media showed a large cargo vessel, identified as the Ever Given, stuck sideways in the canal as tugboats and even an excavator worked to free it.

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Shipping company sources told the S&P Global Platts news blog that north- and south-bound traffic in the canal were both halted, likely causing serious delays that will last for days after the canal is reopened.

“A container ship enroute from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ran aground … in the Suez Canal at about 0740 hours local time (0840 GMT) this morning [March 23]. The vessel suffered a blackout while transiting in a northerly direction,” the shipping and logistics company GAC told S&P Global Platts in a statement.

The vessel, sailing under a Panamanian flag, was reportedly bound for the Netherlands from China, according to The Guardian.

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GOP picks fight over states' rights in coronavirus relief

Shipping through Suez Canal halted after container ship runs aground