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☆ Analysis: Biden's Middle East mission was thrown into turmoil even before he left
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

A devastating blast at a hospital in Gaza believed to have killed hundreds of people prompted Jordan to cancel the second leg of Biden’s trip. And like any major presidential intervention in a troubled world, Biden’s visit carries the possibility of failure that could damage his political standing at home. Hamas accused Israeli forces of attacking the hospital and killing between 200 to 300 people. A global outpouring of support for Israel risks overshadowing the growing human toll of its attacks against Hamas targets in Gaza. Clashes have already broken out in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank after the Gaza hospital blast.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Jordan, he’d, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, –, Biden, he’ll, David Axelrod, CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Zachary Cohen, Israel, King Abdullah, Abdel Fattah el, Mahmoud Abbas, ”, Ayman Safadi, Antony Blinken, Israel Biden, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, ” Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, West, –, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Zachary Cohen Tuesday, Biden, Andrews Air Force Base, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Jordan’s, White, Hamas, Israel, Fury, Trump Locations: Washington, Gaza, Israel, Amman, West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Middle East, United States, Maryland, Jordan, Al Jazeera, Egypt, Ramallah, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, New York

☆ Brussels attack: Two Swedes shot dead in Belgian capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Two people were shot dead in the Belgian capital Brussels on Monday evening in what the government described as a terrorist attack. The suspect was still at large hours later, Belgian media reported, as authorities raised the terror alert in Brussels to its highest level. “Horrified by the terrorist attack that claimed two victims in the heart of Brussels,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib posted to X. Following the attack, the terror threat level for Brussels was raised to 4, the highest level. I am closely following the situation, together with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs from [the Belgian Crisis Center].

Persons: Hadja Lahbib, Philippe Close, ”, “, Alexander De Croo Organizations: CNN, Brussels, Police, Justice, Home Affairs, Belgian Crisis Locations: Belgian, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden

☆ McCarthy became the latest victim of Trump’s extreme GOP revolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

More importantly Tuesday’s political regicide showed that the majority in the House is inoperable and that the Republican Party is unmanageable. But far from ejecting Biden from office, McCarthy himself was gone in less than a month of launching that inquiry. But a Republican speaker who needs Democratic votes is on borrowed time, although no one could have know that the end would come so soon. For the transgression of trying to fashion some, albeit erratic, governance, McCarthy joined predecessors such as GOP Speaker John Boehner and Paul Ryan in being driven out of office. McCarthy bitterly criticized Democrats for allowing eight GOP rebels to drive him out of office by not providing sufficient votes to save him.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy’s, Donald Trump, Trump, CNN McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Joe Biden’s, Biden, McCarthy’s, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Jake Tapper, Tim Burchett, “, ”, McCarthy –, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, ” McCarthy, – McCarthy, Gaetz, didn’t, – Trump, Kevin, Liz Cheney, Hunter’s, –, enablers, CNN Trump Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican Party, Florida Rep, Tennessean, Biden, Senate, Republicans, Democratic, House Republicans, Trump, California Republican, Capitol, Republican Locations: New York, America, Mar, Ukraine, –, Wyoming

☆ For John Green, the Battle Over Access to Books Has Gotten Personal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Alexandra Alter | More About Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For about as long as he’s been a published author, John Green has faced efforts to censor his books. His debut novel, “Looking for Alaska,” a coming-of-age story that includes references to drug use and sex, has been challenged in schools for at least 15 years, and has frequently landed on the American Library Association’s most banned books list. Last year, it received more than 50 challenges in schools across the country. But a recent dust-up over whether his books are appropriate for teens feels more personal, and like an escalation of a growing movement to ban and restrict access to books, Green said. A public library in his home state of Indiana implemented a new policy earlier this year requiring library staff to remove any books with sexually explicit content from the children’s and teens section and re-shelve them in the adult collection.

