Good morning.
A looming US rail strike in protest against an absence of paid sick leave – a norm in every other leading democratic country – as well as concerns about pay, staff shortages and time off looks likely to be blocked legally by Congress.
The House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve a bill to block the potentially crippling US rail strike despite a majority of workers rejecting a tentative contract deal in part brokered by the Biden administration.
In the US Senate, Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, announced he would object to fast-tracking Joe Biden’s proposal that Congress impose an industrial settlement, until he can get a roll-call vote on the amendment that would guarantee seven paid sick days for rail workers.
The US president, who built a reputation on being pro-labor, has put himself at loggerheads with the unions after asking Congress to avert a strike.
The economic consequences of a strike. A rail stoppage that could begin as early as 9 December and could cost the US economy about $2bn a day by some estimates, with chaos hitting freight and passenger traffic.
No brakes on the gravy train. As railroad carriers implemented cuts and more grueling scheduling systems, they have reported record profits and paid out $196bn in stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders since 2010.
China’s vice-premier signals shift in Covid stance as some lockdowns eased
One of China’s most senior pandemic response officials has said the country is entering a “new stage and mission” in the latest indication of the government’s changing approach after mass protests against its zero-Covid policy.
“With the decreasing pathogenicity of the Omicron variant, the increasing vaccination rate and the accumulating experience of outbreak control and prevention, China’s pandemic containment faces a new stage and mission,” said Sun Chunlan, China’s vice-premier, according to reports.
It came as several regions including Shanghai began to lift lockdowns despite continuing high case numbers.
At a meeting, Sun said China was also taking a more “humane approach” with its outbreak responses. She did not refer to the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy by name, instead emphasising vaccination and other measures.
Omicron narrative flip. In recent days Chinese officials have begun to emphasise the lower severity of the Omicron strain of Covid-19. Meanwhile, authorities abruptly lifted Covid restrictions in the cities of Guangzhou and Chongqing, where protesters scuffled with police on Tuesday night.
‘People want to live’. Four people in various Chinese cities spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity to share their views on the protests.
Biden urged to threaten Israel weapons halt over far right
Two former senior US diplomats have made a highly unusual call for the Biden administration to cut weapons supplies to Israel if the incoming far-right government uses them to annex Palestinian land, expel Arabs or finally kill off the diminishing possibility of a Palestinian state.
Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel under George W Bush, and Aaron David Miller, a US Middle East peace negotiator during several administrations, have called for what they described as an “unprecedented and controversial” break from the US’s largely unconditional military and diplomatic support for Israel if “the most extreme government in the history of the state” pursues the stated aims of some of its members.
The pair warned against increased use of force against Arabs in the occupied territories and Israel by incoming ministers who have espoused openly racist views, escalating settlement construction, and moves “to build infrastructure for settlers that is designed to foreclose the possibility of a two-state solution”.
Sign of increased sympathy towards Palestinian plight. “Israel should be told that … [the US] will not provide offensive weapons or other assistance for malign Israeli actions in Jerusalem or the occupied territories,” the pair wrote in the Washington Post.
In other news …
Roar footage: Taronga zoo releases video of lions escaping from their Sydney enclosure. The zoo says the investigation into the incident continues with a specialist forensic engineer examining the failure of mesh fencing system.
The US justice department has taken drastic action regarding the crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, that has affected drinking water for its 150,000 residents for several months. It has imposed federal oversight of the failing water system to ensure improvements.
A lawyer for Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, has accused Mohammed bin Salman of engaging in an unprecedented and blatant attempt to “manipulate” the US court system in order to “secure impunity” after allegedly ordering the 2018 murder of the journalist.
The world’s largest volcano oozed rivers of glowing lava yesterday, drawing thousands of awestruck viewers who jammed a Hawaii highway that could soon be covered by the flow after Mauna Loa awoke from its 38-year slumber.
World Cup: Poland squeeze out Mexico as Australia progress
Mexico’s World Cup ended in agonizing fashion yesterday after they beat Saudi Arabia in their final group match but missed out on a place in the knockout stages on goal difference. It was Poland who took their place, squeaking through despite losing 2-0 to Argentina, who could easily have won by four or five goals. In the next round Argentina will face Australia, who only made it to Qatar after beating Peru on penalties in a playoff. France won Australia’s group despite their loss to Tunisia.
Today, Belgium, one of the pre-tournament favorites, must beat 2018 finalists Croatia (10am ET) to guarantee progress after an unexpectedly shaky campaign. Canada play Morocco at the same time but are already out. In the 2pm ET kickoffs, Spain need only a draw against Japan to qualify for the next round, while the winner of Costa Rica v Germany will stand a good chance of progressing.
Elsewhere at the World Cup:
Antonee Robinson won plenty of praise after the geopolitical minefield that was USA v Iran on Tuesday night. As his teammates celebrated, the US defender comforted some of the Iran players, winning plaudits on social media.
In Iran, celebrations broke out among those who believed the country’s government would have used victory over the US as a propaganda tool. One man, 27-year-old Mehran Samak, was shot dead after honking his car horn in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, according to human rights activists.
The US women’s team must have been very happy at their male counterparts’ progress. Under an agreement struck in May and signed in September, the men’s and women’s team share prize money from World Cups equally. The US are guaranteed $13m for reaching the last-16 in Qatar. For context, the US women earned $4m for winning the World Cup in 2019.
Stat of the day: Kanye West is paying $200,000 a month in child support. Where did that number come from?
The goal is to ensure that children affected by divorce are able to carry on with the life that they are used to, said Jacqueline Newman, a managing partner of the New York divorce law firm Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein. “Conceptually speaking, in settlements, you don’t want one rich parent and one poor parent,” she explained. “A settlement should equalize things.”
Given the family’s wealth, that’s hardly a concern, writes Alaina Demopolous. “High-income cases end up being a lifestyle analysis,” Newman said. Parents submit documentation of their kids’ costly experiences – private planes, bodyguards – and those sums end up informing the final child support amount.
Don’t miss this: in Buckingham Palace and outside it, we know what it means when people ask ‘where are you from’
When the journalist Kohinoor Sahota read that Ngozi Fulani, the head of a domestic abuse charity, was questioned where she was from while in Buckingham Palace, she wasn’t surprised. “What did surprise me, however, is how it has become headline news and a sackable offence, as the honorary member of the royal household who asked the question has since apologised and resigned. Dear, oh dear,” she writes.
“Fulani’s story is every person of color’s story. I wish I could say it’s unique. I wish I could say that nobody else has been asked such a thing. But that isn’t the case; if it seems unique it is simply because not all of the people of colour get the chance to tell their story. I have had my own day out at Buckingham Palace, and found it similarly unwelcoming.”
Climate check: from the Amazon to Australia, why is your money funding Earth’s destruction?
The world’s most destructive industries are fiercely protected by governments, writes George Monbiot. “The three sectors that appear to be most responsible for the collapse of ecosystems and erasure of wildlife are fossil fuels, fisheries and farming. In 2021, governments directly subsidised oil and gas production to the tune of $64bn (£53bn), and spent a further $531bn on keeping fossil fuel prices low.
“The latest figures for fisheries, from 2018, suggest that global subsidies for the sector amount to $35bn a year, over 80% of which go to large-scale industrial fishing. Most are paid to ‘enhance capacity’: in other words to help the industry, as marine ecosystems collapse, catch more fish.”
Last thing: Cocaine Bear: the trailer for 2023’s wildest film is everything and more
People know what they want the film to be, writes Stuart Heritage. “The trailer has hinted that it will also be this film. So now Cocaine Bear has to walk it like it talks it. To fulfill the promise of the trailer, it needs to only be a film about a bear on cocaine. There must be no heavy-handed moralizing about the drug trade. There must be minimal realistic depictions of a bear dying from a debilitating drug overdose.
“There should be no subplots whatsoever. I am going to watch Cocaine Bear. I am going to pay for my own ticket. But I swear to god, if I so much as sense any dialogue whatsoever that does not directly discuss what a bear is like when it is on cocaine, I am demanding a refund.”
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