AUDIO:

POSSIBLE TOPICS: VOTETEXAS.GOV—Voter Info; REGISTER TO VOTE; APPLY FOR MAIL-IN BALLOT; House bill inspired by Pearland financial troubles aims to allow tax worksheet recalculation for cities; Jersey Village Police Department releases 2022 racial profiling report; Texas General Land Office posts Harris County amendment to Hurricane Harvey plan; Harris County drivers to save at the toll booth with new EZTag reductions; NHCRWA board drops water rates $0.50; HPD alleges Kingwood water plant doctored samples showing sewage had been properly treated; Bipartisan Legislation Reintroduced to Solidify Tribal Trust Agreements; US govt to chip makers: Share profits if you want subsidies; Russia envoy accuses US of fueling Ukraine war with ‘crimes against humanity’ charge; Russia deploys nuclear-armed ships for first time in 30 years, Norway says; Earthquake death toll in Turkey rises above 45,000 – AFAD; After a historic first mission, what does the future hold for this controversial rocket?; More.

Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT FM-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:

1. Live online at KPFT.org (from anywhere in the world!)
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Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwrSlzZC31w

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter Information
   1. It;s time to snail-mail (no emails or faxes) in your application for mail-ballots, IF you qualify TEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com­ – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
   2. Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2022
      1. Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
      2. GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
      3. Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
      4. Montgomery County (TX) Elections
      5. Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
      6. Waller County (TX) Elections
      7. Chambers County (TX) Elections
      8. For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG.   Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
      9. If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
      10. HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting Centers, HARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
          1. Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
          2. A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
          3. Current utility bill
          4. Bank statement
          5. Government check
          6. Paycheck
          7. A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
          8. You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
             1. Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
             2. Sick or disabled;
             3. 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
             4. Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
             5. Make sure you are registered:
             6. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
             7. CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
             8. CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
             9. Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and if eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL NEW MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2023.
   
   1. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking
3. House bill inspired by Pearland financial troubles aims to allow tax worksheet recalculation for cities; By Daniel Weeks | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:50 PM Feb 27, 2023 CST, Updated 3:49 PM Feb 27, 2023 CST
   1. A Texas House bill filed in February aims to allow municipalities to rework already-certified property values after Pearland staff encountered an incorrect tax worksheet that brought the city a $10.3 million deficit. State House Rep. Ed Thompson, R-Pearland, filed the bill Feb. 23 …
   2. Thompson’s Chief of Staff Benjamin Williams said the bill, HB 2714, would allow municipalities to recalculate their property tax worksheets after the rolls have been certified. Tax rolls give information on the value of properties. …
   3. The city eventually received a corrected worksheet from the Brazoria County tax assessor-collector, allowing the city to move forward with next year’s budget process with the correct values.
   4. Thompson said Pearland officials contacted him after discovering the worksheet error to discuss what could be done at a state level to address the issue. He said he hopes the bill can allow cities facing any similar circumstances in the future to “cure” the problem themselves.
   5. MIKE: And so, the continuing saga of Pearland’s tax roll faux pas is now a State problem to fix. This seems to be a case of stuff rolling UP hill. We’ll keep you posted of any further developments in this story.
   6. ANDREW: I’m not so concerned with what body takes steps to stop a screw-up like this from happening again as much as I am how that body tries to resolve the issue. The article doesn’t analyze the text of Representative Thompson’s bill, so I hope to see someone with experience take a look at it soon and give their thoughts on whether it’s a good proposal or could be gamed.
4. Jersey Village Police Department releases 2022 racial profiling report; By Danica Lloyd | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 7:55 AM Feb 24, 2023 CST
   1. Traffic stops by the Jersey Village Police Department in 2022 were disproportionate to the city’s population, which includes 62.5% white residents and 12.7% Black residents. Out of the nearly 7,500 traffic stops conducted last year, about 36% of them were for white drivers, and 36% were for Black drivers.
