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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  2. <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title>Common Dreams</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/</link><description>Common Dreams</description><atom:link href="https://www.commondreams.org/feeds/news.rss" rel="self"></atom:link><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 02:23:40 -0000</lastBuildDate><image><url>https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8zMjEwMDM4OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc0OTE0ODI1N30.nWE-dO3LpGCfrP6HKKrgMGYA-9xT8aazabGiQTfcsrM/image.png?width=210</url><link>https://www.commondreams.org/</link><title>Common Dreams</title></image><item><title>Trustee Reports Show Medicare, Social Security Must Be Defended From Trump</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/social-security-medicare</link><description><![CDATA[
  3. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/trump-and-johnson.jpg?id=52183127&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C75%2C0%2C268"/><br/><br/><p>Advocacy groups, congressional Democrats, and U.S. President Joe Biden's reelection campaign on Monday pointed to new government reports on Medicare and Social Security as proof that the key programs must be protected from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/social-security-cuts" target="_blank">Republican attacks</a>.</p><p>The annual trustee reports show that <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/TR/2024/tr2024.pdf" target="_blank">Social Security</a> is projected to be fully funded until 2035, a year later than previously thought, while   <a href="https://www.cms.gov/oact/tr/2024" target="_blank">Medicare</a> is expected to be fully funded until 2036, five years beyond the earlier projection.</p><p>Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee to face Biden in November, "proposed cutting Social Security and Medicare every year he was in office, he's said repeatedly he would cut them, his allies openly plan to target them, and just this weekend he dismissed them as bribes," noted James Singer, a spokesperson for the Democrat's campaign.<em></em></p><p>"Let's be clear, Donald Trump will steal the hard-earned Social Security and Medicare benefits Americans have been paying into their entire lives and he'll use it to fund tax cuts for rich people like him," Singer warned. "President Biden keeps his promises. He has and will continue to protect Social Security and Medicare from MAGA Republican efforts to cut them—Donald Trump won't."</p><p class="pull-quote">"No doubt we will hear cries from so-called 'fiscal conservatives' that Social Security is going 'bankrupt,' supposedly requiring Draconian measures—which couldn't be further than the truth."</p><p>Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said Monday that "current and future American retirees should feel confident about both Medicare and Social Security, which [are] stronger due to the robust economy under President Biden. But the future of these earned benefit programs depends on who is elected this fall—both as president and to Congress."</p><p>Fiesta highlighted that Biden's latest <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-budget" target="_blank">budget</a> "calls for strengthening" the programs whereas Trump recently <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.XJFJ-2F9Q3flfodrBg47rZehyhyRPqNKWfljcE5Wwjs8HLSRmlSPRV3tiAV-2FLpNx5mLZK2Lh3W9Ia66SQZAAJJN14Fuv4OR-2F-2BSDP60OCrpeI1FU1sdiTag369olsM-2F561aNylAPGpZdfLjmDY15D2zcQ-3D-3DcPc1_1-2FlQ5R7jXHW5rdNHc-2FQfdtPNafuBMFBHACTLJeCEnGJ7-2B3U7mvoi07xOwagzhGtFyOjls6l8bNkmLuYAC-2FXdmatB5Dh6n0jYvckTFBO0fgKUi7fiGCXA0uOL4FEjSzoB0mveSPczlP4aGkNZ8GxsQzcIHJdgjCYajRKVgdry7yOl2J1D1WOX236VgHtJa1aN6X4r7TRzri3TQZb0cGCj3Lj9rNpvlyt3Eb15TcZFsApK8L9No1zommkz-2FIGg-2BdFAq-2BrYiwiG4SMrii9usakGymcvuCvebyh-2BI5dJCnLnCOd1oYz3PNhr3dADi0r0Qe5hMOOTb7rbzWDvCRsCdbpNofwuMmesEernfuj613UcDzyoAfVRVJQqVHyqfpdiCoqV" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a> that "there is a lot you can do... in terms of cutting" them and "the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes around 80% of House Republicans, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/social-security-cuts" target="_blank">stands</a> ready to make cuts as well." </p><p> Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, similarly <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/the-2024-trustees-report-shows-that-social-security-is-benefiting-from-a-strong-economy" target="_blank">declared</a> that "today's report shows that our Social Security system is benefiting from the Biden economy. Due to robust job growth, low unemployment, and rising wages, more people than ever are contributing to Social Security and earning its needed protections."</p><p>"That said, Congress should take action sooner rather than later to ensure that Social Security can pay full benefits for generations to come, along with expanding Social Security's modest benefits," she argued, noting various plans from Democrats in Congress that "are paid for by requiring millionaires and billionaires to contribute more of their fair share."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787594617665241297">
  4. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  5.        <a href="https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1787594617665241297"></a>
  6. </blockquote>
  7. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  8. <p>Unlike Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., "Republicans want to cut benefits despite overwhelming opposition from the American people," Altman said of federal lawmakers and the former president. Additionally, "Trump <a href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/229/5dzxv7gkv5tf05dmdjft3q2gc/12/610e1f765d465c337f5ffdd414a4ec31d39be59c30ad807ac8d85759a52ff028" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">plans to</a> sharply restrict immigration. This would <a href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/229/5dzxv7gkv5tf05dmdjft3q2gc/13/588920fba71b5f0855479b2753e405e53b3ebde8cdba2893582520c570d47462" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">harm Social Security</a> by reducing the number of workers paying in."</p><p>"The United States is the wealthiest nation on Earth at the wealthiest moment in our history. We can use that wealth to protect and expand Social Security, or to provide yet more tax handouts to billionaires," she concluded. "This report is a reminder that the next decade is a crucial one for Social Security's future. Americans should vote accordingly this November."</p><p>Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, also asserted that "Congress must act NOW to strengthen Social Security for the 67 million Americans who depend on it. We cannot afford to wait to take action until the trust fund is mere months from insolvency, as Congress did in 1983."</p><p>According to Richtman:</p><blockquote>No doubt we will hear cries from so-called 'fiscal conservatives' that Social Security is going 'bankrupt,' supposedly requiring Draconian measures—which couldn't be further than the truth. Revenue always will flow into Social Security from workers' payroll contributions, so the program will never be 'broke.' But no one wants seniors to suffer an automatic 17% benefit cut in 2035, so Congress must act deliberately, but not recklessly. A bad deal driven by cuts to earned benefits could be worse than no deal at all.<br/><br/>We strongly support revenue-side solutions that would bring more money into the trust fund by demanding that the wealthy pay their fair share. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has offered legislation that would do just that—by maintaining the current payroll wage cap (currently set at $168,600), but subjecting wages $400,000 and above to payroll taxes, as well—and dedicating some of high earners' investment income to Social Security. Rep. Larson's bill also would provide seniors with a much-needed benefit boost.<br/></blockquote><p>Larson was among the lawmakers who <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJohnLarson/status/1787585711895457866" target="_blank">responded</a> to Monday's Social Security report by demanding urgent action. The Democrat also called out his Republican colleagues for pushing cuts and trying to "ram their dangerous plan through an undemocratic and unaccountable so-called 'fiscal commission,'" which critics have dubbed a "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/death-panel" target="_blank">death panel</a>."</p><p>"The Social Security 2100 Act is co-sponsored by nearly 200 House Democrats and would improve benefits across the board while extending solvency until 2066, while Donald Trump and House Republicans continue their calls to slash Americans' hard-earned benefits!" Larson said.  "By contrast, President Joe Biden and Democrats are working to strengthen Social Security, not cut it."</p><p>Co-sponsors of Larson's bill <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4583/cosponsors" target="_blank">include</a> Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House Budget Committee.</p><p>"Social Security is the greatest anti-poverty program in history, and ensuring its solvency for future generations has been one of my top priorities in Congress," Boyle said Monday, promoting the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act, his bill with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). "Unfortunately, while Democrats and President Biden want to protect Social Security and Medicare, Republicans have made clear they want to tear them down."<strong></strong></p>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 00:42:08 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/social-security-medicare</guid><category>Alliance for retired americans</category><category>Brendan boyle</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>John larson</category><category>Medicare</category><category>National committee to preserve social security and medicare</category><category>Social security</category><category>Social security works</category><category>Republican party</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/trump-and-johnson.jpg?id=52183127&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'War Criminals': IDF Strikes Rafah After Hamas Agrees to Cease-Fire</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-israel</link><description><![CDATA[
  9. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/smoke-rises-from-buildings-after-israeli-strikes-on-rafah-gaza-on-may-6-2024.jpg?id=52182704&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C180%2C0%2C122"/><br/><br/><p>
  10. Israel on Monday launched <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-children-idf" target="_blank">long-awaited</a> strikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip despite Hamas publicly confirming it agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
  11. </p><p>
  12. The Israel Defense Forces <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1787562636839735661" target="_blank">said</a> on social media that "the IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah," the city to which over a million Palestinians have fled since October 7, when Israel launched a retaliatory war that has already <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-34-735-0dbacd1d?refsec=topics_afp-news" target="_blank">killed</a> at least 34,735 people in Gaza and wounded another 78,108.<br/>
  13. </p><p>
  14. Earlier Monday, the IDF had <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/evacuation-order-rafah" target="_blank">dropped</a> leaflets directing residents and refugees in that part of Rafah to relocate to a strip along Gaza's coast, ignoring warnings from the international community and humanitarian groups that a full-scale Israeli attack on the crowded city would further endanger civilians and relief efforts.</p><p class="pull-quote">"It is obvious Netanyahu wants this genocidal war to continue indefinitely so that he can remain in power."</p><p>In addition to sparking outrage around the world, the Israeli government's Rafah attack and rejection of the Hamas-backed proposal was met with criticism from people across Israel. <em>The Associated Press</em> <a href="https://apnews.com/live/cease-fire-israel-hamas-updates#0000018f-4f4f-dc3d-ab8f-6f6f9b2b0000" target="_blank">reported</a> that "thousands of Israelis rallied around the country Monday night calling for an immediate deal to release the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip."
  15. </p><p>
  16. Ofer Cassif, a member of the Knesset who was almost <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/ofer-cassif" target="_blank">expelled</a> by fellow Israeli lawmakers earlier this year for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/ofer-cassif-icj-genocide-case" target="_blank">backing</a> South Africa's ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), again called out his own government.
  17. </p><p>
  18. "Israeli tanks and infantry enter east Rafah while planes bomb from above, just hours after Hamas' decision to accept the hostages/prisoners exchange deal," Cassif said Monday. "Why? Because killing Palestinians is more important for the Israeli government than saving Israelis. War criminals!"<br/>
  19. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787582075341553996">
  20. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  21.        <a href="https://twitter.com/WajahatAli/status/1787582075341553996"></a>
  22. </blockquote>
  23. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  24. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1787579052745793644" target="_blank">said</a> Monday that "the War Cabinet unanimously decided this evening Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war."<br/>
  25. </p><p>
  26. Along with the prime minister, Israel's War Cabinet includes Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, former IDF chief of the general staff, along with three observers. <br/>
  27. </p><p>
  28. Netanyahu added that "while the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel's core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel."<br/>
  29. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787571162345546223">
  30. <div style="margin:1em 0">This stuff doesn't fool anybody anymore. Israel rejected the deal. Netanyahu said so publicly. There's no ruse.</div> —  (@)
  31.        <a href="https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1787571162345546223"></a>
  32. </blockquote>
  33. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  34. <em>Reuters</em> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rafah-live-gazans-start-leaving-parts-southern-city-israel-warns-operation-2024-05-06/" target="_blank">reported</a> that "an Israeli official said the deal was not acceptable to Israel because terms had been 'softened.'"<br/>
  35. </p><p>
  36. According to the news outlet, the first part of a three-phase plan that Hamas—which has controlled Gaza for nearly two decades—agreed to includes a 42-day pause in fighting, the release of 33 hostages held by the group and some Palestinians in Israeli jails, a partial IDF withdrawal, and free movement in the besieged enclave.
  37. </p><p>
  38. Phase two would be "another 42-day period that features an agreement to restore a 'sustainable calm' to Gaza, language that an official briefed on the talks said Hamas and Israel had agreed in order to take discussion of a 'permanent cease-fire' off the table," <em>Reuters</em> detailed. This phase also includes withdrawing most Israeli troops and Hamas releasing some soldiers and reservists.
  39. </p><p>
  40. The third phase would involve the exchange of bodies; reconstruction of Gaza overseen by Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations; and ending the complete blockade on the strip, the outlet added.
  41. </p><p>
  42. Shortly before Israel's Monday night strikes on Rafah began, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, <a href="https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-05-06/statement-attributable-the-spokesperson-for-the-secretary-general-%E2%80%93-the-situation-the-middle-east" target="_blank">said</a> that the U.N. chief "reiterates his pressing call to both the government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas to go the extra mile needed to make an agreement come true and stop the present suffering."
  43. </p><p>
  44. Expressing concern about the then-imminent Israeli operation in Rafah, the spokesperson said that "we are already seeing movements of people—many of these people are in desperate humanitarian condition and have been repeatedly displaced. They search safety that has been so many times denied. The secretary-general reminds the parties that the protection of civilians is paramount in international humanitarian law."
  45. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787584113140015134">
  46. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  47.        <a href="https://twitter.com/uscpr_action/status/1787584113140015134"></a>
  48. </blockquote>
  49. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  50. Other U.N. officials have been warning of what an assault on Rafah will mean for the over 1.4 million Palestinians there, among them 600,000 children. So have humanitarian and political leaders, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who on Monday <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-sanders-2668176062" target="_blank">urged</a> President Joe Biden to stand by his earlier position that attacking the city was a "red line" and "end all offensive military aid to Israel."
  51. </p><p>
  52. Council on American-Islamic Relations national executive director Nihad Awad issued a similar call Monday evening, warning that "the Israeli government is hellbent on using American financial, military, and diplomatic support to ethnically cleanse what remains of Gaza and commit another massacre."
  53. </p><p>
  54. "President Biden must stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu and take concrete action to end the genocide now," Awad continued, nodding to the Israeli leader's legal trouble. The prime minister faces not only potential <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-senators-icc-israel" target="_self">consequences</a> on a global scale for what the ICJ has deemed a "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case" target="_self">plausibly</a>" genocidal war on Gaza but also a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/04/world/netanyahu-corruption-trial-resumes/index.html" target="_blank">corruption</a> trial in his own country.
  55. </p><p>
  56. "It is obvious Netanyahu wants this genocidal war to continue indefinitely so that he can remain in power, avoid jail, and fulfill his racist, far-right Cabinet's demands for the complete destruction of Gaza and the massacre of its people," Awad said. "It is long past time for President Biden to end our nation's complicity in this 21st-century genocide."
  57. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787598962557350100">
  58. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  59.        <a href="https://twitter.com/YousefMunayyer/status/1787598962557350100"></a>
  60. </blockquote>
  61. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  62. Biden spoke with Netanyahu by phone ahead of the IDF strikes on Monday and "reiterated his clear position on Rafah," <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/06/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-prime-minister-netanyahu-of-israel-5/" target="_blank">according to</a> a White House readout. They also discussed the hostage negotiations, humanitarian aid, the Holocaust, and antisemitism.
  63. </p><p>
  64. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, also <a href="https://x.com/tparsi/status/1787557995951350026" target="_blank">suggested</a> that the Israeli prime minister wants the bloodshed in Gaza to continue for personal reasons.
  65. </p><p>
  66. "Netanyahu does not want an end to the war because the moment the war ends, his political career ends as well. And his prison sentence will commence," said Parsi. "Yet, Biden has for seven months deferred to Netanyahu." <br/>
  67. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 22:27:55 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-israel</guid><category>Benjamin netanyahu</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Hamas</category><category>Israel</category><category>Israel defense forces</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>Rafah</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/smoke-rises-from-buildings-after-israeli-strikes-on-rafah-gaza-on-may-6-2024.jpg?id=52182704&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Pulitzer Snubs Palestinian Journalists' Gaza Coverage</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/pulitzer-palestinian-journalists</link><description><![CDATA[
  68. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/trt-arabi-reporter-reba-khalid-al-ajami.jpg?id=52182031&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C677%2C0%2C699"/><br/><br/><p>In recent years, the Pulitzer Prize Board has given special recognition to the journalists of Ukraine and Afghanistan for reporting from war zones, honoring their "courage, endurance, and commitment to truthful reporting" and their ability to tell their communities' stories under  "profoundly tragic and complicated circumstances."</p><p>On Monday, <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2024" target="_blank">no such recognition </a>was given to Palestinian reporters in Gaza, at least 92 of whom have been among more than 34,000 Palestinians killed in the enclave since Israel began its bombardment in October.</p><p>The annual journalism and literature awards included a special citation for "journalists and media workers covering the war in Gaza"—but didn't differentiate between those around the world who have spent the last seven months telling the story of Israel's escalation from the safety of far-off countries, and those struggling to report on the destruction of their own home under the constant threat of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacks. </p><p>"The missing word is—is always—Palestinian," <a href="https://twitter.com/wawog_now/status/1787567347332465022" target="_blank">said </a>Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG). "Palestinian journalists and media workers deserve, if nothing else, this recognition; and half of them are dead."</p>
  69. <p>Public health writer Abdullah Shihipar <a href="https://twitter.com/AShihipar/status/1787565052024820175" target="_blank">noted</a> that in 2022, the board <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/260" target="_blank">awarded </a>the special citation to the "journalists of Ukraine." In 2021, it recognized "women and men of Afghanistan," saying that from "staff and freelance correspondents to interpreters to drivers to hosts, courageous Afghan residents helped produce Pulitzer-winning and Pulitzer-worthy images and stories."</p><p>This year, said<em> Intercept</em> journalist Jeremy Scahill, giving a special citation to "'media workers covering the war in Gaza' is a way to avoid naming the brave Palestinian journalists who did the reporting and filming and died in record numbers."</p><p>Many of those killed, Scahill added, might not have been had it not been for U.S.-made weapons sold to Israel. <br/></p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787567039986503784">
  70. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  71.        <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremyscahill/status/1787567039986503784"></a>
  72. </blockquote>
  73. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  74. <p>The Pulitzer Prize for international reporting was awarded to <em>The New York Times</em> "for its wide-ranging and revelatory coverage of Hamas' lethal attack in southern Israel on October 7, Israel's intelligence failures, and the Israeli military's sweeping, deadly response in Gaza."</p><p>One of the <em>Times</em>' most explosive articles about Israel and Gaza, "Screams Without Words," about the alleged sexual assaults of Israeli victims of the October 7 attack, was<a href="https://twitter.com/abgutman/status/1787571416348467626" target="_blank"> not among those </a>submitted for consideration. The article has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/nyt-october-7-report" target="_blank">come under scrutiny </a>because of the anti-Palestinian bias expressed by one of the freelance reporters who worked on it, and questions about its veracity. </p><p>WAWOG, which has started a website titled<em> <a href="https://twitter.com/nywarcrimes/status/1787567916323426592" target="_blank">The New York War Crimes</a></em>, posted on social media that the <em>Times</em> should have instead been awarded the Pulitzer for "manufacturing consent."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787567916323426592">
  75. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  76.        <a href="https://twitter.com/nywarcrimes/status/1787567916323426592"></a>
  77. </blockquote>
  78. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  79. <p>By honoring the <em>Times</em> for its international reporting this year, <a href="https://twitter.com/hebagowayed/status/1787567340277662106" target="_blank">said </a>City University of New York sociology professor Heba Gowayed, the Pulitzer Prize "lost any credibility it ever had."<br/></p><p>The prize is administered by Columbia University, where students have been protesting for weeks against U.S. support for the IDF and against the school's investment in companies that contract with Israel.<strong></strong></p><p>Last week, the university called on the New York Police Department to<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/columbia-police-storm-campus" target="_blank"> forcibly remove</a> student protesters from a school building; police<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/speakers-cut-ties-universities" target="_blank"> told</a> student journalists they would be arrested if they left Pulitzer Hall to report on the incident. Student journalists are <a href="https://twitter.com/IndyScholtens/status/1787543712123559975" target="_blank">reportedly </a>still being barred from campus. </p><p>Columbia, <a href="https://twitter.com/jackmirkinson/status/1787555956752359675" target="_blank">said </a>Jack Mirkinson of <em>The Nation</em>, announced the Pulitzers "at the exact same time it is clamping down on the press freedom of its own students. You couldn't make it up."<br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 21:27:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/pulitzer-palestinian-journalists</guid><category>Columbia university</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Israel</category><category>Journalism</category><category>Media</category><category>New york times</category><category>Writers against the war on gaza</category><category>Pulitzer prize</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/trt-arabi-reporter-reba-khalid-al-ajami.jpg?id=52182031&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Sanders Says US Must 'End All Offensive Military Aid' as Israel Targets Rafah</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-sanders-2668176062</link><description><![CDATA[
  80. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/u-s-sen-bernie-sanders.jpg?id=52182023&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C152%2C0%2C1792"/><br/><br/><p>As Israel <a href="https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1787529428790026333" target="_blank">rejected</a> a cease-fire deal that Hamas had accepted Monday, dashing the <a href="https://twitter.com/Beltrew/status/1787527033230115096" target="_blank">hopes of civilians</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Beltrew/status/1787527033230115096"> </a>trapped in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that an invasion could be averted, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called on the Biden administration to stop the looming attack that humanitarian and rights organizations have  been warning against for months.</p><p>The Vermont independent senator said President Joe Biden must follow through on his call for Israel to protect civilian lives by forgoing a ground invasion of Rafah. In March Biden said the attack would be a "red line" unless Israel developed a credible plan to evacuate civilians, who include an estimated <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-children-idf" target="_blank">600,000 children</a> in the city. </p><p>To stop Israel from killing potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the city, where 1.4 million people are sheltering following Israel's obliteration of cities across Gaza, the U.S. must "end all offensive military aid" to the country, Sanders said Monday. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787501616972566898">
  81. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  82.        <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1787501616972566898"></a>
  83. </blockquote>
  84. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>"Now an assault is imminent," said Sanders. "It will kill countless civilians. President Biden must back his words with action."<br/></p><p>The senator made his latest demand for an end to Israel's U.S.-backed assault on Gaza hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/evacuation-order-rafah" target="_blank">forced evacuation</a> of about 100,000 people in eastern Rafah, dropping leaflets that ordered displaced families to move to a strip of land along Gaza's coast. An estimated 600,000 children are among the city's current population. <br/></p><p>Israel has killed scores of people in Rafah in recent weeks with airstrikes on residential areas. Last week, dozens of U.S. House Democrats <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-gaza-strip" target="_blank">called on</a> Biden to ensure a full-scale ground assault would not go forward,  days before Israeli officials briefed the U.S.—the world's largest funder of the IDF—about its plan to forcibly expel people from the city.</p><p>Late last month Biden <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-signs-tiktok-ban" target="_blank">signed</a> a foreign aid package that included $17 billion for Israel's military—legislation that Sanders voted against.</p><p>Sanders reiterated his demand for Biden to end his support for the IDF as he announced his 2024 reelection campaign. <br/></p><p>Along with the climate crisis, healthcare and prescription drug costs, and protecting U.S. democracy, said Sanders, Israel's assault on Gaza is "very much on the minds of Vermonters," whom he has represented in the Senate since 2007. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  85. <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="baac770b611760b0423ba9dd3db5adcb" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iRMICNBXp2Q?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  86. <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  87. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRMICNBXp2Q" target="_blank"><br/></a>
  88. </small>
  89. </p><p>While Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas for its October 7 attack, said Sanders, "it did not and does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, which is exactly what it is doing." <br/></p><p> "Thirty-four thousand Palestinians have already been killed and 77,000 have been wounded—70% of whom are women and children," he added. "According to humanitarian organizations, famine and starvation are now imminent. In my view, U.S. tax dollars should not be going to the extremist Netanyahu government to continue its devastating war against the Palestinian people."</p><p>Top Israeli officials including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/smotrich-gaza-annihilation" target="_blank">pushed back </a>against a potential cease-fire deal in recent days, with Smotrich saying last week that Israel must see to the "total annihilation" of cities in Gaza, including Rafah. <br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 19:30:58 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-sanders-2668176062</guid><category>Civilians</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Israel</category><category>Israel defense forces</category><category>Military aid</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Palestinians</category><category>Rafah</category><category>Bernie sanders</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/u-s-sen-bernie-sanders.jpg?id=52182023&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>GOP Senators Threaten ICC: 'Target Israel and We Will Target You'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-senators-icc-israel</link><description><![CDATA[
  90. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/sen-tom-cotton.jpg?id=52179898&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C166%2C0%2C1834"/><br/><br/><p>
  91. Just over a week before the International Criminal Court issued a
  92. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-netanyahu-arrest-warrant" target="_blank">statement</a> condemning threats against the institution, a dozen Republicans in the U.S. Senate sent a letter to the ICC's prosecutor warning him against pursuing charges against Israeli officials over war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.
