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☆ Israeli forces release Hamas video of former child hostage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Lauren Izso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Israeli military has released a Hamas propaganda video it said it recovered showing a child who was held hostage by Hamas, spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Sunday. Hagari did not say when or where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the video, which shows the since-freed child, Ela Elyakim, speaking to the camera asking to be released. The IDF released an image showing sisters Ela and Dafna Elyakim, who were previously held hostage by Hamas, in front of a flag with the Hamas logo. IDFAround 250 people were taken hostage during Hamas’ surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli officials. Gantz demanded that the cabinet adopt a plan to secure the return of Israeli hostages, the demobilization of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip by June 8.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Ela Elyakim, Ela, Elyakim, Nir Oz, “, ” Hagari, Noam, ”, Dafna Elyakim, ’, Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t, Gantz Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Nova Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Columbia University president hit with no-confidence vote from faculty group over handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Alisha Ebrahimji | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Columbia cited security concerns in canceling the large event, a school official told CNN, and instead is holding smaller ones. “Canceling the traditional commencement ceremony was one of the toughest calls in a year of many tough calls,” Shafik wrote in an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Spectator, noting her top priority has been the safety of students, faculty and staff. Fifty people were arrested, and police began the booking process onsite, university spokesperson Tom Vasich said in an email. Pro-Palestinian protesters had set up a campus encampment on April 29, when the university also called in local law enforcement. “This is not protest, this is pure hate.”The building’s takeover came a day after the UCB Divest Coalition agreed to end its campus encampment following discussions with university leadership.

Persons: Minouche Shafik, “, Shafik “, Ben Chang, Shafik, ”, ” Shafik, Tom Vasich, ” Vasich, Vasich, Anna, Dan Mogulof, Nazism ”, David, Mogulof, Santiago Mejia, ” Carol Christ, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, Ana Mari Cauce, ” Cauce, David Ryder David Ryder, ’, Russell Dorn, Robert Manuel, ” Manuel, Manuel, –, ” Benjamin Meyer, Morehouse, Joe Biden’s, David A, Thomas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Amanda Musa, Matt Egan, Julia Vargas Jones, Andy Rose, Chris Boyette, Melissa Alonso Organizations: CNN — Pro, Columbia University, Ivy League school’s, New York, CNN, Barnard College, American Association of University Professors, –, Columbia Daily Spectator, UC Irvine, University of California, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Authorities, KABC, UC Berkeley, Pro, KGO, Jewish Community Relations, Nazism, UCB, UC Berkeley’s, Palestine, San Francisco, Getty, UC Regents, UC, Regents, University of Washington, Seattle, Wednesday, REUTERS, Reuters, University, ” DePaul University, Police, DePaul University in, WLS, DePaul, ” University, Coalition, ” Morehouse, Morehouse College’s, White House, White Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafik, Columbia, Irvine, Orange, Berkeley, Merced, Seattle, DePaul University in Chicago, Atlanta

☆ Harvard Reaches Agreement With Protesters to End Encampment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | More About Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Harvard University and student protesters announced early Tuesday that they had negotiated an end to a pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard, agreeing to discuss student questions about the endowment and to quickly process petitions for reinstatement of suspended students. The apparently peaceful outcome is one that has eluded many other campuses where officials have resorted to calling the police to clear demonstrators. The coalition orchestrating the three-week-old encampment, Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, known as HOOP, announced that it had “democratically voted to end its encampment after 20 days.”The end of the encampment came as the campus was emptying out for the end of the school year, buildings were closing and the protests were becoming more difficult to sustain. Some student participants had been placed on “involuntary leave,” barring them from the campus.

Organizations: Harvard University Locations: Harvard, Palestine

☆ Opinion: How an ICC arrest of Netanyahu could play out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Opinion Dan Perry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The signs are mounting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is weighing an indictment against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials over Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza. But in 2015 the ICC stepped in to decide that implicitly it is, by accepting it — without consulting the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), representing ICC member states. Could the highly respected chief prosecutor, Britain’s Karim Khan, be feeling some pressure to play his part in ramping up the pressure on Netanyahu? Netanyahu is on the ropes politically and would almost certainly be trounced in an election held today. Israel desperately needs Netanyahu to be gone, as does the region and the world.

