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☆ Opinion: Russia capitalizes on Niger coup while US stands idly by
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two weeks ago, a military junta suddenly deposed Niger’s pro-American, democratically elected president. Already at least one leader of the Niger junta has met with Wagner representatives in neighboring Mali, where Wagner has developed a firm presence. Given the stakes, the initial responses by those who support Niger’s ousted president have been ill-considered and anemic. But the Wagner-supported ruling juntas in two of Niger’s neighbors immediately pledged to join with Niger’s military in fending off any such invasion, calling it a “declaration of war” against them. All have been grounded since Niger’s junta declared the entire country a no-fly zone.

Persons: David A, Niger’s, David Andelman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, ECOWAS’s, didn’t, Bazoum, Germany —, Putin, Antony Blinken’s, Victoria Nuland Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, American, David Andelman CNN, Central African, West African States, ECOWAS, Wall Street, US, African Union, NATO, Russian, Wagner Group, Faustin, Twitter, Niger’s Locations: United States, Africa, Russia, Niger, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso, African, Niamey, Sahel, South Asia, Afghanistan, East, North Africa, France, Italy, Germany

“There are many checks on the legislative and executive branches, but there are simply no checks on the Supreme Court,” Kontorovich said, without citing examples. Video Ad Feedback Hear Netanyahu respond to judicial overhaul plans amid protests 03:17 - Source: CNNUnlike many democracies, Israel does not have a written constitution. While they are a minority in Israel, they have different reasons for backing the judicial plan. The prime minister in his Thursday interview with CNN failed to confirm whether he’d accept a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the “reasonableness” law. Following backlash from the opposition, however, Netanyahu in a statement attempted to reassure the public, saying that Israeli governments “always respect” court decisions.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Eugene Kontorovich, Kontorovich, Netanyahu, ” Kontorovich, Israel “, ”, Tommy Lamm, Ronnie Lottner, “, Naftali Bennett’s, Tamar Hermann, ” Hermann, Gideon Rahat, Bennett, Yair Lapid, Hermann, Israel Democracy Institue Organizations: CNN, White, Israel’s, West Bank, Israel Democracy Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s, Israel Democracy Locations: Israeli, Israel, “

Lawmakers, including Yariv Levin, the Justice Minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security, at the Knesset in Jerusalem after the vote on Monday. Israel’s nationalist right celebrated a hard-won victory Monday after seven months of struggling to advance the contentious plan to weaken Israel’s judiciary in the face of mounting opposition. Many on Israel’s right say Israel’s Supreme Court is staffed by activist judges who have tied the hands of elected leaders. Right-wing voters commonly say they “vote for the right and get the left” and blame the courts for striking down popular policies. A weakened court would allow Mr. Ben-Gvir to fulfill such campaign promises, he said.

Persons: Yariv Levin, Itamar Ben, Gvir, ”, —, Benjamin Netanyahu —, Rafi Sharbatov, Ben, Arnon Segal, Segal, “, we’ve, Bezalel Smotrich, God’s, Mr, Smotrich, Smotrich’s, Dan Odenheimer, Odenheimer, “ It’s Organizations: of National Security, West Bank, Air Force, West Locations: Jerusalem, Israel’s, Israel, West Bank, Efrat

☆ Civil unrest, legal appeals and military disobedience: What Israel may face after Supreme Court law change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Striking down a Basic Law would be uncharted territory for the Supreme Court, although the court has examined and commented on Basic Laws before. Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images People in Tel Aviv, Israel, demonstrate against the judicial overhaul plan on Saturday, July 22. Saeed Qaq/NurPhoto via Getty Images Protesters from Tel Aviv walk the entrance road to Jerusalem after a four-day march on July 22. Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters Protesters block the main entrance to the Ministry of Defense during a protest in Tel Aviv on July 18. Israeli military reservist signs pledge to suspend voluntary military service if the government passes judicial overhaul legislation, near the defence ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19.

