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Bill Gates Says World Isn’t Prepared For The Impact Of AI, Calls For ‘Human-Reserved’ Jobs

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Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently published a 6,000-word essay in which he expressed major concern over artificial intelligence and how unprepared the world’s governments are regarding how much the technology will impact us in the future.

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travel warning

US Issues Worldwide Travel Warning For Americans Traveling Abroad 

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The US State Department has issued a rare worldwide travel warning for Americans that are planning to travel abroad. 

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On July 18th the State Department gave a new travel advisory that warned of “unforeseen escalation” worldwide  due to the tensions between the US and Iran. 

Within the warning, the State Department shared that US diplomatic facilities within, and outside of, the Middle East have been targeted. Due to this, overseas locations that are associated with the US or Americans could be vulnerable to attacks. Places like embassies, consulates, or US-owned hotel brands or businesses, might be more vulnerable to attacks, according to the warnings. 

Reports indicate that the warning was released for worldwide travel, and any location associated with the US or American people around the world are an easy target for Iran-supporting groups. 

Additionally, the agency warned that international travel could also be disrupted due to airspace closures and flight cancellations. 

The travel advisory from the State Department stated: 

“The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, the exercise increased caution. Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest US embassy or consulate.”

One day after the worldwide travel alert was released, July 19th, the US State Department also stated that they have learned Iran planned to target locations in central Manama, the capital of Bahrain, an island nation just south of Iran. 

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On the same day, Iran fired drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan after the US went through eight consecutive nights of attacks on Iran. 

“We urge all Americans to remain vigilant, follow local authorities’ instructions, and review the latest guidance from the US Embassy,” the warning wrote. 

The alert itself also gave the suggestion of seeking cover in the lowest level of a home or building, away from doors or windows, if travelers hear a loud explosion or warning sirens. 

The State Department recommends that Americans who are currently traveling, living abroad, or planning to travel to one of the locations they’ve warned about, should enroll at step.state.gov to receive updates and the latest security alerts, as well as monitor breaking news. 

The Department also recommends following the “U.S. Department of State – Security Updates for U.S. Citizens” channel on WhatsApp or following @TravelGov on X, (formally Twitter). 

Additionally, US travelers who are preparing to take a trip can look up their destination on travel.ttate.gov to see if there are any active travel advisories or alerts. There are currently 23 nations with a Level 4, Do Not Travel advisory from the US.

heatwave

Europe Experiencing Punishing Heat Wave With Record High Temperatures 

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A major heatwave is impacting southern Europe this summer. Spain specifically has experienced record high temperatures of nearly 115 degrees fahrenheit (46 celsius), and almost all of France has been placed under alert. 

Throughout the past few summers, the world has experienced extreme heat levels brought on by fossil fuel pollution and climate change. Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece have been impacted by what’s projected to be the first major heatwave of the summer. 

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Reports have stated that the high temperatures are a top priority for authorities in several European countries. Officials are warning of new health warnings and allocating firefighters to prevent wildfires throughout the continent. More than 50,000 people in Turkey have already been evacuated from their homes due to forest fires, according to the interior ministry’s disaster and emergency management authority.  

The Guardian reported on UN secretary general António Guterres speech at a development conference in Seville this week regarding climate change and the disastrous results its led to during the summer months. 

“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal.”

Seville specifically is forecasting temperatures over 100 degrees fahrenheit (40C) for the next three days with night time temperatures only cooling to around 77 degrees fahrenheit (25C) until Thursday. 

Doctors are among the many officials warning citizens to protect themselves this week. Hot daily temperatures and warm nights can put the human body under extreme stress. 

On Sunday, 21 cities were placed under the highest heat alert and hospital admissions in some of the hottest regions saw a 20% increase. Citizens have been advised to remain indoors between the hours of 11 am and 6 pm. 

Nearly the entire mainland of France was covered in heat warnings for the first time in recorded history. 88% of administrative areas in Météo-France were placed under the second-highest orange heart layers this week. 

“This is unprecedented,” said the ecology minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

The French government has also asked businesses to adjust their staff hours to protect their workers from the heat, and 200 public schools are either partly or totally closed for Monday and Tuesday. 

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The Southwest of France experienced their first fire of the season which burned through 400 hectares and evacuated more than 100 people from their homes. 

Spain hit their record high temperatures this weekend in El Granado, the previously highest recorded temperature was reported in Seville back in 1965. Meteorologists are expecting temperatures to cool down on Wednesday night in Portugal with seven of 18 regions being under red warnings of “extreme risk” from the heat. 