  93. </p>
  94. <p>
  95. The
  96. <a href="https://zeteo.com/p/exclusive-you-have-been-warned-republican" target="_blank">letter</a>, dated April 24 and reported exclusively by <em>Zeteo</em> on Monday, explicitly threatens U.S. retaliation against the ICC if it issues arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top Israeli officials.
  97. </p>
  98. <p>
  99. "Target Israel and we will target you," reads the letter, which was led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a notorious war hawk, and signed by 11 others, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
  100. </p>
  101. <p>
  102. The letter specifically threatens to sanction ICC employees and associates and bar them and their families from entering the United States, which is not a party to the ICC.
  103. </p>
  104. <p>
  105. "You have been warned," states the letter, which invokes the American Service-Members’ Protection Act—a 2002 law informally known as "The Hague Invasion Act."
  106. </p>
  107. <p>
  108. As
  109. <em>Zeteo</em> explained, the law "authorizes the U.S. president 'to use all means necessary and appropriate' to bring about the release not just of U.S. persons but also allies who are imprisoned or detained by the ICC."
  110. </p>
  111. <p>
  112. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who
  113. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/katie-britt-state-of-the-union" target="_blank">delivered</a> the infamous GOP response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address earlier this year, told <em>Zeteo</em> that the letter is "not a threat," but "a promise."
  114. </p>
  115. <div align="center" class="rm-embed embed-media">
  116. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  117. Read the letter from 12 Republican senators threatening ICC chief prosecutor
  118. <a href="https://twitter.com/KarimKhanQC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KarimKhanQC</a> with "severe" consequences for him, his family & staff if he goes ahead with an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. "You have been warned."<br/>
  119. <br/>
  120. Oh and subscribe to Zeteo too:
  121. <a href="https://t.co/pVvXi4IB6C">https://t.co/pVvXi4IB6C</a> <a href="https://t.co/aXfKH03T16">pic.twitter.com/aXfKH03T16</a><br/>
  122. — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan)
  123. <a href="https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1787503022299332951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2024</a>
  124. </blockquote>
  125. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js">
  126. </script>
  127. </div>
  128. <p>
  129. The 12 Republicans sent their letter days before the office of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan released a statement warning that its "independence and impartiality are undermined... when individuals threaten to retaliate against the court or against court personnel" as they conduct their investigations.
  130. </p>
  131. <p>
  132. "Such threats, even when not acted upon, may also constitute an offense against the administration of justice under [Article] 70 of the Rome Statute," the statement added. "The office insists that all attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence its officials cease immediately."
  133. </p>
  134. <p>
  135. While the ICC statement did not mention any individuals or governments by name, it is apparent that its message was directed at least in part at Republican lawmakers in the U.S.
  136. </p>
  137. <p>
  138. The
  139. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-netanyahu" target="_blank">Biden White House</a> and Netanyahu have also <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1785630225197384000" target="_blank">spoken out against the ICC</a> amid reports that it is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/netanyahu-arrest-warrants" target="_blank">considering arrest warrants</a> for the Israeli prime minister and other senior officials.
  140. </p>
  141. <p>
  142. "We've been really clear about the ICC investigation," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters late last month. "We do not support it. We don't believe that they have the jurisdiction. And I'm just gonna leave it there for now."
  143. </p>
  144. <p>
  145. Since October 7, Israeli forces have killed more than 34,600 people in Gaza—a death toll that could surge if Israel moves ahead with its
  146. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-children-idf" target="_blank">planned ground invasion of Rafah</a>. Women and children account for <a href="https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-palestine-what-you-need-know" target="_blank">up to 70%</a> of those killed by Israel's military thus far.
  147. </p>
  148. <p>
  149. Like the U.S., Israel is not a party to the ICC, but the court
  150. <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20210205-icc-rules-it-has-jurisdiction-over-palestinian-territories-clears-way-for-probe-of-israeli-actions" target="_blank">says it has jurisdiction</a> over the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2021, the ICC launched a probe into alleged war crimes in the territories, including Gaza.
  151. </p>
  152. <p>
  153. Palestine became an ICC member
  154. <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/01/icc-palestine-newest-member" target="_blank">in 2015</a>.<br/>
  155. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 18:07:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-senators-icc-israel</guid><category>Gaza</category><category>Israel</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>Karim khan</category><category>Katie britt</category><category>Republican party</category><category>Tom cotton</category><category>Us senate</category><category>International criminal court</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/sen-tom-cotton.jpg?id=52179898&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Putin's Tactical Nuclear Weapons Drills Called 'Dangerous and Irresponsible'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/russia-nuclear-drill</link><description><![CDATA[
  156. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/russian-president-vladimir-putin.jpg?id=52180150&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C13%2C0%2C330"/><br/><br/><p>
  157. Disarmament advocates on Monday denounced the Russian Defense Ministry's plans to hold
  158. <a href="https://twitter.com/gbrumfiel/status/1640341595005263872" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tactical</a> nuclear weapons drills "in the near future," an announcement that came over two years into Russia's war on Ukraine.</p><p>"Russia announcing nuclear weapons exercises near Ukraine is dangerous and irresponsible. It must be widely condemned," the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuclearban/status/1787482459505885440" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">declared</a> on social media. "This kind of brinkmanship, typical of 'nuclear deterrence' thinking, can spiral out of control and result in catastrophe."
  159. </p><p>
  160. '"Saber-rattling' like this is part of how all nuclear-armed states show they are serious about using nuclear weapons. But it's reckless: It increases the risk of nuclear weapons use, whether intentionally or by accident, at a time when it is at its highest since the Cold War," ICAN continued. "And let's not forget these 'exercises' train military personnel to mass murder civilians in seconds."
  161. </p><p>
  162. While strategic nuclear weapons are intended to wipe out cities, nonstrategic or tactical arms have shorter ranges and lower yields, and are designed for battlefield use. However, as ICAN highlighted, "'tactical' nuclear weapons could have up to 20 times the destructive power of the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima."'
  163. <br/>
  164. </p><p>
  165. "What is needed now is de-escalation. Russia can still stop the exercises and should be called on to do so immediately by all states," the group said, urging all "responsible states opposed to nuclear drills and nuclear blackmail" to join the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW),  passage of which
  166. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/10/06/global-anti-nuclear-campaign-coalition-wins-nobel-peace-prize" target="_blank">earned</a> ICAN the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.<br/>
  167. </p><p>
  168. Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials have
  169. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/putin-warns-nuclear-war-ukraine" target="_blank">ramped up</a> fears of nuclear war. Russia <a href="https://fas.org/initiative/status-world-nuclear-forces/" target="_blank">has</a> the largest arsenal of the nine nuclear-armed nations, followed closely by the United States—which has armed Ukrainians throughout the ongoing war. The other countries known to have nukes are China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. None of them support the TPNW.<br/>
  170. </p><p>
  171. As
  172. <em>Reuters</em> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-practice-tactical-nuclear-weapon-scenario-deter-west-defence-ministry-2024-05-06/" target="_blank">reported</a> on Monday:<br/>
  173. </p><blockquote>
  174. Some Western and Ukrainian officials have said Russia is bluffing over nuclear weapons to scare the West, though the Kremlin has repeatedly indicated that it would consider breaking the nuclear taboo if Russia's existence was threatened.
  175. <br/>
  176. <br/>
  177. "We do not see anything new here," said Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence. "Nuclear blackmail is a constant practice of Putin's regime."
  178. </blockquote><p>
  179. The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that its exercises would involve troops of the Southern Military District—which, as
  180. <em></em><em>The New York Times</em> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/world/europe/russia-tactical-nuclear-weapons-drills.html" target="_blank">noted</a>, is "an area that covers Russian-occupied Ukraine and part of Russia's border region with Ukraine."
  181. </p><p>
  182. The ministry
  183. <a href="https://t.me/mod_russia/38308?oref=d_brief_nl" target="_blank">explained</a> on social media that its plans "to practice the preparation and use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons" come "in response to provocative statements and threats of individual Western officials against the Russian Federation."
  184. </p><p>
  185. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, echoed that reasoning for the drills, citing statements from
  186. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-cameron-kyiv-promises-ukraine-aid-as-long-it-takes-2024-05-02/" target="_blank">British</a>, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/05/02/emmanuel-macron-in-his-own-words-english" target="_blank">French</a>, and U.S. officials, <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1784109" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>TASS</em>. He also told reporters that "deploying NATO soldiers to confront the Russian military in the latest escalation of tensions is an unprecedented move. And, of course, it requires special attention and special measures."
  187. </p><p>
  188. NATO in January
  189. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-kick-off-biggest-drills-decades-with-some-90000-troops-2024-01-18/" target="_blank">launched</a> the <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/222847.htm" target="_blank">Steadfast Defender 2024</a> drills—its largest exercises since the Cold War, involving more than 90,000 troops, over 1,000 combat vehicles, and dozens of ships and aircraft. The drills in Poland are due to end this month.
  190. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787467763725869488">
  191. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  192.        <a href="https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1787467763725869488"></a>
  193. </blockquote>
  194. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  195. Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, <a href="https://x.com/nukestrat/status/1787412725187879121" target="_blank">said</a> that while "Putin has previously used nuclear rhetoric against [the] West during his war in Ukraine," this is the first time he knows of that the Russian leader has ordered tactical nuke drills in this district "with explicit reference to West," and it is "obviously intended as a signal."
  196. </p><p>
  197. "For NATO this is an opportunity to double down on condemnation of nuclear threats, reaffirm that nuclear war can't be won and should never be fought, and study how Russia operates its tac nuke forces in exercise," the expert added. "Just don't take the bait and respond with NATO nuke operations!"
  198. </p><p>
  199. Pavel Podvig, the Geneva-based
  200. <a href="https://russianforces.org/podvig/" target="_blank">director</a> of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project, <a href="https://x.com/russianforces/status/1787394105179349381" target="_blank">agreed</a> that "this is, of course, a signal." He urged Western leaders to "avoid... getting sucked into this" and rally the world around the message that "nuclear threats are inadmissible."
  201. </p><p>
  202. Responding to Podvig's remarks on social media, former ICAN executive director Beatrice Fihn <a href="https://x.com/BeaFihn/status/1787459383661633829" target="_blank">pointed out</a> that over 70 nations condemned threats to use nuclear weapons at the first TPNW meeting.
  203. </p><p>
  204. "I wish more NATO states would work with the TPNW states that have close connections to Russia to strengthen and support this kind of work," she said.<br/>
  205. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 17:53:49 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/russia-nuclear-drill</guid><category>International campaign to abolish nuclear weapons</category><category>Nato</category><category>Nuclear war</category><category>Russia</category><category>Ukraine</category><category>Vladimir putin</category><category>Nuclear weapons</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/russian-president-vladimir-putin.jpg?id=52180150&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Romney Admits Push to Ban TikTok Is Aimed at Censoring News Out of Gaza</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-israel-tiktok</link><description><![CDATA[
  206. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/sen-mitt-romney-speaks-to-reporters.jpg?id=32137198&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1000"/><br/><br/><p>A discussion between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sen. Mitt Romney over the weekend included what one critic called an "incredible mask-off moment," with the two officials speaking openly about the U.S. government's long-term attempts to provide public relations work for Israel in defense of its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories—and its push to ban TikTok in order to shut down Americans' access to unfiltered news about the Israeli assault on Gaza. </p><p>At the Sedona Forum in Sedona, Arizona on Friday, the Utah Republican <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-mccain-institutes-2024-sedona-forum-keynote-conversation-with-senator-mitt-romney/" target="_blank">asked </a>Blinken at the McCain Institute event's keynote conversation why Israel's "PR been so awful" as it's bombarded Gaza since October in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack, killing at least 34,735 Palestinians—the majority women and children—and pushing parts of the enclave into<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-2667538636" target="_blank"> a famine </a>that is expected to spread due to Israel's blockade.</p><p>"The world is screaming about Israel, why aren't they screaming about Hamas?" asked Romney. "'Accept a cease-fire, bring home the hostages.' Instead it's the other way around, I mean, typically the Israelis are good at PR. What's happened here? How have they, and we, been so ineffective at communicating the realities there?"</p><p>Blinken replied that Americans, two-thirds of whom want the Biden administration to push for a permanent cease-fire and 57% of whom disapprove of President Joe Biden's approach to the war, are "on an intravenous feed of information with new impulses, inputs every millisecond." </p><p>"And of course the way this has played out on social media has dominated the narrative," said the secretary of state. "We can't discount that, but I think it also has a very, very challenging effect on the narrative."</p><p><strong></strong>Romney suggested that banning TikTok would quiet the growing outrage over Israeli atrocities in the United States.<br/><br/>"Some wonder why there was such overwhelming support for us to shut down, potentially, TikTok or other entities of that nature," said Romney. "If you look at the postings on TikTok and the number of mentions of Palestinians relative to other social media sites, it's overwhelmingly so among TikTok broadcasts."<br/></p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787288209963290753">
  207. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  208.        <a href="https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1787288209963290753"></a>
  209. </blockquote>
  210. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  211. <p>The interview took place amid a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/campus-protests" target="_blank">growing anti-war movement</a> on college campuses across the U.S. and around the world, with American police forces responding aggressively to protests at which students have demanded higher education institutions divest from companies that contract with Israel and that the U.S. stop funding the Israel Defense Forces. </p><p>Right-wing lawmakers and commentators have suggested students have been indoctrinated by content shared on social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, and wouldn't be protesting otherwise. </p><p>Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who co-sponsored a recent bill to ban TikTok—included in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-signs-tiktok-ban" target="_blank">foreign aid package</a> that Biden signed late last month—<a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/josh-gottheimer-mike-lawler-campus-protests/" target="_blank">said</a> last week that "there has been a coordinated effort off these college campuses, and that you have outside paid agitators and activists." </p><p>"It also highlights exactly why we included the TikTok bill in the foreign supplemental aid package because you're seeing how these kids are being manipulated by certain groups or entities or countries to foment hate on their behalf and really create a hostile environment here in the U.S.," said Lawler. </p><p>Social media has provided the public with an unvarnished look at the scale of Israel's attack, with users learning the stories of Gaza residents including six-year-old <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/hind-rajab" target="_blank">Hind Rajab</a>, 10-year-old <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-children-starvation" target="_blank">Yazan Kafarneh</a>, and victims who have been found in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/un-rights-chief-mass-graves" target="_blank">mass graves</a> and seeing the destruction of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/who-nasser-hospital" target="_blank">hospitals</a>, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/genocide-2666995932" target="_blank">universities</a>, and other civilian infrastructure.  </p><p>U.S. college students, however, are far from the only people who have expressed strong opposition to Israel's slaughter of Palestinian civilians and large-scale destruction of Gaza as it claims to be targeting Hamas. </p><p><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/u-s-arms-sales-to-israel-2667506147" target="_blank">Human rights groups </a>across the globe have demanded an end to the Biden administration's support for Israel's military and called on the U.S. president to use his leverage to end the war. Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, in February<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/josep-borrell-us-arms" target="_blank"> lambasted</a> Biden and other Western leaders for claiming concern about the safety of Palestinians while continuing to arm Israel, and leaders in Spain and Ireland have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/european-arms-embargo-israel" target="_blank">led calls </a>for an arms embargo on the country. The United Nations' top expert on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/un-report-genocide" target="_blank">said</a> in March that there are "reasonable grounds" to conclude Israel has committed genocidal acts, two months after the International Court of Justice <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case" target="_blank">made a similar statement</a> in an interim ruling. <br/></p><p>Romney and Blinken didn't mention in their talk whether they believe social media and bad "PR" have pushed international leaders and experts to make similar demands to those of college students. <br/></p><p>The conversation, <a href="https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1787134138283155963" target="_blank">said</a> <em>Intercept </em>journalist Ryan Grim, was an "incredible historical document" showing how the U.S. government views its role in the Middle East—as a government that should "mediate" between Israel and the public to keep people from having "a direct look at what's happening."</p><p>"Romney's comments betray a general bipartisan disinterest in engaging Israel's conduct in Gaza on its own terms, preferring instead to complain about protesters, interrogate university presidents, and, apparently, muse about social media's role in boosting pro-Palestinian activism," <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/181327/mitt-romney-congress-ban-tiktok-israel-gaza" target="_blank">wrote </a>Ben Metzner at<em> The New Republic</em>. "As Israel moves closer to a catastrophic invasion of Rafah, having already banned<em> Al Jazeera</em> in the country, Romney and Blinken would be wise to consider whether TikTok is the real problem."</p><p>Enterpreneur James Rosen-Birch <a href="https://twitter.com/provisionalidea/status/1787203608024416650" target="_blank">added</a> that "Mitt Romney flat-out asking Antony Blinken, in public, why the United States is not doing a better job manufacturing consent, is wild."</p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 16:20:19 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-israel-tiktok</guid><category>Antony blinken</category><category>Campus protests</category><category>Genocide</category><category>Israel</category><category>Mitt romney</category><category>Tiktok</category><category>Tiktok ban</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/sen-mitt-romney-speaks-to-reporters.jpg?id=32137198&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'This Is a Crime Against Humanity': 600,000 Children in Line of Fire as IDF Moves on Rafah</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-children-idf</link><description><![CDATA[
  212. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/displaced-palestinians-leave-rafah.jpg?id=52179068&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C789%2C0%2C318"/><br/><br/><p>
  213. Humanitarian organizations and United Nations officials are warning that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children—<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/unicef-gaza" target="_blank">nearly all of whom</a> are sick, injured, or malnourished—are in grave danger as Israeli forces on Monday moved to forcibly evacuate the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah ahead of an expected ground invasion.
