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☆ Opinion | The Israel-Hamas War Will Reshape Western Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

In that fairly distant past, the politics of Israel-Palestine broke down into alignments that were familiar and decades-old. On the pro-Israel side in the U.S. were three broad factions: Zionist Democrats, centrist and liberal; neoconservative hawks; and evangelical Christians. But 2023 may be remembered as the moment when Arab and Muslim discontent began to really matter inside Western countries as well. And the tacit alliance between this diaspora and a secular, feminist, gay-affirming Western progressivism — “Islamo-gauchisme” in the French phrase — raises big questions for both progressives and conservative Muslims about who is using whom, and how the Western left and Western Islam might ultimately co-evolve. This isn’t the George W. Bush-era version, with its world-bestriding confidence in American power and its hawkish grand strategy.

Persons: It’s, —, Pat Buchananite populists, Islamicization, Aris Roussinos, Emmanuel Macron’s, it’s, George W, Bush Organizations: Israel, Zionist Democrats, Democratic, Channel, Hamas, Likud Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestine, U.S, Western Islam, Europe, British, Britain, progressivism

☆ Mike Johnson symbolizes a new turn for the religious right
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —The arc of Rep. Mike Johnson’s career encapsulates the shifting priorities of the religious right in the era of Donald Trump. More than half of White evangelicals agreed with that statement as well – the only major religious denomination in which it found majority support. Yet both groups are much more influential inside the GOP coalition, with evangelicals representing nearly one-third of Republican voters and all White Christians about two-thirds. But in Congress, Johnson has also identified more with some of the party’s Trump-era priorities that revolve around demographic change. But each man appears equally committed to a vision of America that elevates the moral and political preferences of conservative White Christians over any other group.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Donald Trump, Barack Obama’s, Johnson, MAGA, Long, Trump’s, Trump, Robert P, Jones, Johnson “, ”, Mike Podhorzer, ” Podhorzer, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, ” Jones, Dobson, CNN’s KFile, KFile, he’s, Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor, it’s, ” Johnson, He’s, “, Biden, who’s, PRRI, there’s, Tresa Undem, Undem, White, George W, Bush, Obama, Pete Wehner, Wehner, David Barton, Barton, that’s, ” Wehner, ‘, ” Barton Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republican, GOP, Yorker, Trump, Survey, Religion Research Institute, White, AFL, CIO, Republicans, Representatives, Alliance Defense Fund, Defending, Gov, Georgia Rep, Whites, Trinity Forum, ”, NBC News, Trump - Locations: Louisiana, America, White, “, Florida, Mexico

In remarks before a gathering of Jewish Republicans in Las Vegas, Ms. Haley highlighted remarks by Mr. Trump criticizing Israeli intelligence and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as weak just days after the attack. We have no time for personal vendettas,” she told the crowd of nearly 1,500 donors, activists and officials. The annual gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition has become perhaps the highest-profile gathering of the Republican primary season, taking on greater urgency after Hamas’s attack on Israel three weeks ago. Support for Israel unifies a broad coalition of Republican voters and officials, including foreign policy hawks, business leaders and evangelical Christians. Over a Shabbat dinner on Friday night, several Republican officials pledged their support for Israel and the Jewish people before an audience of 1,500 donors, activists and officials.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, ”, Biden, Mike Pence —, “ It’s, Abraham, Mike Johnson, Israel unifies, Joe Lombardo, America’s, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, David Kustoff, Israel, Rick Scott of Florida Organizations: United Nations, Jewish Republicans, “, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Israel, Republican Jewish Coalition, Republican, ”, Saturday, Democratic, Mr Locations: Las Vegas, America, Israel, Jerusalem, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Nevada, Tennessee

In Iowa, where evangelical Christians dominate the first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucuses, Rowland and other pastors are delivering a message meant to resonate both biblically and politically. While curbing abortion has for decades energized Christian conservatives like no other issue, the attack by Hamas and Israel's response have put new pressure on Republican candidates to hew not just to traditional Republican support for Israel but to beliefs rooted in the Bible. Some Christians support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Some evangelicals believe Israel is key to an end-times prophecy that will bring about the return of the Christian messiah. Daniel Hummel, author of “Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations," said that Republican support for Israel has become a proxy for other conservative priorities, particularly on immigration.