   2. In compliance with state law, the city of Jersey Village released its 2022 racial profiling report as part of the 27 City Council meeting packet. Traffic stops for Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Alaska Native/American Indian were more consistent with city population statistics, according to the report.
   3. The report clarified [that] more than 13% of traffic stops were conducted along Hwy. 290, a major corridor connecting commuters and residents throughout a larger region of Harris County.
   4. MIKE: You can see a beautiful graphic in this story by clicking “A Flourish chart”.
   5. MIKE: I could read you all the stats in the story, but I’m afraid your eyes would glaze over. Instead, if you are interested, I strongly suggest going to this blog post at thinkwingradio.com and clicking on the full story. You can then decide for yourself whether you want to take the stats in this report at face value, or whether you think they may have been “massaged”. As Mark Twain is credited as saying, there are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, and statistics.
   6. ANDREW: I think this data would have been much more useful had the stops along 290 been filtered out, which I hope they do next time. Despite that, I think the report definitely shows racial bias in the JVPD. In terms of data accuracy, I think the discrepancy between Black residents and stopped Black drivers is too large for data manipulation to affect much. If I were auditing this report, I’d take a closer look at the data for stopped Latine, Asian, and Native drivers, as those differences are much smaller.
5. Texas General Land Office posts Harris County amendment to Hurricane Harvey plan; By Jovanna Aguilar | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 3:58 PM Feb 27, 2023 CST, Updated 3:58 PM Feb 27, 2023 CST
   1. At the request of Harris County, the Texas General Land Office posted an amendment to the Hurricane Harvey State Action Plan for $57.8 million in the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds, according to a Feb. 27 news release.
   2. The GLO is federally required to post this amendment for a 14-day public comment period.
   3. The amendment pertains to funding allocated to Harris County by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the release.
   4. The amendment includes the following changes requested by Harris County:
   5. Harris County Voluntary Buyout Program decreased to $11.79 million
   6. Harris County Mandatory Buyout Program increased to $15.1 million
   7. Harris County Affordable Rental Program supplemental increased to $16.59 million
   8. … Community Impact previously reported $750 million in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds were part of an amendment to the GLO’s state action plan to invest in infrastructure improvement in areas damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
   9. However, after GLO announced both Harris County and the city of Houston were excluded from the list of recipients in a competition for CDBG funds despite having a combined 51% of the population eligible for the grant, changes were requested.
   10. MIKE: When Governor Abbott gave his State if the State speech, did he ever mention that he and other Republicans in State government were basically at war with Harris county — the most populous County in Texas — because it leans Democrat in elections? Did he? No … I didn’t think so. Because a government at war with a segment of its citizenry over political differences is a very Trumpian attitude to take.
   11. ANDREW: I wouldn’t call it Trumpian. I’d call it Republican, or American. I’ve seen politicians from both major parties (and independents) wage war against parts of the populace that didn’t vote for them, whether through underfunding or gerrymandering or a number of other tactics. Unfortunately, sidelining political opponents in a system that is supposed to be neutral is a widespread problem in the US. Hopefully ranked choice voting and other electoral reforms can help combat it. In the meantime, I hope to see lots of supportive public comments on the aforementioned amendment.
   12. MIKE: I think our age difference is showing here. What we’re seeing in the most rightwing states is the difference between rewarding Republican supporters and actually punishing communities that don’t win elections for them. Especially since even those communities have Republican supporters living within them.
   13. MIKE: At least generationally speaking, this is relatively new in US politics. It became particularly common as a symptom of Trump’s vindictiveness.
   14. ANDREW: I think that this case is more “evolution” than “escalation”.
   15. MIKE: Perhaps so.
6. Harris County drivers to save at the toll booth with new EZTag reductions; By Dug Begley, Staff writer | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM | Feb. 1, 2023, Updated: Feb. 1, 2023 12:01 p.m.
   1. Drivers who use Harris County toll roads will see a rollback in their costs, starting this fall.
   2. Harris Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a 10 percent reduction in toll fees for most drivers, establishing a new rate system as the Harris County Toll Road Authority [HCTRA] continues its transition to all-electronic tolling and aims to convince more drivers to get EZTags.