  214. </p><p>
  215. An estimated 600,000 children are believed to be sheltering in Rafah in
  216. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/q-a-rafah-health-care-1.7193380" target="_blank">terrible conditions</a> and under the near-constant threat of Israeli airstrikes, which rocked the city and <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/26-killed-as-israeli-warplanes-strike-several-houses-in-rafah/3211265" target="_blank">killed dozens</a> of people—including at least eight kids—hours before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued its <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/evacuation-order-rafah" target="_blank">evacuation directives</a>.
  217. </p><p>
  218. "They're being told to move, quote unquote, to a 'humanitarian zone.' That's a unilaterally declared humanitarian zone," James Elder, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said in a
  219. <em>BBC</em> appearance Monday. "That's not a humanitarian zone where humanitarians have been able to provide the services they need to. I've been talking to colleagues and friends in Rafah this morning, and they're terrified."
  220. </p><p>
  221. "Nowhere is safe," said Elder. "But as unbearable as this is, it's happening and it's going to be horrific."
  222. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="640">
  223. "Its going to be horrific"
  224. <br/>
  225. <br/>
  226. James Elder from UNICEF on Israel ordering people in Rafah to move.
  227. <br/>
  228. <br/>
  229. When will our journalists start calling this what it is?
  230. <a href="https://t.co/hYMQWyQss2">pic.twitter.com/hYMQWyQss2</a><br/>
  231. — Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth)
  232. <a href="https://twitter.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1787416362647757109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2024</a>
  233. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  234. Threatening "extreme force" in the area, the Israeli military on Monday
  235. <a href="https://twitter.com/AvichayAdraee/status/1787344298943365560" target="_blank">ordered</a> roughly 100,000 people in the eastern part of Rafah to move west to Al-Mawasi, a town on Gaza's southern coast. Humanitarian groups said Al-Mawasi doesn't have <a href="https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/may/rafah-an-israeli-military-offensive-will-lead-to-mass-atrocities/" target="_blank">anywhere near</a> sufficient infrastructure to house displaced people from Rafah and stressed that nowhere in Gaza is safe as long as Israel continues its bombing campaign.
  236. </p><p>
  237. Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International,
  238. <a href="https://www.savethechildren.net/news/save-children-warns-deadly-consequences-children-following-new-relocation-orders-families-rafah" target="_blank">said</a> in response to the IDF's directives that "for weeks we have been warning there is no feasible evacuation plan to lawfully displace and protect civilians."
  239. </p><p>
  240. "For weeks, we have been warning of the devastating consequences this will have for children and our ability to assist them in an already straight-jacketed response. For weeks, we have been calling for preventive action," Ashing continued. "Instead, the international community has looked away. They cannot look away now."
  241. </p><p>
  242. "The announced incursion will not only risk the lives of over 600,000 children but will at best disrupt and at worst cause the collapse of the humanitarian aid response currently struggling to keep Gaza’s population alive," she added. "Forcibly displacing people from Rafah while further disrupting the aid response will likely seal the fate of many children. We had already run out of words to describe how catastrophic the situation is in Rafah—but this next chapter will take it to indescribable new levels."
  243. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  244. "History will judge all of those who are complicit in what is being done to Palestinians in Gaza. It must end now."
  245. </p><p>
  246. Roughly 1.4 million people, many of them already displaced multiple times since October, are currently sheltering in Rafah, which Israel's military has been threatening to invade for months amid faltering cease-fire talks with Hamas.
  247. <br/>
  248. </p><p>
  249. <em>Reuters</em> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rafah-live-gazans-start-leaving-parts-southern-city-israel-warns-operation-2024-05-06/" target="_blank">reported</a> that in the wake of the IDF's evacuation order, "some loaded children and possessions onto donkey carts, some packed into cars, others simply walked" in the hopes of escaping Israel's ground assault.
  250. </p><p>
  251. "People have nowhere to go, no area is safe. All that remains in Gaza is death," Mohammed Al-Najjar, a 23-year-old man with family in Rafah, told the news agency. "I wish I could erase these last seven months from my memory. So many of our dreams and hopes have faded."
  252. </p><p>
  253. <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/there-nowhere-safe-go-600000-children-rafah-warns-unicef" target="_blank">According to</a> UNICEF, around 65,000 children in Rafah have a preexisting disability—including seeing, hearing, and walking difficulties—and nearly 80,000 are infants. Roughly 8,000 children under the age of two in Rafah are acutely malnourished.
  254. </p><p>
  255. "The 'evacuation' of Rafah is illegal,"
  256. <a href="https://twitter.com/Heidi__Matthews/status/1787447803028947128" target="_blank">said</a> Heidi Matthews, an assistant professor of law at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. "There are no 'humanitarian' or 'safe zones.' Civilians are being forcibly displaced to areas totally unsuitable to human habitation. This is a crime against humanity."
  257. </p><p>
  258. The Biden administration, which has supported Israel's war on Gaza from the start, has expressed opposition to a Rafah ground invasion absent a credible plan to keep civilians out of harm's way. On Monday,  a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said that "we continue to believe that a hostage deal is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages, and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering."
  259. <br/>
  260. </p><p>
  261. The spokesperson said U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at some unspecified point on Monday.
  262. </p><p>
  263. Mike Merryman-Lotze, just peace global policy director at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), said in a statement Monday that "the Biden administration has spoken against the invasion of Rafah but continues to send billions of dollars in weapons to Israel for its genocidal campaign."
  264. </p><p>
  265. "Any invasion will only bring countless more deaths and exacerbate the risk of famine that is already high because Israel continues to block most humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. President Biden and all elected officials must act now to stop this invasion, demand a permanent and complete cease-fire, and end all arms transfers to Israel."
  266. </p><p>
  267. <em>CNN</em> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/politics/war-israel-palestine-gaza-biden-weapons/index.html" target="_blank">reported</a> Sunday that the Biden administration decided to pause a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, but an unnamed official told the outlet that the hold was "not connected to a potential Israeli operation in Rafah and doesn't affect other shipments moving forward."<br/>
  268. </p><p>
  269. Medical Aid for Palestinians, an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom,
  270. <a href="https://www.map.org.uk/news/archive/post/1583-map-demands-urgent-action-to-halt-rafah-offensive-and-avert-further-humanitarian-catastrophe" target="_blank">said</a> Monday that "the international community knows that this invasion will be a catastrophe." <br/>
  271. </p><p>
  272. "The killing of civilians will accelerate and much more of Gaza's remaining infrastructure will be destroyed," the group said. "History will judge all of those who are complicit in what is being done to Palestinians in Gaza. It must end now."
  273. <br/>
  274. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 15:13:14 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-children-idf</guid><category>Children</category><category>Ethnic cleansing</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Idf</category><category>Israel</category><category>Save the children</category><category>Rafah</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/displaced-palestinians-leave-rafah.jpg?id=52179068&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Unlawful and Catastrophic': IDF Begins Forced Evacuation of Rafah</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/evacuation-order-rafah</link><description><![CDATA[
  275. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/displaced-palestinians-in-rafah.jpg?id=52178418&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C989%2C0%2C751"/><br/><br/><p>
  276. Israel's army on Monday ordered roughly 100,000 people living in eastern Rafah to evacuate ahead of an imminent military assault on the area,
  277. <a href="https://twitter.com/urfavjeni/status/1787356938939858984" target="_blank">terrifying</a> families who have been forcibly displaced to the southern Gaza city in recent months and intensifying warnings of a <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/03-05-2024-rafah-incursion-would-substantially-increase-mortality-and-morbidity-and-further-weaken-an-already-broken-health-system" target="_blank">bloodbath</a>.
  278. </p><p>
  279. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
  280. <a href="https://twitter.com/EpshtainItay/status/1787388175842672844" target="_blank">dropped leaflets over Rafah</a> ordering some of its 1.4 million residents to move to a strip along Gaza's coast, a signal that a long-feared ground assault on the overcrowded city is set to begin in the face of vocal opposition from the international community and humanitarian organizations.
  281. </p><p>
  282. The U.S., Israel's top arms supplier, has
  283. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-rafah-palestinians-evacuation-plan-eba21ef4b7c61fb2f1de77c14ca90cee" target="_blank">said</a> it would oppose a Rafah assault without a credible plan to evacuate civilians from the city. Humanitarian groups and analysts have said <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-humanitarian-islands" target="_blank">such a plan is impossible</a> because there is no genuinely safe place for Gazans to go. Israeli forces have <a href="https://gaza.forensic-architecture.org/displacement" target="_blank">repeatedly attacked</a> so-called "safe zones" and designated routes Palestinians have used to flee in compliance with past IDF orders.
  284. </p><p>
  285. "Israel's military offensive in Rafah could lead to the deadliest phase of this conflict, inflicting horrific suffering on approximately 1.4 million displaced civilians in the area,"
  286. <a href="https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/may/rafah-an-israeli-military-offensive-will-lead-to-mass-atrocities/" target="_blank">said</a> Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. "The relocation orders issued by Israel today to thousands of Gazans, directing them to move to Al-Mawasi, are beyond alarming. The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services. It lacks the capacity to house the number of people currently seeking refuge in Rafah, with no assurances of safety, proper accommodation, or return once hostilities end for those forced to relocate."
  287. </p><p>
  288. "The absence of these fundamental guarantees of safety and return, as required by international humanitarian law, qualifies Israel's relocation directives as forcible transfer, amounting to a serious violation of international law," Egeland said. "Any Israeli military operation in Rafah—which has become the largest cluster of displacement camps in the world—will cause potential mass atrocities."
  289. </p><p class="pull-quote">"If large-scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened."</p><p>
  290. Israel
  291. <a href="https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1787365520355844596" target="_blank">reportedly notified</a> the U.S. of the evacuation orders overnight, and CIA Director William Burns is set to arrive in Israel on Monday to discuss the operation in Rafah, a city along Gaza's border with Egypt that has become a critical point of entry for humanitarian aid. The new evacuation orders, expected to be just the first round of directives, include Rafah's <a href="https://twitter.com/AlMezanCenter/status/1787407298006028750" target="_blank">largest medical facility</a>.<br/>
  292. </p><p>
  293. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the main relief agency in Gaza, said in response to the IDF's orders that it would not leave Rafah.
  294. </p><p>
  295. "An Israeli offensive in Rafah would mean more civilian suffering and deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people," the organization
  296. <a href="https://twitter.com/UNRWA/status/1787375629119168663" target="_blank">wrote</a> in a social media post. "UNRWA is not evacuating: The agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible and will continue providing lifesaving aid to people."
  297. </p><div align="center" class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  298. BREAKING:
  299. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israel</a> drops leaflets over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rafah?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rafah</a> southern <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gaza?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gaza</a>, ordering inhabitants of eastern Rafah to immediately move to Al Mawasi (a desolate strip along the Gaza coast), cautioning them from moving to north Gaza or towards its southern and eastern perimeter fence. <a href="https://t.co/tBum9ULewF">pic.twitter.com/tBum9ULewF</a><br/>
  300. — Itay Epshtain (@EpshtainItay)
  301. <a href="https://twitter.com/EpshtainItay/status/1787388175842672844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2024</a>
  302. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  303. The far-right Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been threatening a ground invasion of Rafah for months, characterizing the city as Hamas' last major stronghold. Avichay Adraee, an IDF lieutenant colonel,
  304. <a href="https://twitter.com/AvichayAdraee/status/1787344298943365560" target="_blank">said</a> Monday that the Israeli military would use "extreme force" in the evacuation areas and warned that "anyone who is close to terrorist organizations puts his life and the life of his family at risk."
  305. </p><p>
  306. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 600,000 children are currently sheltering in the city, including many who have been displaced multiple times since Israel's assault began in October following a Hamas-led attack.
  307. </p><p>
  308. "More than 200 days of war have taken an unimaginable toll on the lives of children," Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director,
  309. <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/there-nowhere-safe-go-600000-children-rafah-warns-unicef" target="_blank">said</a> Monday. "Rafah is now a city of children, who have nowhere safe to go in Gaza. If large-scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened.”
  310. </p><p>
  311. Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch,
  312. <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarSShakir/status/1787368493316264413" target="_blank">called</a> the IDF's evacuation push in Rafah "unlawful and catastrophic."
  313. </p><p>
  314. "There's nowhere safe to go in Gaza," Shakir added. "The international community should act to prevent further atrocities."
  315. </p><p>
  316. The IDF began issuing its evacuation orders in Rafah a day after the Netanyahu government
  317. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/al-jazeera-banned-in-israel" target="_blank">voted to shut down</a> <em>Al Jazeera</em>'s operations in the country, a brazen attack on press freedom.
  318. </p><p>
  319. "The fact that Israel banned
  320. <em>Al Jazeera</em> hours before beginning its assault on Rafah is not a coincidence," <a href="https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/1787346613394174213" target="_blank">said</a> author and Middle East analyst Assal Rad. "After everything we’ve seen in the last seven months, imagine what they'll do when they think no one is watching."<br/>
  321. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 11:14:12 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/evacuation-order-rafah</guid><category>Benjamin netanyahu</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Human rights watch</category><category>Idf</category><category>Israel</category><category>Norwegian refugee council</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Rafah</category><category>Unrwa</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/displaced-palestinians-in-rafah.jpg?id=52178418&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Belgian Police Arrest 132 Climate Defenders Demanding End to Fossil Fuel Subsidies</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/brussels-climate-protest</link><description><![CDATA[
  322. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/extinction-rebellion-climate-protesters-block-the-rue-belliard-in-brussels-belgium.jpg?id=52176887&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C395%2C0%2C447"/><br/><br/><p>
  323. The climate action group Extinction Rebellion Belgium on Saturday decried what it called "disproportionate police violence" against nonviolent demonstrators who were arrested during a protest in  Brussels demanding an end to fossil fuel subsidies.
  324. </p><p>
  325. Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion-led climate defenders blocked Rue Belliard in the European Quarter, the de facto European Union capital, during EU Open Day, when agencies of the 27-nation bloc open their doors to the public. In what Extinction Rebellion called an "unprecedented police response," officers allegedly struck protesters with batons and used chemical agents against demonstrators.
  326. </p><p>
  327. Brussels police said 132 activists—some of whom glued themselves to the ground—were arrested.<br/>
  328. </p><p>
  329. "This police behavior toward nonviolent protesters exercising their freedom of assembly is illegal and authoritarian," Extinction Rebellion Belgium said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/XR_Belgium/status/1786765033503916514" target="_blank">statement</a> Saturday.
  330. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1183138970105974784">
  331. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  332.        <a href="https://twitter.com/XR_NYC/status/1183138970105974784"></a>
  333. </blockquote>
  334. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>"We call on the police to exercise restraint and respect the right to demonstrate peacefully and without violence," the group added.
  335. </p><p>
  336. The activists are calling on European governments to stop subsidizing fossil fuels amid a worsening planetary crisis. They're also demanding the declaration of a climate emergency.</p><p>
  337. "National and European governments are spending at least €405 billion each year subsidizing major fossil fuel corporations," protest spokesperson Bertina Maes <a href="https://www.brusselstimes.com/1033069/extinction-rebellion-block-rue-belliard-in-brussels" target="_blank">told</a> <em>The Brussels Times</em>. "That's ten times more than what's spent on climate policy."
  338. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786781349891789262">
  339. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  340.        <a href="https://twitter.com/XR_Belgium/status/1786781349891789262"></a>
  341. </blockquote>
  342. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  343. Maes said the Belgian government alone spent as much as €20 billion ($21.5 billion) on fossil fuel subsidies in 2020, more than 2% of the country's gross domestic product.
  344. </p><p>
  345. "The fact that national governments are subsidizing fossil fuels is akin to a crime against humanity," she asserted.