Persons: Steve Rowland peered, Rowland, “ Israel, Israel, Joe Biden, “ We’ve, ”, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump, Roe, Wade, Daniel Hummel, Haley, Ron DeSantis —, “, ” Hummel, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, ” Scott, Scott, DeSantis, Joseph Brown, Netanyahu “, Brown, Marion, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Brad Cranston, ” Ann Trimble Ray, ” Rowland, they've, Tiffany Stanley Organizations: Sun, of Christ, Republican, Iowa, GOP, South, United Nations, The Associated Press, “, Brothers, Trump, Florida Gov, Trump Republican Party, Baptist Church, Heritage Baptist Church, CNN, Associated Press Locations: NEWTON, Iowa, Des Moines, Altoona, Israel, Iran, South Carolina, Cedar Rapids, White, U.S, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, It's, Carolina, Newton, Washington , Iowa, Burlington , Iowa, Gaza, Trump, , Iowa, Washington

☆ AOC says 'anti-Semitic' Christian fundamentalism in the US is partially to blame for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AOC is naming Christian fundamentalism as a key driver of conflict between Israel and Palestine. AdvertisementAdvertisementRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is naming Christian fundamentalism as a key driver of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, pointing to recent US actions in the region. "In the United States of America, Christian fundamentalism and nationalism — which has also been extremely anti-Semitic — has also aligned itself with some of the most right-wing and authoritarian and inflammatory powers in the region." "The country that is Israel today is not the Israel of the Bible," said Ocasio-Cortez. "The country that is Israel today was established in this century."

Persons: —, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, It's, it's, Donald Trump, Trump, Christ —, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Israel Organizations: Service, Democratic, American Jewish Committee, Republican Party, Zionist Locations: Israel, Palestine, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, New York, Cortez, United States of America, Ocasio, Vermont, Gaza

☆ John Kelly goes on the record to confirm several disturbing stories about Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jake Tapper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —John Kelly, the longest-serving White House chief of staff for Donald Trump, offered his harshest criticism yet of the former president in an exclusive statement to CNN. Kelly set the record straight with on-the-record confirmation of a number of damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors attacking US service members and veterans, listing a number of objectionable comments Kelly witnessed Trump make firsthand. “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. Then-candidate Trump of course said in front of a crowd in 2015 that former Vietnam POW Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, was “not a war hero. Milley, in a call authorized by Trump administration officials, reassured his Chinese counterparts that such a strike was not going to happen.

Persons: John Kelly, Donald Trump, Kelly, Trump, ” Kelly, “, ’, autocrats, ”, Jeffrey Goldberg, Vietnam POW Sen, John McCain, weren’t, Goldberg, McCain, George H, Bush, Mark Milley, Belleau Wood, Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, ” Trump, Luis Avila, Bob Woodward, Robert Costa, Milley, Norah O’Donnell, Cassidy Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Griffin, there’s, Mattis, Mark Esper, Bill Barr Organizations: CNN, White House, Trump, Gold Star, Arlington National Cemetery, Vietnam POW, Arizona Republican, Navy, ” CNN, Chiefs, Marines, House, Joint Chiefs, Trump White House, CBS Locations: France, Afghanistan, Iraq, Arizona, Aisne, Paris, Arlington, The, Gen

☆ Trump shares post on Jewish New Year attacking American Jews who didn’t support him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The content of the flier appears to have initially been created by a group calling itself JEXIT, which encourages American Jews to leave the Democratic Party. The American Jewish Committee posted on X: “Claiming that American Jews who did not vote for Mr. Trump voted to destroy America and Israel is deeply offensive and divisive. Your antisemitism is loud & clear.”Trump has a long history of criticizing Jewish American voters who do not support him and of playing into antisemitic tropes. More recently, ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, he criticized American Jews for what he argued was their insufficient praise of his policies toward Israel, including moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While Orthodox Jews lean heavily Republican, American Jews of other denominations, including the Reform and Conservative branches, have identified with or leaned toward the Democrats.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, ”, Trump, “ Trump, ’, Amy Spitalnick, Jonathan Greenblatt, ” Greenblatt, Jerry Nadler, ” Trump, Israel ” Organizations: CNN, Israel, Rosh Hashanah, Democratic Party, Jewish Council, Public Affairs, Defamation League, American Jewish, Mr, Democratic, Jewish, Embassy, Republican Jewish Coalition, Las Vegas ., Republicans, Pew Research Center, Conservative Locations: Rosh, Israel, Rosh Hashana, America, York, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Las Vegas