   3. “To give the taxpayers a little discount is a good thing,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said.
   4. The policy changes, announced last week, would drop the price of tolls along the Sam Houston and Westpark tollways, Harris County portions of the Tomball Tollway along Texas 249 and Fort Bend Tollway south of U.S. 90A, Hardy Toll Road and Katy Managed Lanes along Interstate 10.
   5. The new rates would go into effect in September, once HCTRA finalizes the details and then changes all of its internal billing systems to levy the lower prices. Tuesday’s vote marks the first-ever decrease in HCTRA rates, and the first change in tolls since September 2015. …
   6. The policy changes also will allow people to get EZTags for free, ending the practice of HCTRA charging $15 simply to register a vehicle to use the toll roads.
   7. “I think it is vitally important we try to help the underbanked,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.
   8. The savings, however, only will happen on HCTRA-controlled tollways. In recent weeks, tolls increased along the Grand Parkway, portions of the Tomball Tollway outside Harris County — maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation — and toll lanes along Texas 288, which is maintained by the private Blueridge Transportation Group under an agreement with TxDOT.
   9. With the discount, a toll road user’s five-day weekly commute could drop in price by $10 or more each month. Someone who passes through two main lane tolling points along the Sam Houston Tollway, for example, would save 60 cents round-trip each day, or $3 per week.
   10. The discount will apply only to those with EZTags issued by HCTRA. Those paying with another transponder such as TxTag or the transponders issued by the North Texas Tollway Authority will not pay the lower tolls.
   11. Roughly 95 percent of all toll road drivers have a transponder, toll road Executive Director Roberto Treviño said. …
   12. Officials last week defended the plan, saying many struggling families rely on the toll roads and deserve the relief. By lowering rates and making EZTags free, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said, officials are appealing to “those who have historically avoided the system,” many of whom live inside the Sam Houston Tollway.
   13. MIKE: Long-time listeners to this show will know that I have philosophical and social issues with toll roads in general. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to like here.
   14. MIKE: A 10% reduction in tolls may seem small. A potential saving of $3/week in commuting may seem modest. But it does add up in a family budget, per trip and per car.
   15. MIKE: I really like making the EZTags free, instead of charging a registration fee. Tags save the HCTRA money. Now they won’t charge you for the privilege of saving THEM money.
   16. MIKE: There is even help for the underbanked in this new program. Folks can get an EZTag with no credit card or bank account. Run through a toll booth, and arrange to pay the tolls incurred on-line without extra fees. This is a rare consideration given to struggling citizens and should be applauded.
   17. MIKE: There are still some details about pre-funding an EZTAG with a credit card (or not) that are unclear to me. And how does someone without a credit card or bank account pay their tolls? Do they go to a HCTRA store? Pay at a supermarket service desk? Have they worked on this?
   18. But overall, this is one of the best examples in recent local memory of elections having consequences!
   19. MIKE: Do you think that a Republican-dominated Harris County Commissioners Court would have passed this policy? I suggest you draw your own conclusions.
   20. MIKE: BTW, I’ve included some EZTag pricing information. It’s not recent and may change in the coming months as the new plan goes into effect.
   21. REFERENCE: HCTRA Continues Hands-Free Tolling, Published on: April 28, 2020
7. NHCRWA board drops water rates $0.50; By Cassandra Jenkins | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 12:55 PM Feb 28, 2023 CST, Updated 12:55 PM Feb 28, 2023 CST
   1. The North Harris County Regional Water Authority has seen a change in leadership and the lowering of water rates since last fall—two historic moves for the authority.
   2. In the Nov. 8 election, candidates Mark Ramsey, David Barker and Melissa Rowell unseated three long-term incumbents. In early 2023, the new board then voted to lower water rates for the first time in the authority’s 22-year history, effective Feb. 1.
   3. The water authority is tasked with securing a long-term supply of drinking water for the North Houston region, including the Tomball area, according to its website.