  346. </p><p>
  347. This weekend's demonstration and arrests come a month before E.U. parliamentary elections. <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240415IPR20389/geopolitical-situation-makes-voting-in-european-elections-even-more-important" target="_blank">According to</a> an April Eurobarometer survey conducted by the European Parliament, climate action is the fifth-most important issue to voters, after poverty and social exclusion, health, jobs, and defense and security.<br/>
  348. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 05 May 2024 20:21:30 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/brussels-climate-protest</guid><category>Belgium</category><category>Brussels</category><category>Civil disobedience</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>European union</category><category>Extinction rebellion</category><category>Fossil fuel subsidies</category><category>Fossil fuels</category><category>Climate emergency</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/extinction-rebellion-climate-protesters-block-the-rue-belliard-in-brussels-belgium.jpg?id=52176887&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Israel Bans Al Jazeera in 'Assault on Freedom of the Press'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/al-jazeera-banned-in-israel</link><description><![CDATA[
  349. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/wael-al-dahdouh.jpg?id=52121059&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C352%2C0%2C1888"/><br/><br/><p>The Jerusalem offices of <em>Al Jazeera </em>were raided Sunday after Israel's far-right Cabinet banned the Qatar-based satellite news network—the sole international media outlet providing 24/7 live coverage from Gaza—from operating in the country.</p><p>"If you're watching this… then <em>Al Jazeera</em> has been banned in Israel," correspondent Imran Khan <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/5/5/al-jazeeras-pre-recorded-final-report-from-israel-as-ban-enacted" target="_blank">said</a> in a pre-recorded report from occupied East Jerusalem preempting the Israeli Cabinet's unanimous vote to shutter the network. <br/></p><p>The order—which does not affect <em>Al Jazeera'</em>s ability to operate in Gaza or the illegally occupied Palestinian territories—is believed to be the first of its kind targeting a foreign media outlet operating in Israel. It comes after the Knesset, Israel's parliament, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/netanyahu-al-jazeera-israel" target="_self">recently voted 71-10</a> in favor of a law empowering the Israeli communications minister to ban foreign news organizations from working in Israel and to confiscate their equipment. </p><p>"The time has come to eject Hamas' mouthpiece from our country," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman/status/1787103863520034825" target="_blank">said</a> in a televised address. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787157810192769464">
  350. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  351.        <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1787157810192769464"></a>
  352. </blockquote>
  353. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu's Arab media spokesperson, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/middleeast/israel-al-jazeera-closure-intl/index.html" target="_blank">said</a> Sunday that the closure would be "implemented immediately." </p><p>Gendelman said that the network's "broadcast equipment will be confiscated, the channel's correspondents will be prevented from working, the channel will be removed from cable and satellite television companies, and <em>Al Jazeera</em>'s websites will be blocked on the internet." </p><p>In a statement,<em> Al Jazeera</em> vowed to "pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public's right to information."</p> <p>"Israel's ongoing suppression of the free press, seen as an effort to conceal its actions in the Gaza Strip, stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law," the network added. "Israel's direct targeting and killing of journalists, arrests, intimidation, and threats will not deter <em>Al Jazeera</em>."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787102903624245406">
  354. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  355.        <a href="https://twitter.com/YousefMunayyer/status/1787102903624245406"></a>
  356. </blockquote>
  357. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>The New York-based Foreign Press Association issued a <a href="https://twitter.com/tombateman/status/1787130724509708582" target="_blank">statement</a> slamming the move and saying it "should be a cause for concern for all supporters of a free press." </p><p>"With this decision, Israel joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station," the group said. "This is a dark day for the media. This is a dark day for democracy." </p><p>Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director Omar Shakir <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-aljazeera-hamas-gaza-war-eba9416aea82f505ab908ee60d1de5e4" target="_blank">called</a> the order "an assault on freedom of the press."</p><p>"Rather than trying to silence reporting on its atrocities in Gaza, the Israeli government should stop committing them," he added. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1787111295575044503">
  358. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  359.        <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarSShakir/status/1787111295575044503"></a>
  360. </blockquote>
  361. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  362. <p><em>Al Jazeera</em> is the only international news network providing nonstop on-the-ground coverage of Israel's war on Gaza, often being the first to report Israeli atrocities in what many experts worldwide say is a genocidal campaign in the besieged, starving strip. </p><p>Its correspondents and other media professionals work under constant risk to life and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-kills-journalist" target="_blank">limb</a>. More than 100 journalists, the vast majority of them Palestinians, have been <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-journalists" target="_blank">killed</a> by Israeli forces since October 7 in what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and others <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/journalists-killed-in-gaza-2666788920" target="_blank">say</a> are often intentional targetings of not only media workers but <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/al-jazeera-reporter-family" target="_blank">also their families</a>. </p><p>In December, Israeli forces <a href="https://cpj.org/2023/12/al-jazeera-cameraperson-samer-abu-daqqa-killed-correspondent-wael-al-dahdouh-injured-in-drone-attack-in-khan-yunis/" target="_blank">killed</a> <em>Al Jazeera</em> cameraman Samer Abudaqa as he reported on the war in southern Gaza, an attack that also wounded <em>Al Jazeera </em>Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh—whose wife, son, daughter, and grandson were <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/al-jazeera-reporter-family" target="_blank">killed</a> in a separate Israeli strike. </p><p>Previous probes—like the investigation into Israeli troops' 2022 <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/11/blatant-murder-al-jazeera-accuses-israel-killing-journalist-shireen-abu-akleh" target="_blank">killing</a> of renowned Palestinian American <em>Al Jazeera</em> reporter Shireen Abu Akleh—have confirmed that Israel has deliberately targeted journalists.</p><p>Last May, CPJ published <a href="https://cpj.org/reports/2023/05/deadly-pattern-20-journalists-died-by-israeli-military-fire-in-22-years-no-one-has-been-held-accountable/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Deadly Pattern</em></a><em>,</em> a report that found Israeli troops had killed at least 20 journalists over the past 22 years with utter impunity. While some of the slain journalists have been foreigners—including Italian <em>Associated Press</em> reporter<a href="https://cpj.org/data/people/simone-camilli/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Simone Camilli</a> and British cameraman and filmmaker<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/apr/05/pressandpublishing.broadcasting" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> James Miller</a>—the vast majority of victims have been Palestinian. </p><p>Israeli forces have also attacked newsrooms in every major assault on Gaza, including in May 2021 when the 11-story al-Jalaa Tower, which housed offices of <em>Al Jazeera</em>, <em>The Associated Press</em>, and other media outlets, was completely destroyed in an airstrike.</p><p>On Friday—World Press Freedom Day—Palestinian journalists covering the war on  Gaza were <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-journalists" target="_blank">awarded</a> this year's UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize after being recommended by an international jury of media professionals. <br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 05 May 2024 16:41:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/al-jazeera-banned-in-israel</guid><category>Al jazeera</category><category>Benjamin netanyahu</category><category>Foreign press association</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Human rights watch</category><category>Journalism</category><category>Knesset</category><category>Media</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Wael dahdouh</category><category>Israel</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/wael-al-dahdouh.jpg?id=52121059&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>On Kent State Massacre Anniversary, Progressives Decry Repression of Student Protests</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/kent-state-gaza</link><description><![CDATA[
  363. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/police-in-riot-gear-prepare-to-arrest-student-protesters-at-the-university-of-texas-austin.jpg?id=52174797&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C79%2C0%2C264"/><br/><br/><p>
  364. As U.S. Republicans <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/24/mike-johnson-columbia-national-guard-00154199" target="_blank">push</a> for the deployment of National Guard troops to quell nationwide student demonstrations against the Gaza genocide, progressive lawmakers marked the anniversary of the 1970 Kent State Massacre by condemning police repression of peaceful protesters and reaffirming the power of dissent.
  365. </p><p>
  366. "On the 54th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre, students across our country are being brutalized for standing up to endless war," Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Mo.) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepCori/status/1786753879624782224" target="_blank">said</a> on social media. "Our country must learn to actually uphold the rights of free speech and assembly upon which it was founded."<br/>
  367. </p><p>
  368. Fellow "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1786757672764883053" target="_blank">said</a> that "54 years ago, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed students at Kent State."<br/>
  369. </p><p>
  370. "Students have a right to speak out, organize, and protest systemic wrongs," she added. "We can't silence those expressing dissent, no matter how uncomfortable their protests may be to those in power."<br/>
  371. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786795842893984088">
  372. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  373.        <a href="https://twitter.com/SDonziger/status/1786795842893984088"></a>
  374. </blockquote>
  375. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  376. On May 4, 1970, 28 Ohio National Guard troops fired 67 live rounds into a crowd of unarmed Kent State students rallying against the expansion of the U.S.-led war in Vietnam into Cambodia. They murdered students Allison Krause, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, Sandra Lee Scheuer, and William Knox Schroeder—all aged 19 or 20. Nine other students were wounded, including one who was permanently paralyzed. <br/>
  377. </p><p>
  378. "The militarized repression of young people speaking out against a terrible war was shameful then and it's shameful now," New York state Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-50) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmilyAssembly/status/1786825062089195822" target="_blank">said</a> on Saturday. <br/>
  379. </p><p>
  380. Protests against Israel's assault on Gaza—which according to Palestinian and international officials has killed, maimed, or left missing more than 123,000 Gazans—have spread to dozens of campuses across the U.S. and around the world. Police have been called in to break up protest encampments at numerous schools. Hundreds of students, faculty, and journalists have been arrested, sometimes violently. <br/>
  381. </p><p>
  382. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), police stood by this week as a pro-Israel mob <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/pro-genocide-mob-ucla" target="_blank">attacked</a> a campus protest encampment before officers arrested peaceful protesters and supporters. <br/>
  383. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786757067652403270">
  384. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  385.        <a href="https://twitter.com/theIMEU/status/1786757067652403270"></a>
  386. </blockquote>
  387. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  388. As law enforcement officials have tried to justify the crackdown by claiming "outside agitators" are behind the protests, some observers noted historical parallels. <br/>
  389. </p><p>
  390. "Watching what is happening at UCLA," Virginia state Sen. Mamie Locke (D-2) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLocke/status/1785989290880622793" target="_blank">said</a> on social media. "Old enough to remember Kent State, Jackson State, South Carolina State, and the dog whistles of 'law and order,' 'outside agitators.' So reminiscent of 1968."<br/>
  391. </p><p>
  392. On February 8, 1968, police <a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/orangeburg-massacre/" target="_blank">shot 31 students</a>—most of them in the back—at a protest against Jim Crow segregation at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, murdering three young Black men: Samuel Hammond Jr., Delano Middleton, and Henry Smith. <br/>
  393. </p><p>
  394. Eleven days after Kent State, police <a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/jackson-state-killings/" target="_blank">opened fire</a> on a crowd of Black students protesting the bombing of Cambodia at Jackson State College in Jackson, Mississippi, killing Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green and injuring 12 others. <br/>
  395. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786813799867076732">
  396. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  397.        <a href="https://twitter.com/codepink/status/1786813799867076732"></a>
  398. </blockquote>
  399. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  400. "Our institutions must learn from these past mistakes to not use militarized responses against unarmed, peaceful student protesters by calling in the National Guard, bringing in state troopers, or deploying police in riot gear," Laurel Krause, the sister of slain Kent State protester Allison Krause, said in a <a href="https://sparrowmedia.net/2024/04/laurel-krause-palestine-campus-protests/" target="_blank">statement</a> marking the ignominious anniversary. <br/>
  401. </p><p>
  402. "We must not repeat the horrors of Kent State 54 years later," she added. <br/>
  403. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 20:38:25 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/kent-state-gaza</guid><category>Cambodia</category><category>Civil disobedience</category><category>Cori bush</category><category>Ilhan omar</category><category>Israel</category><category>Kent state</category><category>Vietnam war</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/police-in-riot-gear-prepare-to-arrest-student-protesters-at-the-university-of-texas-austin.jpg?id=52174797&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>UN Food Chief Says Northern Gaza Suffering 'Full-Blown Famine'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-famine-underway</link><description><![CDATA[
  404. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/women-hold-three-malnourished-gaza-triplets.jpg?id=52174335&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C182%2C0%2C161"/><br/><br/><p>
  405. United Nations World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said Friday that Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip are experiencing "full-blown famine" after nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment and invasion—and that deadly malnutrition is "moving its way south" through the embattled enclave.
  406. </p><p>
  407. While U.N. agencies have
  408. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/un-child-rights-gaza" target="_blank">warned</a> since March that famine was imminent in Gaza, McCain's remarks—which came during an interview with Kristen Welker that is scheduled to air on Sunday's edition of<em> NBC News</em>' "Meet the Press"—make her the most high-profile international official to date to publicly acknowledge a state of famine in parts of the Palestinian territory.
  409. </p><p>
  410. "It's horror," said McCain, who is American. "There is famine—full-blown famine—in the north, and it's moving its way south."
  411. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
  412. UN World Food Program <a href="https://twitter.com/WFPChief?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WFPChief</a>: “There is famine — full-blown famine — in the north of Gaza, and it’s moving its way south.”<br/>
  413. <br/>
  414. <a href="https://t.co/eyk0OeOEzr">pic.twitter.com/eyk0OeOEzr</a><br/>
  415. — Waleed Shahid 🪬 (@_waleedshahid) <a href="https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1786744189968859351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2024</a>
  416. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  417. McCain's remarks come as hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on the brink of starvation. Dozens of Palestinians—the vast majority of them children and infants—have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-starving-gaza-children" target="_blank">already died</a> of malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza.
  418. </p><p>
  419. According to Palestinian and international officials, Israel's 211-day assault on Gaza—which many experts including Israelis
  420. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/legal-scholars-israel-genocide" target="_blank">call</a> genocidal—has killed or maimed more than 123,000 Palestinians since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, including an estimated 11,000 people who are believed to be dead and buried beneath the ruins of the hundreds of thousands of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-unprecedented-damage-gaza" target="_blank">destroyed or damaged </a>homes and other buildings.
  421. </p><p>
  422. In addition to not allowing adequate humanitarian aid into Gaza, Israeli forces have also repeatedly
  423. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/flour-massacre-northern-gaza" target="_blank">attacked</a> both aid workers and desperate civilians trying to access the lifesaving provisions.
  424. </p><p>
  425. "What we are asking for and what we continually ask for is a cease-fire and the ability to have unfettered access, to get in safe through the various ports and gate crossings," McCain said during the interview.
  426. </p><p>
  427. On Saturday, Hamas spokesperson Osman Hamdan said there have been "some forward steps" toward a cease-fire agreement during negotiations in Egypt. Egyptian mediators
  428. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-05-04-2024-4eae8b7a75440d4dd9a201219d60bcd9" target="_blank">proposed</a> a six-week cessation of hostilities, the release of an unspecified number of Israeli and international hostages, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
  429. </p><p>
  430. However, one Israeli official
  431. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-cease-fire-talks/hamas-delegation-returning-to-cairo-in-spirit-to-reach-an-agreement-109916554?id=109734705" target="_blank">told</a> <em>ABC News</em> on condition of anonymity Saturday that "Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release our abductees."
  432. </p><p>
  433. The negotiations come as Israeli forces prepare for an expected ground invasion of Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, where more than a million refugees forcibly displaced from other parts of the strip are sheltering alongside around 280,000 local residents. On Friday, the U.N.'s humanitarian agency
  434. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-civilians" target="_blank">warned</a> that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah would put hundreds of thousands of Palestinians "at imminent risk of death."<br/>
  435. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 17:34:48 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-famine-underway</guid><category>Cease-fire</category><category>Cindy mccain</category><category>Egypt</category><category>Famine</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Hamas</category><category>Israel</category><category>Palestine</category><category>United nations</category><category>World food program</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/women-hold-three-malnourished-gaza-triplets.jpg?id=52174335&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Racist POS' Mike Collins Cheers Video of Ole Miss Mob Attack on Black Student</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/ole-miss-racist-video</link><description><![CDATA[
  436. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/ole-miss-students-make-ape-noises-while-a-white-male-student-jump-ups-and-down-in-front-of-a-black-student.jpg?id=52171318&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C36%2C0%2C818"/><br/><br/><p>
  437. Republican Georgia Congressman Mike Collins came under fire Friday over a social media post applauding video of white University of Mississippi students racially abusing a Black woman participating in a campus protest for Palestine.
  438. <br/>
  439. </p><p>
  440. Collins posted the video—in which numerous people can be heard grunting like apes and one young man is seen jumping up and down like a monkey in front of the Black woman—with the caption, "Ole Miss taking care of business."
  441. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786504890388267329">
  442. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  443.        <a href="https://twitter.com/EdgeofSports/status/1786504890388267329"></a>
  444. </blockquote>
  445. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  446. Collins—or whoever's in charge of his social media accounts—sparred with Black leaders who called out his racism. When former Democratic Ohio state senator Nina Turner said the video showed "anti-Blackness," the congressman
  447. <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMikeCollins/status/1786395623555567872" target="_blank">shot back</a>, "*Anti-terroristness."
  448. </p><p>
  449. When Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) accused Collins of "fueling white supremacy," the Republican
  450. <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMikeCollins/status/1786491891111928194" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">retorted</a>, "Don't take down any more signs at our workplace, please" along with a photo of the Democrat triggering a fire alarm in a House of Representatives office building last year.
  451. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786401098917445851">
  452. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  453.        <a href="https://twitter.com/ninaturner/status/1786401098917445851"></a>
  454. </blockquote>
  455. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  456. Around 30 protesters were rallying in support of Palestine in the Ole Miss Quad when counter-protesters gathered near the demonstrators. Some booed and chanted, "We want Trump!" Others singled out the Black woman—who
  457. <em>NBC News</em> <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/-palestinian-protest-ole-miss-ends-heated-confrontation-rcna150643" target="_blank">said</a> is a graduate student at the school—chanting "Lizzo, Lizzo, Lizzo," "take a shower," "your nose is huge," "fuck you, fat bitch," and "lock her up!"
  458. </p><p>
  459. The counter-protesters also sang the "Star-Spangled Banner." Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves
  460. <a href="https://twitter.com/tatereeves/status/1786123095058633062" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shared</a> a separate video of the singing students on social media, captioning his post, "Warms my heart" and "I love Mississippi."
  461. </p><p>
  462. No racist language can be heard in the video shared by Reeves. <em><br/>
  463. </em>
  464. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786484261312229723">
  465. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  466.        <a href="https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1786484261312229723"></a>
  467. </blockquote>
  468. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  469. <em>The Daily Mississippian</em> <a href="https://thedmonline.com/may-2nd-pro-palestine-protest/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reports</a> the demonstrators were escorted off the Quad after counter-protesters threw water bottles at them.
  470. </p><p>
  471. Collins is no stranger to accusations of racism. Earlier this year, he <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/mike-collins" target="_blank">suggested</a> murdering migrants by throwing them from helicopters into the sea, in the manner of U.S.-backed South American dictators in the 1970s.<br/>
  472. </p><p>
  473. He also
  474. <a href="https://collins.house.gov/media/press-releases/collins-unveils-razor-act-ban-federal-government-removing-texas-border" target="_blank">introduced</a> the Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders (RAZOR) Act, which  would ban the federal government from removing or altering "any state-constructed barriers installed to mitigate illegal immigration," such as the razor buoys <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/buoy-barrier" target="_blank">installed</a> in the Rio Grande by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.<br/>
  475. </p><p>
  476. Collins was also
  477. <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2024/03/mike-collins-georgia-tweet-esther-panitch/" target="_blank">accused</a> of antisemitism after he amplified a social media post by an avowed neo-Nazi targeting a <em>Washington Post</em> reporter for being Jewish. <br/>
  478. </p><p>
  479. Ole Miss said Friday that "statements were made at the demonstration on our campus Thursday that were offensive and inappropriate."
  480. <br/>
  481. </p><p>
  482. "We cannot comment specifically about that video, but the university is looking into reports about specific actions," the school added. "Any actions that violate university policy will be met with appropriate action." </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786538066473050348">
  483. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  484.        <a href="https://twitter.com/DerrickNAACP/status/1786538066473050348"></a>
  485. </blockquote>
  486. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>The Ole Miss incident comes amid rapidly spreading campus protests across the U.S. and around the world in response to Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza, which has killed, maimed, or left missing around 5% of the embattled strip's 2.3 million people, most of them civilians, while forcibly displacing nearly 9 in 10 people and driving hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. <br/></p><p>
  487. While numerous Ole Miss students said they did not understand what the pro-Palestine protesters hoped to accomplish, others voiced support for the demonstrators—and for Palestine.
  488. <br/>
  489. </p><p>
  490. "As we've seen throughout history, time and time again, the student movement is never wrong. Time and time again, anytime there's a student protest, and you're against it, you're on the wrong side of history," Xavier Black, a junior majoring in international studies, told
  491. <em>The Daily Mississippian</em>.  "So I would like to be on the right side."<br/>
  492. </p><p>
  493. One Palestinian American Ole Miss student was teary-eyed as she thanked the protesters.
  494. <br/>
  495. </p><p>
  496. "Hey guys, I know that what just happened was really intimidating, and it was a little scary, but I just want to say I'm so proud of you guys," the student—who gave only her first name, Jana—said,
  497. <a href="https://mississippitoday.org/2024/05/02/it-wasnt-equal-counter-protesters-overwhelm-pro-palestinian-students-at-the-university-of-mississippi/" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>Mississippi Today</em>. "This wasn't going to happen... without all of you guys. Palestine was being heard. And I just want to thank you guys so much."
  498. <br/>
  499. </p><p>
  500. "I know that was such a big risk, but this is the most that people have ever thought for us, so don't give up," she added. "I know that was really hard, but we need to keep fighting. This was just the start of it, okay?"
