Challenges facing ma

Progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner has defeated incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader (D) in Oregon’s fifth congressional district, according to the Associated Press, kicking one of Congress’ most moderate Democrats to the curb. The two candidates were forced to wait more than a week for the results of the May 17 primary, in part caused by ballot-counting delays in Clackamas County, one of the state’s most populous. The state is also navigating a new vote-by-mail provision that allows returned ballots to be postmarked as late as Election Day , meaning ballots could continue to arrive and shift the totals over the next few days. Schrader and McLeod-Skinner’s matchup followed a year of tribulation between moderates and progressives in Congress during talks on passing the party’s signature social spending bill, the Build Back Better Act. Schrader was a member of the so-called “unbreakable nine” group of House members that said they would refuse to vote in favor of the Build Back … [Read more...] about Moderate Dem Congressman Loses to Progressive Challenger in Oregon

The onset of the major techlash has left China watchers guessing as to what is the overarching reason for the consecutive measures taken by the Communist Party of China (CPC). However, most of them speculated that it is a part of Beijing’s plan to assimilate Big Tech into the CPC-led “Chinese Dream”, which includes financial stability, ideological stance, geopolitics, and social challenges. Fintech business was already under the radar of central authorities when the Ant Group filed its initial public offering (IPO) in October 2020. But Ant set the bells ringing when it attracted $3 trillion of retail investor bids, equivalent to the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom. News Asia reported that the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had initially approved Ant’s IPO application, but it ostensibly came under scrutiny after its founder, Jack Ma, overtly criticised the global banking standards and the Chinese regulatory system on the eve of the dual listing of his … [Read more...] about China’s Big Tech Crackdown Means No Firm is Bigger Than Govt – The Largest Data Processor

A primary race in Texas' 28th congressional district may prove to be a fight for the future of the Democratic Party as a sitting congressman backed by senior members of the party faces off against an insurgent progressive. Representative Henry Cuellar is the only anti-abortion Democrat in the House of Representatives and he's facing a tough challenge from immigrant rights attorney Jessica Cisneros, who has made Cuellar's views on abortion an election issue. The primary runoff election takes place on Tuesday after Cuellar failed to win enough support to win the nomination on March 2, when less than 1,000 votes separated him from Cisneros. Tuesday's contest may be seen as a test both of the power of the Democratic establishment and the importance of abortion as an issue in the primaries and the upcoming midterm elections. Cuellar enjoys the support of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , who has continued to publicly back the congressman despite his views on abortion and … [Read more...] about Jessica Cisneros vs Henry Cuellar is fight for future of Democratic Party

Protecting the Chinese state leader and his entourage from terrorist attacks and Covid-19 infection are among the challenges law enforcement agencies will face during the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, the security minister has revealed. Hong Kong would mobilise all law enforcement agencies for the July 1 handover commemoration, which coincided with the swearing-in of John Lee Ka-chiu as the new chief executive, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the Post , adding that police had also upgraded their equipment. Though it remained unclear whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would lead the central government’s delegation to Hong Kong for the event as he did five years ago, Tang said preparations were in full swing to ensure guests’ safety. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, … [Read more...] about Hong Kong to ramp up security for handover anniversary, guard against ‘new threats’ including Covid-19, ‘home-grown terrorism’

Chinese entertainment companies heavily edited the Friends sitcom reunion special airing on Thursday to remove entertainers offensive to the Communist Party, such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and the South Korean boy band BTS. Also missing from the final product, which aired in the United States via HBO Max, were all scenes featuring LGBT people or mentioning homosexuality in any way and “a seemingly innocuous classic scene in which Monica recounts how Chandler and Joey helped her overcome a severe jellyfish sting by peeing on her,” according to the American magazine Variety . The censorship follows the removal of seven of the largest BTS fan pages previously available on Weibo, China’s largest social media outlet, on the eve of the release of their latest single, “Butter.” China has also invested in the past year in the development of a rival boy band to diminish the outstanding commercial success of the South Korean act. The Communist Party has banned both Bieber and … [Read more...] about China Censors BTS, Justin Bieber Out of Friends Reunion

The Clash’s song “White Riot” would be a fitting musical accompaniment to the on-going yellow vests insurrection against French president Emmanuel Macron’s government. During weeks of disturbances, there has barely been a brown or black face in sight. This absence is particularly notable in major cities such as Paris, where vast suburban communities habitually blamed for all social ills have shown next to no interest in joining. Everybody, from the casseurs – a French word for those who go out to destroy property – to thugs fighting the police, has been overwhelmingly fair-skinned. Typically, reactionary commentators and other bigots who like to dwell on a mythical “enemy within” are very disappointed by this. When the Arc de Triomphe itself was ransacked by a mob just before Christmas, there was an outcry, especially when a statue of Marianne – the female personification of the French Republic – had her marble face smashed in. Neo-nazis obsessed with the Third … [Read more...] about The success of yellow vest protesters in France hinges on their whiteness – and this is why