Persons: CNN —, Israel doesn’t, Benjamin Netanyahu, Esther Hayut, ”, ” Hayut, Barak Medina, ” Medina, ” Yohanan Plesner, Ron Dermer, “, Plesner, Netanyahu, Monday, Amir Cohen, Corinna Kern, Oded, Jack Guez, Hazem Bader, Ammar Awad, Aryeh Deri, Shas, Ronaldo Schemidt, Ohad, Mahmoud Illean, Ronen Zvulun, Dar Yaskil, Saeed Qaq, Matan Golan, Eyal Warshavsky, Menahem Kahana, Ilan Rosenberg, Amir Levy, Medina, ” Plesner, Israel, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” Dermer, Biden hadn’t, Martin Indyk, Dan Kurtzer, Indyk, Israel hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Law, Supreme, Nation State Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s, of Law, Israel Democracy Institute, Strategic, Israel Medical Association, IMA, High Tech, ”, Reuters, Getty, AP, Protesters, Getty Images, Reuters Protesters, AP People, Ministry of Defense, Air, House Press, New York Times, State Department Locations: Israel’s, United States, Israel, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israeli, AFP, Reuters Israeli

☆ Both Sides Plan for Next Battles Over Israel’s Court Overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | More About Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The far-right governing coalition’s plan to weaken the courts has set off months of unrest that threatens to widen Israel’s social fissures into yawning chasms. But the next showdown did not begin immediately — the streets were fairly quiet on Tuesday — and may not do so for months. Doctors walked off the job to protest the new law, but just for a day. “People are still trying to figure it out,” said Josh Drill, a spokesman for the alliance. “Because yesterday was such an intense day, the different groups are still in deliberations,” he added.

Persons: Doctors, ”, Josh Drill Organizations: “ Locations: Israel

On a day of turbulence in the streets and in the halls of power alike, Israeli lawmakers on Monday enacted a major change in law to weaken the judiciary, capping a monthslong campaign by the right-wing governing coalition that is pitting Israelis against one another with rare ferocity. Throngs of protesters outside the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and opposition lawmakers inside shouted that the change was a grievous blow to the rule of law, to the rights of citizens and to democracy itself. Coalition members countered that it was the judiciary that posed a threat to democracy, and said that they planned to take further steps to curb it. The measure strips Israel’s Supreme Court of the power to overturn government actions and appointments it deems “unreasonable,” a practice that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing governing coalition says has effectively given the court veto power over the will of the majority. Still on the coalition’s agenda are plans to give the government more power over the selection of Supreme Court justices, among other changes.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: Coalition Locations: Israel

☆ Mexico’s president is on the attack. It’s political ‘gold’ for his rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Gálvez’s remarkable ascent comes as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has levied a near-daily stream of attacks against her. The immensely popular López Obrador is barred under Mexican law from seeking re-election after completing his six-year term. However it dismissed a complaint from Gálvez that the president had violated laws against gender-based political violence. In the days since the ruling against him, López Obrador has moved between open disregard, winking half-measures, and begrudging obedience. López Obrador has sought to tie the candidate to the country’s historic ruling elite with the claims, which she has denied.

Persons: Mexico City CNN —, Xóchitl Gálvez, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, ”, Gálvez, “ AMLO, ” Enrique Quintana, “, Carlos Bravo Regidor, López, Morena, –, Lopez Obrador, Fernando Llano, — Gálvez, El Financiero, I’m, Arturo Ramos Sobarzo, —, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal Organizations: Mexico City CNN, Frente, El, Quarterly, Morena, Morena flagbearer, PAN, CNN, National Electoral Institute, Center for Investigation, Informatics, Mexico City’s Escuela Libre, Supreme Locations: Mexico, Mexico City

CNN —Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie filed to run for president on Tuesday ahead of announcing his second bid for the White House and kicking off another clash with former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner and a former Christie ally. Both would eventually drop out – Christie after he finished sixth in the New Hampshire primary – and endorse Trump. “We keep losing and losing and losing,” Christie said at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference late last year. “No way.”Christie was first elected New Jersey governor in 2009, unseating Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine.

Persons: Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Christie, Chris Sununu, Mike Pence, Republicans –, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Pence, Doug Burgum, Joe Biden, ”, Barack Obama, demurred, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, – Christie, Trump, Covid, “, ” Christie, Jon Corzine, Trump’s, Jared Kushner, George Washington Organizations: CNN, Former New Jersey Gov, White, GOP, Republicans, Trump, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, Arkansas Gov, North Dakota Gov, PAC, Republican Jewish, Capitol, New, Democratic, FEC Locations: New Hampshire, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, New Jersey

Walking away, President Joe Biden wrapped his arm around Zelensky’s shoulders. None of the G7 leaders are particularly popular at home, even as they produce results abroad. After all, it was Trump who had argued over dinner at the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz, France, that Russia should be allowed back into the group. That level of chaos was nowhere to be found in Hiroshima this past week, when leaders appeared to generally like each other. Even before Biden left for the G7 summit, the stalemate over raising the federal borrowing limit prompted a scramble to rearrange the president’s engagements so he could return to Washington early.