  501. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 01:02:19 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/ole-miss-racist-video</guid><category>Jamaal bowman</category><category>Mike collins</category><category>Mississippi</category><category>Nina turner</category><category>Ole miss</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Tate reeves</category><category>U.s. house of representatives</category><category>University of mississippi</category><category>Racism</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/ole-miss-students-make-ape-noises-while-a-white-male-student-jump-ups-and-down-in-front-of-a-black-student.jpg?id=52171318&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>UK Voters Send 'Shout' for Change to Tories as Labour Sweeps in Local Elections</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/uk-voters-send-shout-for-change-to-tories-as-labour-sweeps-in-local-elections</link><description><![CDATA[
  502. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/liberal-democrat-leader-sir-ed-davey-is-greeted-by-tory-dinosaurs.jpg?id=52170901&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C819%2C0%2C183"/><br/><br/><p>Nearly two weeks after the British Conservative Party pushed through a proposal to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda in what one lawyer <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rwanda-bill-uk" target="_blank">called</a> "performative cruelty" in the name of winning the general election expected later this year, the local election results announced throughout the day Friday made increasingly clear the ploy hadn't worked. </p><p>Elections expert John Curtice <a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-conservatives-labour-sunak-starmer-71b0348dc6057513bb73f32385039df4" target="_blank">projected</a> the Tories could ultimately lose up to 500 local council seats as vote counting continues into the weekend, following elections in which voters cast ballots for 2,661 seats. <br/></p><p>The Conservatives have lost around half of the seats they are defending Curtice told <em>BBC Radio. </em></p><p>"We are probably looking at certainly one of the worst, if not the worst, Conservative performances in local government elections for the last 40 years," the polling expert <a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-conservatives-labour-sunak-starmer-71b0348dc6057513bb73f32385039df4" target="_blank">said</a>.</p><p>Curtice added that if the results were replicated in a general election, Labour would likely win 34% of the vote, with the Tories winning 25%—five years after the right-wing party won in a landslide in the last nationwide contest. </p><p>Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results represented a decisive call for "change" from British voters, particularly applauding the results of a special election in Blackpool South, where Labour candidate Chris Webb won nearly 11,000 votes while Conservative David Jones came in a distant second with just over 3,200. </p><p>Webb's victory represented a 26% swing in favor of Labour.</p><p>"That's the fifth swing of over 20% to the Labour party in by elections in recent months and years. It is a fantastic result, a really first class result," Starmer <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no-solace-rishi-sunak-amid-044500742.html" target="_blank">said</a>. "And here in Blackpool, a message has been sent directly to the prime minister, because this was a parliamentary vote, to say we're fed up with your decline, your chaos... your division and we want change. We want to go forward with Labour."</p><p>"That wasn't just a little message," he added. "That wasn't just a murmur. That was a shout from Blackpool. We want to change. And Blackpool speaks for the whole country in saying we've had enough now, after 14 years of failure, 14 years of decline."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786470321639301605">
  503. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  504.        <a href="https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1786470321639301605"></a>
  505. </blockquote>
  506. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  507. <p>The Conservatives also lost ground in the northern town of Hartlepool, where they lost six council seats. The region swung toward the Tories after the party led the push for Brexit, the U.K.'s exit from the European Union. </p><p>A similar result was recorded in York and North Yorkshire, which includes the area Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak represented as a member of Parliament. </p><p>"Yorkshire voted for Brexit in 2016," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/03/uk-election-results-conservatives-loss/" target="_blank">wrote</a> William Booth, London bureau chief for <em>The Washington Post</em>. "But long gone are the days when many Conservatives want to stand before the voters and extol the advantages of leaving the European Union, which has been, in most sectors, a flop."</p><p>Sunak, added Booth, is "betting that immigration is still an issue with resonance and has promised to 'stop the boats,' the daily spectacle of desperate migrants risking their lives on rubber rafts trying to cross the English Channel. Sunak's government plans to fly asylum seekers arriving by boat to Rwanda. No flights have taken off yet. But the Home Office last week began a self-proclaimed 'large scale' operation to detain asylum seekers destined for removal."</p><p>The Labour Party <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2024/05/02/labour-set-to-give-100000-in-limbo-migrants-the-chance-to-claim-asylum-in-uk/" target="_blank">has called </a>Sunak's Rwanda plan a "gimmick" and said it would reverse a Tory policy blocking refugees from applying for asylum. </p><p>Average wages in the U.K. last year were "back at the level during the 2008 financial crisis, after taking account of inflation," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/02/conservatives-economic-record-budget-deficit-gdp-tax-tory-budget" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>The Guardian. </em></p><p>"This 15 years of lost wage growth is estimated by the Resolution Foundation thinktank to have cost the average work £10,700 ($13,426) a year," reported the newspaper in March. "The performance has been ranked as the worst period for pay growth since the Napoleonic wars ended in 1815."</p><p>Analysts noted one setback for Labour in Oldham, where the party lost some seats in areas with large numbers of Muslim voters to independent candidates, costing it overall control of the council. </p><p>Arooj Shah, the Labour leader of the Oldham Council, <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-gaza-labour-oldham-blamed-war" target="_blank">told</a> the <em>BBC</em> that the party's support for Israel in its bombardment of Gaza was behind its losses. </p><p>"Gaza is clearly an issue for anyone with an ounce of humanity in them, but we've asked for an immediate cease-fire right from the start," said Shah. "We have a rise of independents because people think mainstream parties aren't the answer."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786399081872454139">
  508. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  509.        <a href="https://twitter.com/HackneyAbbott/status/1786399081872454139"></a>
  510. </blockquote>
  511. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  512. <p>The losses "should be a wake-up call for the Starmer leadership: Every vote must be earned," <a href="https://twitter.com/PeoplesMomentum/status/1786370156664344753" target="_blank">said</a> the socialist and anti-racist group Momentum. "That means calling for an immediate arms ban to Israel, calling out Israeli war crimes, and  delivering real leadership on climate."<br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 21:15:49 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/uk-voters-send-shout-for-change-to-tories-as-labour-sweeps-in-local-elections</guid><category>Conservative party</category><category>Cost of living</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Immigration</category><category>Keir starmer</category><category>Labour party</category><category>Rishi sunak</category><category>Tories</category><category>Uk elections</category><category>United kingdom</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/liberal-democrat-leader-sir-ed-davey-is-greeted-by-tory-dinosaurs.jpg?id=52170901&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Israel Briefs US on Plan for 'Ethnic Cleansing' of Rafah</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-ethnic-cleansing</link><description><![CDATA[
  513. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/hungry-palestinian-children-clamor-for-food-aid-in-gaza.jpg?id=52170648&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C164%2C0%2C264"/><br/><br/><p>
  514. Israeli officials have told the  Biden administration and humanitarian organizations how they plan to start forcibly expelling Gazans from Rafah ahead of a likely ground invasion—a move critics have likened to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine's Arabs during the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
  515. </p><p>
  516. <em>Politico</em> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/03/israel-gazans-rafah-invasion-00156024" target="_blank">reported</a> Friday that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials informed the U.S. government and aid agencies that a plan is in place to remove Palestinians from Rafah, where approximately 1.2 million refugees forcibly displaced from other parts of Gaza are precariously sheltering alongside around 280,000  local residents in the embattled strip's southernmost city.
  517. </p><p>
  518. According to an unnamed U.S. official and two other people familiar with the plan, Israel would "move people out of Rafah, the main humanitarian hub in the enclave, to al-Mawasi, a small strip of land on the southern Gaza coast." <em>Politico </em>also obtained a copy of a map containing some details of the plan. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786432765128253921">
  519. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  520.        <a href="https://twitter.com/oxfamgb/status/1786432765128253921"></a>
  521. </blockquote>
  522. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  523. <p><em>The Wall Street Journal</em> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-gives-hamas-a-week-to-strike-a-deal-or-rafah-offensive-will-begin-2ffe70bd" target="_blank">reported</a> Friday that Israel has given Hamas until next week to submit to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/02/world/middleeast/hamas-israel-gaza-ceasefire.html" target="_blank">cease-fire proposal </a>or face an invasion of Rafah.
  524. </p><p>
  525. "Such an invasion could lead to horrific massacres and raise scenarios of a second Nakba," the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights <a href="https://pchrgaza.org/en/urgent-alert-israel-marks-200-days-of-genocide-with-plans-to-destroy-rafah/" target="_blank">said</a> recently. "After 200 days of horrific genocidal acts in Gaza, the real objectives of the attack are the continuation of the 76-year-long ongoing Nakba and the erasure and genocidal destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel is laying the groundwork to fulfill its settler-colonial plan of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-ministers-settler-conference" target="_blank">colonizing</a> Gaza."
  526. </p><p>
  527. Human rights defenders have warned that Israel may ultimately seek to ethnically cleanse as many Palestinians as possible from Gaza.
  528. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1783928999153897950">
  529. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  530.        <a href="https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1783928999153897950"></a>
  531. </blockquote>
  532. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  533. The situation in Rafah is already dire. Water and other necessities are in desperately short supply. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/may/01/rafah-graveyards-children-european-hospital-injured-dying" target="_blank">According to</a> James Elder, the global spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), there is approximately one toilet for every 850 people in Rafah and one shower for every 3,500 people.
  534. </p><p>
  535. On Friday, Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the United Nations <em></em>Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-civilians" target="_blank">told</a> reporters in Geneva that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah would put hundreds of thousands of Palestinians "at imminent risk of death."
  536. </p><p>
  537. "Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death," Laerke said, warning of not only "a slaughter of civilians, but also at the same time an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire strip, because it is run primarily out of Rafah."
  538. </p><p>Around 5% of Gazans have been killed, maimed, or left missing by Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza, according to a <a href="https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/gaza-war-expected-socio-economic-impacts-state-palestine-0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> published Wednesday by the U.N. Development Program and the U.N. Economic Commission for Western Asia. That's more than 120,000 people, the vast majority of whom are innocent civilians, according to Palestinian officials and international human rights groups. <br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 20:35:09 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-ethnic-cleansing</guid><category>Biden administration</category><category>Israel</category><category>Israel defense forces</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Rafah</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/hungry-palestinian-children-clamor-for-food-aid-in-gaza.jpg?id=52170648&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>US Rep. Henry Cuellar and Wife Indicted on Bribery Charges</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/henry-cuellar</link><description><![CDATA[
  539. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/u-s-rep-henry-cuellar.jpg?id=52170413&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C158%2C0%2C185"/><br/><br/><p>
  540. The U.S. Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-congressman-henry-cuellar-and-his-wife-charged-bribery-unlawful-foreign-influence-and" target="_blank">confirmed</a> Friday that Democratic Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were indicted last week for allegedly "participating in two schemes involving bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering."
  541. </p><p> According to the indictment, between at least December 2014 and November 2021, the Cuellars allegedly took approximately $600,000 in bribes from a fossil fuel company owned by the Azerbaijani government and an unnamed bank headquartered in Mexico City. The congressman, who has served on Capitol Hill for nearly two decades and is seeking reelection, previously co-chaired the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.</p><p> "The bribe payments were laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar," the document states. "In exchange for the bribe payments to Imelda Cuellar, Henry Cuellar agreed to perform official acts in his capacity as a member of Congress, to commit acts in violation of his official duties, and to act as an agent of the government of Azerbaijan and [the foreign bank]." </p><p><em>NBC News</em> first <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/doj-expected-announce-indictment-texas-democratic-rep-henry-cuellar-so-rcna150567" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> early Friday that the Justice Department was expected to release the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24633472-cuellar-indictment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">indictment</a>, which came more than two years after a Federal Bureau of Investigation <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/01/21/henry-cuellar-azerbaijan-fbi-texas/" target="_blank">raid</a> of the couple's Laredo home. Before the document was unsealed, the congressman <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/03/henry-cuellar-texas-indicted-doj/" target="_blank">claimed</a> in a statement that his actions were "consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people."
  542. </p><p>
  543. "I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations," Cuellar said Friday. "Before I took any action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm."</p><p>
  544. The Cuellars "made their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo in Houston," the Justice Departmnet said Friday. If convicted of all the charges, the 68-year-old congressman and his 67-year-old wife <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-congressman-henry-cuellar-and-his-wife-charged-bribery-unlawful-foreign-influence-and" target="_blank">could</a> face decades in prison.
  545. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786468571717009670">
  546. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  547.        <a href="https://twitter.com/ezralevin/status/1786468571717009670"></a>
  548. </blockquote>
  549. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  550. Congressional Democratic leadership last year <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/democratic-leaders-back-cuellar" target="_blank">endorsed</a> Cuellar for reelection in November, despite his opposition to abortion rights—a key issue for this cycle at all levels of politics. During the 2022 cycle, after nearly <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/25/fight-isnt-over-says-cisneros-cuellar-declares-victory-razor-close-primary" target="_blank">losing</a> to progressive primary challenger Jessica Cisneros, he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-house.html" target="_blank">beat</a> the Republican nominee, Cassy Garcia, 57% to 43%.
  551. </p><p>
  552. A spokesperson for U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Christie Stephenson, <a href="https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-henry-cuellar" target="_blank">said</a> <em></em>in a Friday statement that "Henry Cuellar has admirably devoted his career to public service and is a valued member of the House Democratic Caucus. Like any American, Congressman Cuellar is entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process."
  553. </p><p>
  554. "Pursuant to House Democratic Caucus Rule 24, Congressman Cuellar will take leave as ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee while this matter is ongoing," Stephenson added.
  555. </p><p>
  556. Cuellar isn't the only Democrat in Congress battling allegations of corruption and bribery charges. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/bob-menendez-indicted" target="_blank">indicted</a> last September and accused of accepting bribes in the form of "cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value."
  557. </p><p>
  558. The following month, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/menendez-foreign-agent-egypt" target="_blank">accused</a> the senator of acting as an unregistered agent for the government of Egypt. Menendez has denied wrongdoing and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/bob-menendez-qatar" target="_blank">refused</a> to resign. Although he is not seeking reelection as a Democrat, he has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/indicted-sen-bob-menendez-independent-reelection-run-rcna144436" target="_blank">teased</a> a possible independent run if he is exonerated. <br/>
  559. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 19:53:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/henry-cuellar</guid><category>Azerbaijan</category><category>Bob menendez</category><category>Corruption</category><category>Democratic party</category><category>Imelda cuellar</category><category>Texas</category><category>Us department of justice</category><category>Henry cuellar</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/u-s-rep-henry-cuellar.jpg?id=52170413&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Absurd!': US Billionaires Pay Lower Tax Rate Than Working Class for First Time</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/tax-the-billionaires</link><description><![CDATA[
  560. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/jeff-bezos.jpg?id=52168627&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C280%2C0%2C720"/><br/><br/><p>
  561. An <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/03/opinion/global-billionaires-tax.html" target="_blank">analysis</a> published Friday by the renowned economist Gabriel Zucman shows that in 2018, U.S. billionaires paid a lower effective tax rate than working-class Americans for the first time in the nation's history, a data point that sparked a new flurry of calls for bold levies on the ultra-rich.
  562. </p><p>
  563. Published in <em>The New York Times</em> with the headline "It's Time to Tax the Billionaires," Zucman's analysis notes that billionaires pay so little in taxes relative to their vast fortunes because they "live off their wealth"—mostly in the form of stock holdings—rather than wages and salaries. <br/>
  564. </p><p>
  565. Stock gains aren't currently taxed in the U.S. until the underlying asset is sold, leaving billionaires like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk—a pair frequently competing to be the single richest man on the planet—with very little taxable income.<br/>
  566. </p><p>
  567. "But they can still make eye-popping purchases by borrowing against their assets," Zucman noted. "Mr. Musk, for example, used his shares in Tesla as collateral to rustle up around $13 billion in tax-free loans to put toward his acquisition of Twitter."
  568. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  569. <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="31939fb795e8dc7c86db37c8a1615b63" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="539c3" loading="lazy" src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/image.png?id=52170017&width=980"/>
  570. </p><p>
  571. To begin reversing the decades-long trend of surging inequality that has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/wealthy-americans-tax-rich" target="_blank">weakened democratic institutions</a> and <a href="https://inequality.org/research/social-security-cap/" target="_blank">undermined</a> critical programs such as Social Security, Zucman made the case for a minimum tax on billionaires in the U.S. and around the world.
  572. </p><p>
  573. "The idea that billionaires should pay a minimum amount of income tax is not a radical idea," Zucman wrote Friday. "What is radical is continuing to allow the wealthiest people in the world to pay a smaller percentage in income tax than nearly everybody else. In liberal democracies, a wave of political sentiment is building, focused on rooting out the inequality that corrodes societies. A coordinated minimum tax on the super-rich will not fix capitalism. But it is a necessary first step."
  574. </p><p>
  575. Responding to those who claim a minimum tax would be impractical because "wealth is difficult to value," Zucman wrote that "this fear is overblown."
  576. </p><p>
  577. "According to my research, about 60% of U.S. billionaires' wealth is in stocks of publicly traded companies," the economist observed. "The rest is mostly ownership stakes in private businesses, which can be assigned a monetary value by looking at how the market values similar firms."
  578. </p><p>
  579. Since 2018, the final year examined in Zucman's analysis, the wealth of global billionaires has continued to explode while worker pay has been <a href="https://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/press-releases/global-dividend-payouts-to-shareholders-rise-14-times-faster-than-worker-pay-since-2020/" target="_blank">largely stagnant</a>. As of last month, there were a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/forbes-list-billionaires" target="_blank">record 2,781 billionaires worldwide</a> with combined assets of $14.2 trillion.
  580. </p><p>
  581. The U.S. has more billionaires than any other country, with 813 individuals worth a combined $5.7 trillion.
  582. </p><p>
  583. "The ultra-wealthy are paying less in taxes than the bottom half of income earners. That's absurd!" Rakeen Mabud, chief economist at the Groundwork Collaborative, <a href="https://twitter.com/rakeen_mabud/status/1786447122507719129" target="_blank">wrote</a> in response to Zucman's analysis. "We've got to raise taxes on the wealthy and large corporations. Enough with the wealth hoarding. It's past time for us to take back what's ours."
  584. </p><p>U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), chair of the Senate Budget Committee, <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1786425205755117900" target="_blank">called</a> the figures assembled by Zucman "disgraceful" and said that "not only can we fix this, we can make Social Security and Medicare safe and sound as far as the eye can see."<br/>
  585. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 19:06:33 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/tax-the-billionaires</guid><category>Billionaires</category><category>Gabriel zucman</category><category>Inequality</category><category>Rakeen mabud</category><category>Sheldon whitehouse</category><category>Social security</category><category>Wealth tax</category><category>Tax the rich</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/jeff-bezos.jpg?id=52168627&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>UN Warns Israeli Ground Invasion Rafah Will Lead to 'Slaughter of Civilians'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-civilians</link><description><![CDATA[
  586. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/wounded-palestinians-amid-the-rubble-of-destroyed-homes-in-rafah.jpg?id=52168620&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C212%2C0%2C131"/><br/><br/><p>
  587. The United Nations' humanitarian aid agency warned Friday that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah would put  hundreds of thousands of Palestinians "at imminent risk of death."
