🚨 Cheese Steaks – February 11 2023

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm AM. 

The Lead: Ukraine Reportedly Using Chemical Weapons

Ukrainian soldiers building chemical weapon dropping drones credit: twitter

There are reports that Ukraine has been using chemical weapons on Russian soldiers, which would be a clear violation of international law, and a war crime. Russia said that it was investigating these attacks, which have been shared on social media. The attacks are allegedly being carried out by drones. 

Those drones are operated remotely using SpaceX’s Starlink connection but that connection is about to be toggled down. The company said that it never meant for their services to be used for offensive moves and will bring an end to the free connectivity but gave no details about how and when. 

Meanwhile, President Zelensky continues to meet with European leaders to push for more weapons. The Times of London reports that Ukraine plans to use long-range missiles from the UK to strike Crimea, which would be a major escalation in the conflict. 

Canada Opening Its Borders? 

credit: unsplash

A Canadian politician has proposed offering asylum to transgender and nonbinary people who feel persecuted in other Western countries. 

Mike Morrice from the Green Party Caucus introduced legislation says that the world “is becoming increasingly hostile to transgender and nonbinary individuals” and that they are being “restricted and removed in many places.” Canada, he says, does not do that and he wants to offer political asylum to protect these individuals. 

Canada is notoriously one of the hardest countries to migrate to. Many people seeking political asylum from violent and dangerous places are denied. Is ideology a reason to let people skip the line? Or is this perhaps “concept creep,” expanding the definition of persecution to people who are denied access to single-sex spaces based on gender identity? 

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Masking Makes Little To No Difference

credit: getty

A new study analyzed clinical trials of mask-wearing to prevent viral illness. It found that “wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness… compared to not wearing masks.” 

The study analyzed randomized controlled trials investigating physical interventions such as mask-wearing, isolation and physical distancing. They found a “high risk of bias in the trials” and “variation in outcome measurement.” In fact, they did not find any conclusive evidence that masks reduce respiratory viral infection.  

So why have governments pushed them so hard? Good question with no good answer. 

What's Trending?

credit: shutterstock

The Philadelphia Eagles are trending higher than the Kansas City Chiefs in search. 

Patrick Mahomes is trending because he was named the Most Valuable Player for the NFL at an awards ceremony on Thursday. 

Burt Bacharach is trending because the composer died at the age of 94. 

News By The Numbers

credit: newscorp

1,200. That is how many layoffs News Corp has announced. 

19,200 kilometers. That is the length of a planned internet cable project that China has decided not to fund due to strained U.S. relations. 

15%. That is how much cases of norovirus have surged in the U.S. over the last week. 

5%. That is how much Russia says it will reduce oil production next month. 

Lockdowns Set Our Kids Back 

credit: shutterstock

New research shows that children lost an average of one-third of a year of learning during the pandemic. 

Researchers analyzed 42 studies across 15 countries and found a “substantial overall learning deficit” which was higher for “children from low socio-economic backgrounds.” 

This is clearly due to school closures and inconsistent access to online learning. The researchers warn that these learning gaps are “likely to affect children’s life chances through their education and labour market prospects.” 

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