Persons: Dan Perry, Read, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Sudan’s Omar al, Bashir, Moammar Ghadhafi’s, Saif, Netanyahu, Israel’s, Jordan, Egypt —, Dan Perry Moreover, —, Britain’s Karim Khan, Joe Biden’s, Israel Organizations: London, Associated Press, CNN, Criminal Court, Israeli, ICC, West Bank, ISIS, UN, States Parties, West, The West Bank, Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Cairo, Europe, Africa, Israel, Gaza, United States, Jerusalem, Sudan, Britain, Iraq, al, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Palestinian, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Egypt, ramping, Iran

☆ TikTok begins automatically labeling AI-generated content
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Josephine Rozzelle | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok is starting to automatically label videos and images made with artificial intelligence, the company said on Thursday. AI-generated content on the app will now be tagged with "Content Credentials," a digital watermarking technology from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, TikTok said in a press release. "Content Credentials attach metadata to content, which we can use to instantly recognize and label [AI-generated content]," TikTok said. TikTok already labels content made with its in-app AI effects and requires creators to label any content they produce containing realistic AI. This latest move will expand automatic labeling to AI-generated content uploaded from other platforms.

Persons: TikTok, OpenAI, Joe Biden Organizations: Coalition, Adobe, Microsoft, Meta, Google, U.S . Locations: U.S, Culver City , California

☆ A US Navy aircraft carrier is rearmed and back in the Red Sea amid a Houthi missile crisis with no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two US Navy warships on the front lines of the Houthi battle are back in the Red Sea. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Gravely made a recent port visit in Greece. AdvertisementThe US Navy aircraft carrier that spent months battling the Houthis in the Red Sea is rearmed and back in the waterway after a short break. AdvertisementThe Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower prepares to port in Souda Bay, Greece on April 28. While there may be no immediate end in sight to the Red Sea conflict, US officials have routinely stressed that American forces will continue to engage the Houthis.

Persons: Dwight D, Eisenhower, —, Arleigh Burke, Mercy Crowe, Ike, Marc Miguez, Miguez, Souda, Navy Carlos Del Toro, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Nicholas Rodriguez, Haines, Pat Ryder Organizations: US Navy, Navy, Service, Business, NATO, Nimitz, Mass Communication, Eisenhower Carrier Strike, Fighter Squadron, Eisenhower, US, National Intelligence, Armed Services, Department of Defense, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Red, Greece, Souda Bay, Crete, Gulf, Aden, Yemen, Iran, Gaza, Israel

☆ Houthi rebels are going to keep lobbing missiles at ships in the Red Sea 'for some time,' US intel chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewFor months, the Houthis have relentlessly fired missiles and drones at merchant and Western naval vessels in key Middle Eastern waterways. The US and UK militaries have carried out several rounds of joint strikes targeting Houthi facilities across Yemen. On a far more frequent basis, however, American forces have carried out unilateral, preemptive strikes targeting drones or missiles before the rebels can fire them at nearby ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. A commercial ship in the Red Sea in March. Beyond going after ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis, as part of Iran's broader proxy network that spans the region, have also launched missiles at Israel.

Persons: —, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Haines, Abdul Malik al, Houthi, it's, Virginia Sen, Tim Kaine Organizations: Service, Business, National Intelligence, Armed Services, AP, Department of Defense, US, Command Locations: Iran, Yemen, Israel, Gaza, Sanaa, Tehran, Gulf of Aden, Red

☆ Blinken Presses Hamas to Accept Israel’s Latest Cease-Fire Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

One of the Israeli officials said those returning to the north would be subject to no inspections or limitations, while the second said there would be nearly no restrictions, without elaborating. It was not clear whether Hamas would accept the most recent Israeli proposal, which is part of negotiations that the two sides are conducting indirectly through mediators from Egypt and Qatar. The cease-fire talks were a focus of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken as he visited Israel on Wednesday. The Israeli offer, according to one of the Israeli officials, doesn’t include language that refers explicitly to an end to the fighting. On Monday, The New York Times reported that, as part of its proposal, Israel had reduced the number of hostages Hamas would need to release in the initial phase of a deal.

