Thousands of people from cities across the country gathered
outside the White House on Saturday to protest the Biden
administration’s policies toward the Israel-Hamas war, many dressed in
keffiyehs and red clothes to symbolize what they say is a red line that
Israel crossed.
Hundreds of protesters held a red banner
that stretched around the White House, urging President Joe Biden to
change his approach to the war in Gaza.
“Biden, Biden you can’t hide, we are your red line,” protesters chanted.
The red line is in reference to remarks made by the White House and Joe last month that Israel would be in serious trouble, for real this time, we are telling Daddy as soon as he walks in the door, for real now, if they did not have a plan to avoid civilian casualties when they attacked Rafa. For real now. We're talking not only no more weapons but also no dessert! Now march yourself on up to your room.
Strong words that never had any follow up. THE HINDUSTAN TIMES notes, "Holding Palestinian flags and chanting 'From DC to Palestine, we are the red line,' the protestors demonstrated placards and banners with names of the Palestinians killed during Israeli offensive during the last nine months." Grace Newton (WTOP) reminds that "the president says Israel hasn’t crossed that line yet." In the supposed land of the free, the police attacked the peaceful protesters. Gloria Oladipo (GUARDIAN) reports:
Footage posted to social media showed police using pepper spray on protesters, who faced arrest at the mass demonstration.
At least one demonstrator also held a canister that released green and white smoke near the southern side of the White House.
The demonstrator, who was dressed as the superhero character Spiderman, shouted along with a crowd: “Biden, Biden, we can’t wait! We’ll see you at the Hague!”
The Hague is the Dutch city that is home to the international criminal court that prosecutes war crimes.
The 8-month-old conflict became the most destructive conflict of the 21st century, the Associated Press reported,
with tens of thousands killed, most of them being women and children.
The war left many parts of the city in ruins, leading to a collapse in
its healthcare system, leaving 10 out of 36 of Gaza’s main hospitals
somewhat functional, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.
Israel’s
bombardment has leveled and destroyed over 60% of Gaza’s homes, forcing
over 1.7 million Palestinians to flee, the Associated Press reported.
“How
many more homes have to be destroyed, how many children need to be
killed, until this [United States] government takes definitive action
to stop Israel’s war crimes,” said Celine Qussiny of the Palestinian
Youth Movement.
Four Israeli hostages were rescued today. The rescue effort -- carried out by Israeli forces with US assistance -- is said to have left at least 200 innocent Palestinians dead. If you're trying to figure out the currency rate, Joe Biden believes that one Israeli life is worth fifty Palestinians.
And he wonders why he struggles to connect with voters.
In a post on social media, Francesca Albanese said she was “relieved” for the four Israeli captives, but added that Israel “could have freed all hostages, alive and intact, 8 months ago when the first ceasefire and hostage exchange was put on the table”.
“Israel refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people,” Albanese said.
“This genocidal intent turned into action,” she said.
“Israel has used hostages to legitimise killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatising Palestinians in Gaza.”
At WSWS, Tom Carter notes: On Thursday, US congressional leaders announced that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress on
July 24. This invitation, one of the highest honors that can be extended
to a foreign head of state, identifies the entire US political
establishment and both imperialist political parties with genocide.
The formal invitation dated May 31 was addressed to “His Excellency
Benjamin Netanyahu” on behalf of “the bipartisan leadership of the
United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.” It
was signed by Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic Senate Majority Leader
Charles Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“We
join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror,” the joint
letter states, going on to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel,”
which is allegedly in the process of “defending democracy.”
Underscoring the analysis made on the World Socialist Web Site
of the violence in Gaza as one front of an expanding global imperialist
war, the brief joint letter goes out of its way to identify Israel as a
key ally against “the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and
China.”
The bipartisan invitation to Netanyahu was extended
exactly one week after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued
an emergency order
under the 1948 Genocide Convention for Israel to “immediately halt its
military offensive” in Rafah. The ICJ’s ruling was issued just days
after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
sought arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, accusing them of “extermination” of civilians.
Gaza remains under assault. Day 246 of the assault in the wave that began in October. Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion. The ongoing campaign in Gaza
by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction.
But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge
for the propaganda outlets: How to justify it? Fortunately for Israel,
the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover
for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence." CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund." ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.
Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily
basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to
school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them." NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe
Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom
believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza." The
slaughter continues. It has displaced over 1 million people per the US
Congressional Research Service. Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned
the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide." The death toll of
Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher. United Nations Women noted,
"More than
1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza --
have
been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million
women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million
people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "Gaza death toll reaches 36,801, with 83,680 injured." Months ago, AP noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing." February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained
on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000
Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of
their former home." February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe
Lazzarini Tweeted:
April 11th, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) reported, "In addition to the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been counted as
killed in Israel’s genocidal assault so far, there are 13,000
Palestinians in Gaza who are missing, a humanitarian aid group has
estimated, either buried in rubble or mass graves or disappeared into
Israeli prisons. In a report released Thursday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the estimate is based on initial reports and that the actual number of people missing is likely even higher."
As for the area itself? Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive
has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole
neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been
blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are
still standing, but most are battered shells." Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery
by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and
Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing
destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate
of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second
World War."
The ongoing slaughter leaves the government of Israel more and more distanced from the rest of the world. THE NATIONAL reports:
Jordan has urged the UN and the international community to act after Israel's military strikes on Nuseirat.
In
a translated tweet, Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry criticised the
“systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians” and said Israel was
“violating international law”.
Ministry spokesman ambassador Dr
Sufyan Al Qudah condemned Israel's "aggression" and the “unprecedented
humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
He urged the international community, especially the Security Council, to take urgent action.
By interconnecting the grid, Texas could have prevented nearly 80% of ERCOT’s blackouts during Winter Storm Uri
WASHINGTON – Today, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Climate Policy Center published a research brief demonstrating that Congressman Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) Connect the Grid Act
could have prevented almost all of the blackouts ordered by the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) during Winter Storm Uri.
E&E News: Blackouts could be slashed if Texas joins the U.S. grid — study
The research finds that if it was implemented before Winter Storm Uri in 2021, the Connect the Grid Act
could have imported enough power to keep the lights on for millions of
Texans — about 80% of the blackouts ordered by ERCOT would have been
avoided if Casar’s
bill were fully implemented. It also finds that if it was significantly
interconnected, ERCOT could see an increase in net revenues and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
“This
research proves what many Texans know: we didn’t need to lose
electricity, money, and so many lives during Winter Storm Uri,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “The Connect the Grid Act
would create more reliable electricity nationwide, while saving money
and reducing carbon dioxide . I urge all of my colleagues to follow the
science, and help us deliver power to the people.”