   4. Ramsey, the president of the board, said the new board members campaigned to hold water rates constant, but after finding a $30 million surplus in the operating budget in January, the board decided to reduce the rates by an amount it believes is sustainable.
   5. Surface- and groundwater rates were reduced by $0.50 per 1,000 gallons.
   6. “The reserves that were in several different accounts were far higher than what was a reasonable level,” Ramsey said. “We certainly don’t want to run out of money, and we don’t want to go bankrupt, but neither do we need hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. So these rate cuts, in part, are funded by the rates being too high in the past.”
   7. Ramsey said lowering the rates caused a $25 million loss in revenue. However, the reserve budget is still in excess of $300 million, he said.
   8. Before 2023, the NHCRWA website shows water rates steadily increased every two years with the last raise in April 2021. Kelly Fessler, one of two remaining incumbents following November’s election, said the former board was not planning to raise rates this year.
   9. “I believe the former board was on the right track to achieve our mandated surface water conversion, and if they had received the same guidance, it may or may not have reduced the rate,” he said. …
   10. ANDREW: Where would Mike and I be without complicated local politics like this? I think the residents clearly disliked the high taxes before, and reducing them when there is an abnormally large surplus makes some sense, especially because it can help lower-income folks. But having researched these new board members, I’m not sure that when they were elected, they were sure whether they could actually lower the taxes while meeting the board’s obligations. I think Barker and Ramsey in particular were flippant about groundwater subsidence, which we’ve talked about before on the show as a serious issue. I think this new board has good intentions, but I don’t know how well they’ll do in office. But they are in office, so we’ll just have to see what happens.
   11. MIKE: I’m increasingly suspicious of using surpluses for rate reductions instead of service or infrastructure improvements. This is money that will be very hard to get back, even for beneficial uses. And part of my suspicion is rooted in the fact that this seems to have been a non-partisan election, making it much harder to assess political motivations behind policy proposals.
   12. REFERENCE — About the new board members: UPDATE: Barker, Rowell, Ramsey, Fessler earn victories in North Harris County Regional Water Authority board races
8. HPD alleges Kingwood water plant doctored samples showing sewage had been properly treated; By Wesley Gardner | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 2:12 PM Feb 23, 2023 CST, Updated 2:12 PM Feb 23, 2023 CST
   1. The Houston Police Department is alleging officials with Inframark, a third-party contractor operating the Kingwood Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, doctored samples and records to suggest the plant had adequately treated sewage before releasing it into a waterway that feeds into one of the city’s main sources of drinking water, according to a search warrant released Feb. 22. …
   2. [According to Houston Police Sgt. Patrick Morrissey,] “[T]here is probable cause to believe that raw sewage and/or pollutants are being discharged into Bens Branch, a waterway, a direct discharge point into Lake Houston,” Morrissey wrote in an affidavit. “Evidence described herein shows that lab reports and other reports have been falsified to indicate that these discharges were in compliance with State permits and the Texas Water Code, when in fact they were not.”
   3. While investigators said the drinking water taken from Lake Houston is treated at separate plants before it is consumed, officials maintain the sewage entering the Bens Branch waterway would not have passed regulatory standards.
   4. Houston Public Works officials have stressed that the city’s water supply has remained safe to consume. …
   5. The warrant cites several statutes that may have been violated, including a Texas Water Code statute deeming it illegal to discharge pollutants and a separate felony statute deeming it illegal to discharge pollutants knowingly or intentionally. It also cites the Texas Penal Code stating it is illegal to tamper with government records.
