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GZERO Daily
Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day the last Black slaves in America were emancipated after the end of the Civil War. In the century and a half since, segregation, Jim Crow laws, and other forms of overt discrimination against Blacks have all contributed to a persistent wealth gap between Black and non-Black Americans. Here, we take a look at a few indicators that illustrate the divide.
Watch: “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”This movie, the latest from director Guy Ritchie, is based on a true story (or claims to be, at least). It focuses on a top-secret and rambunctiously unorthodox British combat unit during World War II. In many ways, it felt like the British version of “Inglourious Basterds.” TLDR: It was a lot of fun. Definitely worth seeing in theaters. – John
Listen: Kevin Kaarl. Disappointed by Taylor Swift’s new album? (Come at me, Swifties!) For a singer-songwriter who has yet to burn through their talent satisfying the perverse beast that is the music industry, check out this young man from Chihuahua. His guitar-driven ballads fall somewhere between Julieta Venegas, Death Cab for Cutie, and Willie Nelson, full of sadness and silver linings. – Matt
Tame: a dragon (if you can). The slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin, once said the Kremlin’s decision to empower Ramzan Kadyrov as the strongman of Chechnya was akin to “fostering a baby dragon, which you then have to keep feeding to prevent it from setting everything on fire.” This 2016 profile of Kadyrov by New Yorker writer Joshua Yaffa tells the story of how Kadyrov became “Putin’s Dragon.” With the Kremlin now reportedly scrambling to groom a successor to the terminally ill Kadyrov, Yaffa’s piece remains as timely as ever. – AlexWATCH: “An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th,” a new documentary debuting this week on HBO and Max that revisits the deadliest act of domestic terror committed on US soil. Executive produced by Katie Couric, it examines the influences and ideology that led Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols to bomb a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people including 19 children, and the political extremism that still exists in America today. – Tony Maciulis
Watch:“Civil War” If you read my review on this movie, which imagines what a civil war would look like in the not-too-distant future in the US, then you already know that I had a lot of problems with it. But I still found it very thought-provoking and think it’s worth seeing. It definitely strikes a nerve at a precarious moment for US democracy. – John
Listen: September. Here’s a test. Click this link and see if you can remain completely motionless – every muscle relaxed but still – for the 3 minutes and 35 seconds it takes to listen to this song. Better yet, clear some space and move as you choose. Happy Wednesday. #EW&F -- Willis
Listen: Maggie Rogers’ OG Tiny Desk Concert If you aren’t on the Maggie Rogers train yet, her third album is the stop to hop on at. It's folkier than she’s been in the past, while maintaining her killer lyricism. However, it inspired me to look back at her first visit to NPR. Worth a listen. –RileyTunisian activist Chaimaa Issa gestures during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia January 14, 2023.
Tunisia, once the only Arab Spring success story, is now ruled by President Kais Saied with nearly unchecked authority, intensifying xenophobia, and alleged human rights abuses against migrants.
Over the summer, Tunisia inked a deal with the EU to reduce the flow of migrants through the Mediterranean Sea in exchange for a much-needed $1.1 billion in economic assistance.
The candidates: Saied has thrown the leading opposition figure, Rached Ghannouchi, in prison. The CEO of Tunisia’s national airline, Olfa Hamdi has declared he will run, but will likely join Ghannouchi in prison if he looks like a viable challenger to Saied’s power. If not, his candidacy will be an added layer of authenticity to the otherwise well-choreographed charade of an election expected sometime in the fall.
Where things stand: While Saied’s consolidation of power makes it likely he remains in power, his anti-democratic moves have provoked backlash and protests, especially from young Tunisians. In response, Saied is spurring nationalist sentiment through xenophobic “Great Replacement Theory”-esque rhetoric.
Tunisian authorities are accused of escalating violence against sub-Saharan African migrants, while the EU gives the country an economic lifeline for keeping them away from Europe’s shores.
Supporters of the Kuomintang are gathering in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on January 11, 2024, as Taiwan prepares to vote for its next president on January 13.
Rather than hire a skywriter to remind Taiwan what’s at stake in their Jan. 13 election, China sent four balloons – spy balloons – to show that China looms large over the autonomous island’s election. Beyond cross-strait relations, kitchen table economic concerns and energy policy are key issues.
The candidates: The election has two major candidates with distinct views on China and the US.
Leading in the opinion polls is Taiwan’s current Vice President Lai Ching-te from the Democratic Progressive Party, who wants to strengthen ties to the US. Although Lai does not support Taiwanese independence, China calls him a “separatist” and has suggested his election could risk war.
China's favorite to win, Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih leads the opposition Kuomintang Party. The KMT is advocating for increasing cross-strait relations, while rejecting China’s “one country, two systems” model (as do most Taiwanese, after seeing what happened in Hong Kong). The KMT is capitalizing on China's threat of war to position itself as the safer bet, even blaming the DPP for Taylor Swift skipping Taiwan on her Eras tour.
Where things stand: Final polls show the DPP with a narrow but consistent lead, leading KMT by between 3 and 11 points. But it's still too soon to call it. Taiwan has a plurality voting system, so whichever candidate receives the most votes will become the president, whether or not they achieve a majority.
Election Commission officials count ballots for a parliamentary election at the gymnasium of Dongyang Mirae University in Guro-gu, Seoul, South Korea, April 10, 2024.
The Land of Morning Calm’s midterm elections in April are looking anything but, as the president’s party attempts to narrow – or even overcome – their deficit in the unicameral legislature and get a little more done. President Yoon Seok-yul has seen more than 85% of his administration’s legislative efforts shot down in his first two years in office, given the opposition Democratic Party’s control of the legislature. What’s more, Yoon’s party has become embroiled in multiple scandals – including unusual tiffs over a Dior handbag and the ethnicity of candidate In Yo-han, who was born and raised in South Korea but is Caucasian.
That said, the Democrats’ Lee Jae-myung is hardly free of scandal. He's been on trial for alleged graft for nearly a year. Polls are showing a neck-and-neck race. If the Democrats hold the legislature, expect Yoon to continue focusing on foreign policy, where he has leeway. If the president’s party manages to win a majority, Yoon’s long-stalled domestic priorities could finally see the light of day.
John Steenhuisen leader of South Africa's biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, with Alan Winde, their candidate for Premier in the Western Cape, greets supporters at the political party's Western Cape election manifesto launch in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, April 6, 2024.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that his country will hold a general election on May 29. Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress, is at risk of losing its parliamentary majority after ruling since post-Apartheid elections began in 1994.
The election will be a referendum on the ANC, which has been mired in controversy over record levels of crime, slow economic growth, unemployment, and rolling blackouts. Alongside the election announcement, the ANC bumped up social benefits in an attempt to raise polling numbers.
The ANC’s biggest rival, the Democratic Alliance, is trying to build a coalition of smaller parties to break the ANC's majority. The third biggest party, Economic Freedom Fighters, is not considering joining the opposition coalition and is eating into ANC’s support following its promise to double social benefits if elected.
Right now, opinion polls show ANC approval ratings below 50%. If this translates into votes, it will mean the ANC will have to form the country’s first-ever coalition government to keep Ramaphosa — a political protege of Mandela — as president for a second and final five-year term.