by Kristopher Seals
UNITED STATES: NRA in the Crosshairs
On Aug. 6, New York Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest and most influential pro-gun organization in the nation. Attorney General James charges the organization with illegal conduct because of their diversion of millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty.
The suit specifically charges the NRA as a whole, as well as Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former Chief of Staff and the Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer with failing to manage the NRA’s funds and failing to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA.
In the complaint, Attorney General James lays out dozens of examples where the four individual defendants failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel. In addition to shuttering the NRA’s doors, Attorney General James seeks to recoup millions in lost assets and to stop the four individual defendants from serving on the board of any not-for-profit charitable organization in the state of New York again.
“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said Attorney General James. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”
Since 1871, the NRA has operated as a New York-registered 501(c)(4) not-for-profit, charitable corporation. Under NY state law not-for-profit, charitable corporations are required to register and file annual financial reports with the Charities Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The assets are required to be used in a way that serves the interests of NRA membership and that advance the organization’s charitable mission. However, as the complaint lays out, the NRA is alleged to have fostered a culture of noncompliance and disregard for internal controls that led to the waste and loss of millions in assets and contributed to the NRA reaching its current deteriorated financial state.
Upon hearing the news while speaking with the media, President Trump replied, “That’s a very terrible thing that just happened. I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life.”
ASIA: “TikTok On The Clock…”
Remember that old Kesha song “Tik Tok” … – well, it has become literal for one company.
On Aug. 6, President Donald Trump signed an order requiring the social media company to be sold within 45 days. The reason – its Chinese ownership status. It has been alleged that the company is a security risk due to questionable Chinese governmental practices, and the Trump Administration is seeking to end that risk.
Here now is the Order: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
“I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019 (Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain). Specifically, the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok.
“TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., has reportedly been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and over one billion times globally. TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information – potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.
“TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. This mobile application may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, such as when TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
These risks are real. The Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Armed Forces have already banned the use of TikTok on Federal Government phones. The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country; in a statement, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were ‘stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.’ American companies and organizations have begun banning TikTok on their devices. The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.”
MIDDLE EAST: Beirut Support Effort Continues
The United Nations has said that it is “actively assisting” in the response to the horrific explosions that ripped through the port area of Beirut on Aug. 4, reportedly leaving dozens dead and thousands wounded, among them some UN naval peacekeepers.
The World Food Program (WFP) is racing to prevent food shortages in Lebanon as the country continues to reel from the triple shock of the devastating blast in Beirut, economic meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking in the capital on Aug. 12, agency chief David Beasley announced that WFP will deliver 17,500 metric tons of wheat flour and a three-month supply of wheat to help replenish food reserves.
The first wheat flour shipment is expected to arrive within the next 10 days.
“It is hard to comprehend the sheer scale of the destruction caused by the explosion until you have seen it for yourself. I am heartbroken,” Mr. Beasley said after spending three days in Lebanon.
“Today, because of the port explosion, thousands of people have been left homeless and hungry. WFP is racing to provide help for the most vulnerable and to prevent food shortages across the country.”
While in Lebanon, Mr. Beasley visited the Ports of Beirut and Tripoli, witnessing food distributions and the provision of food in communal kitchens run by WFP’s partner, Catholic relief network Caritas.
He also visited injured WFP staff in the hospital and met with President Michel Aoun and top government officials where he stressed the agency’s operational autonomy and neutrality.
The WFP assistance is part of a rapid logistics operation that will also involve setting up warehouses and mobile grain storage units.
Lebanon imports nearly 85 percent of its food and Beirut Port was essential for trade coming into the country.
WFP will also bring in equipment to render the port operational enough so that wheat and other bulk grains can be imported, while a third plane will carry generators and mobile storage units as an immediate solution.
“After examining the port we feel confident that we can establish an emergency operation very soon,” said Mr. Beasley. “There’s no time to waste as we are looking at a catastrophe in the making if we do not get food in and get this part of the port operational again.”