Countries in northern Europe are also at risk currently. The German weather service has reported that heat and dry weather are increasing the risk of forest fires. In the state surrounding Berlin, Brandenburg, the government is also urging employers to think about their employees during this time. 

“Companies are bound by heat protection rules at the workplace,” the regional health minister Britta Müller said.

The UK is also keeping a close eye on the forecast and extreme weather events. 

“Populations in urban areas like London are particularly susceptible to extreme heat as the concrete and asphalt absorb and re-emit the sun’s radiation, amplifying its impact on our bodies. For this reason, outdoor workers are particularly at risk and should take regular breaks to hydrate in the shade,” said Radhika Khosla, an urban climatologist at the University of Oxford. 

Heat is extremely dangerous for human beings especially during these heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures, it kills around half a million people worldwide every year. 

Dr. Michael Byrne, a climate scientist at the University of St Andrews, explained that these extreme temperatures across Europe are caused by a heat dome which traps an area of high pressure and hot air. This same impact is also happening in America. 

“Europe is more than 2 degrees celsius warmer than in preindustrial times, so when a heat dome occurs it drives a hotter heatwave,” Dr. Byrne said. 

Doctors all over the world are warning people living in these hot climate areas should stay inside as much as possible during the day, drink plenty of water, wear looser clothing, and check on your more vulnerable neighbors and family members to make sure they’re just as prepared.

jamaica

US State Department Issues Travel Advisory For Jamaica Amid Crime And Health Concerns 

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The US State Department has issued a travel advisory for Jamaica among an influx of crime and health concerns. The department issued the advisory last week, stating the following: 

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“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts. Local police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.”

The State Department also added to their advisory that in the event of an emergency, “high level or specialized” healthcare options may not be available throughout the entire island nation, and patients would likely be required to pay for medical care. 

Travelers are only being asked to reconsider visiting Jamaica, especially with Spring Break and the summer season coming up quickly. While they have not advised Americans to avoid the nation altogether, they did outline specific high-risk areas in which certain US government personnel are prohibited from traveling due to its risk of crime. 

Montego Bay, downtown Kingston, part of St. Ann’s Parish by Ocho Rios, and certain neighborhoods in Negril are some of the areas mentioned in the advisory to be cautious of visiting, according to USA Today. 

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Americans who will be traveling to Jamaica and/or the previously mentioned areas specifically, are being advised to always be aware of their surroundings, keep a relatively low profile while you’re there, and avoid public transportation, walking, and/or driving at night. 

Situations where one may find themselves secluded increases their risk of being potentially robbed or susceptible to other violence. If one does find themselves in a dangerous situation, the best thing to do is comply, especially in cases of robbery. 

The State Department is also encouraging Americans who are traveling to Jamaica to enroll in the department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, and to plan emergency contingency plans in case something were to happen. 

“We strongly encourage you to obtain traveler’s insurance, including medical evacuation insurance, before traveling to Jamaica,” the advisory added in bold font to emphasize the importance of these procedures. 

Insurance and medical evacuation insurance is especially important, as the Department warned that many health care providers overseas will not accept US health insurance, and neither Medicare nor Medicaid benefits apply overseas.

naacp

NAACP Issues Advisory Warning Black Americans And People Of Color Not To Travel To Florida

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NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson recently spoke with CNN to defend the organization’s decision to issue an official travel advisory to Florida for Black Americans and people of color. 

“The governor has perfected the art of pulling stunts to gain campaign contributions. Unfortunately, this will impact people’s lives,” Johnson said, referring to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

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“We should not use race or othering as a tool to weaponize against people and unfortunately for a large percentage of Floridians, that’s what he has done. Therefore, we are advising African Americans and others that if you travel to Florida, beware that your life is not valued.”

This past Saturday, the NAACP released a statement saying that Governor DeSantis has been on a quest to “silence” Black Americans, and has made it clear that they’re not welcome in the state. “[The state] devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

“Due to this sustained, blatant, relentless and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights, the NAACP hereby issues a travel advisory to African Americans, and other people of color regarding the hostility towards African Americans in Florida,” the group stated. 

Within the past year alone, DeSantis has signed a multitude of legislative measures that many have argued is discriminatory, and anti-Black. He signed the “Stop WOKE Act,” meant to restrict how schools and workplace address race, has been a major advocate against critical race theory; an academic framework that looks at US history with the understanding of racism and its roots in the nation. 

