Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for this Senator, South Korea Running out of People...Fast. California's Overtime Laws Will Increase Wildfires(The Five for 05/30/23)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Lots of news today, so let’s dive in.
[one]
Russia has issued an arrest warrant for a member of Congress.
The Associated Press reports:
Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following his comments related to the fighting in Ukraine.
In an edited video of his meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was released by Zelenskyy’s office, Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, noted that “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”
While Graham appeared to have made the remarks in different parts of the conversation, the short video by Ukraine’s presidential office put them next to each other, causing outrage in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented Sunday by saying that “it’s hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.”
The Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal investigation agency, has moved to open a criminal inquiry against Graham, and the Interior Ministry followed up by issuing a warrant for his arrest as indicated Monday by its official record of wanted criminal suspects.
Graham is among more than 200 U.S. members of Congress whom Moscow banned last year from entering Russia.
Graham commented on Twitter, saying that “to know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy.”
This is simply…trolling at the governmental level.
There is a 0% chance Russia can arrest the Senator, and this is simply for clicks.
Even if you question the complexities of the war in Ukraine, Russia is clearly not a “shining city on a hill,” as evidenced by the fact that the accusations against Graham are based on an easily-debunked video says a lot.
In my opinion, we can only come to a full understanding of a conflict after the “fog of war” has lifted, and the facts are sorted out. That normally comes years after the end of an armed conflict.
Is Ukraine as blameless as many of the “I support the Current Thing” crowd claim? I have no idea, but the country has issues with corruption going back decades…that I doubt stopped just because a war started. Where are the hundreds of millions of dollars of aid actually going? Maybe we’ll find out some day.
But no matter what your opinion is on Russia/Ukraine…threatening an American public official over an easily debunked video is beyond the pale.
[two]
South Korea is running out of people.
Despite efforts by the government of South Korea to address its demographic crisis of a rapidly aging society and declining birth rates, the country's fertility rate remains the lowest in the world, with the latest figure standing at 0.78 births per woman. In an attempt to combat this issue, the government has implemented measures to encourage childbirth, but it seems that these efforts have not yet resulted in any significant rebound in the fertility rate. Sumin Yoo has more.
It's been 10 years since South Korea's fertility rate, the number of babies born to a woman in her reproductive years, went down to below 1.1. The latest figure stands at 0.78, and further decline is forecast in the short term, to 0.7, according to Statistics Korea. This couple is preparing to get married next year. One of the primary reasons for making that crucial life decision, was that they were on the same page: to not have kids. This couple's decision, is not solely based on financial concerns.
KISUNG LIM Soon-to-be-married couple "In this cutthroat competitive society, we will have to pay attention to education and I don't know. Is this the kind of environment the baby will be happy to live in?"
High education levels and career opportunities for South Korean females conflict with heavy family duties, also imposing downward pressure on fertility rate.
To decelerate the drop in the fertility rate, the current Yoon administration has drafted a wide-ranging policy.
That includes increasing stipend given to parents with a child of up to 1-year-old to 1 million won ($765) by 2024, providing housing support for the newly-weds, and creating a new visa category to bring in more foreign workers.
According to the analysis by South Korea's National Assembly Budget Office published in January, 76% of the decline in birth was attributed to the decrease in marriages.
Marriage and children (or, lack thereof) is a personal choice. I don’t think the government (or any other organizational structure) should force those things.
However, we’ve never been in a place before in world history where people just…choose not to participate in…marriage and child-rearing at scale.
This is a societal and philosophical problem, not a governmental one. But a government can’t change people’s hearts…can’t make anyone fall in love or want babies…so throwing money at the problem via economic stimulus is the best they’ve got.
It’s too late. The population likely can’t recover for a century.
[three]
The U.S. government is seizing money from convicted January 6th rioters.
Markus Maly, a Virginia man scheduled to be sentenced next month for assaulting police at the Capitol, raised more than $16,000 from an online campaign that described him as a “January 6 P.O.W.” and asked for money for his family. Prosecutors have requested a $16,000-plus fine, noting that Maly had a public defender and did not owe any legal fees.
