The Israeli government has given half the population of Gaza twenty-four hours to move. They’ve told the U.N. They dropped flyers in northern Gaza. There is speculation in the western press that the Israeli army is going to mount a ground invasion. It’s an impossible ask.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has dismissed pleas for sparing the Palestinian population, by denying the concept of innocent people in Gaza, saying that they are all responsible because they did not "rise up" against the Hamas government.
The Financial Times reported on a meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas where the Arab leader said a “forced displacement” would amount to a “second Nakba,” the term used to describe the exodus associated with Israel’s founding in 1948.
Cities in the Middle East and Europe (where the French are trying to ban demonstrations) are seeing massive rallies in support of the Palestinian cause.
The Emir of Qatar has announced that if the bombing of Gaza does not stop, he will stop the supply of gas to the world. Egypt, on the other hand, is refusing to let would-be refugees from Gaza through its border.
Security agencies world wide have gone to high alert status, responding to reports of a Hamas call for a worldwide day of rage. The only specific threat I’ve seen reported involves Capital police warning progressive members of congress known as ‘the squad,’ who are perceived (often incorrectly) as being pro-Hamas.
Social media ( and mainstream media) has been overwhelmed with doctored images from one side or the other aimed at triggering violent responses. CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon told an Axios-sponsored event in New York that her network has sifted through more than 1,000 videos of the Israel-Hamas war — and only 10% are usable.
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Also in the news is the House of Representatives in DC. Actually it’s just Republicans in the lower chamber scrambling to find a speaker capable of getting the Dear Leader’s blessing and 217 votes.
It’s all in a day’s “work” for a party marching toward authoritarianism, the thinking being that a dysfunctional government will lay the groundwork for a strongman to take the reins of power.
As a result, the US is incapable of extending additional assistance to allies under (or threat of) attack. An administration proposal in this area reportedly may include packaging military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, if the lower chamber ever comes back into session.
Rep. Steve Scalise dropped out of the race on Thursday, leaving Congressman Jim Jordan as the sole candidate for the job. As of this morning he did not have the votes to win.
A morning meeting of the House GOP discussed lifting a ban on cell phones in their off the floor gatherings and agreed to an early afternoon forum between the candidate(s). Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia has entered the contest.
I personally look forward to CSPAN coverage of Jim Jordan’s right hand vs other right hand debate. Some GOP lawmakers have had enough and gone home for the weekend.
Here’s Brian Rosenwald, writing at Politico Magazine, blaming talk radio for the current chaos:
The message was clear: Demand political warfare, savage anyone who compromised with Democrats — no matter the situation or the consequences of not compromising — and reap the political benefits. It’s this culture that has shaped Gaetz and his allies.
The only surprise might be that conservative media personalities are so aghast at McCarthy’s ouster; perhaps it’s because they’ve been painfully aware of just how hard McCarthy worked during the nine months of his speakership to cater to right-wing priorities. In the end it didn’t matter.
But they only have themselves to blame. Conservative talk radio and cable hosts created the political ecosystem that precipitated McCarthy’s downfall and so long as they continue rewarding similar tactics, this incentive structure will plague whoever succeeds him.
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Battles in Ukraine have escalated this week. The Institute for the Study of War concluded that Russian forces have launched “a significant and ongoing offensive effort” in the past two days but “have not secured any major breakthroughs,” as Ukraine’s forces are “inflicting relatively heavy losses.”
The Russians are running a concerted social media propaganda campaign targeting Republican voters and politicians, promoting redirecting Ukraine aid to Israel. Putin appeared on Sputnik TV trying to link Ukraine to armaments sold to Hamas.
The government in Finland is claiming that a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting NATO members Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act. Amid speculation about who might have done such a thing, Russian president Putin dismissed the idea of Russian involvement, calling it “rubbish” suggesting such claims were made up to divert attention from what he said was a Western attack on Nord Stream.
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Words matter. And the word “terrorism” is getting a lot of play these days.
MSNBC, which doesn’t use the word to describe the Hamas attackers, has lost one third of its normal prime time viewership since the attack on Israel. They are also including commentary on differentiating between Hamas and Palestinians and have contextualized the conflict in the history of the region.
Meanwhile, rivals Fox News and CNN have seen increases in ratings. Is it because of the T-word? I doubt it. It’s more likely that news viewers have a habit of going to outlets already known for on-the-ground coverage. The old newspaper saying applies here: If it bleeds, it leads.
Writer Hamilton Nolan thinks we should just stop using the T-word. I’m not convinced, although I try to be careful not to use it in a manner aiding propaganda campaigns.
You should read his essay on the subject; in fact you should subscribe to get a point of view that’s rare in the media world of bothsidesism. Here’s a snip:
Pedantic arguments that “terrorism” is a neutral word with a plain definition fail for two reasons. First and most practically, they fail because the term has been so deeply embedded into the average American’s psyche as a synonym for “evil” by many years of Reagan and Rambo and Top Gun that there is no pulling it back into the land of normality.
Second, all definitions of the term collapse on the rocks of perspective. The FBI’s definition of “international terrorism,” for example, is “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations.” So terrorism is violence done by terrorists. And who are terrorists? “A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” In other words, a person who uses violence that the state defines as illegitimate.
And who makes the judgment that the violence that the state itself uses, against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims is legitimate? The state does.
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Friday’s Short Shorts
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Kaiser Permanente, union reach tentative deal after biggest healthcare strike Via Reuters
Kaiser is one of the largest U.S. medical employers with 24,000 doctors, 68,000 nurses, 213,000 technicians, clerical workers and administrative staff. It serves about 13 million people in eight states and the District of Columbia.
The strike also reflects growing labor unrest across the U.S. economy - driven by erosion of workers' earning power from inflation and pandemic-related disruptions in the workforce.
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Report finds San Diego saw 71% increase in biking since 2019 Via KPBS
Anar Salayev, executive director of BikeSD, said he was surprised San Diego ranked so highly in the report. While several new bike projects have opened up in the past few years, he said, those bike lanes are not always connected to each other, leaving large gaps in the network where cyclists have to brave high-speed corridors with no protection from cars.
Still, Salayev said he hoped the report will dispel the notion that no one bikes in San Diego and that bike lanes are a waste of time and money.
"There is a demand for biking in San Diego," Salayev said. "I hope that (city leaders) would be more galvanized and willing to nurture and encourage more of that ridership."
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Donald Trump’s 2024 Collusion Strategy Comes Into Focus Via Brian Buetler at Off Message
Whatever Trump imagined Netanyahu might do for him in the midst of a mass national trauma, he revealed something more general. It is not just his hope, it is his expectation, that the whole network of autocrats he placated and toadied to during his presidency and afterward will abuse their offices however they can to help him return to power in 2024.
This is perhaps his most dependable form of corruption. I wanted to say he’s colluded with foreign powers in each of his campaigns and he’s now gearing up to do it again—but the truth is, it’s evolved into a more open-ended, barely concealed set of transactions. The other difference, though, is that Democrats now have the tools and hard knocks they need to do something about it.
Why would Hamilton even insert "unlawful" in "A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” Any person who uses violence and intimidation against civilians...." to attain their goal(s) is in and of itself unlawful.
As for the substantial uptick in use of bicycles since 2019 to travel around, construction of safe bike lanes is a classic illustration of "build it and they will come". While there is more to be done to expand and connect safe bike lanes, increasing numbers of people will be using bicycles instead of (at times) cars, especially as the costs of fuel and maintenance continue also to increase. And those who cannot afford a car will benefit from having the option of a less costly means of transportation.