With one million people in Lebanon currently living below the poverty line, according to World Bank data, WFP is also helping families affected by the economic crisis and COVID-19 lockdown measures.
The UN agency has procured 150,000 food parcels for households. Since the Beirut explosion, it has distributed parcels to two local communal kitchens that are providing meals to victims and volunteers.
WFP also will scale-up its cash assistance program, which currently serves more than 100,000 people. The aim is to reach one million across the country, including Beirut residents directly affected by the explosion.
Overall, WFP will require $235 million to cover this emergency assistance, as well as logistics and supply chain support.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports reproductive and maternal health worldwide, is ramping up efforts to support an estimated 129,000 women and girls displaced by the Beirut explosion, including roughly 4,000 expectant mothers.
As many maternity wards and primary healthcare facilities were damaged or otherwise impacted by the blast, the agency is working to ensure pregnant women can continue to receive ante-natal care and delivery services.
UNFPA has appealed for $19.6 million to provide urgently needed services in areas such as sexual and reproductive health, obstetrics, family planning, and ante-natal and postnatal care. The UN agency is also procuring medical equipment, medicines and supplies for maternity departments and health facilities, among other action.
UNFPA also wants women and girls to be able to access quality services to address gender-based violence (GBV).
As a result of the crisis, the agency anticipates increasing risk of GBV and sexual exploitation due to displacement, economic hardship and the establishment of temporary shelters.
EUROPE: COVID-19 Research Gets Funding
The European Commission has set aside €128 million (euros) to support 23 new research projects in response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. The funding under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation program, is part of the Commission’s €1.4 billion pledge to the Coronavirus Global Response initiative, launched by President Ursula von der Leyen in May 2020.
The 23 projects shortlisted for funding involve 347 research teams from 40 countries, including 34 participants from 16 countries outside of the EU. The funding will enable researchers to address the pandemic and its consequences by strengthening the industrial capacity to manufacture and deploy readily available solutions, develop medical technologies and digital tools, improve understanding of behavioral and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, and to learn from large groups of patients (cohorts) across Europe. These research actions complement earlier efforts to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Emergency funding from Horizon 2020 will enable researchers to rapidly develop solutions with and for patients, care workers, hospitals, local communities and companies. The results will help them to better cope with and survive coronavirus infections. It’s encouraging to see the research community mobilize so rapidly and strongly.”
Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, added: “The excellent response to this call shows the wealth of new ideas to tackle coronavirus, including new digital health solutions. Digital solutions and technologies enabled us to stay connected and interact with each other during the confinement. They will also be an essential part of the long-term response to this virus and to increasing our resilience.”
The Commission is currently negotiating grant agreements with the selected beneficiaries. The new projects will cover:
· Repurposing manufacturing for rapid production of vital medical supplies and equipment needed for testing, treatment and prevention – for instance using injection molding and additive manufacturing (3-D printing), adaptive production and supply chain methods, and repurposing manufacturing as a service network for fast reaction.
· Developing medical technologies and digital tools to improve detection, surveillance and patients’ care – for example through the development of new devices for faster, cheaper and easier diagnosis (including remotely) plus new technologies to protect healthcare workers.
· Analyzing behavioral and socio-economic impacts of the responses of government and public health systems, for instance on mental health, including gender-specific aspects in risk factors and the socioeconomic burden, to develop inclusive guidance for policymakers and health authorities and enhance preparedness for future similar events.
· Learning from large groups of patients (cohorts) by connecting existing cohorts in the EU and beyond to assess their exposure to certain risk factors to better understand the possible causes of disease in order to improve responsiveness to the virus and future public health threats.
· Enhancing collaboration of existing EU and international cohorts by networking research institutions that are collecting data on patient care to enable studies into patient’s characteristics, risk factors, safety and effectiveness of treatments and potential strategies against coronavirus.