☆ County with high rate of overdose deaths doesn’t use opioid settlement funds for addiction program
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Aneri Pattani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Greene County, Tenn., resident Nancy Schneck wants opioid settlement funds to be used for addiction and mental health treatment. In Tennessee, 15% of the state’s opioid settlement funds are controlled by the legislature and another 15% by local governments. Greene County, Tenn., is directing some of its opioid settlement money into the county's capital projects fund. Pack, from East Tennessee State, urges them to increase access to medications that have proven effective in treating opioid addiction. Some Greene County residents want to see opioid settlement funds go to local initiatives that are already operating on the ground.

☆ An Iowa Campaign Event Defined More by Those Who Were Not There Than Those Who Were
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than nine months before the Iowa caucuses, eight declared and potential presidential candidates came to a gathering of Christian conservatives on Saturday evening to test a question: Can flesh-and-blood politicians eyeing the highest office in the land be upstaged by a canned, prerecorded video? The answer was almost certainly yes. The audio did not quite match the video on former President Donald J. Trump’s recorded message to the hundreds gathered at the largest cattle call yet of the fledgling campaign season. The delivery of his trademark hyperbole was rushed to fit into the final, 10-minute window that closed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s spring kickoff. Their strategy appeared straightforward: Avoid confrontation with the better known, better funded front-runners, hope Mr. Trump’s attacks take out — or at least take down — Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who is second in most Republican polls, and hope outside forces, namely indictments, take out Mr. Trump.

The price caps, together with a European Union ban on Russian oil product imports that also comes into force on Sunday, seek to limit Moscow's ability to fund its war in Ukraine, which began nearly a year ago. "The caps we have just set will now serve a critical role in our global coalition’s work to degrade Russia’s ability to prosecute its illegal war," Yellen said in a statement after the agreement was released. Yellen said the sanctions and price caps are forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to "choose between funding his brutal war or propping up his struggling economy." Yellen said global energy markets had remained well-supplied and public reports indicated that oil importers such as China and India were using the price cap to "drive steep bargains" on Russian oil. A senior Treasury official told reporters that while Washington was mindful of the IMF's view, it remained convinced that the price caps were "changing the trajectory" of Russia's budget because petroleum was the main source of revenues.

☆ Judge orders release of body camera footage and 911 call from Paul Pelosi attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A coalition of news organizations will gain access Thursday to all courtroom evidence from last year's attack on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their San Francisco home. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen Murphy on Wednesday granted a motion filed by a group of 13 news organizations, including NBC News and The New York Times, requesting the release of evidence in the case against David DePape, Paul Pelosi's alleged assailant. The evidence consists of footage from a body camera worn by an officer who responded at the Pelosis' home on Oct. 28, a 911 call Paul Pelosi made to police, portions of a police interview with DePape, and security video taken during the break-in recorded by U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. The judge’s order comes after prosecutors had refused to release the evidence to news outlets. DePape, who allegedly demanded the whereabouts of Nancy Pelosi while in the house and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, is facing a pair of federal assault and attempted kidnapping charges in the case, in addition to related state charges.

REUTERS/Vitaly NevarWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Group of Seven officials have agreed to review the level of the price cap on exports of Russian oil in March, later than originally planned in order to give time to assess the market after more caps are placed on oil products from Russia, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday. The coalition had initially planned to review the level of the cap sometime in February, two months after its implementation. Treasury officials have said the oil price cap has two goals: cutting Russia's revenues by institutionalizing heavy discounts on its oil bought by big consumers like China and India, and ensuring global oil markets are well supplied. "As long as the price cap continues to meet the Coalition’s dual goals, the Deputies agreed to undertake a review of the level of the crude price cap in March," Treasury said. The March date allows the coalition to assess developments in global markets after implementation of the refined products caps, and to be briefed on an EU technical review of the crude price cap, it said.