   6. MIKE: I collect quotes. I’m not sure a publicly-owned corporation would be immune from this very human sort of “butt-covering’, but there’s one quote that applies very, very often: “Did you know, beginning in the late 19th century, corporations were granted all the rights of the individual, but none of the annoying responsibilities. They lack, almost by design, any kind of moral compass, conscience, or compassion. Basically, corporations are a way to enact sociopathic behavior on a grand scale. In short, they’re what makes this country so damn great.” ~ The Devil (played by Ray Wise), TV Series “REAPER”, Episode 30: “Business Casualty”, Aired May 19, 2009
   7. ANDREW: The difference between corporations and sociopaths is that sociopaths still overwhelmingly see the benefit in respecting others and getting the support of society. Corporations don’t care, because they’ve rigged society to support them regardless. As for this specific story, I’m glad city water is still safe to drink, though we’ve had far too many water scandals in Houston recently. Hopefully this investigation is part of a larger trend of regulators and watchdogs taking a closer look to keep Houston water safe.
9. Bipartisan Legislation Reintroduced to Solidify Tribal Trust Agreements; By Native News Online Staff | YAHOO NEWS via NATIVENEWSONLINE.NET | February 27, 2023
   1. In a bipartisan and bicameral move, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives today reintroduced legislation (HR1208) to amend the Act of June 18, 1934 — known as the Indian Reorganization Act.
   2. This legislation, which has been introduced in every Congress since 2009, would reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes. The legislation further removes the uncertainty and ambiguities inherent within the Carcieri v. Salazar
   3. In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that long-established precedent in Carcieri v. Salazar. In addition to generating expensive litigation for certain tribes, the Carcieri decision caused uncertainty and unequal treatment among federally recognized tribes, operating on existing tribal trust lands.
   4. In 2019, the amended legislation advanced out of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time on a bipartisan vote and did so again in 2021. However, in both years, it died in the Senate.
   5. Monday’s legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). In the House, the legislation was introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-04), a tribal citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, [and] Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04). …
   6. … Cole, co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, said in a statement. “I am proud to reintroduce this important legislation to keep the promises made to tribes, respect their sovereign status and validate the status of tribal lands acquired in trust by the Secretary of Interior. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bill in both chambers and get it to the president’s desk.”
   7. Tester, who serves on the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs, sees the legislation as a means to further economic development in Indian Country.
   8. “It’s critically important to ensure all tribes have equal access to economic development opportunities,” Tester said in a statement. “That’s why my bipartisan bill would overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous Carcieri decision, which created two classes of tribes, and would allow all tribes to take land into trust moving forward. …
   9. MIKE: Clarifying fuzzy law or legal decisions through specific legislation can be a good thing. This sounds like this bill, if it passes the House and Senate, will clarify tribal rights and ownership to land that was otherwise complicated by an earlier Supreme Court decision.
   10. REFERENCE: R.1208 – To amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes. — CONGRESS.GOV
10. US govt to chip makers: Share profits if you want subsidies; Newly released plan requires firms that want subsidies to share future profits with government and provide childcare for employees. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA, REUTERS | Published On 1 Mar 2023
    1. United States President Joe Biden’s administration has said it will require companies winning funds from its $52bn semiconductor manufacturing and research programme to share excess profits and explain how they plan to provide employees with affordable childcare.
    2. The US Commerce Department on Tuesday released plans to begin accepting applications in late June for a $39bn manufacturing subsidy programme. The funding is part of the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last August. The law also creates a 25 percent investment tax credit for building chip plants, estimated to be worth $24bn.
    3. The CHIPS Act plays a central role in the Biden administration’s effort to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. Its success is vital to US ambitions to keep ahead of China in global markets. …
    4. Recipients who receive more than $150m in direct funding “will be required to share with the US government a portion of any cash flows or returns that exceed the applicant’s projections by an agreed-upon threshold”, the department said.
    5. Commerce also expects “upside sharing will only be material in instances where the project significantly exceeds its projected cash flows or returns, and will not exceed 75 percent of the recipient’s direct funding award”.
    6. Democratic Senator Jack Reed praised the profit-sharing plan, saying chips funding is “not a free handout for multi-billion dollar tech companies… There is no downside for companies that participate because they only have to share a portion of future profits if they do exceedingly well”.