The pressure was all on DeSantis, who trails Trump in the Republican presidential primary by nearly 40 percentage points in most opinion polls, including among evangelical voters. Both candidates spoke at a pair of national summits convened by the Concerned Women of America and the Family Research Council, evangelical advocacy groups that support laws restricting abortion among other issues. At the Family Research Council event, DeSantis defended allowing churches to remain open in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing cheers from the ballroom crowd. DeSantis also talked up Florida's law that bans abortion at six weeks, one of the most restrictive in the nation. Goss said he could be persuaded to vote for Trump again, but "he's got to get past all the legal things.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Trump, Tony Perkins, Trump's, Leah Millis, Rights Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Roe, Wade, Robert Goss, Goss, he's, Hannah Brusven, Brusven, John F, Kennedy, Gram Slattery, James Oliphant, Jason Lange, Colleen Jenkins, Howard Goller, Kim Coghill, Tom Hogue Organizations: Former U.S, Florida, Trump, Republican, Family Research, Florida Governor, Women, America, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S, Supreme, JFK, Democratic, Coalition, Iowa Faith, Thomson Locations: Former, Washington, America, Florida, Washington , U.S, Locust Dale , Virginia, Idaho, Iowa, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some of Donald Trump 's top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination will address a gathering of influential Iowa evangelical Christians on Saturday night, hoping to woo them away from the former president at an event he is skipping. Former Vice President Mike Pence planned to attend the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual banquet and town hall in Des Moines along with Florida Gov. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz used strong appeals to evangelical Republicans to win the GOP's 2016 caucuses. Biden has also proposed federal rules to prohibit schools from categorically banning transgender athletes in school sports. His proposal would allow schools to institute limits designed to ensure fairness or prevent sports-related injuries.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Sen, Tim Scott of, Asa Hutchinson, Will Hurd, Kim Reynolds, Iowa's, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, Trump, Roe, Wade, “, ” Trump, ” DeSantis, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: DES, Republican, Iowa Faith, Florida Gov, United Nations, Arkansas Gov, Texas Rep, Iowa Gov, Texas, Republicans, GOP, U.S, Supreme, Coalition, Family Research, Democrat Locations: DES MOINES, Iowa, Des Moines, South Carolina, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Arkansas, Washington

☆ Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis Converge on U.S. Capital to Court Evangelical Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"They want you to believe that a man can get pregnant," DeSantis said of Democrats. DeSantis faces a challenge wooing enough religious conservatives to build a viable coalition. Trump is ahead in every major Republican demographic, with a roughly 35 percentage-point lead over DeSantis and Ramaswamy among evangelical Christians, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday. On Thursday, DeSantis unveiled a "Faith and Family Coalition" of more than 70 faith leaders backing him in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. On Saturday, DeSantis and several other Republican primary contenders are due to speak at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's fall banquet in Des Moines, another major gathering of religious conservatives.

Persons: Gram Slattery, James Oliphant WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Joe Biden, Trump, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Roe, Wade, Hannah Bruce, Bruce, John F, Kennedy, James Oliphant, Jason Lange, Colleen Jenkins, Howard Goller Organizations: Former U.S, Florida, Republicans, Trump, Christian, America, Democratic, Women, Reuters, U.S, Supreme, Coalition, Iowa Faith, JFK Locations: Former, Washington, Iowa, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Des Moines, Idaho

[1/2] Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis arrives to address the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee’s (CWALAC) 2023 Leadership Summit in Washington, U.S., September 15, 2023. "They want you to believe that a man can get pregnant," DeSantis said of Democrats. Former Vice President Mike Pence and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both Republican hopefuls, also were speaking at the latter event. Trump is ahead in every major Republican demographic, with a roughly 35 percentage-point lead over DeSantis and Ramaswamy among evangelical Christians, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday. He could have been a new JFK," Bruce said, referring to popular Democratic President John F. Kennedy during the 1960s.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Leah Millis, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Joe Biden, Trump, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Roe, Wade, Hannah Bruce, Bruce, John F, Kennedy, Gram Slattery, James Oliphant, Jason Lange, Colleen Jenkins, Howard Goller Organizations: Florida Governor, Republican, Women, America, REUTERS, Rights, Former U.S, Florida, Republicans, Trump, Christian, Democratic, Reuters, U.S, Supreme, Coalition, Iowa Faith, JFK, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Former, Washington, Iowa, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina, Des Moines, Idaho