Persons: John Green, Green, Judy Blume, Laurie Halse Anderson, ” Organizations: American, Hamilton East Public Library Locations: Alaska, ”, Indiana, Indianapolis

☆ Opinion | It’s Not Your Father’s Democratic Party. But Whose Party Is It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Another example: For a while it looked like the Republican Party could appeal to social conservatives but maintain the economic policy supported by business elites. The Republicans are making the argument that their cultural and economic values are consistent with working class Americans, and that their positions transcend racial categories. I asked Teixeira whether the changing Democratic Party has reached a point of no return on this front, and he emailed back:A good and big question. In the short run it looks very difficult for them to shed much of their cultural radicalism and generally make the party more attractive to normal working class voters. That is, if enough of the party becomes convinced their coalition is too narrow and therefore some compromises and different approaches are necessary.

Persons: White, Eitan Hersh, Sarang Shah, Hersh, “, they’d, ” Hersh, Ruy Teixeira, —, ” Teixeira, Teixeira, Michael Podhorzer, ” Organizations: United, Tufts, Berkeley, American, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Democrats, Republicans, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, AFL Locations: U.S, United States, —, America, nonwhite

☆ Putin ordered 2 Western corporate giants to be seized after Kremlin-friendly businessmen expressed an interest in them: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin ordered Danone and Carlsberg seized after Kremlin-friendly businessmen expressed interest, per the FT.A Chechen leader and a businessman close to Putin have taken over the companies' assets in Russia. Russia seizing the local operations of Danone and Carlsberg was not the first time the country took control of Western firms. Managers from Rosneft, a state energy company headed by Putin ally Igor Sechin, took over both energy companies. Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported on Thursday, Russian businessmen bought the assets of 110 Western companies "that have fully or partially left Russia" at bargain-bin prices. Danone said in a Sunday statement it was "preparing to take all necessary measures to protect its rights as shareholder."

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Moscow, Yakub Zakriev, Ramzan Kadyrov —, Taimuraz, Igor Sechin, Ekaterina Kurbangaleeva, Kurbangaleeva, Hassan Malik, Loomis Sayles, Danone, Carlsberg Organizations: Danone, Carlsberg, Kremlin, Observers, Service, Financial Times, Vedomosti, Rosneft, Analysts, Russia's, Independent Russian, Novaya Gazeta, Carnegie Endowment, International, Boston Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Conservatives are on a roll in their quest to remake America through the courts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Supreme Court’s gutting of affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday toppled another pillar of America’s liberal social infrastructure. The wider political battleThe court’s activism is being complimented by increasingly radical conservative legislatures in many states. The Supreme Court ruled that June that same-sex couples could marry in all 50 states and upheld the Affordable Care Act. And President Joe Biden’s view of the conservative majority on the bench could hardly be more dark. This allowed Trump to name Justice Neil Gorsuch as his first Supreme Court nominee in 2017.

Persons: CNN — Conservatives –, –, Franklin Roosevelt –, Roe, Wade, Ron DeSantis, Republicans –, Clarence Thomas ’, “, Dobbs, Matt Schlapp, Thomas, perversely, Barack Obama, ” Obama, Joe Biden’s, ” Biden, Obama, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Merrick Garland, Biden, Trump, Neil Gorsuch, McConnell, Amy Coney Barrett Organizations: CNN — Conservatives, Biden, Trump, White, Senate, GOP, Republican, Florida Gov, House, Republicans, Political Action, thunderbolts, Democratic, Liberal, Supreme, Conservative, Republican Party, White House, Independent Locations: Colorado, America, –

It is also looking to hire a lawyer with a specialty in trade compliance to help Temu create a protocol for screening merchandise, another posting showed. The U.S. House Select Committee on the China Communist Party in May launched an investigation into retailers' connections to forced labor in China's Xinjiang region, including any efforts to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The committee last week released preliminary findings stating that Temu "does not have any system to ensure compliance" with the act. Temu's 80,000 "suppliers agree to boilerplate terms and conditions that prohibit the use of forced labor," the report said. Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses including forced labor and placing 1 million or more Uyghurs - a mainly Muslim ethnic group - in internment camps in Xinjiang.

