The GPR Digest - October 18, 2023
ACC Commission votes to close official homeless camp, UAW strike intensifies, and more
GPR FEATURES
New Articles
Lost in Translation
Writer Hannah Lee chronicles how political and diplomatic developments, such as the tensions between Japan and South Korea rooted in World War II injustices, manifest in the translation of literature.
How the Rich are Overworked and Underpaid
Earlier this year, the Screen Actors’ Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the largest union representing actors and entertainers in the U.S., went on strike. Writer Chinelo Ireh details the strike and describes how artificial intelligence is engendering this labor dispute.
Athens Explanations: Government Structure
In our first installment of our “Athens Explanations” column, writer Hannah Lee breaks down the structure of Athens-Clarke County’s local government, including institutions, roles, and functions.
Events
The Great Debate
The Georgia Political Review is hosting the Great Debate between the Young Democrats of UGA and the College Republicans at UGA. The debate will be held on October 25th from 7:00-9:00pm in the UGA Chapel.
SPIASU Human Rights Panel
Join the SPIA Student Union for their Human Rights Panel on October 25th at 4pm in the Baldwin Hall Pinnacle Room.
GEORGIA
ACC Commission closes city-sanctioned Barber Street homeless encampment
After nearly two years of operation, the Athens-Clarke County Commission voted (Flagpole) 8-2 to close the First Step homeless camp on Barber Street. The Commission created the camp in 2021 with the goal of clearing out several unofficial camps around town, and gave the local nonprofit Athens Alliance Coalition (AAC) a two-year, $2.5 million contract to administer it. The camp will close at the end of this year, and some current residents will receive vouchers to move to hotels.
According to the ACC Housing and Development Department, Athens Alliance Coalition improperly reported financial information on several occasions and suffered from high staff turnover. AAC founder Charles Hardy ran into legal trouble earlier this year when he was convicted of battery for allegedly punching a camp resident. After Hardy’s conviction, he was fired by the AAC board of directors and thereafter dissolved the nonprofit. While the former AAC board reorganized into a new nonprofit, the organization is not in a state where the local government can effectively partner with them, according to ACC Manager Blaine Williams.
Federal judge puts a hold on efforts to halt 2021 Georgia voting law
U.S. District Judge JP Boulee of the Northern District of Georgia ruled (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that plaintiffs in a lawsuit aimed at Georgia’s controversial 2021 voting law have yet to prove that the law is racially discriminatory. The ruling preserves the law that limits ballot drop boxes to one for every 100,000 active registered voters, shortens the timeline and requires more identification for absentee ballot applications, and prohibits people from giving water and food to voters in line.
According to an attorney for the plaintiffs, more evidence of the discriminatory effects of the law will be presented to the court. The lawsuit may go to trial next year, but as of now, there is no set court date.
NATIONAL
House Republicans at an impasse over Speaker of the House election
After over two weeks without a Speaker of the House, House Republicans are still struggling to find a candidate for the position able to secure the required 217 votes. Last week, Republicans chose (AP) House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) as their nominee at a sharply divided conference. However, Scalise faced a severe setback when it became clear that several Republicans would not vote for him on the floor, opting instead to support either House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) or some other candidate. After just a day of being the GOP nominee, Scalise dropped out (CNN) of the Speaker race.
Republicans promptly pivoted to Jordan as their new nominee, but again, he faced similar setbacks as many moderate Republicans refused to support the conservative founder of the Freedom Caucus. Over the weekend, Jordan worked to win over (New York Times) several Republicans who promised not to vote for him, but still could not unite the GOP delegation.
Yesterday, Jordan lost (BBC) his first floor vote for Speaker, with only 200 Republicans voting for him. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Minority Leader, won more votes with 212. As Republicans hold a narrow 221-212 majority in the House, Jordan can only afford to lose four members of his own party. The search for a new Speaker will remain the first order of business for the House, who cannot vote on any other legislative measures until a Speaker is selected.
UAW strike expands
The United Auto Workers (UAW) ordered a strike (Reuters) at a Ford factory in Kentucky after failed negotiations with the auto giant, expanding the union’s strike against the “Big Three” car manufacturers that began on September 15. UAW includes (NPR) increased wages, reinstated cost of living protections, and the expansion of the union to battery plants as its strike demands, citing high profits and executive pay as why these requests are reasonable.