“His response to me was, ‘I’ve given you leverage now to make a better deal,’” recalled DeMastus, who supports some form of a federal ban but isn't ruling out backing Trump even if he doesn't. 2 in part because of his credibility with social conservatives, has declared that every Republican running for president should endorse, at a minimum, a federal abortion ban 15 weeks into pregnancy. Ron DeSantis, who often answers questions about a federal ban by saying his state recently passed a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Trump maintains that even some anti-abortion activists believe the six-week ban — before many women even know they’re pregnant — is too harsh. The country’s leading anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, wants GOP presidential candidates to advocate for a 15-week federal ban.

Persons: — Donald Trump, he's, Roe, Wade, Trump, Mike Pence, He's, ”, Steve Scheffler, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, who’s, MAGA, Ammar Moussa, Tudor Dixon, Dixon, Gretchen Whitmer, Mike DeMastus, ‘, ’ ”, DeMastus, Pence, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, —, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Marjorie Dannenfelser, ” Trump, Steven Cheung, Trump's, aren't, Kim Lehman, Lehman, Timmaraju, they’ll, ” Timmaraju, Marlys, Jill Colvin, Sara Burnett Organizations: DES, Republican, White, GOP, Iowa Faith, Freedom Coalition, Republican National Committee, Family Research Council, America's Leadership, Coalition, Voters, MAGA Republicans, Michigan, Michigan Democratic Gov, Trump, Florida Gov, America, RNC, NARAL, Associated Press Locations: DES MOINES, Iowa, U.S, lockstep, Washington, Des Moines, South Dakota, Kansas, Ohio, York, Carolina, New York, Chicago

☆ Joe Biden’s ‘Iron Grip’ on His Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Barton Swaim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Wonder Land: One of the two parties has no intention of losing with these two front runners. How could those who claim to esteem traditional moral values—monogamy chief among them—support a profane libertine like Mr. Trump? The implicit charge was that socially conservative Christians cared more about political ends than about moral values. Their political ends were perfectly consistent with the values they purported to hold, even if the agent through whom they sought to promote those values (Mr. Trump) didn’t exhibit them. And anyway I’m not sure what choice socially conservative religious voters had on Election Day in 2016.

Persons: Mark Kelly, Donald Trump, Trump, Hillary Clinton Organizations: Getty

☆ Powerful right-wing radicals are testing democratic checks and balance in both Israel and the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —White House criticism of Israel after its right-wing coalition embarked on a plan to target judicial power is bringing a new kind of turbulence to one of America’s oldest friendships. It shows that Israel, like the United States, is experiencing an era of right-wing politicians seeking to aggressively flex power and test enshrined democratic constraints. The drama is likely to further worsen the long-standing but increasingly brittle relationship between President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. Yet there is deep concern in the White House about the implications of any successful attempt to subvert checks and balances in Israel. And Netanyahu appeared to align himself politically with Trump while he was in the White House.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Biden’s, ”, shockwaves, Jordan, –, Martin Indyk, “, ” Indyk, Lynda Kinkade, hasn’t, Thomas Friedman, ” Biden’s, Karine Jean, Pierre, Isaac Herzog, ” Aaron David Miller, Isa Soares, don’t, Mitch McConnell, “ Mr, Obama, Trump, Mike Pence, Hugh Hewitt, Ron DeSantis, “ Biden, Pramila Jayapal, didn’t Organizations: CNN, –, White House, Trump, Republicans, Democratic, House, West Bank, Biden, CNN International, “, New York Times, Republican, Israel, -, Republican Party, Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Florida Gov, Congressional, Democrat Locations: Iran, Israel, United States, Washington, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Florida

☆ Opinion | Evangelicals Once Backed Jimmy Carter. How Did Politics Take Over?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jane Coaston | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many white evangelical Christians love Donald Trump — a fact of American politics that has shaped the makeup and rulings of the Supreme Court, the culture and morality wars waged by the Republican Party and the political evolution and power of evangelicals themselves. At the same time, some forms of evangelical Christianity are becoming less Christian, with believers less likely to attend church and less likely to embrace some of the faith’s most bedrock beliefs. How did millions of Americans go from “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” to Mr. Trump, who appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine? It was never ordained that he would become a man compared to biblical figures. As Jon Ward sees it, truly understanding American politics right now requires us to have a much more nuanced and informed perspective on evangelical culture and history.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jon Ward, Ward, God, ” Organizations: Republican Party, Playboy