“Interregional
transmission is one powerful tool for meeting the growing demand for
electricity across the U.S. and improving resilience of the grid to
extreme weather events,” said Juan Senga, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Climate Policy Center.
“In the case of Texas, interregional transmission can also lead to
significant growth in wind generation capacity, the jobs that come along
with that, and greater energy exports.”
Key Takeaways from the Research:
The Connect the Grid Act would improve reliability.
If the Connect the Grid Act
was implemented at the higher level of interconnection (36.7 GW of
total transfer capacity), 79% fewer Texan households would have lost
power during Winter Storm Uri.
The Connect the Grid Act would save money.
If
implemented, $1.24 billion could be saved across the continental U.S.
grid each year, and ERCOT would expect to see an increase in annual net
revenues of about $123 million.
The Connect the Grid Act would help fight the climate crisis.
The Connect the Grid Act would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the ERCOT system between 11.5 and 13.2 million metric tons CO2-equivalent every year and up to 31 million metric tons across the U.S. system.
About
90% of the state of Texas’s electricity is run solely through the Texas
grid. Because millions of Texans are not interconnected to the national
grid, they are susceptible to mass power outages in the extreme cold or
extreme heat — when we need reliable energy the most. The remaining
10%, like El Paso in the West and Beaumont in the East, are connected to
other grids and did not suffer mass power outages during Winter Storm
Uri in 2021.
Congressman
Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S.
House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays
County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of
Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional
Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the
Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on
Agriculture.
Washington,
D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42), joined by co-leads
Congressman Nick LaLota (NY-01) and Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03),
introduced the Supporting Passengers with Efficient and Effective
Detention (SPEED) through Screening Act, which will require the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop strategies to
reduce intrusive pat-downs without reducing transportation security,
with particular consideration of passenger populations who receive
pat-downs at disproportionately high rates. Security pat-downs during
travel can be inconvenient, humiliating, and uncomfortable for
travelers, and this legislation aims to make the travel process more
respectful while maintaining the highest standards of security. To read
the full bill text, click here.
“No one likes having strangers from TSA pat them down while going
through the airport, but it can be especially uncomfortable for minority
communities, people with disabilities, and for those who wear religious
garments. The SPEED through Screening Act will push the TSA to do
everything they can to make the traveling experience more comfortable
and pleasant without compromising safety,” said Congressman Robert
Garcia. “TSA has a responsibility to ensure their practices protect
communities disproportionately targeted for security pat-downs while
also protecting our national security. We must make sure folks feel
respected as they undergo travel checkpoints, and don’t fear flying.”
“I’m proud to help introduce the bipartisan SPEED Through Screening Act,
a crucial step towards making air travel more respectful and efficient.
This commonsense bill requires the TSA to develop strategies to reduce
invasive pat-downs, which can be uncomfortable and invasive for
travelers,” said Congressman Nick LaLota. “This legislation prioritizes
the well-being of all travelers and ensures that our travel process is
secure and dignified. I look forward to working with Congressmen Garcia
and McGarvey to get this bill signed into law and improve the lives of
all Americans.”
“We’re long overdue to update and modernize TSA's screening processes.
It’s possible to improve the passenger experience without compromising
our security and safety,” said Congressman Morgan McGarvey. “I’m proud
to partner with Rep. Garcia on this important issue and will continue
working to ensure TSA has not only the most effective screening
technology but treats every traveler with dignity and respect."
The Supporting Passengers with Efficient and Effective Detention (SPEED)
through Screening Act will specifically require TSA to develop a
strategy to reduce pat-downs without reducing security, with
consideration for passenger populations who receive pat-downs at a
disproportionately high rate; require TSA to develop a strategy to
reduce the need for passengers to divest items when going through
security; make a statutory change to allow for TSA to move forward with
testing and operating standoff detection technology, which is a
noninvasive technology that has the potential to improve the passenger
experience; and require TSA to capture anonymized statistics regarding
how it screens passengers to better understand the impacts of its
screening operations.
According to the United States Government Accountability Office, some
existing TSA practices can result in certain passengers being referred
for additional screening more than others. These include minority
communities, people with disabilities, and those who wear religious
headwear, making these groups more susceptible to humiliating and
invasive pat-downs even if they don’t pose a threat.
Congresswoman Bush, Colleagues Reintroduce Resolution to Affirm Rights of Honduras’ GarÃfuna People
The Afro-Indigenous GarÃfuna people
continue to face violent human rights abuses by the Honduran government
and complicit multilateral institutions
Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2024) — Representatives
Cori Bush (MO-01), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jesus “Chuy” GarcÃa (IL-04), Jan
Schakowsky (IL-09), and Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16) reintroduced a
resolution that affirms the rights of the Afro-Indigenous GarÃfuna
people in Honduras.
“I am proud to reintroduce this resolution in solidarity with the
Afro-Indigenous GarÃfuna community in Honduras, alongside
Representatives Bowman, GarcÃa, Omar, and Schakowsky”, said Congresswoman Bush.
“Since we first introduced the resolution, the GarÃfuna people have
continued to face systematic violations of their human rights. We have
an obligation to put an end to this violence and oppression, advance
policies that promote human rights, and speak up for Black and
Indigenous communities in the United States and across the world. My
colleagues and I proudly reintroduce this resolution to condemn systemic
violence against the GarÃfuna people and ensure that the Honduran
government and other complicit international institutions are held
accountable.”
For years, GarÃfuna community members and leaders have been threatened, arrested, abducted and murdered. Most notably, in July 2020,
four GarÃfuna men were abducted at gunpoint by men wearing uniforms
bearing the logo of a Honduran security forces unit. Instead of calling
for an investigation into those responsible, the Honduran Attorney
General has called for criminal proceedings against leaders of the Black
Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH).
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights have determined that the GarÃfuna community’s
rights have repeatedly been violated by the Honduran government, yet
little has changed regarding their treatment. This resolution condemns
the violence toward the GarÃfuna people while calling for accountability
from the Honduran government and other international institutions for
their role in these abuses.
A copy of the resolution can be found HERE. A copy of the one-pager can be found HERE.
