In The News

Automatic Deletes for Chinese Communist Party: CNBC

Sam Shead June 2, 2020
Social media platforms are highly automated, and when errors occur, fixes can take months – unless a high-profile user complains. For months, YouTube’s automated comment filters were set to delete comments containing Chinese phrases, “communist bandit” and “50-cent party” – phrases mostly linked to criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, though the platform deleted positive comments using those...

When America Goes AWOL: Times of India

Nayan Chanda June 1, 2020
The United States, reporting 33 percent of the world’s Covid-19 cases with 4 percent of the population, has stepped back from global leadership. A bungled pandemic response delivered a blow to US moral and intellectual standing. “After having cut off funding for WHO – a critical player in these times – Washington announced it would not join a global effort to find a vaccine for the virus,” writes...

Trump’s "Withdrawal" From WHO: Just Security

Harold Hongju Koh June 1, 2020
Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, another treaty arrangement, in the midst of a pandemic. The Trump administration may be trying to deflect attention from a disastrous pandemic response, yet Harold Koh of Yale Law School focuses on legal issues: Trump, lacking legal authority, did not actually withdraw the US from WHO, and...

Protests Grow Over US Man’s Death: Washington Post

William Booth and Loveday Morris May 31, 2020
When crisis hits a community, some police officers escalate tensions while others show skill in de-escalation. Protests, some peaceful and others violent riots, broke out after four Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd on May 25 for forgery, restraining him next to a police vehicle. With Floyd prone, one officer pressed a knee against the back of his neck for more than 8 minutes....

Breaking Globalization Easier Said Than Done: DW

Mathilda Jordanova-Duda May 30, 2020
Equipment, whether routine appliances or life-saving ventilators, is manufactured with supply strains stretching over multiple countries. Mathilda Jordanova-Duda, writing for Deutsche Welle, describes how the Covid-19 pandemic prompted Boge, a German air-compressor business, to reassess its supply chains, including motors from Asia, piping from Eastern Europe, cooling systems from China and other...

Don't Confuse Schooling With Learning: Rappler

Juan Miguel Luz May 29, 2020
Leaders in the Philippines consider postponing all public and private school classes until a Covid-19 vaccine is available. Experts warn that a vaccine may not be ready until next year, and perhaps never. Educators maintain that putting a pause on learning would create another crisis. “Children must continue learning and if not in traditional schooling, then in some other way,” writes Juan Miguel...

US to Cut Ties with WHO: STAT

Andrew Joseph May 29, 2020
The US president announced that the country will halt funding and withdraw from the World Health Organization. The US is the agency’s largest funder, providing about 15 percent of the budget. “The move has alarmed health experts, who say the decision will undermine efforts to improve the health of people around the world,” writes Andrew Joseph for STAT. “It’s not immediately clear whether the...