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DeSantis also banned an Advanced Placement African American studies pilot program from being implemented in schools, and just recently prohibited colleges and universities from using public funding on programs involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Johnson stated that DeSantis is “minimizing the quality of education and issuing policies that are harmful to far too many individuals.”

“We are witnessing firsthand how he’s governing, and he’s governing to a small vocal minority of the community, not the majority interest of Florida. Nor is he governing towards a future of Florida, which will not not look like the small minority that he’s speaking to at this moment.”

The governor was recently questioned regarding this specific travel advisory before it was implemented. 

“This is part of the reason why our country, it goes through all these —  we get involved in these stupid fights. This is a stunt to try to do that, a pure stunt, and fine, if you want to waste your time on a stunt, that’s fine. But I’m not wasting my time on your stunts,” the governor said.

air

FAA Issues Warning Over Airline Staff Shortages Ahead Of Busy Summer Travel Season 

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned the industry of staffing shortages throughout the nation as the travel and tourism industry prepares for yet another busy summer travel season. The FAA is requesting that key facilities prepare to make operational adjustments as a means of preparation. 

The FAA held a meeting with the aviation industry last week as a means of brainstorming ways to manage travel this summer; especially in New York’s congested airspace and transportation hubs. 

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The agency is requesting that airlines cut back on the amount of offered flights to ease airport traffic during the peaks of the summer travel season. 

Last year, the nation’s travel and tourism industry faced one of the busiest summer season since pre-pandemic. A multitude of airline’s experiences flight disruptions, delays, and cancellations which the FAA is trying to avoid this year. 

According to the agency, this summer’s travel season is forecasted to increase by 7% in terms of traffic when compared to last year. The FAA also predicted a 45% increase in delays if airlines don’t intervene to prevent disruptions. 

“The FAA is taking several steps to keep air travel to and from New York City this summer safe and smooth, even as we see strong domestic demand and a return of pre-pandemic international traffic,” the agency said in a statement. 

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The agency also stated that the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), or N90, located on Long Island which is responsible for organizing flights to and from John F Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport, is suffering from a severe shortage of air traffic controllers and other staff. 

In a notice posted last month, the FAA revealed that the staffing throughout TRACON only covers 54% of what’s actually needed to operate smoothly during the busy summer season. 

They’ve claimed that one of the main reasons for these shortages has to do with the pandemic safety measures, which impacted workforce training throughout the past three years that agencies have still yet to recover from. 

The Washington Post reported “that airline executives expressed a willingness to cooperate with the agency; but, also some frustration, as they’re working to restore their own operations to pre-pandemic levels.”

Airlines have been told that they have until April 30th to make changes proposed by the FAA; United and Delta Air Lines have already stated they approve of the FAA’s proposal, and are ready to implement changes to make the season run as smoothly as possible for staff and travelers.

50 Million Americans Under Flash Flood Warnings As Tropical Storm Elsa Moves Up East Coast

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Tropical Storm Elsa is currently heading north along the East Coast of the US, and is expected to impact all major cities along the way. More than 50 million Americans woke up to flash flood warnings as severe weather conditions have already begun to impact a majority of the coast. 

The center of the storm is projected to go over Dover, Delaware early Friday morning and will make its way towards Boston by the afternoon, according to meteorologist Robert Shackelford. The storm has already caused tornados, multiple injuries, and at least one death in Florida and Georgia this week. 

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In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was pre-positioning crews and equipment yesterday all throughout Long Island, where the storm is forecast to be the most intense. 

The MTA will also be banning all empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks from its seven bridges and two tunnels until at least noon on Friday. This ban is due to heavy wind gusts and rain which could cause larger vehicles to be more susceptible to tipping over. 

The National Hurricane Center announced that the storm is currently moving at a rate of 25 mph and has hit a maximum sustained wind speed of 50 mph. Much of the Northeast is expected to see 2 to 4 inches of rainfall by the weekend. 

Once Elsa’s center passes by a given area, residents can still expect to see heavy rainfall and high wind speeds on the outskirts. 

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Some tornadoes were also reported across northern Florida and southeastern Georgia on Wednesday. An EF-2 tornado caused multiple injuries and damage at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Kings Bay, Georgia. 

“Thankfully, there was no loss of life here last night. This tornado that came through could have been a lot worse,” base commanding officer Capt. Chester Parks told local media outlets. 

Parks said that a tornado impacted by the southside of the navy base ended up moving north, hitting the base of an RV park on the way. Twelve recreational vehicles were damaged and nine people were transported to the navy base for medical treatment. 

Elsa initially hit Florida earlier this week, and caused the most damage in both the sunshine state and Georgia. The entire storm system touched down this Wednesday along the Gulf Coast in Taylor County, Florida. 

“Winds starting howling in the middle of the night, and rain starting pounding the windows. Never seen anything like this before in my life,” said Johnathan Riches who was staying at a motel in Cedar Key, Florida when the storm hit.

Covid-19 Positive Test

WHO Says Delta Covid-19 Variant Will ‘Pick Off’ Most Vulnerable 

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The highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant is currently the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain yet, and it will likely begin to “pick off” the most vulnerable populations around the world, especially in places with low vaccination rates, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) who issued a warning this Monday. 

“Delta, which was first identified in India, has the potential to be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans and it will eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized and potentially die,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said.

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Ryan claimed world leaders and public health officials need to work together to defend the most vulnerable populations around the world if they want any chance of this pandemic actually coming to an end. 

“We can protect those vulnerable people, those front-line workers, and the fact that we haven’t, as Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said, again and again, is a catastrophic moral failure at a global level.”

The WHO officially stated on Friday that Delta is becoming the dominant variant of the disease worldwide, and has proven to be more contagious, more deadly, and more resistant to current treatments. 

“Delta is now replacing alpha, the highly contagious variant that swept across Europe and later the U.S. earlier this year. Studies suggest it is around 60% more transmissible than alpha, which was more contagious than the original strain that emerged from Wuhan, China, in late 2019. We need to vaccinate now. Get everyone vaccinated now,” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a recent interview.

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Delta is currently present in 92 countries according to the WHO, and now makes up about 10% of the cases in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Delta variant recently became the most dominant strain in the UK as well. 

“No variant has really found the combination of high transmissibility and lethality, but delta is the most able and fastest and fittest of those viruses,” WHO officials said Monday.

“This particular delta variant is faster, it is fitter, it will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants, and therefore if there are people left without vaccination, they remain even at further risk.”

The WHO has been urging wealthier nations such as the US to donate extra doses to the countries around the world that have barely enough to get one shot in the arms of most of their citizens. 

“These vaccines are highly effective against severe disease and death. That is what they are intended for, and that is what they need to be used for. This is what COVAX and WHO and all of our partners have been advocating for, that these vaccines reach people most at risk,” Ryan claimed.

Disney Plus

Disney Plus Adds Warning To Classic Films For “Outdated Cultural Depictions”

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Disney has finally launched their much anticipated streaming service Disney Plus this week. The service includes a multitude of Disney originals, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic specials. Additionally, Disney is launching the service with a bunch of exclusive content such as a live action remake of “Lady And The Tramp,” a “High School Musical” TV Series, a reboot of beloved Disney Channel original “Lizzie McGuire”, and so much more. Along with all of these reboots, many classic Disney films from the 20th Century are also available, and with that comes some outdated references and allusions. 

Disney has placed a warning at the beginning of a lot of their classic animated features, giving the audience a heads up that many of the references within the films are outdated, offensive, and play off archaic stereotypes that, at the time, weren’t viewed as harshly as it would be today. Movies such as “Dumbo” (1941), the original “Lady and the Tramp” (1955), and “The Jungle Book (1967), are just a few examples of the films that contain the warning at the end of their descriptions. It’s a cautionary measure so Disney can ensure fans that they no longer agree with the portrayals, however, in true Disney fashion they wanted to upload the movies in their original and classic form to stay authentic. 

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“This program is presented as originally created, it may contain outdated cultural depictions,” the warning at the end of each description reads, according to IGN. 

The biggest concern from Disney is in regard to offensive racial depictions, as there are quite a few instances in old Disney movies where the characters either act, or perform musical numbers as hyper-exaggerated stereotypes of certain cultures. For example, in the movie “Dumbo” there are two crow characters, one of which is literally named Jim Crow, that speak in heavily stereotypical African accents, despite being voiced by white actors. Beyond that, “The Jungle Book” also contains similar African stereotypes within all of the monkey characters, which also is offensive in itself. “Lady and the Tramp” features the widely recognized “We Are Siamese” song performed in the movie by a group of Siamese Cats all singing in stereotypical Asian accents and animated with large buck teeth, need I say more?

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Disney has been a lot more careful in the newer films they’ve made within the past decades, however, the original films still hold a strong cultural value to many, so the warnings stand. It’s difficult to make the argument that these aspects of the film should simply be removed, when there’s multiple instances that these characters, songs, and scenes are crucial to certain plot points in the movies, and the removal of them would make the films confusing. Many are criticizing that the warning is too short and not apparent enough, however, it is on the viewer to know and understand how outdated some of these films really are. Dumbo was made in the 1940’s, which was before the Civil Rights Movement, it’s absolutely not an excuse for the stereotyping and offensive depictions within the film, but it does allow for some context. 

Disney is also known for their many remakes of their classic animated films, all of which don’t contain any of the old stereotypes or characterizations as their original predecessors. In the live action “Dumbo” released this year, the crows aren’t even present. In the live action “Lady and the Tramp” now streaming on the platform, the Siamese cats are replaced with another animal duo that perform a completely different song, this time without the racial stereotypes. 

Disney Plus has now launched and is available for $6.99 a month, or if you are a member of Verizon, you are eligible for a full year of streaming, completely free.

Impeachment 2

Anonymous Trump Administration Official’s “A Warning” Met with Criticism

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In 2018, the New York Times published an op-ed attributed only to an anonymous senior Trump Administration official, entitled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” which alleged the existence of a “steady state” of officials working around the president to prevent him from implementing his more disastrous policies. The article echoes the conspiracy theory of the “deep state,” a loosely organized network of unelected government officials working to implement a secret policy agenda, and implicitly argues that such an organization is a necessary evil in the event of a president who is deeply compromised and mentally unfit for office. 

The article was met with criticism, as the public criticized the official for failing to reveal his identity and remaining employed at an administration he or she is actively trying to undermine rather than resigning and going public with allegations. Nonetheless, this same anonymous official has released a book, entitled “A Warning,” to similarly mixed reception. Though the book comes only a little over a year after the release of the op-ed, this duration has felt like a lifetime in the political world, and the author goes to great lengths to expose the president’s deterioration during this time and describe how much worse things can get in the event of reelection. 

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The book chiefly explores the president’s unfitness for office, containing anecdotes like the presence of an informal guideline within the administration to keep presidential briefings to three main points, as the president lacked the attention span to absorb any more information than that. However, it goes on to refute the thesis of the op-ed written roughly a year ago. While the author previously claimed that the so-called “steady state” would prevent Trump from doing anything truly destructive to democracy, he or she now believes that the resistance within the administration has all but fallen apart, as the president has increasingly surrounded himself with sycophants and has taken an even more erratic and impulsive approach to decision making. The message of the book, ultimately, is that for the sake of preserving American democracy, the reelection of Donald Trump must be prevented, as the “steady state” will not last another five years.

While the fact that the author is a Trump administration official is not in dispute, the lack of further information about his or her character generates a credibility problem.

Just like the op-ed that preceded it, the book was met with serious criticism. One of the most common complaints about the book’s publication was that it didn’t reveal anything that people who pay attention to the news didn’t already know. The facts of the president’s thoughtless impulsiveness, lack of moral compass, and proclivity towards authoritarian instincts are not new. In fact, the Trump administration has arguably been the most transparent presidential administration in recent history, owing not to any intentional effort on the president’s part but to the continuing tendency of administration officials to anonymously leak government secrets to the press. While in ordinary circumstances it would be shocking to hear the president say things like, “These are just words. A bunch of words. It doesn’t mean anything,” in response to a written briefing, this type of behavior is sadly to be expected of the current occupant of the Oval Office.

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Another criticism levied against the book has to do with the author’s potential to make money. Books about Trump have frequently become best-sellers, and “A Warning” is no different, appearing at the top of Amazon’s Best Seller list immediately after its release. Despite accusations of the anonymous official profiting personally off of governmental dysfunction and chaos, however, lawyers for the author have said that much of the book’s proceeds will be donated to charitable organizations that support freedom of the press, with additional profits being put towards a potential legal defense fund.

A third criticism is that the author should have resigned and told his story publicly rather than hide behind anonymity. Because the author is anonymous, it is difficult or impossible for journalists to independently verify the book’s claims without accidentally outing the author, as the scenarios described in the book were witnessed by just a handful of people. While the fact that the author is a Trump administration official is not in dispute, the lack of further information about his or her character generates a credibility problem. Furthermore, critics allege that the publication of a book like this while the Trump administration is ongoing may have the effect of the administration purging government officials who are suspected of being the author, leading to an even further destruction of the “steady state” the author has insisted is necessary. The author has defended his or her anonymity, claiming that not revealing him or herself allows the focus to be placed squarely on the facts, and that it enables him or her to continue to attempt to resist the Trump administration from within.