“When I visited the Garifuna territory in Honduras, I was disturbed
to learn about how our country’s policies and business practices are
worsening conditions for Indigenous communities in Latin America,” said Congressman Bowman Ed.D. “Corporations
and US-funded governments are degrading their environment, displacing
Garifuna communities, and stoking violence. This is exploitation at the
hands of Afro-Indigenous communities, and it must stop. The United
States has an obligation to right these wrongs and support the human
rights of the Garifuna people, which is why I am proud to join this
resolution.”
“The GarÃfuna people have long endured human rights abuses, forced
disappearances, and violations of their centuries-old land rights. They
continue to be the targets of political violence, organized crime, and
international corporations trying to take over their ancestral lands for
tourism and resource extraction purposes.” said Congressman Jesús “Chuy” GarcÃa.
“This resolution calls for the U.S. to partner with international
organizations and global allies to condemn this violence and affirm the
rights of the GarÃfuna people.”
“When I traveled to Honduras, I saw firsthand the impact corporate
interests and foreign governments have played in destabilizing the
region. The indigenous GarÃfuna community in particular has experienced
significant violence, land appropriation, and human rights abuses. Given
our own history in the region, the United States must take an active
role in ensuring that the rights of the Garifuna are protected—and
support full accountability for past human rights abuses,” said Congresswoman Omar.
“The GarÃfuna people have lived in what is now known as Honduras
since the 1600s and have since endured human rights abuses,
displacement, and violence. Over the years, GarÃfuna community leaders
have been threatened, arrested, abducted, and even murdered. These
abhorrent abuses cannot be tolerated,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “Today,
threats against their land and people persist. I am proud to co-lead
this resolution that not only calls for the implementation of the 2015
Inter-American Court judgment restoring land rights to GarÃfuna
communities, but also calls on the Biden Administration to engage with
the Honduran government to safeguard the GarÃfuna people, their land,
and their culture.”
Members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) and
Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective traveled to Washington this
week for the reintroduction of the resolution. These grassroots
organizations and their allies are working to protect the GarÃfuna
people’s land rights and secure justice and accountability for the human
rights violations they have faced.
The lawmakers first introduced the resolution in December 2022,
following a congressional delegation visit to Honduras in March 2021,
working alongside partner organizations and members of the GarÃfuna
community.
Endorsing organizations for the resolution include:
Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective (WfPSC), Organización Fraternal
Negra de Honduras (OFRANEH), Honduras Solidarity Network (HSN),
Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) – Global Economy Program, Chicago
Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN), The Inter-Faith
Committee on Latin America (IFCLA), Environmental Justice and
Infrastructure Initiative, InterReligious Task Force On Central America
(IRTF), Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Cross Border Network for
Justice and Solidarity, Portland Central American Solidarity Committee,
Rights Action, SHARE Foundation, School of the Americas Watch (SOAW),
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), Massachusetts Peace
Action (MAPA), Denver Justice and Peace Committee, Washington Office on
Latin America (WOLA), Pax Christi-Phoenix, Root Causes Initiative,
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA), Stanford
Central American Student Association, Promise Institute for Human Rights
at UCLA School of Law, Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at
University of Cincinnati College of Law, Nicaragua Center for Community
Action, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Fr. Bill
O’Donnell Social Justice Committee, Colectivo Voces Ecologicas COVEC,
Midnight Books, Peace Circle Salisbury, and Alliance for Global Justice.
“Concerned about this alarming situation that threatens the future
survival of the GarÃfuna people, we have called for solidarity to the
world, allied organizations, individuals, and institutions.
Specifically, to the people of the United States, who have expressed
their solidarity and their support through letters to government
officials, visits to our territory, and, today through a great act of
solidarity and advocacy, a significant number of members of Congress of
the U.S. House of Representatives, are preparing to circulate, present
and discuss a Resolution to take urgent action on the difficult
situation where the GarÃfuna people currently live,” said Miriam Miranda, General Coordinator of OFRANEH.
“IPS was proud to award OFRANEH with the Letelier-Moffitt
International Human Rights Award in 2021, as part of efforts to bring
necessary attention and support to their crucial struggle for land,
self-determination and justice, especially given dire threats against
the GarÃfuna people’s survival. This resolution is essential to continue
building pressure against persistent threats, including from US firms
such as Próspera that have brought arbitration against Honduras to a
World Bank tribunal for the outrageous amount of nearly $11 billion
dollars to try to impose their interests in territories directly
affecting OFRANEH,” said Jenn Moore, Associate Fellow - Global Economy at the Institute of Policy Studies.
“Honduran authorities, as well as respective international financial
institutions and U.S. agencies, must work to ensure compliance with the
2015 InterAmerican court rulings outlined in this important resolution.
The recent formation of the Intersectoral Commission with participation
from the Honduran government and OFRANEH is just the beginning of a long
road of work to restore and guarantee Garifuna land rights in
Honduras,” said Karen Spring, Co-coordinator, Honduras Solidarity Network (HSN).
“The recent threats and intimidation faced by Garifuna land defenders
in Triunfo de la Cruz showcase the urgent need for the compliance of
the 2015 Inter-American Court rulings. Likewise, it displays the great
need to hold US-led international financial institutions &
multilateral banks responsible for their complicity in the violation of
Garifuna land rights, which continue to affect communities today. This
resolution is an important tool to put pressure on all the actors
involved in the human rights violations and dispossession of the
Garifuna people, including the Honduran government, the US government,
and international financial institutions,” said Jalileh Garcia, Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective.
ICYMI: Senator Baldwin Questions Wisconsin Doctor at Senate Hearing on Devastating Impacts of Abortion Bans
Ahead of two-year anniversary, Wisconsin doctor testifies at Senate hearing on impact of overturning Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a hearing to discuss the dire impacts of Republican abortion bans in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
and nearly 50 years of precedent. The hearing featured Wisconsin Dr.
Allison Linton, MD, OB/GYN and Chief Medical Officer at Planned
Parenthood Wisconsin, who discussed the toll overturning Roe v. Wade has taken on Wisconsin patients and providers.
“In Wisconsin and across the nation, the stark reality of post-Roe
America has been dire—from endangering women’s lives to forcing
providers to navigate impossible situations, women have been stripped of
the right and freedom to control their bodies and decide what’s best
for their families,” said Senator Baldwin. “Today, we
heard gut-wrenching testimony from Dr. Linton and other experts who are
watching women suffer every day because they no longer have the right to
control their bodies. I will not back down from this fight until we
pass my bill to restore the right to abortion nationwide and allow women
to make their own health care decisions without interference from
judges or politicians.”
