News Dispatch

22.01.25

Prisoners are walking free around the US after President Donald Trump pardoned 1,500 people linked to the 2021 Capitol riots. The President has defended his position, calling the original sentences “excessive”. “At least the cases we looked at, these were people who actually love our country,” he said in a press conference. Amongst these country-loving folk were members of the far-right neo fascist organisation Proud Boys, including its leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in jail for conspiracy against the state. Critics have been alarmed by the direct swiftness of Trump’s decision making. Another pardoning that stoked controversy was Ross Ulbright. Ulbright had been sentenced to jail for life for founding the dark web programme Silk Roads, an underground online marketplace for illicit activity such as drug dealing—it oversaw $200 million worth of deals. Trump said that Ulbright’s life sentence was fully and unconditionally pardoned. His reasoning was that “the scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern weaponisation of government against me.” (The Times)

It was announced today that government borrowing in the UK was worryingly high last month–the third highest in all records for December and £10.1 billion more than last year. According to the FT, “ The figures intensify the pressure on Reeves who has sought to reassure investors after the UK’s borrowing costs this month climbed to the highest level since the global financial crisis.” This spells trouble for Reeves ahead of the OBR’s forecast for the financial year on 26 March. If growth is not sufficient, the government’s fiscal headroom for public spending will decrease significantly. Initially, the spending budget was £9.9 billion, now–given the stagnation of the economy–experts have argued that now it’s more realistically £2 billion. Already in a vulnerable position, Sir Keir and Co. are watching the unfolding US government tentatively.

Netflix is in the midst of a boom. With stock up 1.35%, the company have decided to up the cost of their services to the consumer once again, raising their standard service by one dollar and their premium by two. Despite a tougher competition between streaming services, Q4 brought in 18.9 million subscribers, a 44 percent increase from last year. Part of this is down to their foray into live sports, hosting the NFL Christmas games on the service. The titanic internet showdown between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul was also a success for the platform, pulling in 60 million households in viewers. Last year also saw Netflix tighten rules of having multiple screens linked to one account, forcing people to subscribe (rather than using their partner’s dog-sitter’s step-son’s account, as many did before). It’s next to impossible to predict if a show will be successful. But Netflix have found a winner with Squid Game, the most successful show in their history. Squid Game’s second season aired in January, a show Netflix owes for its impressive performance recently. (The Wall Street Journal)

Keir Starmer has announced that tougher checks on the purchases of knives are in order after it was revealed Axel Radukabana bought his murder weapon on Amazon. “It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives,” Starmer told The Sun, “the lessons should be clear. And yet tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off the internet without any checks or barriers.” Instigating regulation like this is harder than it sounds, however, Some suggest more intensive ID confirmation is in order upon purchasing a knife. Others think a database of people who shouldn't be allowed to purchase a knife would be equally effective, especially considering the Southport killer had been flagged up on various systems multiple times before the attack. Yvette Cooper said it was a “total disgrace” that the killer was able to buy a knife on Amazon. Britain finds itself in a knife crime epidemic; serious knife offences were up 54 percent in 2024, compared to 2016. Eyes are now on the government to take effective action. (BBC News)

Trump’s promised war on woke has started. Initially mentioned in his inauguration, he has now taken the fight to the universities–a long time foe of the MAGA movement. The President has signed an executive order that places all DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) staff on paid administrative leave–as well as repealing orders signed by Joe Biden that promotes LGBTQ equality. This comes as no great surprise, throughout Trump’s campaign he spoke disparagingly about diversity quotas that overlooked meritocracy in favour of moral wokeness. The DEIA is a focal point of his disparagement, arguing that they vilify white people, and of course the biggest victim of all: the white male (Amazon are apparently struggling with disruption due to a backlog of tiny violins ordered). (The Guardian)

After doubling down on the importance of bring The Sun to accountability, Prince Harry has accepted a settlement before the trial had even begun. NGN media company, run by Rupert Murdoch, did issue an apology to the prince, and Lord Tom Watson, the other claimant. NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011,” the apology read. This was in reference to the phone hacking scandal, of which this case. and Watson’s, is the last one still standing. Over the course of nearly 15 years, NGN have had to pay out victims over £1 billion in total. (BBC News)