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Monthly Archives: August 2022

Climate Change Remains Top Global Threat Across 19-Country Survey

“With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, a hot war between Russia and Ukraine ongoing, inflation rates rising globally and heat records being smashed across parts of the world, countries are facing a wide variety of challenges in 2022. Among the many threats facing the globe, climate change stands out as an especially strong concern among citizens in advanced economies, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. A median of 75% across 19 countries in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region label global climate change as a major threat. This is not to say people are unconcerned about the other issues tested. Majorities in most countries view the spread of false information online, cyberattacks from other countries, the condition of the global economy and the spread of infectious diseases (like COVID-19) as major threats to their nations. And despite the many depressing stories dominating the international news cycle, there is also a note of positivity among survey respondents in views of the United Nations, the benefits of international cooperation for solving problems and the importance of common values for bringing nations together. In the current survey, a median of 65% have a favorable view of the UN and only 27% have an unfavorable view of the international organization. Views of the UN have remained generally positive since the question was first asked in 2004..”

As Colorado River Dries, the U.S. Teeters on the Brink of Larger Water Crisis

Pro Publica: “The western United States is, famously, in the grips of its worst megadrought in a millennium. The Colorado River, which supplies water to more than 40 million Americans and supports food production for the rest of the country, is in imminent peril. The levels in the nation’s largest freshwater reservoir, Lake Mead, behind… Continue Reading

What you need to know about fall booster shots of coronavirus vaccine

Washington Post: “New coronavirus boosters are just around the corner following authorization Wednesday by federal regulators. The updated shots are designed to provide a stronger shield against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants still causing tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths every day in the United States. The boosters will be part… Continue Reading

Inside Trump’s war on the National Archives

Washington Post: “In the nearly three weeks since the FBI searched former president Donald Trump’s Florida home to recover classified documents, the National Archives and Records Administration has become the target of a rash of threats and vitriol, according to people familiar with the situation. Civil servants tasked by law with preserving and securing the… Continue Reading

What the Access to Justice Crisis Means for Legal Education

Young, Kathryne, What the Access to Justice Crisis Means for Legal Education (2021). Kathryne M. Young, “What the Access to Justice Crisis Means for Legal Education,” 11 UC Irvine Law Review​ 811 (2021)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4198255 “Despite enormous social, legal, and technological shifts in the last century, the structure of legal education has remained… Continue Reading

Edelman Trust Barometer 2022

The Cycle of Distrust: “We find a world ensnared in a vicious cycle of distrust, fueled by a growing lack of faith in media and government. Through disinformation and division, these two institutions are feeding the cycle and exploiting it for commercial and political gain. Distrust is now society’s default emotion Nearly 6 in 10… Continue Reading

Stablecoins Survived ‘Crypto Winter,’ But That Doesn’t Make Them Safe

Yale Insights – Cryptocurrencies such as Tether, which is pegged to the dollar, have held on as others crashed. “But according to new research by Yale SOM’s Gary Gorton, these “stablecoins” still pose major risks to the global financial system:  “Amid the harsh conditions of this year’s “crypto winter,” one category of blockchain currency has… Continue Reading

DOJ’s new filing includes photo of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago

Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC Document 41-1 Entered on FLSD Docket 08/30/2022 Argument: 1. THERE IS NO LEGAL BASIS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL MASTER TO REVIEW THE CLAIM OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE HERE. A. Cases In Which Courts Have Appointed Special Masters Involve Claims of Attorney-Client (Not Executive) Privilege. B. The Presidential Records Act Forecloses the Relief… Continue Reading