Persons: Temu, Shein, Arriana McLymore, Jamie Freed Organizations: YORK, PDD Holdings, New Zealand, Reuters, U.S, China Communist Party, Uyghur, Labor, Thomson Locations: U.S, Xinjiang, China, Canada, Australia, New, China's Xinjiang, United States, Xingiang, Beijing, New York

☆ ‘The Impossible Became Possible’: The Women Celebrating a Year Without Roe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Ruth Graham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Who’s here with me to let loose?” she asked the crowd, leading several hundred women in the wave. “We pro-lifers, we have life on our side!” She was wearing a small gold necklace reading “mama,” a gift from her son. The ruling last summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the national right to abortion and sent the issue back to the states. It also radically scrambled the landscape of abortion in the United States, shuttering some clinics, prompting others to open, and setting up new battles over abortion pills, miscarriage care and contraception. Legal abortions declined more than six percent in the first six months after the ruling.

Persons: Bethany Bomberger, Roe, Wade, ” Ms, Bomberger, Louis, “ Organizations: Women’s, Jackson, Health Organization Locations: St, Dobbs v, United States

☆ The House Passed the Bill. Who Won?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is a short-term bill that lacks any attempt to solve the country’s long-term fiscal challenges through tax increases or changes to Medicare and Social Security. The House bill not only protects all the clean energy subsidies passed last year, but also includes a bipartisan priority known as permitting reform that has the potential to remove some of the bureaucratic obstacles to major clean-energy projects. “This is the thing the Climate Left keeps not acknowledging,” Matthew Yglesias wrote in his Substack newsletter this week. Instead, they led to a classic political deal that left untouched the major accomplishes of Biden’s first term. It is a reminder that he is the most successful bipartisan negotiator to occupy the White House in decades.

Persons: Biden, ” Matthew Yglesias Organizations: Social Security, Republicans, Republican Party, House Locations: Appalachian

☆ US economy on the brink as time runs low to avert debt default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

After a weekend of acrimony between negotiators for House Republicans and the White House, Biden will meet House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Monday for critical talks on pulling the economy back from the precipice. Biden and McCarthy to meet MondayThe rhetoric eased a little, however, after Biden and McCarthy spoke as the president flew home on Air Force One. McCarthy already passed a bill raising the debt ceiling in exchange for a wish list of Republican demands. This is a balance of power that ought to drive both sides towards a compromise, but extremist elements in the House GOP could make that impossible. Like McCarthy, Biden also faces political pressure within his own party after some progressive Democrats expressed fears he would offer the speaker too much in any deal.

☆ Ruben Ostlund Doesn’t Want You to Get Too Comfortable
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( A.J. Goldmann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Contrary to popular belief, thought-provoking cinema can also be popular,” Philippe Bober, one of the producers on “Triangle of Sadness,” wrote in an email. “We want to make uncompromising auteur films but also to embrace the audience,” Mr. Bober continued. He has worked with Mr. Ostlund since 2005. The humor, often acid-laced, that makes the Swedish director’s films so entertaining is often deeply discomfiting — and sometimes downright squirmworthy. This has proved divisive, with some viewers regarding his work as manipulative or downright cruel (“Triangle of Sadness” includes an audaciously long vomiting scene), and others hailing him as an uncommonly perceptive social commentator.

☆ U.S. House panel on China to highlight abuse of Uyghurs in second hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - A new U.S. congressional committee on China will hold its second hearing on Thursday, seeking to highlight what Washington says is an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region. Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses, including forced labor, mass surveillance and the placement of 1 million or more Uyghurs - a mainly Muslim ethnic group - in a network of internment camps in Xinjiang. China vigorously denies abuses in Xinjiang, and says it established "vocational training centers" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. A United Nations report last year said China may have committed crimes against humanity in the region. Its top Democrat, U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, told reporters that what happens to the Uyghur community in China affects Americans.