“Under the 1849 law, instead of being able to follow the medicine –
offering patients all their options and letting them choose – we would
call additional colleagues asking their opinions, we would discuss cases
with our hospital’s lawyers,” said Dr. Linton. “And
far too often, we would have to look our patients in the eye and tell
them that despite having the medical training to help them and knowing
that an abortion was a safe and medically appropriate option, we
couldn’t help them in their home state due to a law written over 170
years ago by legislators who likely had no medical training and
certainly had no understanding of modern medicine.”
Senator Baldwin has been leading the fight to restore reproductive rights in the wake of the Dobbs decision, leading or co-sponsoring legislation to protect and expand access to reproductive health care:
Women’s Health Protection Act – Senator Baldwin re-introduced her Women’s Health Protection Act with
a record number of co-sponsors – 48 Senators and 208 House members. The
legislation creates federal rights for patients and providers to
protect abortion access and creates federal protections against
medically unnecessary restrictions that undermine Americans’ access to
health care and intrude upon personal decision-making.
Right to Contraception Act – Senator Baldwin is a co-sponsor of theRight to Contraception Act,
a bill to put into law Americans’ right to contraception, which the
Supreme Court first recognized more than half a century ago in its Griswold v. Connecticut decision.
Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act – Senator Baldwin introduced this legislation to
provide women the support they need to access reproductive health
services by providing grants to organizations, including abortion funds,
to offset the cost of travel-related expenses.
My Body, My Data Act – Senator Baldwin is also a co-sponsor of My Body, My Data to
protect personal reproductive and sexual health data by minimizing the
information collected and retained, and preventing that information from
being disclosed or misused. This bill is aimed at preventing people
getting, seeking, or facilitating reproductive health care from being at
risk of having their digital footprints weaponized against them.
Protecting Service Members and Military Families’ Access to Health Care Act –
With servicemembers stationed based on the needs of the nation and not
personal preference, many serve in states that have banned, restricted,
or worked to curtail access to abortion. In response, Senator Baldwin
and her colleagues introduced legislation aimed at ensuring service members have access to comprehensive care, regardless of where they are stationed.
Reproductive Health Care Training Act – In June, Senator Baldwin introduced legislation to
ensure that health care professionals can get the training and
education they need to meet Americans’ dire reproductive health care
needs. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, medical education
institutions face additional obstacles in maintaining their
accreditation and ensuring that residents and students receive proper
training in abortion care.
Convenient Contraception Act – Alongside more than a dozen of her colleagues, Senator Baldwin introducedlegislation that
would improve access to contraceptive products, including
over-the-counter contraceptives. The bill provides individuals covered
by private health insurance with the option to receive up to a full year
of safe, effective contraception at the time their prescription is
issued instead of the current three-month supply or less that is
standard in many states.
Full video of Senator Baldwin’s opening statement and questions are available here.
Full video of Dr. Linton’s testimony is available here.
Murray,
Duckworth, Booker Unveil Sweeping New Bill to Establish a Nationwide
Right to IVF and Lower IVF Costs for Families—Legislation Will Receive a
Vote in the Senate Next Week
The Right to IVF Act
represents the Senate Democrats’ commitment to make it easier for all
Americans to access and afford IVF treatment needed to build their
families
Washington, D.C. – As Republicans and the anti-abortion movement continue their state-by-state attacks on reproductive freedom in post-Roe America,
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Tammy
Duckworth (D-IL), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) this week unveiled a new,
sweeping legislative package that would both establish a nationwide
right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive
technology (ART), and lower the costs of IVF treatment for the millions
of families who need it to have their children. The Senate will vote on
the IVF package—titled the Right to IVF Act—next week.
“Republican attacks on reproductive rights since the Dobbs
decision have not stopped at abortion—their reckless crusade to
criminalize basic reproductive health care and give embryos the exact
same rights as living, breathing human beings has put IVF in jeopardy
and endangered the lives of pregnant women,” said Senator Murray.
“We saw what happened in Alabama, where families’ lives were thrown
into chaos and their dreams of having children ripped away because of
extreme Republican ideology—this should never happen anywhere in
America. Unlike GOP legislation that would not protect IVF and is only a
PR tool for Republicans to hide their extremism, our Right to IVF Act
would actually protect Americans from attempts to restrict IVF and would
allow more people to access these vital services at a lower cost.
Importantly, this legislation includes my bill to help veterans and
servicemembers access IVF—these are women and men who have sacrificed so
much for our families and should never have to sacrifice their ability
to start their own.”
“In the nearly two years since the Supreme Court threw out
Roe v. Wade, our nation has seen the horrific consequences of
Republicans’ anti-science, anti-woman crusade that has put IVF at risk
for millions of Americans who rely on it to start or grow their family,”
said Senator Duckworth. “Struggling with infertility
is painful enough—every American deserves the right to access the
treatment and tools they need to build the family of their dreams
without the fear of being prosecuted for murder or manslaughter. I’m
proud to unveil this sweeping legislative package with my colleagues
that would actually protect the freedom to receive or provide IVF
nationwide, while making these treatments more affordable and accessible
for the millions of American families—including military families and
Veterans—who are experiencing infertility across the country.”
“In the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to
overturn Roe v. Wade, we must recommit ourselves to protecting
reproductive freedoms and Americans’ right to make their own medical
decisions,” said Senator Booker.
“Extreme court rulings have made it crystal clear that access to IVF
treatments are under threat across America, which is why I am working
with my colleagues to introduce this comprehensive package of bills that
will ensure that the freedom to start and grow a family is protected
and accessible to everyone in the United States.”
“In the nearly two years since the MAGA-right Supreme Court
released the disastrous Dobbs decision, the Republican party has been on
a relentless crusade to strip women of their reproductive rights,” said Leader Schumer.
“Senate Democrats are fighting for women, for families, and for
personal freedoms. IVF is just the latest example of Republicans
vilifying something that has been an invaluable aide to countless
American families and is widely supported by the American people. We
must enshrine the right to these vital services and work to make sure
that they are accessible for those who are experiencing infertility.”
Building on the lawmakers’ previous efforts to protect and strengthen
access to IVF, this pro-family, pro-freedom legislative package
includes:
Senator Murray and Duckworth’s Access to Family Building Act, which
would establish a nationwide right for patients to access IVF and other
ART services, a right for doctors to provide IVF treatment in
accordance with medical standards as well as a right for insurance
carriers to cover IVF without prohibition, limitation, interference or
impediment. By establishing a statutory right, this would pre-empt any
state effort to limit such access and ensuring no hopeful parent—or
their doctors—are punished for trying to start or grow a family.