Persons: hadn’t, Antony J, Blinken, we’ve, ” Mr, Isaac Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Mr, doesn’t, ”, “, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Hamas, The New York Times, Mr, Finance Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah

☆ Democrats: College campus protests highlight tensions in Biden’s coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images Pro-Palestinian protesters confront a Texas state trooper at the University of Texas in Austin on Monday, April 29. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Protesters link arms at Emerson College in Boston on April 24. Brian Snyder/Reuters House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media on the campus of Columbia University after meeting with Jewish students on April 24. Alex Kent/AFP/Getty Images People watch from a window as New York University students set up a tent encampment on April 22. Stefan Jeremiah/AP Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Alex Kent, Biden, Andrew Bates, “, Chuck Schumer, –, Hind Rajab, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Mike Lawler, Israel –, Jared Moskowitz, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, ” Moskowitz, Sanders, “ Bernie, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, “ Sen, Sanders ’, ” Ocasio, tikkun, ”, Ocasio, Joseph Prezioso, Suzanne Cordeiro, Cliff Owen, Qian Weizhong, David Dee Delgado, Mike Stewart, Sarah Reingewirtz, Jay Janner, Brandon Bell, Brian Snyder, Timothy A, Clary, Matthew Hatcher, Nuri Vallbona, Jordan Vonderhaar, Zaydee Sanchez, Caitlin Ochs, Cameron Jones, Stephanie Keith, Andres Kudacki, Tayfun, Joe Buglewicz, Fatih Aktas, Michael M, Mary Altaffer, Scott Eisen, Columbia's, Stefan Jeremiah, Selcuk, Kena Betancur, Josh Gottheimer, Dan Goldman, Richard Nixon, Netanyahu’s, Elizabeth Warren of, Bernie, ’, Warren, ‘, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Sanders –, Sanders –, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy of, who’s, ” Murphy, Elise Stefanik, ” Stefanik, CNN’s Donald Judd, Kevin Liptak, Annie Grayer Organizations: CNN, Israel Democrats, Capitol, Columbia University, Hamilton Hall, Getty, New York Democrat, College Democrats, America, Columbia, Republicans, Democrats, GOP, Jewish Democrats, Israeli, GOP Rep, Democratic, Florida, New York Rep, Hamilton, Columbia Students, Justice, Brown University, University of Texas, George Washington University, AP, University of California, UCLA, Getty Images, New York University, Rueters Georgia State Patrol, Emory University, MediaNews, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Statesman, USA, Network, Reuters, Austin, University, Emerson College, Swarthmore College, Bloomberg, Getty Images Police, University of Southern, Reuters New York, Reuters Columbia, New York Times, Sproul Hall, Yale University, University police, York University, The New School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Library, New York Police Department, Occupy, Hamas, Democratic Party, Biden, White, International Court of Justice, Sunday, Fox News, New York, Republican Locations: Gaza, New York City, Columbia, Palestinian, ”, Gaza City, Palestine, New York, Vermont, Alexandria, Israel, Cortez, Providence , Rhode Island, AFP, Texas, Austin, Washington ,, Los Angeles, New, Rueters Georgia, Atlanta, Getty Images Texas, Boston, Swarthmore , Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Berkeley, Sproul, Anadolu, New Haven , Connecticut, Cambridge, New Jersey, Washington, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, “ State, Chris Murphy of Connecticut

☆ Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewThe unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down. In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid. Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa. A more fraught situationOn its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago.