UAW president Shawn Fain expressed disappointment toward Ford’s contract proposal, but did not order a strike at any additional General Motors or Stellantis facilities. Fain indicated (Politico) that the union will seek to make its future walkouts less predictable and more costly for the automakers. Currently, the strike affects six manufacturing facilities and 38 distribution centers in 20 states, including Georgia.
INTERNATIONAL
Conflict rages in Gaza
Armed conflict in Gaza continues in response to Hamas’s attacks into Israeli territory on October 7. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz stated in a post on social media that they will block the flow of water, electricity, and fuel into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages the group took, though Israel later restored (Axios) water to southern Gaza under pressure from the Biden administration.
Israel directed (CBS) around 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza within 24 hours to avoid being harmed by Israeli airstrikes and an expected ground offensive. The United Nations subsequently warned of a catastrophe, declaring that it is impossible for so many people to relocate in so little time without “devastating humanitarian consequences.” Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in both Gaza and Lebanon, stating that the use of such weapons violates international law.
Since the onset of fighting, at least 3,000 people have died (CNN) in Gaza, including nearly 2,000 children, with around 12,500 being wounded. A devastating blast at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday killed an estimated 500 people, many of whom were Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza. Palestinian officials have blamed the explosion on an Israeli airstrike, but the Israeli Defense Forces have denied involvement, instead saying that a “misfired rocket” by Palestinian militants is responsible. Independent verification has as of yet not determined the source of the attack.
Today, President Biden visited (AP) Israel to meet with Israeli leaders and demonstrate the U.S.’s full support–though, in a Monday interview, Biden warned (Axios) that an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be a “big mistake.” Biden planned to also meet with Arab leaders in Jordan to discuss humanitarian aid for Palestine, but Jordan has since canceled (Reuters) the meeting, blaming Israel for the Al-Ahli hospital explosion.
Polish opposition unseats ruling Law and Justice Party
After Poland’s general election on Sunday, the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) lost its majority (Politico) in parliament. PiS has ruled the country since 2015 and has been accused of democratic backsliding by the European Union, given (AP) its control of the Polish judicial system and taxpayer-funded public media. Although PiS received the most support, winning 36.1% of voters, the leading opposition parties, which include liberals, centrists, and leftists, captured a majority.
Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition party and former Polish Prime Minister, promised to create a government that will repair relations with the European Union and provide support for Ukraine.
U.S. plans to relieve sanctions against Venezuela in return for free elections
After Venezuela’s government reached an agreement (Reuters) with its political opposition for its 2024 presidential election, the U.S. reportedly plans (Guardian) to scale back sanctions against the South American nation. The agreement, brokered in Barbados by Norway, promises to let each side select its own candidate and to allow international observers to oversee the election.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been in power since the 2013 death of his mentor, President Hugo Chávez. Maduro was reelected in 2018 in an election that many nations, including the U.S., accused of being fraudulent. In response to the 2018 contest, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuela, barring its state-owned oil company from exporting oil to other countries. Oil exports are the dominant source of revenue for the Venezuelan government. The nation has suffered from economic instability and a humanitarian crisis during Maduro’s term, seeing millions of refugees leave the country.
Any sanction relief from the Biden administration would be a strong departure from President Trump’s strategy of “maximum pressure” against socialist-led Venezuela. In a joint statement with the EU, UK, and Canada, the Biden administration welcomed the election agreement as a step toward the “restoration of democracy.”
CULTURE
Artificial intelligence emerges as a major consumer of water
As tech companies scramble to research and invest in artificial intelligence, one significant cost has surfaced: water. Microsoft revealed (AP) in its latest environmental report that its global water use swelled by 34% from 2021 to 2022, with Google reporting a 20% increase in water consumption during the same timeframe.
Immense quantities of water are required to cool the supercomputers used to develop artificial intelligence models. In July 2022, Microsoft pumped roughly 11.5 million gallons of water to its West Des Moines, IA data centers where famed large language model GPT-4 is “trained,” accounting for 6% of water consumption in the municipality. Researchers this year estimate that asking ChatGPT as few as five questions can use as much as 500 milliliters of water.