In February, Senator Duckworth sought unanimous consent to pass this legislation and Republican U.S. Senator of Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked it.
Senator Murray’s Veteran Families Health Services Act,
which would expand the fertility treatments and family-building
services that are covered under servicemembers’ and Veterans’ health
care to include—among other things—the option for individuals to
cryopreserve their gametes (freeze their eggs or sperm) ahead of
deployment to a combat zone and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance.
In March, Senator Murray sought unanimous consent to pass this
legislation and Republican U.S. Senator of Oklahoma James Lankford blocked it.
Senator Booker’s Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act,
which would increase affordability of fertility care—including IVF—by
requiring employer-sponsored insurance plans and other public insurance
plans to cover fertility treatments. Additionally, it would standardize a
baseline of high-quality fertility treatment coverage under private
health insurance plans, while protecting Americans against excessive
out-of-pocket costs.
Senator Duckworth’s Family Building FEHB Fairness Act,
which would require Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program—the
largest employer-sponsored health insurance plan in the world—carriers
to cover IVF and ART to help more hardworking Americans start and grow
their families.
The Right to IVF Act is supported by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
“The 1 in 6 people who struggle with infertility and want to
pursue medical treatment like IVF to build their family, face far too
many obstacles,” said President and CEO of RESOLVE Barbara Collura.
“While lack of comprehensive insurance coverage continues to be the
biggest obstacle, the threat to the availability of IVF continues to
grow. Year after year, RESOLVE’s brave advocates ask Congress to pass
pro-family legislation that will help them build their family. And
today, the U.S. Senate has heard our pleas. We are thrilled to see the
Senate take up the Right to IVF Act, legislation which would not only
protect IVF across the U.S. but bring real access to so many including
our veterans, service members, and federal employees who want a chance
at parenthood. Our community can’t wait any longer – let’s pass the
Right to IVF Act.”
“ASRM applauds the introduction of the Right to IVF Act. This
omnibus package of pro-family building bills will create a statutory
right for healthcare professionals across the country to provide IVF and
increase access to IVF for the patients who our members serve,” said ASRM President Dr. Paula Amato.
“For decades, ASRM has led the call for federal protections for IVF and
insurance coverage for IVF for all Americans, including service
members, veterans, and federal employees. This package is truly IVF for
all, and we urge the U.S. Senate to pass it right away.”
Friday, June 7, 2024. The CIA grasps how crazy War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu actually is, the physical attacks on journalists (and the Israeli government's intimidation of them) continues, more sir strikes (War Crimes), the useless Jill Stein continues to try to hijack the Green Party, and much more.
Yesterday, the Israeli government added to their long list of War Crimes. with their attack Thursday on a United Nations school housing refugees.
The classroom, that became a shelter is now shattered.
Two Israeli munitions hit their target, a room designed for the
displaced, where they slept and where many have lived for months.
Outside the local hospital, a mother's grief. Frial Zedan lost her 17-year-old son, Mahmoud.
Frial Zedan, Mother (through interpreter):
There's nothing here but people, just people trying to live. Why are you doing this to us?
Nick Schifrin:
Mahmoud's sister, Seham, is inconsolable.
Seham Zedan, Sister (through interpreter):
Why would they bomb the school? Why would they bomb any
school? Where do we go? There's no place to go to where they don't drop
missiles down on us. Where do we go?
Nick Schifrin:
In another family, too young to understand why, old enough to mourn.
Palestinian
health officials affiliated with Hamas say a dozen victims were women
and children. But the Israeli military said, and informed the U.S. in a
private briefing, that the classroom had been taken over by 20 to 30
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants who had participated in
the October 7 terrorist attacks, planned — quote — "imminent attacks,"
and turned the three classrooms in the U.N. school into their
command-and-control.
Israel said it dropped small bombs that did
not damage nearby rooms, or kill civilians. And, in a briefing, Rear
Admiral Daniel Hagari displayed the names of Hamas members who'd been
killed.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Spokesperson, Israeli Defense Forces:
Hamas hopes the international law and public sympathy
will provide a shield for their military activities, which is why they
systematically operate from schools, U.N. facilities, hospitals, and
mosques.
Nick Schifrin:
Today, State Department spokesman Matt Miller called on Israel to be transparent.
Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesman:
Even if the intent is what the IDF has said publicly,
that they were trying to use a precision strike just to target 20 to 30
militants, if you have seen 14 children die in that strike, that shows
that something went wrong. That said, these are all facts that need to
be verified. And that's what we want to see happen.
Nick Schifrin:
Back in the hospital, Samia Al-Maqadmeh cradles her son Imad, who was rescued from the rubble.
Imad
Al-Maqadmeh, Wounded in Airstrike (through interpreter): What did we
do? There are no armed people in the school. There are children who
play, like us, children. Why did they bomb us? I want to know why. Where
should we go?
On the dead, AP notes, "Casualties from the school strike — including three women and nine
children — were taken to a hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, as
documented by hospital records and an Associated Press journalist. The
hospital has already been overwhelmed by a stream of ambulances since
Israeli forces launched a new offensive in central Gaza this week." On the US State Dept, Matt Murphy and George Wright (BBC NEWS) add:
In Washington, Mr Miller said the US has seen reports that 14 children were killed in the strike.
"If that is accurate that 14 children were killed, those aren’t terrorists," he said.
"And
so the government of Israel has said they are going to release more
information about this strike... We expect them to be fully transparent
in making that information public.”
The latest deaths come just a week after 45 people were killed in an Israeli strike in the Gazan city of Rafah.
Israeli strikes targeted several homes in the Gaza Strip Friday, including in a refugee camp.
According
to medical sources who spoke to AFP, a home near a medical centre in
the Bureij refugee camp was targeted, leaving several people wounded,
and at least six people were killed in an attack on a home in the
Maghazi camp.
Casualties were also reported in Gaza
City, after a home there came under attack, and witnesses said Israeli
fighter jets were striking the Al-Sultan neighbourhood in the southern
city of Rafah.
Gaza also came under fire from the sea,
with Israeli warships bombarding homes in the fishermen’s port area,
among others, west of Gaza City.
At least 23 Palestinians were killed early on Friday in Israeli strikes on refugee camps across Gaza, with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar vowing the militant group will fight on until its ceasefire conditions are met.
The
attacks killed five people in Nuseirat camp, including Mayor Iyad Al
Maghari, and at least six in Maghazi camp, in central Gaza, the Wafa
news agency reported.
Mr Al Maghari was killed when Israeli forces attacked a municipal office in central Gaza.