  588. </p><p>
  589. "Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death" for the approximately 1.5 million Palestinians—including around 1.2 million people forcibly displaced from other areas of the embattled enclave—sheltering in Gaza's southernmost city, U.N. <em></em>Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson<strong></strong> Jens Laerke <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149306" target="_blank">told reporters</a> in Geneva on Friday.</p><p>"The hundreds of thousands of people who are there would be at imminent risk of death if there is an assault," he added, warning of not only "a slaughter of civilians, but also at the same time an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire strip, because it is run primarily out of Rafah."</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Gaza: “This contingency plan is Band-Aids. It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity caused by a military operation.” - Dr Richard Peeperkorn of <a href="https://twitter.com/WHOoPt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHOoPt</a><br/><br/>“Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death” - <a href="https://twitter.com/UNOCHA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNOCHA</a><br/>. <a href="https://t.co/tJHt8dh3D7">pic.twitter.com/tJHt8dh3D7</a><br/>— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNGeneva/status/1786429367968526441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/03/israel-gazans-rafah-invasion-00156024" target="_blank">According to</a> <em>Politico</em>, Israel has shared with the U.S. government its plan to move the civilian population out of Rafah ahead of a looming ground assault the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-gives-hamas-a-week-to-strike-a-deal-or-rafah-offensive-will-begin-2ffe70bd" target="_blank">reported</a> earlier on Friday could begin next week.</p><p>Conditions in Rafah are already dire. The city—which was home to fewer than 300,000 people before the war—is now one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are crowded together in tents and other makeshift shelters. Water and other necessities are in desperately short supply. According to James Elder, the global spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), there is approximately one toilet for every 850 people in Rafah and one shower for every 3,500 people. </p><p>"Try to imagine, as a teenage girl, or elderly man, or pregnant woman, queueing for an entire day just to have a shower," Elder <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/may/01/rafah-graveyards-children-european-hospital-injured-dying" target="_blank">wrote</a> for <em>The Guardian</em> this week.</p><p>There are nearly 600,000 children in Rafah, nearly all of whom are "injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized, or living with disabilities," UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/unicef-gaza" target="_blank">said</a> Wednesday.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">The war in Gaza is taking an unimaginable toll on children.<br/><br/>In Rafah, a city of children, the impact of a further escalation would be devastating.<br/><br/>The lives of children must be protected.<br/><br/>All the hostages must be released.<br/><br/>The nightmare for so many families must end. <a href="https://t.co/5kOye5VySZ">pic.twitter.com/5kOye5VySZ</a><br/>— Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) <a href="https://twitter.com/unicefchief/status/1785745083578327218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, who represents the U.N. World Health Organization in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories, on Friday <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149306" target="_blank">called</a> contingency response plans for a Rafah invasion a "Band-Aid" solution. </p><p>"It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity caused by a military operation," he stressed. </p>
  590. <p>Israel's 210-day assault on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 attacks has already killed at least 34,622 Palestinians—a large majority of them civilian men, women, and children—while wounding more than 77,800 others, according to Palestinian and international officials. At least 11,000 other Gazans are missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of the more than 370,000 homes and other buildings<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/02/world/middleeast/gaza-homes-rebuild-un-report.html" target="_blank"> destroyed or damaged</a> during the war. </p><p>That means around 5% of Gazans have been killed or wounded during Israel's onslaught, the U.N. Development Program and the U.N. Economic Commission for Western Asia said in a <a href="https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/gaza-war-expected-socio-economic-impacts-state-palestine-0" target="_blank">report</a> published Wednesday. The agencies called this an "unprecedented" level of casualties  in modern warfare and said it would take until at least 2040 to restore all the homes destroyed or damaged during the war. <br/></p><p>As many as 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have also been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces, who despite a January International Court of Justice (ICJ) <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case" target="_blank">order</a> to prevent genocidal acts <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-still-blocking-aid" target="_blank">continue to block</a> adequate humanitarian aid from reaching the starving people of Gaza. <br/></p><p>Despite pleas and protestations from world leaders <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/28/biden-netanyahu-rafah-invasion-00154847" target="_blank">including</a> U.S. President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-30-2024-f5e14fd176d69f9c4e23b48f3ab5af6a" target="_blank">vowed</a> to invade Rafah to "eliminate Hamas' battalions there." </p><p>Earlier this week, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/smotrich-gaza-annihilation" target="_blank">called for</a> the "total annihilation" of Gaza, specifically mentioning Rafah. The South Africa-led case against Israel at the ICJ has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-genocidal-statements-2666930604" target="_blank">centered similar statements</a> of intent to destroy Palestinians—which are key to proving the crime of genocide—made by Israeli officials since October.<br/></p><p>Meanwhile, Israeli forces have ramped up aerial attacks on Rafah in what is likely preparation for a ground invasion. Palestinian and international media reported Friday that an overnight  Israeli airstrike on a home killed at least eight people, mostly children.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786284282807275663">
  591. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  592.        <a href="https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1786284282807275663"></a>
  593. </blockquote>
  594. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  595. <p>"After almost seven months of brutal hostilities that have killed tens of thousands of people and maimed tens of thousands more, Gaza is bracing for even more suffering and misery," U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths
  596. <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-ground-operation-rafah-will-be-nothing-short-tragedy-beyond-words" target="_blank">said</a> earlier this week.
  597. </p><p>
  598. "The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon," he continued. "For the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled to Gaza's southernmost point to escape disease, famine, mass graves, and direct fighting, a ground invasion would spell even more trauma and death."
  599. </p><p>
  600. "The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words," Griffiths added. "No humanitarian plan can counter that. The rest is detail."
  601. </p><p>
  602. U.S. officials have also privately sounded the alarm over the likely consequences of an Israeli invasion of Rafah. </p><p>In March, according to a leaked cable obtained by <em>The Intercept</em>, members of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/leaked-cable-rafah-invasion" target="_blank">warned</a> the State Department that a Rafah invasion "could result in catastrophic humanitarian consequences, including mass civilian casualties, extensive population displacement, and the collapse of the existing humanitarian response."</p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 18:27:24 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-civilians</guid><category>Children</category><category>Genocide</category><category>Israel</category><category>Ocha</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Rafah</category><category>Refugees</category><category>Unicef</category><category>United nations</category><category>World health organization</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/wounded-palestinians-amid-the-rubble-of-destroyed-homes-in-rafah.jpg?id=52168620&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Jewish Americans to Lead Shabbat Protests Against US Complicity in Gaza</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/jewish-protests-gaza</link><description><![CDATA[
  603. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/protesters-hold-a-demonstration-in-support-of-a-cease-fire-in-gaza.jpg?id=52168474&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C520%2C0%2C1445"/><br/><br/><p>Jewish organizers announced plans to hold bicoastal "solidarity Shabbat" protests Friday evening to demand a cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the violent repression of campus anti-war protests across the country.</p><p>The Jewish-led organization IfNotNow announced plans to hold the protests in Los Angeles and New York, with "hundreds of American Jews" gathering "together with a multi-faith coalition to take a moral stand against U.S. complicity in the genocide in Gaza."</p><p>The Shabbat actions come more than two weeks into a wave of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/campus-protests" target="_blank">mass protests</a> that have spread on college campuses nationwide, with students setting up encampments and occupying school buildings to demand that universities divest from companies that work with the Israeli government, such as tech firms and weapons manufacturers. </p><p>IfNotNow directed participants to wear white and not bring signs to the events, where demonstrators will "uplift the demands of the students of NYC and around the world: Divestment now. Palestinian freedom now. Power to the Students. Eyes on Gaza."<br/></p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786385200462672073">
  604. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  605.        <a href="https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg/status/1786385200462672073"></a>
  606. </blockquote>
  607. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  608. <p>More than 300 protesters were <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-protest-gaza" target="_blank">arrested </a>last week at a Passover Seder rally that had been organized by Jewish advocates near Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) home in Brooklyn. <br/></p><p>Arrests of protesters on college campuses in the last two weeks have surpassed 2,100, with more than 200 detained both at the University of California, Los Angeles and at Columbia University—both of which have<a href="https://ourstoriesourimpact.irle.ucla.edu/uclas-century-of-activism/" target="_blank"> celebrated</a> their <a href="https://library.columbia.edu/about/news/libraries/2018/2018-03-27_1968_Student_Engagement.html" target="_blank">histories</a> of student activism in the civil rights era and during the U.S. war in Vietnam.</p><p>On Thursday, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-campus-protests" target="_blank">denounced</a> the protests, saying "dissent must never lead to disorder."<br/></p><p>IfNotNow <a href="https://mailchi.mp/ifnotnowmovement/tomorrow-american-jews-to-hold-massive-solidarity-shabbat-protests-in-nyc-and-la-responding-to-police-and-mob-violence-against-anti-war-students?e=7a2a5c53a2" target="_blank">called on</a> political leaders to condemn "Israel's war crimes in Gaza, not student protesters taking action for peace." </p><p>"The media and politicians would rather scrutinize college campuses than confront the human misery and destruction happening in our name in Gaza which is, of course, the source of these protests," said the group. </p><p>"The Shabbat protests will serve to condemn state violence aimed at peaceful student protesters, as well as the hypocrisy of American politicians cracking down on 'unlawful' behavior at home while repeatedly voting to send Israel more bombs to kill Palestinians in Gaza," added IfNotNow. </p><p>On April 24, a week into the campus protests, Biden signed a foreign aid bill that included $17 billion in additional funding for the Israel Defense Forces. </p><p>At campus protests, some Jewish organizers have held other Shabbat services. </p><p>Protesters at New York University were <a href="https://twitter.com/probablyreadit/status/1786403864331030605" target="_blank">planning</a> a Shabbat dinner for Friday evening in solidarity with Gaza, and last week, students at the University of Pennsylvania took part in a Shabbat service. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1784025833998283101">
  609. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  610.        <a href="https://twitter.com/JVPPhilly/status/1784025833998283101"></a>
  611. </blockquote>
  612. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  613. <p>"We pray together, we protest together, and we will get free together," said Jewish Voice for Peace Philadelphia.  <br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 18:10:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/jewish-protests-gaza</guid><category>Ifnotnow</category><category>Israel</category><category>Jewish americans</category><category>Jewish voice for peace</category><category>Judaism</category><category>Protests</category><category>Shabbat</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/protesters-hold-a-demonstration-in-support-of-a-cease-fire-in-gaza.jpg?id=52168474&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Israel's Destruction of Gaza 'Unprecedented in Scope and Scale': UN</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-destruction-gaza-unprecedented</link><description><![CDATA[
  614. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/palestinian-children.jpg?id=52168097&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C1577%2C0%2C663"/><br/><br/><p>
  615. A <a href="https://www.undp.org/papp/press-releases/war-gaza-enters-seventh-month-174-million-more-palestinians-will-be-pushed-poverty-across-state-palestine-according-united" target="_blank">study</a> released Thursday by a pair of United Nations agencies finds Israel's monthslong U.S.-backed war on the Gaza Strip has inflicted unparalleled damage on the occupied territory's population, housing stock, and overall economy—destruction that will reverberate for generations.
  616. </p>
  617. <p>
  618. As of April 12, Israeli forces have killed or injured 5% of Gaza's population and left thousands more missing, including many who are believed to be buried under the rubble of the enclave's decimated infrastructure, according to the new study <strong></strong>by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
  619. </p>
  620. <p>
  621. The report says the level of damage Israel's military has caused to Gaza's housing infrastructure <a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-report-gaza-destruction-housing-economy-recovery-4f61dcca7db3fd5eb3da5c6a25001e12" target="_blank">has not been seen since World War II</a> and will likely take decades—and tens of billions of dollars—to recover from.
  622. </p>
  623. <p>
  624. Achim Steiner, the UNDP's administrator, said in a statement that "every additional day that this war continues is exacting huge and compounding costs to Gazans and all Palestinians, now and in the medium- and long-term."
  625. </p>
  626. <p>
  627. "These new figures warn that the suffering in Gaza will not end when the war does," said Steiner. "Unprecedented levels of human losses, capital destruction, and the steep rise in poverty in such a short period of time will precipitate a serious development crisis that jeopardizes the future of generations to come."
  628. </p>
  629. <p class="pull-quote">
  630. "Unlike previous wars, the destruction in Gaza today is unprecedented in scope and scale."
  631. </p>
  632. <p>
  633. Abdallah Al Dardari, the UNDP's regional director for Arab states, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-report-gaza-destruction-housing-economy-recovery-4f61dcca7db3fd5eb3da5c6a25001e12" target="_blank">said</a> during a press conference unveiling the report on Thursday that there were 2.4 million tons of debris in Gaza after Israel's 2014 assault on the enclave.
  634. </p>
  635. <p>
  636. Israel's current assault, which historians have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796" target="_blank">described</a> as one of the worst bombing campaigns in modern history, has left 37 million tons of debris in the occupied territory.
  637. </p>
  638. <p>
  639. The U.N. report was published as Israel's assault on Gaza nears its seventh month and as the Netanyahu government appears <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-gaza-strip" target="_blank">poised to launch a ground invasion of Rafah</a>, the southern Gaza city that's currently home to 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.
  640. </p>
  641. <p>
  642. Citing unnamed Egyptian officials, <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-gives-hamas-a-week-to-strike-a-deal-or-rafah-offensive-will-begin-2ffe70bd" target="_blank">reported</a> Friday that Israel intends to invade Rafah in a week if Hamas does not agree to a hostage-release deal.
  643. </p>
  644. <p>
  645. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Friday that an invasion of Rafah, which Israel has been <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/rafah-airstrikes-us-weapons" target="_blank">bombing for months</a>, "could lead to a bloodbath."
  646. </p>
  647. <p>
  648. The new U.N. report states that if Israel's assault on Gaza continues for another two months, it will leave 1.86 million people in poverty and set back the territory's progress in life expectancy, education, and gross national income growth by more than 20 years.
  649. </p>
  650. <p>
  651. After months of Israeli attacks on <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/ecocide-israel-gaza" target="_self">agriculture</a> and other key sectors, the "productive basis" of Gaza's economy "has been destroyed," the report notes.
  652. </p>
  653. <p>
  654. "Unlike previous wars, the destruction in Gaza today is unprecedented in scope and scale and coupled with the loss of homes, livelihoods, natural resources, infrastructure as well as institutional capacities, may have deep and systemic impacts for decades to come," said Rola Dashti, ESCWA's executive secretary.
  655. </p>
  656. <p>
  657. "This assessment projects that Gaza will be rendered fully dependent on external assistance on a scale not seen since 1948, as it will be left without a functional economy, or any means of production, self-sustainment, employment, or capacity for trade," Dashti added.
  658. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 17:23:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-destruction-gaza-unprecedented</guid><category>Housing</category><category>Israel</category><category>Poverty</category><category>United nations</category><category>War crimes</category><category>World war ii</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/palestinian-children.jpg?id=52168097&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Missouri Coalition Delivers Signatures to Get Abortion Rights on November Ballot</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/missouri-abortion-law</link><description><![CDATA[
  659. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/a-protester-holds-a-sign-reading-my-uterus-my-right.jpg?id=52168355&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C157%2C0%2C186"/><br/><br/><p>Missouri currently has one of the <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/state-policies-abortion-bans" target="_blank">strictest</a> abortion bans in the United States, but a coalition behind a potential ballot measure is hoping to change that—and on Friday, it made major progress toward expanding reproductive freedom in the state.</p><p>Ahead of a Sunday deadline, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom submitted 380,159 signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State's office, which must now certify them. The signatures were collected in just three months and are over double the number needed to get the proposed <a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">amendment</a> on the November ballot.</p><p>"Today, we turned in boxes filled with hopes and dreams of bodily autonomy," <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/missouri-abortion-rights-campaign-submits-signatures-for-constitutional-amendment/article_aa823644-0959-11ef-916f-7f0d5e923c91.html" target="_blank">declared</a> Tori Schafer, an ACLU attorney and coalition spokesperson, in a statement. "Our message is simple and clear: We want to make decisions about our bodies free from political interference."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786422509216088156">
  660. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  661.        <a href="https://twitter.com/LauraAnnSTL/status/1786422509216088156"></a>
  662. </blockquote>
  663. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  664. <p>A so-called "trigger law" that <a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=188.017" target="_blank">took effect</a> after the U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/06/24/dark-day-our-nation-right-wing-supreme-court-ends-constitutional-right-abortion" target="_blank">reversed</a> <em>Roe v. Wade</em> two years ago prohibits abortion care in Missouri unless the health or life of the pregnant person is at risk. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, and doctors who violate the ban could <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-24/missouri-abortion-laws-roe-v-wade-birth-control-iud-ectopic-pregnancy" target="_blank">face</a> up to 15 years behind bars. </p><p>The proposed amendment would broadly safeguard reproductive freedom in the state, protecting not only abortion care before fetal viability but also birth control,  respectful birthing conditions, and miscarriage, prenatal, and postpartum care.</p><p>"Hundreds of thousands of Missourians are now having conversations about abortion and reproductive freedom; some are sharing their own abortion stories for the very first time; and all are ready to do whatever it takes to win at the ballot box this year," <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/" target="_blank">said</a> Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri and another coalition spokesperson. "Together, we are going to end Missouri's abortion ban."</p><p>Dr. Iman Alsaden, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Plains and adviser to the coalition, called Friday  "a monumental day for Missouri and for my patients."<br/></p><p>"The success of this campaign sends a clear message: Missourians trust patients to make the healthcare decisions that are best for their health and well-being," Alsaden said.  "Anti-abortion politicians take note: My patients' lives are not yours to control."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786429814192120058">
  665. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  666.        <a href="https://twitter.com/crystal_quade/status/1786429814192120058"></a>
  667. </blockquote>
  668. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  669. <p>Missouri is one of several states—including <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/arizona-abortion-law" target="_blank">Arizona</a>, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/florida-6-week-abortion-ban-start" target="_blank">Florida</a>, and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/montana-abortion" target="_blank">Montana</a>—where supporters of reproductive freedom are working to pass abortion rights ballot initiatives this cycle. As the divided Congress has failed to codify <em>Roe</em> since the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization</em>, ballot measures have been an increasingly popular strategy. </p><p>Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which has backed various abortion rights ballot initiatives across the country over the past few years, welcomed the successful signature collection campaign in Missouri on Friday.</p><p>"Missourians today are living under an extremely cruel abortion ban, enacted by politicians who are profoundly out of touch with their voters," Hall said. "Missourians deserve better—they should be able to make their own healthcare decisions without government interference."</p><p>"This milestone for the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign means that voters are one step closer to being able to use the ballot measure process to secure their rights this November," she added, "and we are excited to be standing with them in that fight."<br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 17:05:19 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/missouri-abortion-law</guid><category>Aclu</category><category>Ballot initiatives</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Fairness project</category><category>Healthcare</category><category>Missouri</category><category>Missourians for constitutional freedom</category><category>Planned parenthood</category><category>Roe v wade</category><category>Abortion</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/a-protester-holds-a-sign-reading-my-uterus-my-right.jpg?id=52168355&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Gaza Journalists Killed by Israel Honored on World Press Freedom Day</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-journalists</link><description><![CDATA[
  670. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/the-bodies-of-journalist-salem-abu-tyor-and-his-son-ahmad.jpg?id=52167605&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C203%2C0%2C140"/><br/><br/><p>
  671. As the international community marked World Press Freedom Day on Friday, journalists and advocates across the globe mourned and celebrated those killed in Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.
  672. </p><p>
  673. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has publicly
  674. <a href="https://cpj.org/2024/05/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/" target="_blank">identified</a> at least 97 media workers killed since Israel launched its retaliatory war on October 7: 92 Palestinian, three Lebanese, and two Israeli reporters.
  675. </p><p>
  676. "Since the Israel-Gaza war began, journalists have been paying the highest price—their lives—to defend our right to the truth. Each time a journalist dies or is injured, we lose a fragment of that truth," said CPJ program director Carlos Martínez de la Serna in a Friday statement. "Journalists are civilians who are protected by international humanitarian law in times of conflict. Those responsible for their deaths face dual trials: one under international law and another before history's unforgiving gaze."
  677. </p><p>
  678. <strong></strong>Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF)—or Reporters Without Borders—<a href="https://rsf.org/en/more-100-journalists-killed-six-months-gaza-where-international-community" target="_blank">puts</a> the journalist death toll in Gaza above 100. <em>Middle East Monitor</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleEastMnt/status/1786381859321999554" target="_blank">reports</a> at least 144 members of the press are among the 34,622 Palestinians that Israeli forces have <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-34-622-2a20d2fc" target="_blank">killed</a> in less than seven months in what the International Court of Justice has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case" target="_blank">called</a> a plausibly genocidal campaign.
  679. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  680. <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="395f7c14f8b46817efd842ca0364e4a3" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U0pQ9lsQTJ0?rel=0&start=4" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  681. </p><p>
  682. RSF on Friday
  683. <a href="https://rsf.org/en/map-2024-world-press-freedom-index" target="_blank">released</a> its annual Press Freedom Index. In its section on the Middle East, the group <a href="https://rsf.org/en/classement/2024/middle-east-north-africa" target="_blank">states</a>:
  684. </p><blockquote>
  685. <a href="https://rsf.org/en/country/palestine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palestine</a> (157th), the most dangerous country for reporters, is paying a high price. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have so far killed more than 100 journalists in Gaza, including at least 22 in the course of their work. Since the start of the war, <a href="https://rsf.org/en/country/israel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Israel</a> (101st) has been trying to suppress the reporting coming out of the besieged enclave while disinformation infiltrates its own media ecosystem.
  686. </blockquote><p>
  687. At the war's six-month mark in April, Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF's Middle East desk,
  688. <a href="https://rsf.org/en/more-100-journalists-killed-six-months-gaza-where-international-community" target="_blank">declared</a> that "this massacre must stop. Gaza's reporters must be protected, those who wish must be evacuated, and Gaza's gates must be opened to international media."
  689. </p><p>
  690. "The few reporters who have been able to leave bear witness to the same terrifying reality of journalists being attacked, injured, and killed," he continued, ripping the IDF for "silencing those who are driven by a duty to report the facts."