Persons: —, It's, Lockheed Martin, Alex Kent, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, she's, Barbara Alper, didn't, Ronald Reagan, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Nemat, Shafik, Nicholas Dirks, Divesting, Christopher Marsicano, Al, Marsicano Organizations: Service, Columbia University, Columbia, Ivy League, Business, Lockheed, Boeing, NPR, Hamilton Hall, Getty, Columbia University Apartheid, White, Student, New York Times, Times, Coalition, Columbia Spectator, Spectator, The New York Times, Hamas, University, Socially, University of California, CNN, North Carolina's Davidson College Locations: Israel, Gaza, Columbia, divesting, Hamilton, South Africa, Vietnam, Rafah, Berkeley, Al Jazeera

☆ Columbia student protestors are demanding ‘divestment.’ Here’s what the university has divested from in the past
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Clare Duffy | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Columbia University Apartheid Divest submitted a formal proposal to the committee for withdrawing investments related to Israel in December, which has yet to yield success. Students at Columbia College, the university’s undergraduate school, voted to support the divestment proposal last week. Heading a nationwide South Africa divestment movementCurrently, Columbia lists five areas where it refrains from investing: tobacco, private prison operations, thermal coal, Sudan and fossil fuels — all decisions that were made in the past decade. In April 1985, students led a three-week student demonstration against Columbia’s investments in South Africa, the New York Times reported at the time. Pete Seeger, right, speaks to the crowd at Columbia University as hundreds of students continued to protest the school's ties to South Africa, April 8, 1985.

Persons: ” Israel, Catherine Elias, Daniel Armstrong, “, ” Armstrong, Pete Seeger, Frankie Ziths, G4S, Karla Ann Cote, divests, ”, Savannah Pearson, Michael Cusack Organizations: New, New York CNN, Columbia University, Columbia University Apartheid, —, Columbia, Columbia College, CNN, Coalition, New York Times, American Express, Ford, Ivy League, University of California, Johns Hopkins University, University of North, Corrections Corporation of America, Library, “, Columbia’s, Trustees, Columbia’s Teachers College Locations: New York, Gaza, Palestine, Columbia, Vietnam, Upper Manhattan, Israel, South Africa, Sudan, Los Angeles, Chevron, Berkeley, University of North Carolina, Hill, South, United States

☆ Opinion: I’m a Jewish student at Yale. Here’s what everyone is getting wrong about the protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Opinion Ian Berlin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Last week, I sat in Yale University’s Beinecke Plaza leading around 50 classmates in nigunim — wordless melodies from the Jewish Hasidic tradition — and other Jewish songs and prayers. As a fourth-year Yale student, I find this characterization to be deeply frustrating, as it could not be further from the truth. Indeed, Yale Jews for Ceasefire exists because of — not in spite of — our Jewish values. Our present moment is a precarious one for the Jewish people, fraught with disagreement about what our Jewish values mean to us. At Yale, organizers of all faiths continue to build a community that is dedicated to moving forward in collaboration with, not opposition to, Jewish students.

Persons: Ian Berlin, nigunim, Ian Berlin Ben Weiss That’s, ’, Joe Biden, —, Peter Salovey’s, Nachshon Organizations: Yale, CNN, Beinecke, Occupy Beinecke coalition, Columbia, Palestine, Jewish, Israel, Columbia University, UN, Central Locations: Beinecke, Israel, Gaza, New Haven, Beinecke Plaza, havdalah, Egypt

☆ A UK destroyer scored the Royal Navy's first missile kill since the Gulf War, when one of its warships pulled off another historic first
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA UK warship on Wednesday shot down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen, marking the Royal Navy's first such kill since the Gulf War more than 30 years ago. AdvertisementA view shows HMS Diamond in the Red Sea on Operation Prosperity Guardian, in this handout image taken on January 6, 2024. Related storiesDuring the Gulf War, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester used Sea Dart missiles to destroy an Iraqi silkworm anti-ship missile that was targeting an American warship. That engagement marked the first time anti-air missiles successfully destroyed an enemy missile threat during a battle at sea. The HMS Diamond, a UK warship, responds to a Houthi attack on Jan. 9, 2023.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Diamond, Chris Sellars, Handout, Grant Shapps Organizations: Service, Royal, Viper, Business, US Central Command, Prosperity, REUTERS, The Times, Royal Navy, UK Ministry of Defense, US Navy Locations: Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Gloucester, Iraqi, American, Gulf of Aden

☆ What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland’s Coalition Government
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, on Thursday abruptly ended a coalition agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party, creating a new set of challenges for an embattled leader whose party has been engulfed in a funding scandal since last year. But Mr. Yousaf’s decision to scrap the coalition appeared to take Lorna Slater, a co-leader of the Greens, by surprise on Thursday morning. of “an act of cowardice,” adding that Mr. Yousaf could “no longer be trusted.”Does this mean the end of the Scottish government? The Scottish Conservatives are pressing for a vote of no confidence in Mr. Yousaf, which the opposition Scottish Labour Party has signaled it would support, and that could take place next week. But that vote relates to confidence in Mr. Yousaf, not the government, so its implications are unclear even if he were to lose.