Around the world, people call for an end to this violence, an end to this ongoing slaughter. The NAACP is using its voice to call for a cease-fire.
Citing Israel's killing of over 36,000 Palestinians in Gaza
and its defiance of a World Court order to stop attacking Rafah, the
NAACP on Wednesday joined the hundreds of human rights and civil
society organizations urging the Biden administration to halt weapons
transfers to Israel.
The leading U.S. civil rights group noted Israel's defiance of the International Court of Justice's May 24
order to stop attacking the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) May 26 bombing of a refugee encampment there that killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians, including many women and children.
"The total death toll of Gazans has reached over 36,000 with another
81,000 injured," the NAACP said. "Nearly 500 Palestinians in the West
Bank, including 117 children, have also been killed."
Violence in this ongoing slaughter also includes attacks on journalists. At the end of last month, Reporters Without Borders filed another complaint with the International Criminal Court, "RSF has filed this third
complaint with the Hague-based ICC because the number of journalists
killed in Gaza by the IDF is continuing to grow after passing the 100 mark, in an eradication of the Palestinian media. The complaint, which follows those filed on 31 October and 22 December,
details eight new cases of Palestinian journalists killed between 20
December and 20 May, as well as the case of a journalist who was
injured. All concerned journalists were killed (or injured) in the course of their work.
RSF has reasonable grounds for thinking that some of these journalists
were deliberately killed and that the others were the victims of
deliberate IDF attacks against civilians." On Wednesday, a Flag Day parade turned into another excuse for violence as an angry mob of Israelis began attacking Palestinians and journalists (and Palestinians who were also journalists. DPA noted, "A reporter from Israel's liberal Haaretz newspaper wrote on the social
media platform X that a colleague was attacked after defending fellow
journalists. Five people were detained in the incident, police said." Allyson Horn, Haidarr Jones and Orly Halpern (Australia's ABC) explain, "Violence has erupted at Israel's annual Jerusalem Day march, with some
Jewish Israelis attacking Palestinians and journalists, including an ABC
News team, while chanting offensive slogans." Today, Thomas Helm (THE NATIONAL) reports:
Israeli police detained Palestinian journalist Saif Al Qawasmi shortly after he was attacked by an extremist mob in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Al
Qawasmi, a freelance photographer for several Arab outlets, was held
for about an hour and a half after an Israeli ultranationalist told
police he was a member of Hamas, Haaretz reported.
The
arrest came shortly after Al Qawasmi was assaulted by dozens of mostly
teenage Israelis, who surrounded him close to Damascus Gate.
The
image quickly became emblematic of the horrors Palestinian residents of
Jerusalem’s Old City face during the annual Flag March, a deeply
contentious parade through the Muslim Quarter.
The Haaretz
report – written by journalist Nir Hasson, who was also attacked trying
to protect Al Qawasmi – said there was no evidence any of Al Qawasmi’s
attackers had been summoned by police.
When I lived in Gaza, I was worried about my life and my children’s
future. Now in London, I worry about Gaza and the future of journalism
there. In addition to those journalists who have been killed, dozens
have fled; these losses are catastrophic to the journalistic profession
there. Eight months into the war, I have so many questions: Who will
guide the young journalists entering the profession? How objective can
they be given the brutal conditions and lack of guidance? Will the world
listen to them, let alone believe their narrative? And at the end of
this, will there be young men and women willing to go into journalism in
Gaza? Who will tell Gaza’s story?
A CIA assessment circulated among US officials this week
concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely judges
he can get away without defining a post-war plan — even as the Biden
administration has launched a full-court press to pressure him to bring
an end to the conflict in Gaza.
Netanyahu “probably believes he can maintain support from
his security chiefs and prevent defections” from the right wing of his
coalition by discussing the future of Gaza in “vague terms,” the June 3
report, reviewed by CNN, reads.
The assessment — which has not been previously reported
— represents one of the most up to date intelligence assessments about
Netanyahu’s mindset that has been circulated among senior US officials,
according to a source familiar with internal reporting.
It comes amid a clear shift in how the Biden administration
views Israel: less as a trusted partner and more as an unpredictable
foreign government to be analyzed and understood.
The CIA? It's lousy when it comes to predictions but it is often very sharp on analysis. Then again, since people try to pretend the CIA is about flowers and love (Gloria Steinem infamously stated that their objectives aligned with her own), the CIA may have a bad rap when it comes to their predictions. The CIA is not about making livers better, it is about sewing unrest. And when one of this plots and schemes explode somewhere in the world and garners attention, efforts are made to insist that this was never the goal and, woopsie, a mistake was made. Most likely, it was not.
So debate how strong they are on predictions, but grasp that they can do strong analysis and have.
We were the first to note Nouri al-Maliki's paranoia. This was when he became Iraq's prime minister. As we noted then, he was made prime minister -- by the US government -- due to the CIA assessment on how vast his paranoia was.
Now that should have led the US government to refuse to unleash Nouri on the Iraqi people. However, it's not about what's good for humanity when it comes to the CIA or the US government. More important to them was having someone that they could control. Nouri's paranoia meant that they could play him like a puppet.
And they did. But that paranoia they harnessed? It evolved into paranoia against the US government.
They were slow and stupid to realize it had happened. In fact, in 2010, the US government made the decision to overturn the election results in Iraq (via The Erbil Agreement) and give Nouri a second term. He was already known for his secret prisons and jails, for his attacks on journalists, for so many appalling actions. But Samantha Power and others advocated to then-President Barack Obama for Nouri to have a second term. And then all hell broke loose including, but not limited to, the rise of ISIS.
So here we stand now with a CIA assessment of War Criminal Netanyahu. Let's hope smarter brains our in the room as the administration debates what to do next.
Lives are at stake -- not that lives have really mattered that much in the decision making in the past.
AMYGOODMAN:
An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in
the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza has killed at least 40 people,
including 14 children, according to the government media office in
Gaza. Nearly 80 Palestinians were also wounded in the predawn strike on
the Al-Sardi School, which is run by the United Nations agency for
Palestinian refugees, known by its acronym UNRWA.
The Israeli military claimed it targeted Hamas militants operating in
the school, but provided no evidence to back up its claim.
UNRWA schools across Gaza have functioned
as shelters for displaced Palestinians since the start of Israel’s war
on Gaza. Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit close to an UNRWA
facility in the southern city of Rafah, where tens of thousands had
sought shelter, setting tents ablaze and killing at least 45 people.