“He should not be able to use his own notoriety gained in the commission of his crimes to ‘capitalize’ on his participation in the Capitol breach in this way,” a prosecutor wrote in court papers.
So far this year, prosecutors have sought more than $390,000 in fines against at least 21 riot defendants, in amounts ranging from $450 to more than $71,000, according to the AP's tally.
Judges have imposed at least $124,127 in fines against 33 riot defendants this year. In the previous two years, judges ordered more than 100 riot defendants to collectively pay more than $240,000 in fines.
Separately, judges have ordered hundreds of convicted rioters to pay more than $524,000 in restitution to the government to cover more than $2.8 million in damage to the Capitol and other Jan. 6-related expenses.
More rioters facing the most serious charges and longest prison terms are now being sentenced. They tend to also be the prolific fundraisers, which could help explain the recent surge in fines requests.
Earlier this month, the judge who sentenced Nathaniel DeGrave to more than three years in prison also ordered him to pay a $25,000 fine. Prosecutors noted that the Nevada resident “incredibly” raised over $120,000 in GiveSendGo fundraising campaigns that referred to him as “Beijing Biden’s political prisoner” in “America’s Gitmo” — a reference to the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Observations:
A. The government seems to be taking money here, simply because they know the convicted have the money to take.
and…
B. If you think that trend will stop at the January 6th rioters, you don’t know much about civil forteiture abuse in the United States. The ACLU has a good overview, to catch you up.
Remember, the Patriot Act was passed to be used against terrorists, then was utilized against low-level weed dealers and random criminals.
Pandora’s box was opened here, and the consequences may be far reaching.
[four]
The sitting Director of the FBI could be facing jail time.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday threatened a vote to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress.
The warning aims to end a weeks-long standoff between the bureau and House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who issued a subpoena with a final deadline set for May 30 over a document believed to contain allegations of a criminal “bribery” scheme involving President Joe Biden.
“Let me tell Director Christopher Wray right here, right now. If he misses the deadline today, I am prepared to move contempt charges in Congress against him,” McCarthy said during an appearance on Fox News.
“We have jurisdiction over this. He can send us that document,” McCarthy added. “We have the right to look at that, Republicans and Democrats alike in that committee. And if he does not follow through with the law, we will move contempt charges against Wray and the FBI. They are not above the law.”
Although it’s nearly impossible that a punishment will be handed down, contempt of Congress carries a penalty of up to 12 months in jail and a $100,000 fine.
[five]
In a very strange turn of events, California’s new overtime laws could increase wildfires in the state.
Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer.
These voracious herbivores are in high demand to devour weeds and shrubs that have proliferated across California after a drought-busting winter of heavy rain and snow.
“It’s a huge fuel source. If it was left untamed, it can grow very high. And then when the summer dries everything out, it’s perfect fuel for a fire,” said Jason Poupolo, parks superintendent for the city of West Sacramento, where goats grazed on a recent afternoon.
Targeted grazing is part of California’s strategy to reduce wildfire risk because goats can eat a wide variety of vegetation and graze in steep, rocky terrain that’s hard to access. Backers say they’re an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides or weed-whacking machines that are make noise and pollution.
But new state labor regulations are making it more expensive to provide goat-grazing services, and herding companies say the rules threaten to put them out of business. The changes could raise the monthly salary of herders from about $3,730 to $14,000, according to the California Farm Bureau.
Companies typically put about one herder in charge of 400 goats. Many of the herders in California are from Peru and live in employer-provided trailers near grazing sites. Labor advocates say the state should investigate the working and living conditions of goatherders before making changes to the law, especially since the state is funding goat-grazing to reduce wildfire risk.
One thing California is failing to take into account is that the herders’ salaries are actually higher, as housing is incuded.
But there I go again, trying to speak reasonably to the California state government. They’ll probably have to learn this lesson the hard way.
And by “hard” I mean “inferno of fire burning towards civilization.”
Until the next one,
-sth