Persons: Scotland’s, Humza Yousaf, Lorna Slater, Yousaf, “ Organizations: Scottish National Party, Scottish Green Party, Scottish, Greens, Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour Party Locations: Scotland

☆ The US is under pressure to lead the way in reducing plastic pollution — but it keeps making more of it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

World leaders are gathering in Ottawa, Ontario, this week to hash out a global treaty to end plastic pollution. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementHundreds of businesses and countries support cutting plastic production. Lin represents the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which includes more than 200 companies. Cutting plastic production would also hit the bottom line of oil majors such as Exxon.

Persons: Carroll Muffett, Jose Fernandez, Biden, Allison Lin, Lin, Stewart Harris, Harris, Neil Nathan, Nathan, He's Organizations: Service, Business, Center for International Environmental Law, Organization for Economic Co, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, State Department, Mars Inc, Business Coalition, Global Plastics, Walmart, PepsiCo, International Council of Chemical Association, Oxford Economics, Exxon, The International Energy Agency, UC Santa Barbara, US Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC, Paris, Ottawa, Belgium

☆ A disabled woman planned a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip to Disney World. Then the park changed its disability policy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewSavannah spent nine weeks and thousands of dollars planning her family's trip to Walt Disney World. AdvertisementMinnie Mouse at Walt Disney World. Disney's new disability policyThe bombshell: Disney announced earlier this month that it would revise its Disability Access Service policy. The Washington Post/Getty ImagesThe Disneyland and Disney World websites include information for individuals with disabilities across different categories, including mobility. However, the policy changes — scheduled to go into effect the first day of their Disney vacation — have upended everything.

Persons: —, Minnie Mouse, Savannah —, Savannah, She's, Disney, there's, Bob Iger —, Joe Burbank, I've Organizations: Service, Savannah, Walt Disney, Disney, Business, Walt Disney World, Anadolu, Getty, Fox Business, The Washington Post, Disneyland, Washington Post, Services, Orlando Sentinel, Tribune, Getty Images Savannah, Universal Locations: Savannah, Indiana, California, Florida

☆ ‘Heart-breaking’: Refugees once detained offshore by Australia warn the UK government not to push through its Rwanda policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Antoinette Radford | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The policy enjoys bipartisan political support in Australia, with both the coalition and Labor governments backing offshore detention. And on face value, the UK’s proposed offshore detention policy follows a similar model to that of Australia. Australia’s own offshore detention policy has been heavily criticized and fraught with controversy – but still seems to exert considerable appeal for some UK politicians. Another difference between two nations stems from the fact Australia does not have a human rights charter, Tubakovic said. She notes that the UK is still bound by human rights obligations, particularly as a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Persons: CNN — “, Behrouz Boochani, “, ”, Boochani, Mostafa Azimitabar –, –, ” Azimitabar, Rwanda Bill, Dan Kitwood, Rishi Sunak, Tony Abbott, Jonas Gratzer, Alexander Downer, Downer, Tamara Tubakovic, “ It’s, Tubakovic, David Gray, ” Tubakovic Organizations: CNN, Kurd, European, of Human, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, Labor, Refugee Council of Australia, ‘, Conservative, English Channel, UK Border Force, University of Melbourne, University of Oxford, Human Rights, of Human Rights, UN, Reuters Locations: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Iran, Indonesia, Australia, Nauru, Manus, Melbourne, United Kingdom, Rwanda, England, Britain, British, France, Sydney

