🐤 It's a little late

Poland asks Germany for reparations over WWII eight decades after the fact.

Friday | September 2nd, 2022
Early Chirp

Happy Friday, chirpers! If you’ve made it to the bottom of an Early Chirp newsletter lately, you might have noticed that I moonlight as a webcomic creator.

While this hobby was born out of the fact that I typically have a few silly jokes and puns rambling around in my head, it didn’t hurt that I’ve always been a doodler. It helps me relax and keeps my mind creative … and I’m sure at least a few of you share my proclivity.

Whether you’re a professional doodler (is that even a thing?) or you struggle to create a believable stick figure, today’s the day to put pen to paper. After you catch up on today’s news, I invite you to join me in celebrating National Doodle Day!

-Chris Agee

World

The Breakdown

A quick look around the world.

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✏️ Making Changes: If there’s one thing Twitter users have wanted for years, it’s an edit option. The social media app has been hesitant to allow such a feature out of fear that it will lead to spam and other objectionable content, but there’s currently a trial in progress that could allow users to edit their tweets in the near future. There will reportedly be some limits, but it’s sure to come in handy the next time you craft the perfect post with a glaring typo right in the middle.

🔵 Democratic Bump: Republicans might have thought it would be smooth sailing through the upcoming midterms, but the tides appear to be changing. The Supreme Court’s abortion ruling seems to be rallying Democratic voters and President Joe Biden’s approval rating is emerging from rock bottom. A recent poll showed that voters are generally more likely to vote for a Democrat than a Republican in November.

⛈ Brewing Storm: It’s been an eerily quiet hurricane season, but there’s a named storm currently gaining speed in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Danielle registered sustained winds at nearly 40 miles per hour as it moved slowly to the west near the Azores. The good news is that it’s not expected to cause any major storms on land.

🤔 Suspicious Death: It’s not surprising to learn of a prominent Russian’s death under mysterious circumstances. The most recent example involved Ravil Maganov, who served as chairman of Russian oil company Lukoil before he fell from a hospital window to his death. Investigators looked into the situation and concluded that he committed suicide, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the incident.

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world news

Poland Wants $1.3 Trillion From Germany In World War II Reparations

The move comes on the heels of a comprehensive new report.

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More than eight decades after the Second World War broke out in Europe, some of the nations invaded by Germany are still bearing the wounds inflicted by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. For its part, Poland has determined that it should receive a massive reparations payment after determining the extent of the damage.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who leads Poland's Law and Justice Party, referenced a new report that outlined the cost of the German occupation in making the case for a payment totaling about $1.3 trillion.

Here are some important details about the report:

  • More than two dozen economists and historical scholars spent roughly five years working on it.
  • The Holocaust claimed the lives of about six million Polish citizens, half of whom were Jews.
  • Poland is rejecting a nearly 70-year-old agreement not to seek additional compensation from Germany.

“We will turn to Germany to open negotations on the reparations,” Kaczynski explained, preparing his countrymen for a “long and not easy path” that will ultimately “bring success” for the people of Poland.

Polish President Andrzej Duda also weighed in on the lasting impact of “one of the most terrible tragedies in our history,” explaining that the Nazi invasion led to the loss of Polish freedom and sovereignty.

“This war meant millions of victims among Poland’s citizens and irreparable losses to our homeland and our nation,” he added.

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technology

California Might Soon Be Offering A ‘Kid-Friendly’ Version Of The Web

The plan addresses how children use the internet and how businesses track them.

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Parents and educators have long expressed concerns about the impact of the internet on kids. For starters, social media bullying can take a toll on the self-esteem of children of all ages. There’s also the prevalence of adult-themed content that I’ll leave up to your imagination.

The answer, according to some experts, lies in the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act awaiting final approval by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

What Is The ADCA?

In broad terms, the act seeks to address how entities collect data about children and how much time kids spend online.

As one of the bill’s legislative proponents explained, the purpose is not meant to limit exposure to the internet and its wide-ranging resources. As Democrat Buffy Wicks explained: “I am raising digital natives and children who are comfortable being online. I feel it’s our moral obligation to keep them safe as they learn and grow.”

Here’s How It Works

The ADCA would rely primarily on incentives for tech companies to develop new products and services designed specifically for young users. One major factor would include creating controls that will be easier for parents to find and set for the desired privacy settings. It would also make policies easier to understand and more transparent. The act calls for new rules about how companies can use information collected about children and would require new regulations for sites designed for adults but frequently used by kids.

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us politics

Democrat Defeats Palin In Alaska Congressional Election

Mary Peltola will become the first woman and Alaska Native to hold the position.

Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Former Gov. Sarah Palin clearly had more name recognition than her Democratic opponent, but 49-year-old Mary Peltola nevertheless proved victorious in a special election to determine who would complete the term of GOP Rep. Don Young, who died in March.

Not only will Peltola become the first female to represent Alaska in the House, but she will also be the first Alaska Native to hold the position.

Political insiders say the use of a ranked-choice election helped secure the Democrat’s victory. Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down federal abortion protections has been seen as a benefit for Democrats in races of all types this year.

The last Democratic U.S. representative from Alaska was Nick Begich, who was elected to Congress more than 50 years ago.

Young was elected to fill Begich’s vacated seat in 1973 after the Democrat’s plan disappeared the previous year. He won every election ever since.

The latest race concluded with the Aug. 16 election, but none of the candidates emerged with a majority of the vote. Peltola was ultimately declared the victor, which dealt a major blow to Palin’s political ambitions — if not the GOP in general.

During the campaign, Peltola credited her appeal to a focus on running on a positive, unifying platform. She said: “It’s been very attractive to a lot of people to have a message of working together and positivity and holding each other up and unity and as Americans, none of us are each other’s enemy. That is just a message that people really need to hear right now.”

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Early Chirp

Written by Chris Agee

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