Brian Cheung

This week in SitRep: The outcome of the U.S. Presidential election will have profound consequences for the major crises roiling the globe today. Most immediately, here’s what the election could mean for the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. https://lnkd.in/ePihpdPy

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Coming in Sunday's Spokesman-Review... A 24-page special section containing 21 of my Further Review pages about elections, the history of elections, how the three branches of U.S. government work -- or, in some cases, how they DON'T work. And two pages promoting my book. Unless I'm mistaken, this will be the first mention in the paper of my upcoming Further Review hardcover book. I'm writing a sales pitch, how I converted newspaper pages into book pages and how to order. That will be on pages 2 and 3. But pages 4 through 24 will be an enormous, graphics-laden civics lesson! A few of the topics we'll be covering... > A history of broken campaign promises > Presidential approval ratings going back to WW2 > A history of -- and a look inside -- the White House > How the Electoral College works > The nature of complaints about the 2020 election results > The closest elections in U.S. history > What to expect on election night 2024 > The Presidential veto > America's spending habit > A history of Presidential health issues > The eight Presidents who died in office > The history of the Capitol > How the House is apportioned > Which party has been in control of the House and the Senate since 1900 > How much actual legislative work Congress has done > The Senate Filibuster -- how it works and how often it's been used > Voter turnout in the U.S. > Who appointed our Supreme Court justices > Why "Court Packing" didn't work for FDR in 1938 > The nature of Fake News All these pages have run in the Spokesman-Review over the past 5.5 years. Some required very little tweaking to bring them up to date. Others had to be rebuilt from scratch. If you're wondering how and why I've injured my wrist lately... well, this is a big reason. But, y'know, I think it's worth it. I'm awfully proud of the book. But this section, I feel, contains some of the very best work of my career. At some point, I'm told, the folks in Spokane will allow you to order two or three copies of this section. I'll post instructions when I get them. Man! This has been a BUSY fall!

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New at S&P Global Market Intelligence: I sat down with Vijay Balasubramaniyan of Pindrop to discuss the importance of detecting AI-generated deepfakes, and how Pindrop’s work is supporting journalists, election officials and law enforcement looking to sort fact from fiction online. https://lnkd.in/g5UiYUQ6

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In case you are interested

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Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence, is on capitol hill this week for meeting with lawmakers. She holds some of the most controversial foreign-policy views among Trump’s picks to serve in top national security roles, having consistently echoed unevidenced Russian talking points about the wars in Syria and Ukraine. Her potential elevation to serve as the most senior intelligence officer in the country raises some fundamental questions: What does Tulsi Gabbard really believe, and where does she get her information? I try to answer them in this profile. https://lnkd.in/eszRrqXr

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Every revolution ensues some anarchy, and that anarchy encompasses multiple fronts: social, political, and economic. After french revulsion in 1793, The dismantling of the traditional social order led to widespread upheaval. Nobility, who had been oppressing common French people for centuries, was targeted, and property was redistributed. The French Revolution disrupted economic stability, leading to shortages, inflation, and widespread poverty. These combined factors created a period of significant disorder and fear. In Somalia, after the fall of Siad Barre's regime, no central government controlled the country, leading to clan warfare and lawlessness. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia descended into chaos with multiple factions fighting for control, leading to widespread social upheaval. With the July Revolution in Bangladesh, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's brutal regime of 15 years, we too are witnessing some anarchy. My heart aches for the vandalism of some Hindu temples, lynching of some constables who shot bullets at unarmed protesters at point-blank range under duress of top bosses, and beating of many AL supporters. I was especially devastated by the burning of Bangabandhu’s house at 32 Dhanmondi. In some areas, BNP men, who virtually couldn’t sleep at their houses most of the time fearing police arrest, abduction, or brutal killing through crossfire in past one and half decades, have taken control of markets, footpaths, or slums. There has also been an advent of bandit groups who are carrying out dacoities, leading to sleepless nights for many city dwellers. If you think that everything will turn orderly overnight after the end of such a brutal regime, you live in a fool's paradise. The AL government, in 3+ consecutive terms, has destroyed the integrity of all institutions, let their supporting oligarchs capture all financial institutions, politicized all government forces, and made the police a force that committed the most despicable human rights violations in history. Now, the strong facades of these vulnerable institutions have collapsed after the revolution. There are no police in the streets, no force to control traffic in the densely populated country. But despite that, people from all spectrums of Bangladesh are showing remarkable restraint. The army has laid out a plan for democratic transition. Wide-spread anarchy has stopped in just 48 hours. An interim government will be formed today. The citizens must allow some time for the interim government to repair the deeply damaged country. Expecting an overnight solution is just immature thinking. But, I welcome all sorts of criticism from the people because, finally, we live in a country where we can express our thoughts freely. We must not let anybody gag our voice ever again.