DeSantis is scheduled to visit Iowa on Friday, his third trip to the state since declaring his presidential bid. His wife, Casey DeSantis, last week traveled to Iowa to launch a national "Mamas for DeSantis" campaign focused on parental rights, hoping to win over the swing vote of suburban Republican women. DeSantis' supporters are also emphasizing what they see as the similarities between DeSantis and Kim Reynolds, Iowa's popular Republican governor, said one person close to the campaign. "The campaign has the most sophisticated and experienced team ever in Iowa, and is poised to crush DeSantis," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said. A dearth of reliable polling in Iowa makes it difficult to assess the real strength of both DeSantis and Trump in the state.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, DeSantis, Trump, Chris Stirewalt, Stirewalt, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Steve Cortes, Donald Trump, They've, Ryan Frederick, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Casey DeSantis, Kim Reynolds, Iowa's, Reynolds, Steven Cheung, Ann Selzer, Selzer, James Oliphant, Gram Slattery, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Arkansas, Fox Business, Republican Party, Iowa, Thomson Locations: Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, U.S, Trump, Adair County

☆ Iowa Republicans pass a new 6-week abortion ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Adam Edelman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Reynolds, in a statement issued moments after the bill was passed, said she would sign the bill on Friday. As it currently stands, abortion remains legal in Iowa until the 20th week of pregnancy. The bill passed by Republicans, who control the Legislature, would ban abortions at the sixth week of pregnancy — or when, in some cases, a fetal pulse can first be heard via ultrasound. Republicans have often struggled to talk to voters about abortion rights in the year since the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling overturned Roe v. Wade. The latest bill is nearly identical to a six-week ban that remains permanently blocked following an Iowa Supreme Court ruling last month.

Persons: Kim Reynolds, Reynolds, —, Holmes, Zach Boyden, Connie Ryan, Amy Bingaman, Bingaman, Iowans, Vicki Miller, Court's Dobbs, Roe, people's, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Sen, Tim Scott of, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Ruth Richardson, Dana Oxley, Oxley Organizations: Capitol, U.S . Iowa Republicans, Republican Gov, Republicans, Protesters, Iowa, Iowa Interfaith Alliance, Democratic, Republican, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, Democrats, Central, Iowa Supreme Locations: Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Des Moines, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Central States

☆ Opinion | Pro-Vaccine Views Are Winning. Don’t Fear the Skeptics.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, vaccine skepticism has been back in the headlines. (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine outweigh the risk — the same percentage that Pew found in 2016 and 2019. When you look at rates of vaccination among young children for potentially dangerous infectious diseases, the data is encouraging. According to a study published in January in the C.D.C.’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:Vaccination coverage among young children has remained high and stable for most vaccines, although disparities persist. Per the C.D.C., for children born in 2018 and 2019, coverage was over 90 percent for the polio, M.M.R., hepatitis B and varicella (chickenpox) vaccines.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, ’, Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich, Kennedy “, ” Kennedy, He’s, I’d, Pew, Per, there’s, ” Organizations: Democratic, Pew Research, Centers for Disease Control

☆ Analysis: Why Mike Pence is already struggling in the presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

This reflects history, which shows that while being vice president often correlates with success in future presidential ambitions, it is far from a guarantee. Think about recent vice presidents who have tried to upgrade their positions. That doesn’t seem like a particularly high success rate, though we should remember that many vice presidents (like Cheney) don’t run. About 55% of vice presidents who ran for their party’s nomination became the head of their party’s ticket. The last time it happened was 1940, when President Franklin Roosevelt crushed his vice president, John Nance Garner.

Persons: Joe Biden, Barack Obama’s, Mike Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Democrat Al Gore, Dan Quayle, Richard Nixon, Kamala Harris, Cheney, don’t, Pence, Donald Trump, Trump, White, Franklin Roosevelt, John Nance Garner, Quayle, George W, Bush, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Obama, Trump’s, –, Biden didn’t Organizations: CNN, Democrat, Biden, GOP, House, Republican, Quinnipiac University, Trump, Fox Locations: George H.W .