  691. <br/>
  692. </p><p>
  693. "RSF calls on the international community, its leaders, and its governments, to do everything to step up pressure on the Israeli authorities to end this disaster," Dagher added. "Palestinian journalism must be protected as a matter of urgency."
  694. </p><p>
  695. The Paris-based group
  696. <a href="https://x.com/RSF_inter/status/1786142714985103702" target="_blank">nominated</a> Palestinian journalists covering Gaza for an annual award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)—an honor they received during a ceremony on Thursday.
  697. </p><p>
  698. "Each year, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Prize pays tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances,"
  699. <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/palestinian-journalists-covering-gaza-awarded-2024-unesco/guillermo-cano-world-press-freedom-prize" target="_blank">said</a> Audrey Azoulay, the U.N. organization's director-general. "Once again this year, the prize reminds us of the importance of collective action to ensure that journalists around the world can continue to carry out their essential work to inform and investigate."
  700. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
  701. Palestinian journalists covering Israel’s war on Gaza have been awarded UNESCO’s World Press Freedom prize. More than 100 journalists, mostly Palestinians, have been killed in the war.
  702. <a href="https://t.co/uSfIKsqTyQ">pic.twitter.com/uSfIKsqTyQ</a><br/>
  703. — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)
  704. <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1786346238855794836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a>
  705. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  706. Nasser Abu Baker, president of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate and vice-president of the International Federation of Journalists, accepted the prize on behalf of his colleagues in the besieged enclave.
  707. </p><p>
  708. "Journalists in Gaza have endured a sustained attack by the Israeli army of unprecedented ferocity—but have continued to do their jobs, as witnesses to the carnage around them," he
  709. <a href="https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/palestine-unesco-guillermo-cano-prize-2024-awarded-journalists-in-gaza" target="_blank">said</a>. "It is justified that they should be honored on World Press Freedom Day. What we have seen in Gaza is surely the most sustained and deadly attack on press freedom in history. This award shows that the world has not forgotten and salutes their sacrifice for information."
  710. </p><p>
  711. Mariam Abu Dagga, a 31-year-old photojournalist for the
  712. <em>Independent Arabic </em>displaced in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/middleeast/palestinian-journalists-gaza-world-press-freedom-day-intl-cmd/index.html" target="_blank">told</a> <em>CNN</em>: "We are covering the war on Gaza because this is our journalistic duty. It is entrusted upon us... We challenged the Israeli occupation. We challenged the difficult circumstances and the reality of this war, a genocidal war."
  713. </p><p>
  714. "Whenever a journalist is targeted, we ask ourselves who among us will get their turn of being targeted tomorrow," said Abu Dagga, who also noted the emotional toll of tasks such as photographing children beneath the rubble.
  715. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
  716. “Palestinian journalists have seen what no journalist has.”
  717. <br/>
  718. <br/>
  719. For
  720. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldPressFreedomDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldPressFreedomDay</a>, we spoke to Palestinian journalist Hani Aburezeq, who's been showing the world Israel’s war on Gaza. <a href="https://t.co/YikPzX12a7">pic.twitter.com/YikPzX12a7</a><br/>
  721. — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)
  722. <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1786300556182777917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a>
  723. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  724. While Israel has repeatedly
  725. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/02/middleeast/palestinian-journalists-gaza-world-press-freedom-day-intl-cmd/index.html" target="_blank">claimed</a>—as it did to <em>CNN</em> on Friday—that "the IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists," members of the press and others have cast doubt on such comments.
  726. </p><p>
  727. “For far too long Israel has been able to operate with impunity in the occupied Palestinian territory, and this has included occasionally killing reporters, like the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022," Simon Adams, president of the Center for Victims of Torture,
  728. <a href="https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/05/deadliest-days-journalists-war-zones/" target="_blank">told</a> the <em>Inter Press Service</em>.
  729. </p><p>
  730. Given the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October, he said, "to claim these deaths are accidental is not only incredulous, it is insulting to the memory of professionals who lived their lives in service of truth and accuracy."
  731. <br/>
  732. </p><p>
  733. Simon called for all journalist deaths in Gaza to be reported to the International Criminal Court and asserted that "World Press Freedom Day should be celebrated with a black armband this year."
  734. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 15:24:08 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-journalists</guid><category>Committee to protect journalists</category><category>Israel</category><category>Journalism</category><category>Journalist killings</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Press freedom</category><category>Reporters without borders</category><category>Unesco</category><category>Gaza</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/the-bodies-of-journalist-salem-abu-tyor-and-his-son-ahmad.jpg?id=52167605&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>After Rebuking Netanyahu on Senate Floor, Schumer to Invite Israeli PM to Address Congress</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-netanyahu</link><description><![CDATA[
  735. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/chuck-schumer.jpg?id=32374700&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C627%2C0%2C707"/><br/><br/><p>Weeks after supporters of Palestinian rights demanded that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer follow his sharp rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with "action" to change U.S. policy toward Israel, the New York Democrat's office confirmed Thursday that he is instead planning to invite the right-wing leader to speak before Congress. </p><p>"Unbelievable," <a href="https://twitter.com/tparsi/status/1786180237975241105" target="_blank">said</a> Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft executive vice president Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's support for Israel's mass killing of civilians in Gaza since October, in response to the news. <br/></p><p>House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4640068-schumer-johnson-netanyahu-invite/" target="_blank">first proposed</a> inviting Netanyahu to give a congressional address in March, and told <em>The Hill </em>that he had sent a draft of the letter inviting the prime minister to Schumer to cosign. At the time, Schumer said he would "always welcome the opportunity for the prime minister of Israel to speak to Congress in a bipartisan way," but he has not signed on to the invitation yet. </p><p>"He intends to join the invitation, the timing is being worked out," a spokesperson for Schumer <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4640068-schumer-johnson-netanyahu-invite/" target="_blank">told </a><em><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4640068-schumer-johnson-netanyahu-invite/" target="_blank"> </a>The Hill </em>on Thursday.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786220380828443083">
  736. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  737.        <a href="https://twitter.com/YousefMunayyer/status/1786220380828443083"></a>
  738. </blockquote>
  739. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  740. <p>Schumer <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/chuck-schumer-israel" target="_blank">angered Netanyahu</a> in March by saying on the Senate floor that he has "has lost his way" and is being pushed to "tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza" by far-right extremists in his Cabinet, putting Israel at risk of becoming a "pariah" state. </p><p>He <a href="https://www.brooklynpaper.com/schumer-says-israeli-and-palestinian-leaders-are-major-obstacles-to-peace-in-middle-east/" target="_blank">said</a> that along with Hamas, Netanyahu and his Cabinet are "major obstacles" to peace in the Middle East and called for new elections in Israel. <br/></p><p>Palestinian rights supporters welcomed Schumer's rebuke but called on him to push President Joe Biden to cut off military funding for Israel, which has killed at least 34,622 Palestinians since October and has caused <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-children-starvation" target="_blank">dozens of people</a> to starve to death by blocking humanitarian aid.</p><p>Progressive advocate and former congressional candidate Lindsey Boylan said she was "deeply, irretrievably disappointed" in Schumer for planning to invite Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786386852879942077">
  741. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  742.        <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyBoylan/status/1786386852879942077"></a>
  743. </blockquote>
  744. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
  745. <p>"Netanyahu has stolen more from his own people than can ever be verbalized," said Boylan. "He is a criminal."<br/></p><p>The news of the imminent bipartisan invitation comes as Israel is reportedly preparing to begin a full-scale ground assault on <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/rafah" target="_blank">Rafah</a>, where 1.2 million Palestinians have been displaced following the Israel Defense Forces' decimation of cities across Gaza, and as thousands of Americans have been arrested on college campuses in recent weeks for protesting U.S. support for the war. </p><p>Hundreds of people were arrested outside Schumer's home in Brooklyn last week for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-protest-gaza" target="_blank">holding </a>a Jewish-led Passover Seder protest in solidarity with Gaza.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 15:20:26 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-netanyahu</guid><category>Benjamin netanyahu</category><category>Democratic party</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Israel</category><category>Mike johnson</category><category>U.s. congress</category><category>Chuck schumer</category><dc:creator>Julia Conley</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/chuck-schumer.jpg?id=32374700&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Betrayal of Labor': Biden Nominates Ex-Trump Official to Amtrak Board</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-amtrak-board</link><description><![CDATA[
  746. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/workers-walk-on-a-platform-at-union-station.jpg?id=52167165&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C782%2C0%2C637"/><br/><br/><p>
  747. Rail workers voiced outrage Thursday after U.S. President Joe Biden
  748. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/02/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-144/" target="_blank">quietly nominated</a> a former Trump administration official with a history of supporting deregulation to Amtrak's board of directors, a move that one alliance of unions called a "slap in the face."
  749. </p><p>
  750. Ronald Batory, who has ties to the rail industry, served as head of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under former President Donald Trump, who
  751. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/1936e77a11924c909880f1ef014c7ca7" target="_blank">aggressively slashed</a> transport and rail safety regulations during his four years in office—<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/donald-trump-east-palestine" target="_blank">laying the groundwork</a> for disasters such as the East Palestine, Ohio crash.
  752. </p><p>
  753. <em>The Associated Press</em> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/1936e77a11924c909880f1ef014c7ca7" target="_blank">notes</a> that before serving at the FRA, Batory was president and chief operating officer of Conrail, "a service provider for the CSX and Norfolk Southern freight railroads." Norfolk Southern operated the train that derailed in East Palestine last year, spilling toxic chemicals and sparking a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-residents-health-issues-norfolk-southern/" target="_blank">public health crisis</a>.</p><p>
  754. In 2019, Batory faced
  755. <a href="https://www.smart-union.org/john-risch-fra-trump-administration-halt-all-crew-safety-efforts/" target="_blank">backlash</a> from rail unions for withdrawing a proposed rule aimed at establishing mandatory crew sizes on freight and passenger trains.
  756. </p><p>
  757. "President Donald Trump, [Department of Transportation] Secretary Elaine Chao, and FRA Administrator Ron Batory have taken sides, and it's with the railroads that want to eliminate operating crew members to the detriment of rail safety and to the detriment of the communities through which our members operate trains," SMART Transportation Division said at the time.
  758. </p><p>
  759. "Clearly, the railroad CEOs have their folks in power with President Trump and his administration," the union added. "This action should put an end to any thoughts that this president and this administration is supportive of railroad workers."
  760. </p><p>
  761. Earlier this month, Biden's FRA
  762. <a href="https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fra-issues-rule-requiring-two-person-train-crews/" target="_blank">finalized a rule</a> requiring two-person crews on trains with limited exceptions. The reform received praise from railway workers and their allies.</p><p>
  763. But an organization representing rail workers across the U.S. said Biden's decision to nominate Batory to the board of Amtrak—the nation's passenger railroad company—calls into question the president's commitment to worker and rail safety.
  764. </p><p>
  765. "Batory, renowned for his role in loosening rail safety regulations during a tenure that critics link to subsequent rail disasters like East Palestine, is now poised to shape Amtrak's future," Railroad Workers United (RWU)
  766. <a href="https://twitter.com/railroadworkers/status/1786199204144226763" target="_blank">wrote</a> on social media late Thursday. "Remember the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/02/betrayal-railway-workers-ignites-working-class-fury-toward-biden-and-democrats" target="_blank">2022 rail workers' debacle</a>? When labor unions hoped for Biden's support, and instead got a presidential shove to accept a contract that many felt skirted around their key demands? It's almost poetic then, how Biden's nomination of Batory seems to echo that same disregard."
  767. </p><p>
  768. "The message to labor seems clear: Loyalty and votes might get you a seat at the table, but don't count on staying there if bigger political machinations are at play," RWU added. "With Batory's track record, this appointment reads less like an oversight and more like a slap in the face to those who championed worker safety and stronger regulations. It's as if the administration is keen on maintaining a tradition—disappointing the very base that arguably played a pivotal role in securing their position. Let's brace ourselves for more 'strategic' decisions that may just reroute us back to the past, disregarding those who handle the daily grind on our railroads."
  769. <br/>
  770. </p><div align="center" class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
  771. Well, it seems
  772. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> has truly outdone himself this time, nominating Ronald L. Batory—yes, the deregulation aficionado from the Trump era—to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Amtrak?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Amtrak</a> Board of Directors. <a href="https://t.co/dVMWEApL5D">https://t.co/dVMWEApL5D</a><br/>
  773. — Railroad Workers United ✊ (@railroadworkers)
  774. <a href="https://twitter.com/railroadworkers/status/1786199199178187202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2024</a>
  775. </blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
  776. Biden also nominated Elaine Marie Clegg, the CEO of Valley Regional Transit, to an Amtrak board position.
  777. </p><p>
  778. Clegg and Batory must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
  779. </p><p>
  780. <em>Railway Age</em> contributing editor Frank  Wilner <a href="https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/intercity/batory-slated-for-amtrak-board/" target="_blank">wrote</a> Thursday that Batory could face a Democratic "hold" on his nomination in the Senate "given that many in rail labor are unhappy" with his withdrawal of the train crew rule during his tenure as FRA administrator.
  781. </p><p>
  782. Ross Grooters, a Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen member and co-chair of RWU,
  783. <a href="https://twitter.com/RossGrooters/status/1786161709914231197" target="_blank">said</a> Thursday that Biden's nomination of Batory "is a betrayal of labor, arguably bigger than the 2022 contract dispute."
  784. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 14:33:52 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-amtrak-board</guid><category>Amtrak</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>Railroad safety</category><category>Railroad workers united</category><category>Ronald batory</category><category>Railroads</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/workers-walk-on-a-platform-at-union-station.jpg?id=52167165&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>ICC Condemns Efforts to 'Intimidate' the Court as Netanyahu Arrest Warrant Looms</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-netanyahu-arrest-warrant</link><description><![CDATA[
  785. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/icc-prosecutor-karim-khan.jpg?id=52166070&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C180%2C0%2C935"/><br/><br/><p>The office of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan issued a statement Friday denouncing threats of retaliation after Israel's prime minister and U.S. lawmakers attacked the intergovernmental body over reports that it is preparing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials related to the war on Gaza.<br/></p><p>The ICC <a href="https://twitter.com/IntlCrimCourt/status/1786316229688414518/photo/1" target="_blank">statement</a>, which does not mention any individual or country by name, says the court's "independence and impartiality are undermined" when "individuals threaten to retaliate against the court or against court personnel should the office, in fulfillment of its mandate, make decisions about investigations or cases falling within its jurisdiction."</p><p>"Such threats, even when not acted upon, may also constitute an offense against the administration of justice under Art. 70 of the Rome Statute," the statement continues. "The office insists that all attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence its officials cease immediately."</p><p>The statement comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1785630225197384000" target="_blank">said</a> he "expects the leaders of the free world to stand firmly against" any ICC arrest warrants for officials in Israel's government.</p><p>"We expect them to use all the means at their disposal to stop this dangerous move," said Netanyahu. </p><p><em>The New York Times</em> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/28/world/middleeast/netanyahu-icc-arrest-warrants-israel-hamas.html" target="_blank">reported</a> over the weekend that Israeli officials "increasingly believe" that the ICC, which is based in The Hague, is preparing arrest warrants for top members of the country's government, including Netanyahu. The ICC is also believed to be weighing arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.<br/></p><p>"If the court proceeds, the Israeli officials could potentially be accused of preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and pursuing an excessively harsh response to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel," the <em>Times</em> reported.</p><p>Bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress who have supported Israel's devastating assault on Gaza have <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/29/icc-congress-netanyahu-israel-gaza" target="_blank">joined Netanyahu</a> in condemning the ICC in recent days, pushing the Biden administration to fight any arrest warrants even though—like Israel—the U.S. is not a state party to the statute that created the court. Palestine <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/01/icc-palestine-newest-member" target="_blank">joined</a> the ICC in 2015.</p><p>"If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement earlier this week.</p><p>On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/02/israel-icc-warrants-us-senators-meeting" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>Axios</em>, a bipartisan group of senators held a virtual meeting with senior ICC officials to voice "their concern about possible arrest warrants being issued for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza."</p><p>"If this is true, it should never have happened," said Mark Kersten, an assistant professor focusing on human rights law, international criminal law, and Canadian law at the University of the Fraser Valley. "The U.S. is not a member-state of the ICC, and the court should not be holding meetings or accepting calls from the senators of a non-member state trying to undermine the institution's independence and interfere with its work."</p><p><em>Axios</em> noted that Republican lawmakers have "threatened to pass legislation against the ICC if it moves forward with the arrest warrants, which the Biden administration has said it opposes."</p><p>The Israeli government, for its part, has <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/01/us-israel-palestinian-authority-icc-arrest-warrant" target="_blank">reportedly</a> told the Biden administration that it would retaliate against the Palestinian Authority if the ICC issues arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. <br/></p><p>The Biden White House has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-netanyahu" target="_blank">publicly spoken out against</a> the ICC's probe of Israeli war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, an investigation that began in 2021. </p><p>The U.S. stance has been slammed as hypocritical given the Biden administration's <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/18/joe-biden-welcomes-icc-arrest-warrant-vladimir-putin" target="_blank">vocal support</a> for the ICC's decision last year to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes committed in Ukraine. Neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/29/netanyahu-icc-war-crimes" target="_blank">op-ed</a> for <em>The Guardian</em> earlier this week, former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth wrote that while "the Israeli government is not about to surrender Netanyahu or his deputies for trial," their "travel would suddenly be limited" if the ICC moves ahead with arrest warrants.</p><p>"Although the U.S. never joined the court, European governments have, meaning that suddenly Europe and much of the rest of the world would be out of bounds for those charged without risking arrest," Roth observed. "It would also make it more difficult for Washington and London to pretend that their ongoing arming of the Israeli military is not contributing to war crimes."</p><p>"In addition, an initial round of charges would be an implicit threat of more," he continued. "As Netanyahu contemplates a potential invasion of Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah despite 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there, he must worry about whether more civilian deaths would spur Khan to intensify investigation of Israel's apparently indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians. The ICC thus may live up to its potential not only to provide retrospective justice, but also to deter future war crimes."<br/> </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 11:04:09 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-netanyahu-arrest-warrant</guid><category>Benjamin netanyahu</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Hamas</category><category>Israel</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>Karim khan</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Republican party</category><category>War crimes</category><category>International criminal court</category><dc:creator>Jake Johnson</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/icc-prosecutor-karim-khan.jpg?id=52166070&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Mistrial Declared in Abu Ghraib Torture Suit Against US Contractor</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/caci-trial</link><description><![CDATA[
  786. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/spc-charles-graner-beats-abu-ghraib-detainees.jpg?id=34765386&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1036"/><br/><br/><p>
  787. The federal judge presiding over a case filed by three Iraqis who were tortured by U.S. military contractors in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
  788. </p><p>
  789. After eight days of deliberation—a longer period than the trial itself—the eight civil jurors in Alexandria deadlocked over whether employees of CACI conspired with soldiers to torture detainees. The Virginia-based professional services and information technology firm was hired in 2003 during the George W. Bush administration to provide translators and interrogators in Iraq during the U.S.-led invasion and occupation, conspired with soldiers to torture detainees.
  790. </p><p>
  791. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema—who
  792. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/02/judge-declares-mistrial-abu-ghraib-00155866" target="_blank">said</a> Wednesday that "it's a very difficult case"—declared a mistrial.
  793. </p><p>
  794. Plaintiff Salah Al-Ejaili <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/02/abu-ghraib-mistrial-verdict" target="_blank">told</a> <em>The Guardian</em> that "it is enough that we tried and didn't remain silent."
  795. </p><p>
  796. "We might not have received justice yet in our just case today, but what is more important is that we made it to trial and spoke up so the world could hear from us directly," he added. "This will not be the final word; what happened in Abu Ghraib is engraved into our memories and will never be forgotten in history."
  797. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786155567821517294">
  798. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  799.        <a href="https://twitter.com/Dr_Maha_Hilal/status/1786155567821517294"></a>
  800. </blockquote>
  801. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  802. Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights—which filed the case—said that "we are, of course, disappointed by the jury's failure to reach a unanimous verdict in favor of our plaintiffs despite the wealth of evidence."