☆ Thousands of Israelis Protest Netanyahu Government’s Judicial Overhaul Plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Israelis protested in Tel Aviv Saturday, with some waving signs calling for the government to ‘take its hands off the court.’TEL AVIV—Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities Saturday night to protest the newly sworn-in Netanyahu government’s plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system, saying that such a move could weaken Israel’s democracy. Activists and the political opposition say the ruling coalition’s proposals, which aim at curbing the power of Israel’s judiciary, could undermine the country’s existing system of checks and balances. The proposed changes include giving the ruling coalition more say in which judges are appointed, limiting the top court’s ability to strike down laws and allowing a simple majority of lawmakers to override the Supreme Court should it strike down legislation.

☆ Israel’s Ben-Gvir Orders Police to Remove Palestinian Flags From Public Space
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘We will fight against terrorism and the encouragement of terrorism with all our might,’ said Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. TEL AVIV—Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered the police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, the latest in a series of harsh measures by the country’s new right-wing government targeting the Palestinians that threaten to escalate tensions. Palestinian flags aren’t illegal in Israel, but Israeli security forces have the right to remove them from public spaces if deemed a danger to public order. Mr. Ben-Gvir’s directive against a rallying symbol for many Palestinians indicates the ruling coalition’s hard-line leanings as it deals with a period of deadly violence between the two sides.

☆ Netanyahu seals dramatic comeback as he is sworn in as Israel prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The plans have sparked an unprecedented uproar from across Israeli society, including the military, LGBTQ rights groups, the business community and others. Netanyahu is the country’s longest serving prime minister, having held office from 2009 until 2021 and a stint in the 1990s. Netanyahu’s previous administrations have been strong proponents of Israel’s West Bank settlement enterprise, and that is only expected to be kicked into overdrive under the new government. Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu has tried to allay those concerns by pledging no harm to LGBTQ rights.

☆ Netanyahu government makes West Bank settlement expansion top priority
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Palestinian protesters argue with Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Israeli settlements near Nablus in the West Bank. Nasser Ishtayeh / Sipa USA via APIsrael captured the West Bank in 1967 along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians seek the West Bank as the heartland of a future independent state. Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. Several of Netanyahu’s key allies, including most of the Religious Zionism party, are ultranationalist West Bank settlers.

☆ Executions in U.S. continue decline but many ‘botched,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 of the state’s death row inmates to life in prison without parole. There have been no federal executions since January 2021 following a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration. Dunham said he believes ongoing issues with botched executions or reviews of execution protocols by states is helping to erode public support of capital punishment. In 2000, Texas executions reached a high of 40, according to this year’s annual report by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Dunham said he believes the number of botched executions has contributed significantly to the movement among lawmakers, particularly conservatives, to express doubts about the death penalty.

☆ Child tax credit: Democratic lawmakers make last-ditch effort to enhance benefit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Buoyed by the steep drop in child poverty last year, a group of Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocates are pushing hard to restore at least part of the enhanced child tax credit that stabilized many families’ finances in 2021. GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a longtime advocate of the child tax credit, crafted an enhanced version earlier this year, along with fellow Republican Sens. The 2021 enhancementThe American Rescue Plan made three significant changes to the child tax credit for 2021. A reduction in child povertyThe expansion lifted 2.1 million children out of poverty in 2021, according to the Census Bureau. It helped drive child poverty to 5.2%, a drop of 46%, according to the bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure.

That is why, leaders say, HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions will be even more important to students of color should the Supreme Court end affirmative action in college admissions. Allison ShelleyThe Supreme Court is hearing cases that challenge affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Although HBCUs are predominantly Black institutions, non-Black students made up 24% of HBCU enrollment in 2020, according to the NCES. That diversity is important to consider amid claims that HBCUs make race-conscious admissions unnecessary, said Marie Bigham, the founder and executive director of the race-conscious admissions advocacy group Admissions Community Cultivating Equity & Peace Today. Late last month, the coalition and students from across the country protested outside the Supreme Court as it weighed the cases.

☆ U.S. expects more banks will cut off Russian payment system Mir -senior official
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People walk past the logo of Russian payment system Mir at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Steps that Turkish lenders Isbank and Denizbank took to suspend the use of Russian payment system Mir make a lot of sense, a senior U.S. administration official said on Tuesday, and said the United States expects more banks will cut off Mir over sanctions risk. "We expect more banks to cut off Mir because they don’t want to risk being on the wrong side of the coalition’s sanctions." Washington and its allies have imposed several rafts of sanctions targeting Moscow following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, including targeting Russian banks and President Vladimir Putin. NATO member Turkey opposes Western sanctions on Russia on principle and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors.

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