Too Much Packed News In The Lower Decks
Here are a bunch of funny memes to mark our times on the 39th week of 2023 featuring source material from Star Trek Lower Decks and Hailey’s On It!
Author’s Note: New show to meme! Surprise! I’m into Lower Decks although I am not a Star Trek fan, so get ready for some show meme inspiration infighting for the next few weeks.
Plus this article will be too long for email due to the tsunami of memeable news this week offers, so I recommend you view the full article on the Substack web page or click on "View entire message" and view the entire post in your email app.
Also, a shoutout to the new subscribers/classmate friends, welcome everyone and I hope you enjoy my content!
Headline Story - Zelensky Revisits Washington
During UN General Assembly week, Ukraine’s President visited Washington as Congress debates on giving more aid to Ukraine amidst rumors of a government shutdown. Zelensky visited the UN and the White House, the Pentagon, and Capitol Hill to gain more support for funding the country’s counteroffensive against Russia as there is waning support from the Republican party on giving more aid (On the same week, Poland, a staunch ally of Ukraine, stopped weapons from being supplied to the wartorn country to preserve weapons for themselves). In the UN, things turned rather awkward as Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov also had a seat at the table, making a face-to-face encounter between the invaded country’s president and the invader’s foreign minister likely and ironic.
During Zelensky’s UN general assembly speech on Tuesday, he called the invasion “clearly a genocide” and “evil can’t be trusted” as Biden vowed his continued support of Ukraine’s efforts in his own speech, while Olaf Scholz warned of sham solutions to the war. The next day, Zelensky spoke at the UN Security Council meeting and criticized the veto power of Russia before presenting his ten-point plan to end the war.
Before Zelensky’s Washington visit on Thursday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy planned to confront the Ukrainian president on US aid and a plan to victory in a private meeting but not hold a House forum for him or allow him to give an address to Congress. During his trip in Washington, President Biden met Zelensky in the White House, seeking a “battlefield perspective” and announced an additional $325 million in aid. This comes admist WSJ reports that House GOP lawmakers opposing more Ukraine aid.
Headline Story - Canada’s Spat With India
Canada’s Justin Trudeau sparked outrage in India and shock around the world as he alleged the Indian government of being involved in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a leader in the Khalistan Sikh separatist movement who was shot dead outside of a temple on June 18. The Indian government strongly denied the allegations, and both countries expelled each other’s ambassadors while India took the extra step of suspending visa services in Canada.
Canada’s Western allies hesitate to respond, as India is a leader of the “global south” and countries like the US are trying to build ties to woo the world’s most populous country into supporting their moves in Ukraine and against China.
If Trudeau’s allegations are true, this makes India join a rare and bloody club of countries that assassinate political opponents abroad, the other two are Russia and Saudi Arabia. Speaking of the Saudis, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman tells Fox News the country’s path to Israel Normalization is getting closer, while President Biden is planning to sign a Saudi mutual defense pact with the regime, a controversial move given his previous comments condemning the Arab nation.
Headline Story - Rupert Murdoch Stands Down
On Thursday (September 21), the infamous media mogul Rupert Murdoch stood down as chairman of the Fox Corporation and News Corp after 70 years, leaving his son Lachlan as the sole chairman of both companies. Rupert’s legacy is intertwined with Fox News, which became the most-watched cable news channel in the US and famous for spreading and hosting Republican talking points and lies, News Corp on the other hand is famous for owning the Wall Street Journal, among other media brands in the UK (like The Sun newspaper) and Australia.
The story comes as journalist Michael Wolff, famous for his previous reporting on the Murdoch empire and Trump’s presidency, is preparing to release a new book on the decline of Fox and Murdoch’s influence. One excerpt on how Murdoch fired Tucker Carlson was published in New York Magazine, which you can read here.
In a memo to Fox employees, the 92-year-old Murdoch announced plans to become chairman emeritus at both companies.
Side Story - Indicting Hunter Biden
On Thursday (September 14), Hunter Biden was indicted on federal charges after a plea deal that could have prevented a criminal trial broke down during the summer. As the AP reports, Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction to crack cocaine. Legal experts say most people who have committed similar crimes as Hunter did don’t go to trial and it’s constitutional, but regardless of the charge being targeted due to the status as the son of a president, the indictment is on top of other investigations by the GOP House and a special counsel to his business dealings.
As for Joe Biden, he is facing mounting challenges from all sides, not only are the Hunter indictments a new thorn, McCarthy’s impeachment investigation and a potential government shutdown all pose political threats to his re-election bid.
Side Story - Social Media Changes
Over the weekend, the Financial Times reported Meta, the company that owns Facebook, is considering putting advertisements on WhatsApp to boost revenue. WhatsApp head wrote on X denying the move but ahead of original reporting the company did not dispute the discussion of the idea. Some in WhatsApp fear such a move can alienate users, a lesson clearly not learned by Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) now under scrutiny over his perks by the US Justice Department, and is planning to test his Neuralink brain implants on human patients next week. During an interview with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk announced the social media site could be set up behind a paywall and charge users subscription fees, a move that garnered much discontent online. On an unrelated note during Musk’s global leaders meeting trip, check out this awkward moment between him and Erdogan as he brings his son to the meeting.
Side Story - Hong Kong Incentives
This week, Hong Kong announced its launch of the Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign, hoping to boost the city’s nightlife economy. The campaign is estimated to cost the city $100 million with visitors treated with dinner vouchers and different organizations treating citizens and tourists alike to special activities and events. Furthermore, in celebration of National Day, Chief Executive John Lee unveiled celebration efforts like half-price film tickets and dining discounts for more than 1,000 restaurants. However, not all Hong Kongers want to celebrate and spend money in the city, many have been traveling to neighboring Shenzhen for cheaper shopping and dining, which can cause a headache for the city struggling to boost the economy through tourism.
Other Memeified News
Quick Reads
Reuters: Trump's trial on Georgia election trials won't begin in October, judge rules | Reuters
BBC: Libya floods: A barren wasteland with a lingering smell of death - BBC News
WSJ: How a Squiggly Line on a Map Got ‘Barbie’ Banned in Vietnam
SCMP: How a Hong Kong student's virtual business exposed sex assault cases at university camps
CNN: Protests erupt in Iran, one year after Mahsa Amini's death | CNN
DW: California accuses oil giants downplaying climate risks – DW – 09/16/2023
The Guardian: Reanimated spiders and smart toilets triumph at Ig Nobel prizes
Washington Post: Justice Dept. asks court for 'narrow' restrictions on Trump's statements
NYT: Iran Releases 5 Americans as U.S. Unfreezes Billions in Oil Revenue for Tehran - The New York Times
The New Yorker: Hasan Minhaj’s “Emotional Truths” | The New Yorker
Washington Post: Merrick Garland faced fire from Republicans on Hunter Biden, Trump
BBC: Azerbaijan halts Karabakh offensive after ceasefire deal with Armenian separatists - BBC News
NPR: Biden is unveiling the American Climate Corps, a program with echoes of the New Deal
Nikkei Asia: Singapore replaces Hong Kong as world's freest economy - Nikkei Asia
The Guardian: George RR Martin and John Grisham among group of authors suing OpenAI | Books | The Guardian
Wired: The Gruesome Story of How Neuralink’s Monkeys Actually Died | WIRED
The Atlantic: The Patriot: How Mark Milley Held the Line - The Atlantic
The Atlantic: What Mitt Romney Saw in the Senate - The Atlantic
Keith Olbermann: "TRUMP WROTE MY TO-DO LISTS ON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS" - 9.19.23 - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - Omny.fm
The Times UK: Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse