2019
February
28
Thursday

Monitor Daily Podcast

February 28, 2019
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Eva Botkin-Kowacki
Science, environment, and technology writer

Sewer rats are usually seen as vermin so vile they should be exterminated. But one rat garnered a different reaction when an evocative photo – and a heartwarming story to go with it – made the rounds on the internet this week.

The image depicts the plight of a rather rotund rat that got stuck in a manhole cover in Germany on Sunday. In the picture, the rat, with the front half of its body stuck above ground, has its mouth agape as if to shout “help me!” to anyone who might pass by.

The rat’s shrill pleas were answered first by children, then by rescue workers from a local animal nonprofit. But they couldn’t free the rat, so a group of volunteer firefighters suited up and came to the rescue.

Similar tales of humans coming to imperiled animals’ aid fill the internet. Two recent examples: baby flamingos that were airlifted out of extreme drought conditions in South Africa, and a social media plea to find rescuers for a stunned hawk in downtown Manhattan.

These stories highlight humanity’s deep capacity for compassion. And our ability to extend that empathy to other species, philosophers have argued, could also reinforce our compassion for each other.

Now to our five stories for today. 


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Shooting survivor and former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D) of Arizona (r.) embraces student activist Audrey Wright of Chicago during a news conference about legislation requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, on Capitol Hill on Feb. 26. The legislation passed the House but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

For the first time in more than 20 years, major gun control legislation passed the House. It's because Democrats are in control – but also because of a shift within the party.

Two arrests last week – of Christopher Hasson and Jussie Smollett – had our reporter examining both hate crime and hoax statistics. Both the plot and the hoax, criminologists say, arose in an atmosphere of growing distrust of “others.”

Taylor Luck
Emirati forces show off their latest Western tanks, helicopters, and high-tech gear in an exercise at the Opening Ceremony of the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) arms show Feb. 18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Middle East's leadership seems suddenly in flux: The Saudis have been humbled, and the US posture toned down. Can a tiny, wealthy emirate rebrand itself to fill the void and become a regional power?

Government schemes don’t always live up to their promises. In Uganda, a program designed to divert tourist dollars into rural communities has been criticized as ineffective. But a new focus is restoring hope.

David Dishneau/AP
Gabriella Rinehart interviews great-grandmother Mae Ridge in the kitchen of Ms. Ridge's home in Leitersburg, Md., in late 2015. The interview was part of the Great Thanksgiving Listen oral history project on StoryCorps. Audio storytelling is currently enjoying a resurgence.

Ordinary folks often get left out of history books. But audio, an overlooked medium, may encourage a more inclusive and nuanced historical record.


The Monitor's View

Reuters
Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania's former chief anti-corruption prosecutor, arrives to attend a hearing at the judiciary in Bucharest, Romania, Feb. 15.

 It is rare indeed when judges and prosecutors go on strike in a country. It is even rarer when they strike for their independence rather than wages. Yet this is now the case in Romania, which is at the epicenter of the European Union’s attempts to rein in corruption within the 28-member bloc.

Since joining the EU in 2007, Romania has been on official probation along with Bulgaria to ensure it moves toward clean governance. A special independent body was set up – to the credit of the country’s voters – to go after a deep culture of corruption left from Romania’s communist days. From 2013 to 2018, the agency was able to try or convict thousands of officials.

Last year, however, the head of the agency, Laura Kövesi, was forced out by the ruling Social Democrats who took power two years ago. The reason: The party’s leader was one of those convicted, making him unable to become prime minister.

Over the past year, the government has rolled back much of the progress against corruption, triggering an outcry by the EU. One measure the government approved in February impinges on the independence of judges and prosecutors, leading to the strike.  

Just as critical, the government wants to stop Ms. Kövesi from being appointed as the EU’s first chief prosecutor. The government’s campaign even includes starting an investigation of top EU officials as well as filing bogus charges against her.

The EU is confronting this backsliding by Romania. On Wednesday, EU lawmakers approved Kövesi as chief prosecutor, although her final appointment awaits a nod in March by the European Council. One lawmaker praised her “dignified courage that inspired people across our continent.”

The new post is designed to go after misuse of the $160 billion that the EU spends annually in member states. Overall, corruption costs the EU economy nearly a trillion euros a year, according to a 2016 study. The most corrupt members are Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Italy, and Greece.

During her work as prosecutor in Romania, Kövesi investigated some 2,000 fraud cases a year involving EU funds. Her antigraft efforts were made easier, she says, because Romanians are resisting demands for bribes. And they better understand basic rights, such as equality before the law. No doubt the striking judges and prosecutors have the people’s support.


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

For today’s contributor, a job teaching immigrant grade-schoolers became an opportunity to witness the unifying, healing power behind the golden rule.


A message of love

Kent Porter/The Press Democrat/AP
Scott Heemstra rowed Veronica Burdette out of the flood zone as waters rose in Guerneville, Calif., Feb. 27. Two northern California communities are accessible only by boat after a rain-swollen river overflowed its banks following a relentless downpour. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office says Guerneville ‘is officially an island’ and another nearby town was also isolated by floodwaters.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us today. Come back tomorrow. Howard LaFranchi will break down the outcome of President Trump’s talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. With no deal coming out of the summit, what happens now?

More issues

2019
February
28
Thursday
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