    7. The rules also require that companies ensure [that] high-quality and affordable childcare is available at the plant for construction workers and operators. This could include building company childcare centres near construction sites or new plants, paying local childcare providers to add capacity at an affordable cost, or directly subsidising workers’ care costs, the New York Times reported. …
    8. Republican House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas criticised the childcare and revenue-sharing provisions, saying they exceeded the authority granted by the US Congress. He said the Commerce Department was “focusing less on the urgent need for chip production and more on attempting to impose their labour agenda on this critical industry”. …
    9. Applicants must address six program priority areas, including plans to commit to investing in R&D in the US semiconductor industry, such as by building domestic R&D facilities.
    10. Applicants should also “create opportunities for minority-owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses; demonstrate climate and environmental responsibility; invest in their communities by addressing barriers to economic inclusion; and commit to using iron, steel, and construction materials produced in the United States”.
    11. The Semiconductor Industry Association said it was carefully reviewing the funding notice that “lays out the rules of the road for companies to apply for the CHIPS Act’s manufacturing grants”. …
    12. [Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo] also noted that companies winning awards will be required to enter into agreements restricting their ability to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity in foreign countries of concern like China for 10 years after winning funding. They cannot engage in any joint research or licensing efforts with a foreign entity of concern involving sensitive technologies. …
    13. MIKE: My first thought when I read this story is that, while I agree with the goals expressed by the administration, I almost wonder whether companies are almost going to agonize over taking federal money with these kinds of strings attached.
    14. MIKE: My second thought was that Republicans like Frank Lucas have become cartoonishly predictable in their criticisms of Democratic policies. They really should grow mustaches just so they can twirl them while they speak.
    15. ANDREW: My first thought was that this sounds a lot like something I said back in our show from February 8th. “Government support to businesses should come with the condition that a supermajority of their operational expansion happens in the US.” This policy isn’t an exact implementation of that, but it is in a similar spirit.
    16. ANDREW: For example, companies taking these grants have to build research facilities in the US, and buy construction materials from US companies. In other words, they have to commit to contributing to the US economy, and not just take our tax money and run. So I’m gonna take this as vindication!
    17. ANDREW: Although, funnily, the restrictions on expanding operations in other nations is sort of the inverse of my position. Instead of requiring the expansion to be in the US, it just says “don’t expand in our geopolitical rivals” (because of course The Great Game has to be shoehorned in). So I don’t love that.
    18. ANDREW: I think you do make a good point, Mike, that companies may be reluctant to take these grants. But the worst that could happen there is that the US’ semiconductor production capability stays the same, so I don’t think there’s any need to water down the obligations placed on beneficiaries of this policy. I think there’s very little risk, and this is mostly a welcome move.
11. Russia envoy accuses US of fueling Ukraine war with ‘crimes against humanity’ charge; Biden administration is trying to ‘demonize Russia,’ Moscow’s Ambassador to US Anatoly Antonov says. By Leonie Cater | POLITICO.EU | February 19, 2023 5:25 pm CET
    1. Washington is trying to “demonize Russia” and “fuel the Ukrainian crisis” by accusing Moscow of crimes against humanity, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said on Sunday.
    2. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced Saturday that Washington has formally determined that Russia is committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine, in an address at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
    3. In a message on the social media network Telegram, Antonov said: “We consider such insinuations as an attempt, unprecedented in terms of its cynicism, to demonize Russia in the course of a hybrid war, unleashed against us. There is no doubt that the purpose of such attacks is to justify Washington’s own actions to fuel the Ukrainian crisis,” he said.
    4. Harris had said Russia is responsible for a “widespread and systematic attack” against Ukraine’s civilian population, committing war crimes — as the administration formally concludedlast March — and illegal acts against non-combatants. She cited evidence of execution-style killings, rape, torture and forceful deportations. …
    5. ANDREW: I think the truth matters. I think we should strive to know with as much certainty as possible what did and did not happen in war, so that harm can be remedied where possible and prevented in the future. I know that allegations of “crimes against humanity”, both true and untrue, have been weaponized in conflicts before. In this conflict, I have heard allegations leveled at both the Russian and Ukrainian governments, and I find them plausible because I know that there are extremist elements on both sides. For all of these reasons, I want a serious and fair investigation of all allegations of “crimes against humanity” in this invasion. Not for the purpose of “demonizing” either side, but for the benefit of the people harmed and for historical record.