☆ Necessity Gives Rise to Bipartisanship — for Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Congress convened in 2023, an empowered far-right Republican faction in the House threatened to upend Washington and President Biden’s agenda. But the intransigence of that bloc instead forced Republicans and Democrats into an ad hoc coalition government that is now on the verge of delivering long-delayed foreign military aid and a victory to the Democratic president. The House approval on Saturday of money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan over angry objections from the extreme right was the latest and perhaps most striking example of a bipartisan approach forged out of necessity. The coalition first sprang up last year to spare the government a catastrophic debt default, and has reassembled at key moments since then to keep federal agencies funded. Unable to deliver legislation on their own because of a razor-thin majority and the refusal of those on the right to give ground, House Republicans had no choice but to break with their fringe members and join with Democrats if they wanted to accomplish much of anything, including bolstering Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Persons: Biden’s Organizations: Republican, Democrats, Democratic, Republicans Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Russia

How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and TaiwanVotes on the Foreign Aid Bills Source: Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of RepresentativesThe House passed a long-stalled foreign aid package on Saturday that gives funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with a majority of lawmakers backing money for American allies across the globe. A majority of Republicans voted against Ukraine aid on Saturday, in a reflection of the stiff resistance within the G.O.P. to continuing to aid Ukraine against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s invasion. While all Democrats voted in favor of aid to Ukraine and all but Ms. Tlaib supported funding to Taiwan, 37 left-leaning Democrats defected to vote against the Israel aid bill. The opposition to the Israel aid represented a minority of Democrats, but reflected the deep resistance to unconditional aid and the divisions in the party on Gaza.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy’s, Mr, McCarthy, Vladimir V, Putin, Elise Stefanik, Rashida Tlaib, Bob Good, Good, “, Tlaib, Jamie Raskin, Donald S, Beyer Jr, Earl Blumenauer of, John Garamendi of Organizations: Foreign Aid, Foreign, House, Senate, House Progressive Caucus, Fund, Caucus, Republican, Republicans, ”, Maryland, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, New York, Michigan, Virginia, Gaza, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, John Garamendi of California, United States

☆ Mike Johnson and progressives are strange bedfellows on Israel and Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

House Speaker Mike Johnson is splitting Ukraine and Israel aid into separate votes. AdvertisementHouse Speaker Mike Johnson's unconventional plan to hold separate votes on Israel and Ukraine aid is designed primarily to appease House Republicans who don't want to vote for more aid to Ukraine. But it's also garnering applause from an unusual place: progressive Democrats who don't want to vote for more Israel aid. "I think it is a great plan," said Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who supports Ukraine aid but won't vote for unconditional Israel aid. Related storiesThat's led some progressives to refuse to get on board with the Senate-passed bill, even if they support Ukraine aid.

Persons: Mike Johnson, —, Mike Johnson's, it's, Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, Omar, Biden, Israel, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Ro Khanna, Johnson, Khanna, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Abigail Spanberger Organizations: Service, Israel, GOP, Democratic Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Democratic, Senate, Republican, California, House Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Alexandria, Taiwan, Virginia

Our Electoral College maps below lay out the best scenarios for him and Mr. Trump. In a Wall Street Journal battleground poll taken in March, Mr. Biden had only 37 percent job approval in the state. … orand The second and harder path for Mr. Trump would be if he carried only one Southern swing state – most likely North Carolina. By carrying these states, Mr. Biden has several paths to 270, but the first three scenarios are his most viable. Scenario 4 They involve Mr. Biden winning Georgia and Arizona … They involve Mr. Biden winningand Scenario 5 … or Michigan and Georgia.

Persons: Biden, Akshita Chandra, Yuji Sakai, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden’s, Court’s, … orand, Hamas’s, Mr, …, —, Bill Clinton’s, Doug Sosnik, Bill Clinton Organizations: Presidency, Trump, New York Times, Electoral, Wisconsin –, Sun, Siena, Black, The Arizona, Michigan, Mr, North Carolina, Republicans, Georgia, Democrats, Congressional District, Michigan …, Wisconsin, Democratic, House Locations: Arizona, – Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Mich, Pa, Nev, N.C, Ariz . Ga, Wis, Ariz ., Michigan, Arizona , Michigan, Arizona , Nevada, Israel, Gaza, Nebraska, Minnesota, United States, Michigan , Pennsylvania

☆ Live Updates: World Leaders Urge Restraint as Israel Weighs Retaliation Against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli military analysts are divided on whether a more direct confrontation with Iran would alter the war in Gaza. But it occurred against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas, a militant group funded and armed by Iran. Some analysts argued that the implications for Gaza would depend on whether Israel responded with a major counterattack against Iran. Other military experts, however, dismissed the link between the Iranian attack and the war in Gaza. General Gilead said that Israel’s army had enough resources to fight against Iran and continue to wage war against Hamas in Gaza.