  803. </p><p>
  804. "But we remain awed by the courage of our clients, who have fought for justice for their torment for 16 years," Azmy added. "We look forward to the opportunity to present our case again."
  805. </p><p>
  806. <em><a href="https://ccrjustice.org/AlShimari" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Al Shimari v. CACI</a></em>, which was first filed in 2008 under the Alien Tort Statute—a law allowing non-U.S. citizens to sue for human rights abuses committed abroad—plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Asa'ad Zuba'e, and Al-Ejaili accused CACI of conspiring with the U.S. military to perpetrate war crimes including torture at Abu Ghraib. The  men suffered broken bones, electric shocks, sexual abuse, extreme temperatures, and death threats at the hands of their U.S. interrogators.
  807. </p><p>
  808. The case marked the first time a U.S. jury heard a case brought by Abu Ghraib survivors. Along with the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, the prison became synonymous worldwide with U.S. torture during the War on Terror. Dozens of Abu Ghraib detainees
  809. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1868355/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">died</a> while in U.S. custody, some of them as a result of being <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/27/AR2006022701320.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tortured to death</a>. Abu Ghraib prisoners suffered torture and abuse ranging from rape and being attacked with dogs to being forced to eat pork and renounce Islam.
  810. </p><p>
  811. A 2004
  812. <a href="https://fas.org/irp/agency/dod/taguba.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">probe</a> by Maj. Gen. Anthony Taguba found that the majority of Abu Ghraib prisoners—the Red Cross <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/30/world/the-reach-of-war-abu-ghraib-scant-evidence-cited-in-long-detention-of-iraqis.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">said</a> 70-90%—were innocent. Women and girls were also <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/female-prisoners-now-bargaining-chips/" target="_blank">imprisoned</a> at Abu Ghraib as bargaining chips to lure militants wanted for resisting the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of their homeland. Some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/20/iraq.gender" target="_blank">reported</a> rape and sexual abuse by their captors, which <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/us" target="_blank">reportedly</a> led to the "honor killing" murders of multiple women.
  813. </p><p>
  814. CACI denies any wrongdoing and still <a href="https://www.caci.com/contracts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gets</a> millions of dollars worth of U.S. government contracts each year. In February, <em>Fortune</em> <a href="https://investor.caci.com/news/news-details/2024/CACI-Named-a-Fortune-Worlds-Most-Admired-Company-for-Seventh-Consecutive-Year/default.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">named</a> CACI one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for the seventh consecutive year.
  815. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 23:35:23 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/caci-trial</guid><category>Al shimari v caci</category><category>Alien tort statute</category><category>Bush administration</category><category>Caci</category><category>Center for constitutional rights</category><category>Iraq</category><category>Iraq war</category><category>Leonie brinkema</category><category>Torture</category><category>War on terror</category><category>Abu ghraib</category><dc:creator>Brett Wilkins</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/spc-charles-graner-beats-abu-ghraib-detainees.jpg?id=34765386&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>As Hobbs Signs Repeal, Arizonans Push Abortion Rights Ballot Measure</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/arizona-abortion-law</link><description><![CDATA[
  816. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-signed-legislation-repealing-an-1864-abortion-ban-on-may-2-2024.jpg?id=52164678&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C948%2C0%2C780"/><br/><br/><p>
  817. While Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday signed legislation repealing an 1864 abortion ban, reproductive rights advocates in the state reiterated that fuller freedom over family planning requires passing a November ballot measure.
  818. </p><p>
  819. In response to an
  820. <em>Arizona Republic</em> opinion piece <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2024/05/01/arizona-1864-abortion-law-not-repealed/73533621007/?cid=twitter_azcentral" target="_blank">noting</a> that there is no emergency clause in House Bill 2677, the law repealing the ban, "which means it won't go off the books until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns," Arizona for Abortion Access stressed that "Arizonans will still be living under a law that denies us the right to make decisions about our own health."<br/>
  821. </p><p>
  822. "We cannot afford to celebrate or lose momentum. The threat to our reproductive freedom is as immediate today as it ever was," the campaign behind the ballot initiative said, adding that only passing the
  823. <a href="https://arizonaforabortionaccess.org/what-is-the-aaa/" target="_blank">Arizona Abortion Access Act</a> "changes that for good."
  824. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1785749457029697695">
  825. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  826.        <a href="https://twitter.com/azforaccess/status/1785749457029697695"></a>
  827. </blockquote>
  828. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  829. The Arizona Abortion Access Act is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would prohibit many limits on abortions before fetal viability and safeguard access to care after viability to protect the life or physical or mental health of the patient. Arizonans were fighting for it even before the state Supreme Court <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/arizona-abortion-ban" target="_self">reinstated</a> the 160-year-old ban.
  830. </p><p>
  831. Even Hobbs <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/news/2024/05/governor-katie-hobbs-signs-bill-law-officially-repealing-1864" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recognized</a> that the battle for reproductive freedom is far from over, saying Thursday that "today, we should not rest, but we should recommit to protecting women's bodily autonomy, their ability to make their own healthcare decisions, and the ability to control their lives."
  832. </p><p>
  833. "Let me be clear: I will do everything in my power to protect our reproductive freedoms, because I trust women to make the decisions that are best for them, and know politicians do not belong in the doctor's office," the Democrat pledged.
  834. </p><p>
  835. Her signature came just a day after the Arizona Senate approved H.B. 2677, following its state House <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/arizona-abortion-laws" target="_self">passage</a> last month. In both cases, a couple of Republican lawmakers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/us/arizona-senate-house-abortion-ruling.html" target="_blank">voted</a> with Democrats to advance the legislation—defying not only party members in the state but a national GOP that is <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/florida-6-week-abortion-ban-start" target="_blank">hellbent</a> on ending access to abortion care.
  836. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1786141834244235541">
  837. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  838.        <a href="https://twitter.com/mintimm/status/1786141834244235541"></a>
  839. </blockquote>
  840. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  841. Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Wednesday that the Senate vote "to repeal the draconian 1864 abortion ban is a win for freedom in our state" and she was looking forward to Hobbs signing the bill.
  842. </p><p>
  843. "However, without an emergency clause that would allow the repeal to take effect immediately, the people of Arizona may still be subjected to the near-total abortion ban for a period of time this year," Mayes acknowledged. "Rest assured, my office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect."
  844. </p><p>
  845. <em>Law Dork</em>'s Chris Geidner <a href="https://www.lawdork.com/p/arizona-repeals-civil-war-era-abortion-ban" target="_blank">pointed out</a> that "on Tuesday—though technically unrelated—Mayes' office asked the Arizona Supreme Court to stay the issuance of the mandate in the case holding the near-total ban enforceable."
  846. </p><p>
  847. According to Geidner:
  848. </p><blockquote>
  849. If granted, that would push the issuance of the mandate to July 25—90 days beyond the date when the Arizona Supreme Court denied Mayes' request for reconsideration—which would then block enforcement to at least 45 days beyond that, to September 8.
  850. <br/><br/>
  851. At that point, the repeal law passed on Wednesday likely will have gone into effect—meaning that the 15-week ban would remain the applicable law throughout this entire time—and the expected vote on the proposed constitutional amendment will be less than two months away.
  852. <br/></blockquote><p>
  853. Planned Parenthood Arizona <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-arizona/news/planned-parenthood-arizona-files-motion-at-arizona-supreme-court-to-preserve-abortion-access" target="_blank">took</a> similar action after the Senate vote on Wednesday. The group's CEO, Angela Florez, explained that "we have said all along that we will use every possible avenue to safeguard essential care for our patients and all Arizonans, and that's exactly what we're doing with today's motion."</p><p>"While anti-abortion extremists in the state Legislature will continue to do everything in their power to undermine Arizonans' freedom and criminalize essential healthcare, Planned Parenthood Arizona is taking action to prevent a harmful total ban on abortion from taking effect in our state," Florez continued. "The court's April 9 ruling was both tragic and wrong, but it rested on trying to discern legislative intent. The Legislature has now spoken and clearly does not want the 1864 ban to be enforced."</p><p>"We hope the court stays true to its word and respects this long-overdue legislative action, by quickly granting our motion to end the uncertainty over the future of abortion in Arizona," added Florez, whose group supports the ballot measure. <br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 23:29:58 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/arizona-abortion-law</guid><category>Arizona</category><category>Arizona for abortion access</category><category>Arizona supreme court</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Healthcare</category><category>Katie hobbs</category><category>Kris mayes</category><category>Planned parenthood</category><category>Abortion</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/democratic-arizona-gov-katie-hobbs-signed-legislation-repealing-an-1864-abortion-ban-on-may-2-2024.jpg?id=52164678&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>DOE Investigating Columbia University for Anti-Palestinian Harassment</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/news/doe-investigating-columbia-university-for-anti-palestinian-harassment</link><description><![CDATA[
  854. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/nypd-officers-detain-dozens-of-pro-palestinian-students.jpg?id=52164576&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C124%2C0%2C308"/><br/><br/><p>Palestine Legal announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Education has launched a federal investigation into "extreme anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic harassment" at Columbia University a week after the advocacy group <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/columbia-students-civil-case" target="_blank">filed</a> a <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/548748b1e4b083fc03ebf70e/t/662ab1fbe670b111f6bb75ea/1714074108256/2024.04.25+-+Title+VI+Complaint+Against+Columbia+University.pdf" target="_blank">complaint</a> on behalf of four students and a campus organization.<br/></p><p>"While the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) looks into all complaints it receives, it only opens a formal investigation when it determines the facts warrant a deeper look," Palestine Legal <a href="https://twitter.com/pal_legal/status/1786103135821521382" target="_blank">pointed out</a> on social media. "The complaint explains how Columbia has allowed and contributed to a pervasive anti-Palestinian environment on campus—including students receiving death threats, being harassed for wearing keffiyehs or hijab, doxxed, harassed by [administration], suspended, locked out of campus, and more."<br/></p><p>"Instead of protecting Palestinian and associated students when their voices are most needed to oppose an ongoing genocide, Columbia has taken actions to reinforce this hostile climate in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," added the group.<br/></p><p class="pull-quote"> "The law is clear, if universities do not cease their racist crackdowns against Palestinians and their supporters—they will be at risk of losing federal funding."<br/></p><p>Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath stressed that "the law is clear, if universities do not cease their racist crackdowns against Palestinians and their supporters—they will be at risk of losing federal funding."<br/></p><p>"Students have the right to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians, without fear of unequal treatment, racist attacks, or being denied access to an education by their university," the lawyer added.<br/></p><p>Since the filing, which highlighted that Columbia University President Minouche Shafik invited "the New York Police Department (NYPD) onto campus for the first time in decades to arrest over 100 students who had been peacefully protesting Israel's genocide of Palestinians," the Ivy League leader has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/columbia-police-storm-campus" target="_blank">called</a> officers back to the school for more arrests.</p><p>On Tuesday night, the NYPD "violently arrested and brutalized dozens of student protestors, some with guns drawn, using sledgehammers, batons, and flash-bang explosives," noted Palestine Legal, which represents Maryam Alwan, Deen Haleem, Daria Mateescu, and Layla Saliba as well as <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/columbia-suspension" target="_blank">Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine</a> (SJP).</p><p>Columbia is one of many American campuses where administrators have called the police, who have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/ucla-police-crackdown" target="_blank">behaved</a> aggressively toward students and faculty nonviolently demonstrating to demand that their schools and the U.S. government stop supporting the Israeli assault of Gaza, which has  <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-34-596-4502ec2a" target="_blank">killed</a> at least 34,596 Palestinians in under seven months.<em></em></p><p><em>The Intercept</em> <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/" target="_blank">revealed</a> last week that OCR opened an investigation into the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2024/04/24/umass-amherst-palestine-protests-harassment/" target="_blank">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a> after Palestine Legal filed a complaint "on behalf of 18 UMass students who have been the target of extreme anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment and discrimination by fellow UMass students, including receiving racial slurs, death threats and in one instance, actually being assaulted."</p><p>Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)—who has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/omar-campus-protests" target="_blank">supported</a> peaceful student protests and whose daughter Isra Hirsi was <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/isra-hirsi-ilhan-omar-columbia-arrests-barnard-suspension-palestine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suspended</a> from Columbia's Barnard College for protesting last month—highlighted the reporting on social media and some of the verbal attacks that students have endured.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1784444070620008778">
  855. <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  856.        <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1784444070620008778"></a>
  857. </blockquote>
  858. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>OCR has opened a probe into <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/may/02/emory-university-atlanta-investigation-alleged-anti-muslim-discrimination" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emory University</a> following a complaint filed by Palestine Legal and the Council on American Islamic Relations, Georgia (CAIR-GA), <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/may/02/emory-university-atlanta-investigation-alleged-anti-muslim-discrimination" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>The Guardian</em>. The newspaper noted Thursday that complaints have also been filed about Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</p><p>Emory spokesperson Laura Diamond said in a statement that the university "does not tolerate behavior or actions that threaten, harm or target individuals because of their identities or backgrounds." </p><p>CAIR-GA executive director Azka Mahmood said that she hopes the investigation into Emory  helps "make sure that the systems put in place against bias are used for everyone across the board—so we can produce a comfortable, equitable place for Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students in the future."</p><p>The probes and complaints are notably being conducted and reviewed by an administration that has condemned campus protests while arming Israeli forces engaged in what the International Court of Justice has <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case" target="_blank">called</a> a plausibly genocidal campaign in Gaza.</p><p>After U.S. President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-campus-protests" target="_blank">delivered</a> brief remarks on the demonstrations Thursday morning, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, a civil rights attorney and national deputy director at CAIR, said his "claim that 'dissent must never lead to disorder' defies American history, from the Boston Tea Party to the tactics that civil rights activists, Vietnam War protesters, and anti-apartheid activists used to confront injustice."</p><p> "And if President Biden is truly concerned about the conflict on college campuses," Mitchell added, "he should specifically condemn law enforcement and pro-Israel mobs for attacking students, and stop enabling the genocide in Gaza that has triggered the protests."<br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 22:12:34 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/news/doe-investigating-columbia-university-for-anti-palestinian-harassment</guid><category>Civil rights</category><category>Emory university</category><category>Gaza</category><category>Israel</category><category>Palestine</category><category>Palestine legal</category><category>Students for justice in palestine</category><category>University of massachusetts</category><category>Us department of education</category><category>Columbia university</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/nypd-officers-detain-dozens-of-pro-palestinian-students.jpg?id=52164576&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Record Number of US Cities, Counties, and States to Raise Minimum Wage in 2023</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/minimum-wage</link><description><![CDATA[
  859. <img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/workers-advocate-for-20-an-hour-minimum-wage.jpg?id=32387279&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C343%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>After a decade since the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166217423/n-y-fast-food-workers-strike-for-better-wages" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>launch</u></a> of the Fight for $15 movement in New York City, a record number of U.S. states and communities are set to raise the minimum wage in the new year.</p><p>From New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, the minimum wage will increase in 23 states and 41 cities and counties, according to a report released Thursday by the National Employment Law Project (NELP). In 40 of those 64 jurisdictions, it will hit or exceed $15 an hour for at least some workers.</p><p class="pull-quote">"The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing."</p><p>By the end of 2023, additional increases are planned in five states and 22 localities—with 21 reaching or topping $15 an hour—bringing the total for next year to 86: 27 states and 59 cities and counties, says the report, <a href="https://s27147.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2023-NELP-Raises-Report.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><em>Raises From Coast to Coast in 2023</em></u></a><em></em>. The totals take into account that multiple increases are planned in Michigan and four local jurisdictions.</p><p>"The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing," <a href="https://www.nelp.org/news-releases/record-number-of-cities-states-will-increase-minimum-wages-in-2023/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>said</u></a> Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at NELP, in a statement. "These raises were achieved in a variety of ways, from ballot initiatives to statehouses to workers making their demands to employers directly."</p><p>"As these wins continue and we see the real-world impact of higher pay—from <a href="https://www.nelp.org/publication/10-year-legacy-fight-for-15-union-movement/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>growing unionization to narrowing racial wealth gaps</u></a>—we encourage lawmakers to go further and raise pay broadly across our economy," Lathrop added.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1605945501219708930">
  860. <div style="margin:1em 0">\u201cA record 86 cities, counties, & states are raising wages sometime in 2023. (5 jurisdictions are raising\nwages 2x in 2023 & are only counted once in our report.)  These raises are a necessary advancement towards a sustaining #MinimumWage \u270a\u201d</div> — NELP (@NELP)
  861.        <a href="https://twitter.com/NelpNews/status/1605945501219708930">1671722150</a>
  862. </blockquote>
  863. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>As the report details: </p><blockquote>In the 10 years since fast food workers walked out of their jobs demanding a $15 minimum wage and a union, the Fight for $15 worker movement has won minimum wage increases in 28 states and nearly five dozen cities and counties. These victories have led to an estimated $150 billion in additional annual pay for 26 million workers and to the narrowing of the racial wealth gap.<br/>The movement has also put pressure on employers to raise their pay scales, leading… hundreds of businesses, large and small, to raise wages to $15 or more. Among them are corporate giants employing hundreds of thousands of workers from coast to coast, including Amalgamated Bank, Bank of America, Barclays, Best Buy, Charter Communications, Chobani, Chipotle, CVS, Ikea, JP Morgan Chase, LabCorp, Macy's, MetLife PNC, Sam's Club, Southwest Airlines, Synchrony Financial, T- Mobile, Target, Under Armour, USAA, Verizon, Walgreen's, Walmart, and Wells Fargo. </blockquote><p>"The monumental impact of the Fight for $15 is clearly visible in this year's record wage increases as well as those in years past," said NELP executive director Rebecca Dixon. "But in those same 10 years, congressional action to expand worker rights has been limited."</p><p>"While it is encouraging to see boosts to the minimum wage in cities and states across the country, we need federal policy to address the mounting crises brought about by record increases in the cost of living and pandemic recovery," she stressed. "We must pass a higher federal minimum wage—at least $15 an hour—that accounts for rising costs of living and ensures that workers have the ability to support themselves and their families."</p><p>In March 2021, eight members of the Democratic caucus, <u>joined</u> all 50 Republicans in the U.S. Senate to kill legislation that would have established a $15 federal minimum wage, <u>lifting</u> millions of people out of poverty. Among those Democrats was Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who officially <u>declared</u> herself an Independent in recent weeks.</p><p>State-wide <u>polling</u> conducted shortly before that vote last year showed a majority of Arizonans across the political spectrum in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour. In November 2021, the people of Sinema's hometown of Tucson <u>approved</u> a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Arizona's second-largest city.</p><p>NELP's new report notes that Tucson residents are on track to see a $15 hourly wage by 2025. The city's current rate is $13, but it is set to increase to $13.85 on January 1, with a $10.85 tipped wage—both in line with the state's floor.</p><p>Worker wins from 2022 highlighted in the report include campaigns in Foster City and San Mateo County, California; Hawaii; Nebraska; Tukwila, Washington; and Washington, D.C. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1605946400839061504">
  864. <div style="margin:1em 0">\u201cPlus, in the South, underpaid workers are demanding higher wages & stronger labor standards. @RaiseUptheSouth is organizing workers in the service sector throughout the region #OrganizeTheSouth #UnionsForAll\u201d</div> — NELP (@NELP)
  865.        <a href="https://twitter.com/NelpNews/status/1605946400839061504">1671722150</a>
  866. </blockquote>
  867. <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>"In 2023 and 2024, the campaigns to watch include an $18 ballot measure in California and possible ballot measures in Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan," the publication points out. </p><p>"On the legislative front, there may be one fair wage campaigns in Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland," the report adds, "as well as efforts to raise the minimum wage in Maryland (to speed up the state's implementation of a $15 minimum wage), Massachusetts (where the minimum will reach $15 in 2023 and there are no inflation adjustments planned for following years), and New York (where the demand is $21.25 by 2026-2027)."</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2022 21:43:53 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/minimum-wage</guid><category>#raisethewage</category><category>Workers</category><category>Minimum wage</category><dc:creator>Jessica Corbett</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/workers-advocate-for-20-an-hour-minimum-wage.jpg?id=32387279&amp;width=980"></media:content></item></channel></rss>

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