☆ Mike Pence launches his 2024 GOP presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meet and greet event hosted by the Polk County Republicans in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Photographer: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence, who certified the 2020 election results under threat from supporters of then-President Donald Trump, kicked off a bid for the Oval Office on Wednesday. Turning more squarely toward the oft-spiteful Trump, Pence adds, "Today, our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature." Some in the crowd, angry over his refusal to block the certification of the 2020 defeat of the Trump-Pence ticket, chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" "Mike Pence is a true conservative and a great public servant," said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who backs DeSantis.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Rachel Mummey, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Lincoln, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Iowa's, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, —, Dan Eberhart, George W, Bush, Pence's, Mike Pence's Organizations: US, Polk, Republicans, Federal, Bloomberg, Getty, DES, Indiana, GOP, New, New Jersey Gov, North Dakota Gov, Florida Gov, Trump, Pence, Republican, Social Security, Medicare Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, America, Des Moines, New Jersey, Indiana, Trump, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Florida

[1/2] Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign event in Rochester, New Hampshire, U.S., June 1, 2023. Trump fired back in a sudden escalation of the war of words between the two men that not only heightened tensions in the Republican race but also provided insight into DeSantis’ initial strategy. "I've witnessed Republican after Republican get elected to whatever office and then they all kind of backed down and compromised,” Lambert said. But it was a top talking point in Iowa and South Carolina, where evangelical Christians hold more sway. Bill Hixon, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives who introduced DeSantis in Gilbert, said he was ready to move on.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Brian Snyder GILBERT, Donald Trump, Trump, DeSantis, ”, Doug Kochel, “, he’s, ” DeSantis, “ There’s, ” Trump, Doug Lambert, I've, ” Lambert, Maureen Plyler, “ He’s, Casey DeSantis, Bill Hixon, Hixon, I’ve, James Oliphant, Nathan Layne, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, Florida, REUTERS, —, Touring, Reuters, New, TRUMP, Republican Party, South Carolina House, Thomson Locations: Rochester , New Hampshire, U.S, Brian Snyder GILBERT , South Carolina, Florida, Touring Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa, ”, Gilbert , South Carolina, Belknap, Gilbert

☆ A New York university fired two employees after they included their pronouns in work emails, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Houghton University has dismissed 2 employees over the usage of pronouns in emails, per The New York Times. Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot pointed to their gender-neutral names in explaining their use of pronouns. A university spokesperson told The Times said the institution has never "solely" terminated anyone over pronoun usage. Zelaya and Wilmot told The Times they had a reason for choosing to utilize pronouns in their emails, pointing to their gender-neutral names that sometimes cause people to misgender. The firings at Houghton University are the latest flashpoint amid an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation and movements across the country.

☆ The Rev. Timothy Keller, Pioneering Manhattan Evangelist, Dies at 72
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Nevertheless,” he continued, “we launched Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and by the end of 2007 it had grown to more than 5,000 attendees and had spawned more than a dozen daughter congregations in the immediate metropolitan area.”Today the church has several locations in Manhattan, though the main one is on West 83rd Street near Amsterdam Avenue; the others are on the Lower West Side, on the West Side at Lincoln Square, on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem. In addition to those who heard him preach in person at any one of those churches, thousands downloaded Mr. Keller’s weekly sermons from the Redeemer website. His dozens of books have been translated into 25 languages and sold an estimated 25 million copies. “Fifty years from now,” the journal Christianity Today wrote in 2006, “if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”

☆ Trump supporters and Christians are the most worried that AI is an existential threat to humanity, poll says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

61% of American adults say AI poses an existential threat to humanity, per a Reuters and Ipsos poll. The poll's findings come as tech leaders sound the alarm over the potential risks of AI. Americans are worried about the risks artificial intelligence could pose on society — and Trump supporters and Christians are the most concerned. 70% respondents who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election believe AI poses risks to civilization. Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" who recently quit Google to raise awareness around AI's risks, believes AI poses a "more urgent" threat to humanity than climate change.

May 17 (Reuters) - The swift growth of artificial intelligence technology could put the future of humanity at risk, according to most Americans surveyed in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday. More than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the negative effects of AI and 61% believe it could threaten civilization. ChatGPT has kicked off an AI arms race, with tech heavyweights like Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) vying to outdo each other's AI accomplishments. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the number of Americans who foresee adverse outcomes from AI is triple the number of those who don't. Those who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 expressed higher levels of concern; 70% of Trump voters compared to 60% of Joe Biden voters agreed that AI could threaten humankind.

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