☆ Vietnam exporters fret over potential trade fallout of U.S. rules on Xinjiang
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Vietnam posted a $116 billion trade surplus with the United States last year, led by shipments of goods such as electronics, clothing and footwear. The solar panel sector could be particularly at risk, as it greatly relies on polysilicon for solar cells, whose global production is concentrated in Xinjiang. Alongside other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam accounts for about 80% of U.S. panel supplies, and Vietnam's panel exports to the United States were worth $3.4 billion in 2020. First Solar did not use polysilicon in its panels, but competitors in Vietnam did, he said, without identifying any companies. In addition to First Solar, the top solar panel makers in Vietnam are mostly Chinese companies, according to investment consultancy Dezan Shira.

☆ A failed GOP candidate masterminded shootings at 4 Democratic officials' homes, Albuquerque police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Albuquerque police accused a failed GOP candidate of masterminding shootings at 4 Democrats' houses. Police arrested Solomon Pena, who lost a US House race to a Democratic rival last year. The head of the Albuquerque Police Department, Harold Medina, said during a press conference on Monday that police believe that Solomon Pena, 39, was behind all four shootings. At the Monday press conference, police said that five people were involved in the shootings, but did not clarify their alleged roles. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at the press conference that the police investigation had "basically confirmed" that the shootings were politically motivated.

☆ U.S. Senate Finance Committee asks GM, Tesla, Toyota about Chinese supply chain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee asked eight major automakers, including General Motors (GM.N), Tesla (TSLA.O), Ford Motor (F.N), and Honda Motor (7267.T), to answer questions about their Chinese supply chains, according to letters made public on Thursday. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden wrote the chief executives of major automakers inquiring about Chinese supply chain issues, saying "it is vital that automakers scrutinize their relationships with all suppliers linked to Xinjiang." Beijing denies abuses in Xinjiang, but says it had established "vocational training centers" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism. "Between raw materials mining/processing and auto parts manufacturing, we found that practically every part of the car would require heightened scrutiny to ensure that it was free of Uyghur forced labor," the report said. GM said Thursday it actively monitors its global supply chain and "conducts extensive due diligence, particularly where we identify or are made aware of potential violations of the law, our agreements, or our policies."

☆ Why the ‘Smart’ Party Never Learns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Barton Swaim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The most obvious change in American politics this century is the sorting of voters along educational lines. The Democrats are increasingly the party of educated urban elites; the GOP belongs to the white working class. The latter still plump mostly for Democrats, although the party’s social radicalism is pushing them toward the GOP. Voters with impressive educational credentials tend to be Democrats, and those without them lean strongly Republican. Adherents of the smart-people party have lost the capacity for self-criticism.

☆ UAW calls on automakers to move supply chain out of Xinjiang region
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Police officers patrol in the old city in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, May 4, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas PeterWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) union called on automakers to shift their entire supply chain out of China's Xinjiang region after a new report on Tuesday suggests that nearly every major automaker has significant exposure to products made with forced labor. "The time is now for the auto industry to establish high-road supply chain models outside the Uyghur Region that protect labor and human rights and the environment," said UAW President Ray Curry. "In some cases, Uyghur forced labor is apparent at multiple steps" of parts manufacturing, mining, refining, pre-fabrication and assembly, it added. Curry called on the U.S. government to "devote the necessary resources to allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to effectively identify and ban the importation of products made with forced labor."

☆ What China’s Protesters Are Calling For
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Agnes Chang | Chang Che | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The protesters’ calls for an end to lockdowns have morphed into demands for official accountability and even for China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to step down. In Shanghai on Sunday, protesters had gathered at Urumqi Road, named after the city, when the man stepped onto the road. The crowd responded: “No!”“Chinese people, we have to be braver!” ReutersThe crowd applauded. PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER The New York Times; video via ReutersThe man continued: “How did the people in Urumqi die? “The foreign forces you are talking about — are they Marx and Engels?”“We are all patriots,” one replies.