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So appreciate the clarity here - and a good reminder that a productive PR-reporter relationship is about credibility, relevancy and connection. Not pitch-spamming, jargon and hype.

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A brilliant new column in Observer by Roy Swan that will unpack how we can strive for a better form of capitalism that can work for all of us, rooted in innovation, prosperity, and fairness. Check it out!!

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In our latest Jist Media Breaking Down podcast, former DCP Special Cell LN Rao joined us, and we tried to understand crime, jail, encounters, and gangs through his perspective. Podcast Link- https://lnkd.in/gfYkWmGk #Podcast #lawrenceBishnoi #Police #SpecialCell

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The overall thrust of this article--waning influence of legacy media--is not new, but it's an interesting read in the context of Trump's election victory. https://lnkd.in/gX3nQV6k

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Latest strategy in fighting election skepticism: Radical transparency 
Many jurisdictions now monitor election equipment with GPS trackers, video-record ballot counting and open their headquarters for tours.

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Exploring the decisive power of just 6% of voters in six key states on LBCI ‘s main #newscast. Dive into a detailed analysis of how these battleground states could sway the upcoming U.S. elections, reflecting on past outcomes and current polling trends. 🗳️🇺🇸 #ElectionAnalysis #USPolitics #BattlegroundStates

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More opportunities for aspiring journalists. Believe it or not, our industry has a future. If you're smart, resourceful, intrepid and adaptable, you should become a part of it. And maybe even help save it by learning how to produce journalism that matters.

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I was on CNN's 5 Things podcast yesterday discussing my story that explores which jobs are most vulnerable under the next Trump administration. (I come in at the 2:15 mark.) For a deeper dive, check out my full story featuring insights from Harry Holzer of Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy and The Brookings Institution as well as Giacomo Santangelo from Monster. https://lnkd.in/eHd3QDEc #economy #economynews #labormarket #trumpeconomy #trumpjobs

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The Wall Street Journal editor Paul Beckett’s account in the Columbia Journalism Review of how the Journal mobilized to free Evan Gershkovich after 16th months as a prisoner in Russia is a tour de force and “a free press triumph” and well worth the read. Some excerpts: A phone call to a senior government official who knows this terrain provided the answer: “There are times to be quiet and there are times to be loud—and this is a time to be loud.” “Yet on days like August 1 (when he was freed), the values that underpin democracy and are the foundation of a free press triumph.” “Few countries that are not democracies could point to such care for their ordinary citizens abroad, let alone noncitizens imprisoned for their political beliefs.” “news organizations must continue to assess and calibrate the risks their reporters face when operating in dangerous terrain. Perhaps they need to make more hard-nosed choices on whether it is necessary to deploy in person to countries that target journalists or whether that terrain can effectively be covered from outside, given advances in technology and communications.” “And they could ensure that press freedom around the world—an issue so fundamental to their existence that it is often taken for granted—is a subject they cover as if their livelihoods and their liberty depended on it.” https://lnkd.in/etZTVCeB

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When HAI, a history consulting firm in Rockville, Maryland, moved into a new office last November, something important got lost in the changeover: a check for more than half a million dollars. One of the company's clients, a major academic institution, mailed the payment to HAI's old address, and CEO Beth Maser says it took her team about six weeks of cutting through red tape to get the check reissued and deposited. "It is what it is. Do I love having an overhead expense for buying and mailing paper checks? No, but it is a cost of doing business," says Maser. Her team has been aggressively pushing clients to adopt electronic payments, but not always with success. The share that pay by check has dropped from about 50% five years ago, but 30% of customers still prefer to send checks. The 55-year-old CEO says, "Maybe it's my generation, my demographic, but it never crossed my mind to ever say we will never take a check." Checkbooks have become a rare sight in the checkout line. This month, Target became the latest national chain to tell shoppers that its stores will no longer accept personal checks, joining Whole Foods and Aldi. But when it comes to B2B payments, cutting paper checks is still common practice, founders say, and despite the hassle that comes with paper, they have no plans to stop any time soon. I had a lot of fun reporting out this story on the enduring power of paper checks for Inc. Magazine. https://lnkd.in/e2JDi3Ju