Over 36,600 people have been killed in Israeli military air attacks in
Gaza over the past eight months, with over 83,300 injured.
For more, we’re joined by UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai. She joins us from Amman, Jordan.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Tamara. Can you explain what happened at about — what was it? About 1:30 in the morning Gaza time.
TAMARAALRIFAI: Yes. Hi, Amy, and thank you so much for giving UNRWA always a space and a platform on Democracy Now!
What we understood from our colleagues in Gaza, given how patchy
telecommunication is, is that, indeed, an Israeli strike hit one of our
shelters. Originally, this was a school, but since the beginning of the
war, this school in Nuseirat in the middle part of Gaza, like many, many
other UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip,
have housed people who have been repeatedly displaced as the conflict in
Gaza evolved, evicting them and forcing them to leave their homes,
leave loved ones and leave their things behind. The strike happened
around 2 a.m. And from what we understand, there are between 35 and 45
people killed. Many of them are children.
We also remind that this being an UNRWA
shelter, up to 6,000 people had sought refuge and safety inside that
school, just like many, many other displaced people of the 2 million
population of Gaza have been seeking a safe haven — but it hasn’t been
safe — inside UNRWA shelters. I say that it’s not safe, because more than 170 UNRWA
buildings, most of them serving as shelters, have been hit since the
beginning of the war, killing more than 450 people. And by the way, we
have lost — UNRWA has lost so far 193 of my colleagues, all of them
killed since the beginning of this war.
AMYGOODMAN:
I wanted to go to a post on social media where Israeli military
spokesperson Peter Lerner said Israel intentionally targeted the school,
and wrote, quote, “We assess that: 20-30 terrorists were in the
compound at the time of the strike. We targeted: Precision strikes on
the specific classrooms. What were the terrorists doing in a @UN school:
The compound was used for staging attacks and as a forward operating
base,” end-quote. Your response, Tamara?
TAMARAALRIFAI:
We had 6,000 people, who had been displaced several times since the war
started in October, sheltering in our schools. Most of them, more than
half of them, were women and children. We’ve been hearing about
precision strikes and about reports that some of the UNRWA
or U.N. installations have been used by Palestinian armed groups. We
hear about this every time a strike kills scores of civilians in or near
our buildings. International law is clear. International humanitarian
law calls for the protection of civilians, of people, of women, of
children. During this conflict, the U.N. has paid the highest toll ever
in such a short period. Eight months is not short, but 193 UNRWA staff killed and 450 people in our shelters is huge.
AMYGOODMAN:
And what happened in Rafah last week with the Israeli airstrike, that
the Israeli military did not deny, that led to the deaths of 45, at
least, Palestinians who were in this tent camp, who had fled there
because they were told that this area would be safe?
TAMARAALRIFAI:
Exactly what you’re saying, Amy. Since the beginning of this war,
Gazans have been issued what the Israeli government calls evacuation
orders. In reality, these are orders for forced displacement. So, this
sea of people in Gaza has moved since the beginning of the conflict from
the north of the Gaza Strip or Gaza City to the middle areas, Khan
Younis, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and then they were forced to move
again, in the direction of the conflict, to Rafah, where people were
told that they would be safe. Until last month, Rafah housed 1.5 million
people, all of them displaced several times, and all of them were told
that if you go to Rafah, you would be safe.
Then, as of the 6th of May, the Israeli government decided on a land,
ground invasion of Rafah, therefore pushing people to move again. Many
of them had nowhere left to go. The tents became very, very rare in
Rafah. No one had personal belongings. But mostly, there was nowhere
safe, because strikes continues, aerial bombings continued. So, there
was nowhere safe. There still is nowhere safe. And what happened to
these people in the tents is apocalyptic, like my colleagues from MSF say, and a reminder that nowhere is safe in Gaza.
AMYGOODMAN:
The issue of hunger. The U.N. World Food Programme has issued a dire
warning, stating, quote, “Over one million people — half the population
of Gaza — are expected to face death and starvation by mid-July” if the
war doesn’t end. If you can talk about what UNRWA has been able to do in helping to relieve the suffering, given how many countries have pulled out of funding of UNRWA because Israel said that UNRWA,
some of the workers, had been tied to the October 7th attack, though
not presenting any evidence, leading to a number of countries restoring
funding to UNRWA, though the U.S. hasn’t?
TAMARAALRIFAI: So, let’s start with the good news. All of the 16 countries that had suspended funding resumed funding to UNRWA, except the U.S. and the U.K.. The U.S. and the U.K., though, are big donors to UNRWA,
so that leaves us with a huge funding gap. Having said that, we’ve been
receiving a lot of support from private individuals, private
foundations, celebrities, in a sign of acknowledgment of the
irreplaceable role that UNRWA has been playing since the beginning of the conflict.
UNRWA is the largest humanitarian
operation. We also cooperate very closely with other U.N. agencies,
particularly the World Food Programme, on distributing food. The
distribution of food, of wheat flour, of clean drinking water has not
stopped since the beginning of the war, despite extremely challenging
humanitarian circumstances, that include very, very patchy opening of
the crossings, the land crossings, whether it’s Rafah from the Egyptian
side or Karem Abu Salem, Kerem Shalom, from the side of Israel. Land
crossings are the safest and the fastest ways to get aid into the Gaza
Strip. We’ve all been discussing for the longest time how many trucks a
day have gone in. I want to say that the last month has been awful. Most
of the days in May have seen zero trucks going in for the U.N., and on
the best day, we’ve seen 77 trucks — 77 trucks with food, nonfood,
mattresses, tents, clean water, medicines, medical supplies for a
population of nearly 2 million people, or a bit over 2 million,
completely under siege since the latest military operation started in
the May.
So, yes, UNRWA has long warned from malnutrition and an imminent famine. UNICEF
just recently said that nine out of 10 children in Gaza fall way below
their needed calorie intake daily. And now with the scorching heat of
nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Gaza, lack of clean drinking water, we
have started to see infants dying of dehydration.
AMYGOODMAN:
Finally, this breaking news, the United States and 16 other countries
calling on Israel and Hamas to accept the latest ceasefire-hostage deal,
not clear exactly what the details are. What would this mean in Gaza
right now?
TAMARAALRIFAI:
A ceasefire is what everyone in Gaza needs right now, just to take a
breath and have some respite. But in addition to the ceasefire, there
has to be a much increased flow of humanitarian assistance going in, and
there has to be a plan to resume some sense of normality in the Gaza
Strip, particularly for traumatized children. And for that, a resumption
of any kind of learning will help the children, not only lagged behind,
but it will also help restore some kind of mental well-being. A
ceasefire is what everyone needs in Gaza now.