Persons: Israel, Shlomo Brom, General Brom, “ It’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ”, Amos Gilead, General Gilead, Giora Eiland, Eiland, Mr, Netanyahu, ” Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Hamas, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Khan Yunis, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Israeli, Damascus, Rafah, United States, Britain, Jordan, Lebanon, Jerusalem

☆ Germany should legalize abortion up to 12 weeks, a government commission recommends
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Berlin CNN —Germany should overturn its 150-year old ban on abortions and make terminations legal within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a government-appointed panel of experts said on Monday. The procedure is de-criminalized up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, but anyone seeking a termination must attend a compulsory counselling session followed by a mandatory three-day waiting period. After 12 weeks, abortions are only allowed in exceptional circumstances, such as if the pregnancy or birth poses a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. “(The commission’s) recommendations provide a good basis for the open and fact-based conversation that is now necessary,” German Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus said in a statement on Monday. The proposals from Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party would legalize abortion up to 12 weeks, a move more in line with some Western European countries.

Persons: Liane Woerner, “, Lisa Paus, Karl Lauterbach, ”, Donald Tusk’s, Andrzej Duda, Roe, Wade Organizations: Berlin CNN —, Reproductive, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Greens, Free Democrats, University of Constance, German Federal Statistical Office, Christian Democratic Union, Central Committee, Bishops ’ Conference, Family, German, Law, Justice Locations: Berlin CNN — Germany, Germany, France

☆ Leaders Urge Restraint as Israel Considers Retaliation Against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Netanyahu now must make a choice. Will he respond to Iran with a forceful counterattack and potentially entangle Israel and other countries in a broader war? No Israeli leader has warned about Iran so consistently as Mr. Netanyahu or, for that matter, has spent so long in office. Since his first year in office in 1996, Mr. Netanyahu warned that a nuclear Iran would be catastrophic and that time was running out. It was never clear if Mr. Netanyahu was bluffing, and the prospect of an imminent strike receded.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, Mazal Mualem, “, ” Ms, Mualem, Efraim Halevy, Netanyahu’s, Jeremy Issacharoff, Obama, Barack Obama, bluffing, Donald J, Trump, Mr, Issacharoff, Israel, “ Bibi Organizations: Al, Mr, United Nations General Assembly, Munich Security Conference, of Foreign Affairs, United Locations: Israel, Iran, East, Iranian Embassy, Damascus, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, United States, Iranian, Israeli, Germany, U.S, States, Washington, United Arab Emirates

☆ Poland is debating an end to its near-total abortion ban, setting up a heated political fight
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Though fraught with obstacles, the decision to bring abortion back to the fore was one Tusk had to make. Donald Tusk leads a broad coalition which is divided on how to tackle the issue of abortion. Third Way lawmakers have also supported a referendum on changes to the abortion law, a potentially long-running saga that Tusk is eager to avoid. Poland’s near-total abortion banThe move by PiS to dramatically toughen already restrictive abortion laws in 2020 set off a heated fight in Polish politics whose ruptures are still closely felt. That effort was blocked by opposition lawmakers, many of whom now find themselves in Tusk’s coalition.

Persons: Donald Tusk’s, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Lewica, Donald Tusk, Omar Marques, ” Izabela, PiS, liberalize, Szymon Holownia, Wojtek Radwanski, President Duda, Leszczyna, TVP, Duda, Tusk’s Organizations: CNN, European Union, Getty, Justice, Poland’s, Health, TVP, Ministry, Third, stoke Locations: Poland, Europe, Polish, Poland’s, Warsaw, AFP

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