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Part of our role as journalists is to identify disinformation. Here's a simple way to get started: F - Find the source: Check where the news is coming from. A - Assess credibility: Look at whether the source is reliable. C - Cross-check: Verify the information with other trustworthy sources. T - Trust evidence: Rely on facts and evidence, not just opinions or rumors.

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Congestion pricing was supposed to start today in New York City. It didn't after Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month announced an indefinite pause. My latest article in The Wall Street Journal traces the rise and pause of congestion pricing — a tale that involves 17 years and around $700 million. The abrupt reversal, which some attribute to Hochul’s reluctance to impose a new fee in an election year, leaves metro New York grappling with a historic missed opportunity and fiscal mess. There is no relief in sight for the city’s traffic congestion, which is the worst in the world, according to data published last week. The epic collapse in New York shows how a fear of dramatic change can give the status quo stubborn power over those trying to solve some of America’s most intractable challenges. That leaves policymakers nibbling at the edges of deeply rooted problems, even after investing huge sums of money and political capital. Blown up in a New York minute were plans for around $15 billion of planned improvements to the city’s ailing mass-transit system, the largest transportation network in North America. The reversal cast aside around $700 million in meticulous prep work, including a $555-million contract to install tolling cameras—which are already up and ready to go—and $33 million for a customer-service center with 100 employees who have already been brought on, officials said. Planners invested thousands of hours, including going to London and Stockholm to research their congestion-pricing programs, according to people familiar with the travel. What was supposed to be a transformative moment when New York led the way and boldly tackled traffic congestion, air pollution and transit funding, has instead turned into a surprising loss for a broad coalition that includes major employers, real-estate developers and subway riders. Surprised by the reversal were Hochul’s own lieutenants, including Janno Lieber, a fierce champion of congestion pricing and the chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The MTA—which carries around 5.5 million passengers each day in the New York metro area—now faces a $16.5 billion-financial hole from the loss of money from congestion pricing and federal matching funds. Just days after Hochul’s announcement, a beleaguered Lieber joined a conference call with advocates in which he said he was equally shocked and remained committed to the program, three people familiar with the exchange said. “This is devastating,” he said, according to a person on the call. Here's the latest from me and Joseph De Avila —>

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A Bloomberg reporter was fired for breaking an embargo. It’s a nightmare that fuels paranoia whenever someone is working with sensitive information. What if a reporter, despite promising, file a story earlier than planned? I think what’s happened here – a dangerous, very unfortunate action that could have jeopardised an international prisoner exchange – shows us why we don’t have to worry too much. By far the most common reason to give reporters access to information early is so that they have additional time to plan and report a story. We want to make sure they have the ability to put the news in context, hopefully by speaking to someone and adding more context. Time is also a consideration – the ability to release the story at the soonest possible moment. Even though the news hopefully will be covered by others, you desperately, in this world of thousands of sites and accounts, want people to hear it there first. All of this is understandable and, at some level, benefits everyone. What doesn’t is breaking that agreement. I’ve never had a journalist knowingly break an embargo. And a couple of times, something has gone up quicker than expected, it’s usually been because there’s been confusion over a changing embargo time. (Note: don’t do this.) Moreover the vast majority of pieces of news are interesting to a specialist audience. They are noteworthy, yes, but there’s no massive fame and fortune to be made by leaking. On the contrary, the consequences of being iced out of future deals – and potentially even facing legal action are far more dire. Even in the Bloomberg case, there’s been an impassioned response from the reporter in question about how she never, ever would maliciously break a pre-agreed break time. It seems that what happened – while not acceptable – was somewhere in the process of writing and editing. So breathe easy, and let people with trusted relationships have time to review and report on forthcoming stories.

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