AMYGOODMAN: Tamara Alrifai, we want to thank you for being with us, spokesperson for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees, speaking to us from Amman, Jordan.
Gaza remains under assault. Day 245 of the assault in the wave that began in October. Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion. The ongoing campaign in Gaza
by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction.
But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge
for the propaganda outlets: How to justify it? Fortunately for Israel,
the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover
for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence." CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund." ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.
Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily
basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to
school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them." NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe
Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom
believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza." The
slaughter continues. It has displaced over 1 million people per the US
Congressional Research Service. Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned
the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide." The death toll of
Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher. United Nations Women noted,
"More than
1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza --
have
been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million
women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million
people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "Gaza death toll reaches 36,731, with 83,530 injured." Months ago, AP noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing." February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained
on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000
Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of
their former home." February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe
Lazzarini Tweeted:
April 11th, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) reported, "In addition to the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been counted as
killed in Israel’s genocidal assault so far, there are 13,000
Palestinians in Gaza who are missing, a humanitarian aid group has
estimated, either buried in rubble or mass graves or disappeared into
Israeli prisons. In a report released Thursday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the estimate is based on initial reports and that the actual number of people missing is likely even higher."
As for the area itself? Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive
has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole
neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been
blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are
still standing, but most are battered shells." Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery
by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and
Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing
destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate
of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second
World War."
We need to wrap up. Let's do so with the US Green Party. Let's start with this Wednesday press release from the Green Party of Michigan:
Presidential Preference Poll, Let your voice be heard !!!
Hi
Greens, Its that time again to vote for the candidates who will
represent us in the upcoming election. We are asking you to participate
in a Presidential poll to help our national delegates who will vote in
the national convention August 15-18. We need to know which Presidential
candidate best represents our members here in Michigan. If you are a
member of GPMI and would like to have your voice heard please follow one
of the links below and follow instructions.
I
would also like to remind you that our State Wide convention is just
around the corner and will be in person and online. Please join us to
vote for your favorite candidates.
June 15 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT GPMI Convention Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing 5509 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Lansing, MI, 48911
The
Green Party of Michigan is constantly searching for new and innovative
ways to continue serving Michiganders, keeping candidates on the ballot,
and to move our party forward without corporate money which invites
corruption.
We
need the support of the people like you. Consider making a donation
today (or become a monthly donor in the amount of your choice!) to help
sustain our fight for Green politics and against our broken two-party
system.
Michigan's Green Party is asking its members who they support for the nomination. That's because -- despite the lies of Jill Stein to the press that she's got the delegate count so she's the nominee -- the nominee will be decided at the July convention. It has been a party of the people and it has been concerned with serving their members which is why someone -- today or in the past -- could show up at the national convention and inspire the crowd enough that they could get the nomination. Even if they hadn't run a campaign (the way some wanted Jesse Ventura to do in 2020, just show up at the convention and see if they'd vote him their nominee). Jill Stein isn't just a failure, she's also a liar. She is not yet the presidential nominee of the Green Party for 2024. She may become that, but she's not there yet. She's lying the same way she lied for Cornel West and to Cornel West and her pathetic attempts to play Wounded White Woman Wound By The Bad Black Man are patently racist and deeply offensive. For more on the way she's tried to cast herself as the poor White woman that some Black man looked at, see Ava and my "Media: They loved him when he stayed in the lane they put him in."
Now she's set to be named the presidential nominee in 2024.
If she is?
I'm not voting for her.
She will be a three time loser. She is 74-years-old.
Are we a political party or not?
If we are a real political party, then we're not running the same old person over and over and over.
And
I'm really tired of her White face. We should be working to expand
choices. Having the same White woman fail in three presidential races
does not show expansion or growth. There's a White woman named Kat, for
example. She's being doing strong work for the party since 2008. Kat
Swift. I always have to look her up, I don't know why. But she is
great, she has energy. I believe I met her at the 2008 convention but
it might have been four years later.
Are we a real political party or are we the Merry Jill Stein Do Nothings?
And why am I writing about this useless trash tonight?
How about she's eyeing a running mate?
We are the Green Party. Which Green is she going to choose?
So
we can't get anyone but crusty ass Jill -- despite having a big
political party and despite Jill having run twice already for president
-- and now you're telling me that instead of building up the party by
choosing a Green who's younger -- aren't we all younger than Jill at
this point? -- she's trying to recruit a Democrat?
We don't have a party.
And Jill's a f**ing idiot whom we should all be laughing. From the article:
Stein’s
campaign manager, Jason Call, confirmed that she met with Hammoud last
week and asked whether he would “consider joining her campaign as her
running mate.”
Hammoud,
however, is too young to qualify as a vice-presidential candidate.
Under the Constitution, the president must be at least 35 years old —
and therefore so must the vice president, since that person must be
ready to step into the Oval Office at any moment.
The
mayor turns 35 in March, meaning he will not meet the age requirement by
Jan. 20, 2025, the date of the next presidential inauguration.
Do
you get what a stupid moron Jill Stein is? She's an embarrassment to
the party and has been since 2012 but I guess we're not a real political
party after all. Not only am I not voting for her, I also will not be a
Green anymore. In 2028, if they want to try to lure me back in, the
presidential nominee better be no older than 50 and better be a Green
Party member.
They have turned this party into a joke.
Jill is a moron and if she becomes the nominee, if she's named as such in the party convention, that is not a good look for the party. It's amazing, isn't it, how many want to look the other way. Hey, Cindy Sheehan, remember you using your podcast to promote crazy b.s. about the Green Party and about Howie Hawkins' win? Howie campaigned. That's how he won. He got the votes. Jill just anointed herself. And you can see who's working the plantation when it comes to so-called Black voices. They let her trash Conrel, they let her lie about Cornel. That's how they use their platforms.
Jill is over seventy years old and was the nominee in 2012 and 2016. There's no new blood in the Green Party? Clearly not if anti-vax Jill is named the 2024 presidential nominee. In fact, that is an announcement -- naming Jill the presidential nominee that the Green Party is dead. The only reason for that attention seeking whore to run for a third time was to raise the profile of another Green by making them her running mate. Yet, right out of the gate, she stabs the party in the back and tries to bring on a Democrat.
Exactly how much does the Green Party intend to take from this trash that left them hugely in debt following her 2016 campaign failure?
