Ukraine Ends Freedom of Press, Speech, Religion, Iran Releases Oscar Winning Actress From Prison, Investor Who Called 2008 Housing Crash Predicts Recession (The Five for 01/04/23)
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With that being said…let’s dive into the news.
[one]
Despite thunderous applause for Ukranian President Vladimir Zelensky during his Congressional address in December, new details are emerging about the President’s stance against western values, particularly in his moves against freedom of the press, of speech and of religion.
Newsweek reports:
Given that few Americans cared when Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, it's arguable that much of the current sympathy for Ukraine is a result of the country getting mixed up in the effort to impeach former president Donald Trump. For some, support for Ukraine is linked to antipathy for the former president and belief in the myth that the 2016 election was stolen via his collusion with Russia.
Nevertheless, the willingness of much of the world to rally around Zelensky is a natural reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion and the Ukrainians' brave fight to preserve their independence. Combine that with Zelensky's skill at public relations, which has led many to regard any criticism of him or his government as Russian propaganda.
Yet a closer look at life in Zelensky's Ukraine reveals that it is not the paragon of democracy and Western values that everyone seems to think it is. Ukraine is a deeply corrupt country with wealthy oligarchs playing the same role there as they do in Putin's Russia. Using the war as an excuse, Zelensky has banned his political opposition and shut down all media not controlled by his regime.
The latest example of his authoritarian style is even more egregious.
Zelensky's attempt to bar Orthodox churches that answer to the Russian Orthodox Church ought to dispel any notion that Americans are supporting Western values of freedom in this war.
In defense of this outrageous policy, Zelensky's Western apologists have pointed to the fact that among those publicizing the charge are Donald Trump Jr. and Tucker Carlson, whom they regard as Putin sympathizers. They've also denounced the church as a tool of Putin. The discovery of pro-Russia literature in some churches is being proclaimed as proof of treason. Others are dismissing the initial cries of outrage as misinformation. Zelensky hasn't banned the Orthodox Church, his apologists say. Orthodox Christians are free to worship and attend services, but only in approved Ukrainian Orthodox churches that look to religious leaders in Kyiv rather than Moscow.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has spent more supporting Ukraine’s war than we spent on the first five years fighting in Afghanistan.
If the point is just to break Russia’s military in half, I guess the goal is being met. Russia is poorly equipped and poorly trained. Historically, the Eurasian nation is great at defense (nearly impossible to conquer due to spanning eleven time zones), but bad at fighting on foreign soil.
But it’s tough to justify the spending on humanitarian grounds, when the U.S. is ignoring the threat of Azerbaijan being invaded by Turkey, the Tigray tribe being slaughtered in Ethiopia (to the point of genocide) and the Iranian resistance to dictatorship get no help, money or attention…
[two]
Iran’s iron grip on protesters against the regime’s brutal treatment of the citizenry may be slipping a bit, as the dictatorship released a prominent actress after three years in prison.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency said Taraneh Alidoosti, the 38-year-old star of Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning 2016 film, “The Salesman,” was released on bail. Her mother, Nadere Hakimelahi, had earlier said she would be released in a post on Instagram.
After her release from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran on Wednesday, Alidoosti posed with bunches of flowers, surrounded by friends. No further details have been released about her case.
Alidoosti was among several Iranian celebrities to express support for the nationwide protests and criticize the authorities’ violent clampdown on dissent. She had posted at least three messages in support of the protests on Instagram before her account was disabled.
Despite the fact that Iran is inflicting horrid violence and murdering their citizens…the west is largely silent on support.
As is Hollywood, even when one of their own, and an Oscar winner at that, was languishing in an Iranian prison.
[three]
Well…the guy who called the 2008 housing crash has…an unhappy financial update to share.
Investor Michael Burry, who rose to fame when he predicted the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble before the 2008 financial crisis, has warned that the U.S. economy is likely to enter a recession this year.
Burry said on social media that inflation has peaked, but will reach a high point again as part of the same cycle once the economy slows and the U.S. Federal Reserve takes action to stimulate a depressed economy.
Burry, who was portrayed by actor Christian Bale in the movie "The Big Short," said he expects the Fed eventually to cut interest rates to stimulate economic growth, fueling another bout of inflation.
"Inflation peaked. But it is not the last peak of this cycle. We are likely to see [the consumer price index] lower, possibly negative in 2H 2023, and the US in recession by any definition," he said in a tweet Sunday. "Fed will cut and government will stimulate. And we will have another inflation spike. It's not hard."
[four]
New legislation could mean employers are required to post salaries with job postings.
Three state-level laws compelling employers to post salary ranges in job listings took effect on the first day of the new year.
Companies in California, Washington, and Rhode Island now have to provide payment information to prospective employees. Approximately 71% of companies already post pay ranges in notices for open positions, according to an analysis from the job listing platform Indeed.
Senate Bill 1162 in California requires employers to provide “the pay scale for the position in which the employee is currently employed” upon request, while employers with 15 or more workers must offer “the pay scale for a position in any job posting,” according to a summary of the law.
The statute, which will impact Disney, Uber, Apple, and other leading corporations, requires firms to submit a pay data report to the state’s Civil Rights Department that includes “the median and mean hourly rate for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex within each job category.”
[five]
NOTE: If you’ve missed a couple of issues of The Five recently, a quick reminder that the fifth story of every news edition will now feature audio and video focused on current events (just as the Culture & Commentary edition always features audio/video around pop culture).
It’s rare that I point to an actor as a leader in…actually getting things done in the world, but Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher) is the exception to the rule.
Bernthal, who was trained in acting at a theater company in Moscow, has an interesting take on the current war in Europe, and is currently filming a documentary in which a gang leader and police officer go fishing together and discuss solutions for their community in Baltimore.
Honestly, I don’t feel like writing about the weirdness of the House Speaker election, so if you care…YouTube newscaster Tim Pool has a pretty good summary.
Until the next one,
-sth