    6. MIKE: FYI, I distinguish a war crime as being committed by individual warriors or units. I consider a crime against humanity to be more the result of a government policy. So, in US history, for example, the excesses of the US Indian Wars were crimes against humanity. The murders at the Vietnamese village of My Lai were a war crime. If Russia is committing crimes against humanity — and there seems to be ample and growing evidence that it is, at least, committing lots of war crimes, possibly as a matter of policy — then demonizing the Russian government and military may be entirely appropriate.
12. Russia deploys nuclear-armed ships for first time in 30 years, Norway says; ‘Tactical nuclear weapons are a particularly serious threat,’ Norwegian intelligence report says. By Wilhelmine Preussen | POLITICO.EU | February 14, 2023 2:04 pm CET
    1. Russia has begun deploying tactical nuclear weapon-armed vessels in the Baltic Sea for the first time in the last 30 years, the Norwegian Intelligence Service said in its annual report.
    2. “The key part of the nuclear potential is on the submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet,” the Norwegian intel noted.
    3. The Northern Fleet warships regularly went to sea with nuclear weapons during the Cold War era, but this is the first time the modern Russian Federation has done the same, the report added.
    4. While Russia also has submarine capabilities, anti-satellite weapons and cyber capabilities that could threaten Norway and the NATO military alliance, tactical nuclear weapons are “a particularly serious threat in several operational scenarios in which NATO countries may be involved,” the report said.
    5. The Norwegian intelligence also noted that an escalation of a localized war into a wider conflict involving the United States, NATO and Norway cannot be ruled out.
    6. The agency assessed that while Russia will maintain, modernize and develop its nuclear arsenal, no significant changes in Russian nuclear doctrine are expected in the coming years.
    7. MIKE: That’s actually the whole article; short and to the point.
    8. MIKE: This is where we all take a deep, calming breath. As the article points out, this is not the first time Russian ships have carried nukes. And the US has done the same. Even now, US subs carry nuclear-armed missiles with MIRVs (Multiple Independently-targeted Re-entry Vehicles). These US subs alone could probably destroy Russia.
    9. MIKE: What makes this new information a bit unnerving is that Putin has done some unprecedented nuclear saber-rattling. This doesn’t change Russian nuclear doctrine, though. More like, it emphasizes it.
    10. ANDREW: The problem with a doctrine of strength is it only works when your opponent gets intimidated and caves. If everybody is using a doctrine of strength, nobody wants to look weak, so nobody caves, so the pressure builds and builds. I really hope we get at least one new world leader who can look up from the death spiral for a bit. Ideally, sometime before the big red button gets pushed in a fit of rage.
13. Earthquake death toll in Turkey rises above 45,000 – AFAD; Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Robert Birsel | REUTERS | February 28, 2023, 11:20 PM CST, Last Updated 3 hours ago
    1. The death toll in Turkey from last month’s devastating earthquake has risen to 45,089, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Wednesday, bringing the total toll including Syria to about 51,000. …
    2. President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year but it will be many months before thousands can leave tents or container housing, and daily queues for food, and move into permanent housing. …
    3. More than 160,000 Turkish buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the disaster, the worst in the country’s modern history. …
    4. Some two million people were registered as having fled the region, which has been hit by more than 11,000 aftershocks since the initial quake, AFAD said in a statement. …
    5. Videos show Turkey’s Erdogan boasted letting builders avoid earthquake codes; By Peter Kenyon | NPR.ORG | February 13, 2023, 2:10 PM ET — As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan struggles to defend his response to last Monday’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, videos from a few years back have emerged showing him hailing some of the housing projects that crumbled, killing thousands of people. Critics say contractors were allowed to skip crucial safety regulations, increasing their profits but putting residents at risk. …
    6. MIKE: There’s a lesson here for conservatives, libertarians and greedy business people who complain about building codes making housing too expensive. The lesson is that some affordable housing is only affordable until it kills you.