☆ Brazil's Lula won't have interventionist stance on Petrobras, aide says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ricardo Brito | Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A logo of Brazil's state-run Petrobras oil company is seen at their headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 16, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/File PhotoBRASILIA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Brazil's incoming leftist government will not have an interventionist stance on state-run oil giant Petrobras (PETR4.SA), a member of the transition team for President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday. Market participants have been showing concern over how the Lula administration might run Petrobras. He also noted that the incoming administration, and not Petrobras itself, would set a new fuel pricing policy for the country. Shares of Petrobras, which slipped by roughly a quarter since mid-October, were up more than 4% on Thursday, outperforming Brazil's Bovespa stock index (.BVSP), which rose 2.5%.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. blocks more than 1,000 solar shipments over Chinese slave labor concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 shipments of solar energy components worth hundreds of millions of dollars have piled up at U.S. ports since June under a new law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about slave labor, according to federal customs officials and industry sources. The agency would not reveal the manufacturers or confirm details about the quantity of solar equipment in the shipments, citing federal law that protects confidential trade secrets. But the companies have halted new shipments to the United States over concerns additional cargoes will also be detained, the industry sources said. The sources asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. CBP has previously said that it had detained about 1,700 shipments worth $516.3 million under UFLPA through September but has never before detailed how many of those shipments contained solar equipment.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene Republican of Georgia Suggested Mr. Pelosi knew his attacker. Elon Musk Chief executive of Twitter and Tesla Amplified a conspiracy theory about male prostitution. Finding life on far-right websites and the so-called dark web, conspiracy theories and falsehoods leaped from the fringes to the mainstream. Each comment Friday, Oct. 28 6 p.m. A conspiracy theory circulates widely that the attack was the result of a sexual affair. saturday, oct. 29 at 9 p.m. A conspiracy theory circulates widely that the attack was the result of a sexual affair.

☆ The GOP has Paul Pelosi’s blood on its hands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Arick Wierson | Arick Wierson Is A Six-Time Emmy Award-Winning Television Producer | A Former Senior Aide To Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He Advises Political | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The whole thing highlights how while the suspect, David DePape, may have invaded the Pelosi home, the GOP also bears its share of responsibility for it. It would be a mistake not to see how DePape was radicalized (at least in part) by a right-wing media that does the bidding of a Republican Party. Although some Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, did the right thing and publicly condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi, others on the right jumped at the chance to get some digs in. Following the attack on Paul Pelosi, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), said it best: “Somebody is going to die.” That’s very well what could have happened last week at the Pelosi residence. I came here to have a little chat with his wife,” DePape said he told Paul Pelosi, according to the memo.

☆ Moscow official calls for 'de-Satanization' in Ukraine; Russian forces are 'replenishing, strengthening' in Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The "heaviest of battles" lies ahead in Kherson as Ukrainian troops advance on occupying Russian forces, according to a Ukrainian presidential advisor. While Russia's grip on the strategic territory is shakier than in previous months, it does not appear ready to abandon it. Russia has sent a letter to the United Nations pushing its unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine is preparing to use a nuclear-laced "dirty bomb" on its own territory. In a 310-page document, it outlined Ukraine's plan to use bioweapons, allegations vocally rejected and largely debunked by Ukrainian and Western officials and weapons experts. Meanwhile, a member of Russia's security council has called for the "de-Satanization" of Ukraine, claiming the country is home to hundreds of satanic sects and radicalism.

☆ Can liberals win tough Senate races? Fetterman and Barnes hope to prove it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

WASHINGTON — At stake in this year’s key Senate races is not just the balance of power between the parties, but within them. Now this year's Senate races represent one of the toughest electoral challenges yet for the modern progressive movement. These groups will back progressives in open Senate races, but have yet to recruit someone to run against an incumbent Democrat. But both Fetterman and Barnes then went on to be elected lieutenant governor, statewide victories that helped them convince party insiders they could win U.S. Senate races. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, greets supporters at Nether Providence Elementary School, in Wallingford on Oct. 15.

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