    7. MIKE: Well-written and thoughtful government regulation — what I call “right-regulating — is a good thing. The devil is always in the details, but more often than not it can be life-saving and protect you from unnecessary dangers at work and at home.
14. After a historic first mission, what does the future hold for this controversial rocket?; By Jackie Wattles | CNN | Published 2:08 PM EST, Fri January 20, 2023
    1. … There have been numerous delays with the development of the rocket at the center of the Artemis I mission: NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever flown — and one of the most controversial. The towering launch vehicle was originally expected to take flight in 2016. And the decade-plus that the rocket was in development sparked years of blistering criticism targeted toward the space agency and Boeing, which holds the primary contract for the SLS rocket’s core. …
    2. In various op-eds, the rocket has also been deemed “the result of unfortunate compromises and unholy politics,” a “colossal waste of money” and an “irredeemable mistake.”
    3. Despite all the heated debate that has followed SLS, by all accounts, the rocket is here to stay. And officials at NASA and Boeing said its first launch two months ago was practically flawless. …
    4. Many have questioned why SLS needs to exist at all. …
    5. The bottom line is there’s nothing else like the SLS because it was built from the ground up to be human rated. …
    6. The SLS rocket ended up flying its first launch more than six years later than originally intended. NASA had allocated $6.2 billion to the SLS program as of 2018, but that price tag more than tripled to $23 billion as of 2022, according to an analysis by the Planetary Society. …
    7. [Boeing SLS program manager John Shannon] acknowledged in an interview that Boeing and SLS have faced loud detractors, but he said that the value of the drawn out development and testing program would become evident as SLS flies. …
    8. [Boeing’s Shannon said,] “… You see a vehicle that is not just visually spectacular, but its performance was spectacular. And it really put us on the road to be able to do lunar exploration again, which is something that’s very important in this country.” …
    9. But the rocket is still facing criticism. During a Congressional hearing with the House’s Science, Space, and Technology Committee in March 2022, NASA’s Inspector General said that current cost estimates for SLS were “unsustainable,” gauging that the space agency will have spent $93 billion on the Artemis program from 2012 through September 2025. …
    10. In a December 7 statement to CNN, Boeing once again defended SLS and its price point [, saying in part]: “When adjusted for inflation, NASA has developed SLS for a quarter of the cost of the Saturn V and half the cost of the Space Shuttle,” the statement noted. …
    11. Now that the Artemis I mission has returned safely home, NASA and Boeing can turn to preparing more of the gargantuan SLS rockets to launch even loftier missions. …
    12. Shannon, the Boeing SLS program manager, told CNN that construction of the next two SLS rocket cores is well underway, with the booster for Artemis II on track to be finished in April — more than a year before the mission is scheduled to take off. All of the “major components” for a third SLS rocket are also completed, Shannon added.
    13. For the third SLS core and beyond, Boeing is also moving final assembly to new facilities Florida, freeing up space at its manufacturing facilities to increase production, which may help drive down costs. …
    14. ANDREW: The killer point against all criticism of SLS financially continues to be that it’s costing a quarter of what Saturn V did after inflation. All other critiques are of aspects of the program that can (and will) be addressed and improved. The cost is much harder to improve, but I really don’t think it needs to be improved.
    15. ANDREW: I also am critical of the “public-private partnership” outlook thrust upon NASA, but I’ll go to bat for it if the alternative is SpaceX. Even if it means contracting with SpaceX, so long as the missions are still NASA, and the astronauts answer to the public rather than shareholders, I’ll be… well, I’ll accept it.
        The risks of space travel are already great under eternal political pressure to do more with less. Private pressure to do everything with nothing would result in a lot of failed launches, and if a private rocket did get off the ground, do you want the first humans to meet alien species working for you, or for your boss? I know my preference.

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