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The United States won’t feed 30,000 starving Syrians living under its protection

The United States won’t feed 30,000 starving Syrians living under its protection

Josh Rogin writes: About 10 miles from a U.S. military outpost in southern Syria, some 30,000 civilians are in crisis — with almost no food, water or medicine — and, for complicated reasons, the U.S. government refuses to feed them. These innocent people are living under the protection of the United States, fearing the Bashar al-Assad regime, Iranian militias and the Islamic State. But the U.S. government, which bears primary responsibility for their fate because of its control over the…

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Far-right leaders join Trump in welcoming Boris Johnson to No 10

Far-right leaders join Trump in welcoming Boris Johnson to No 10

The Guardian reports: Rightwing, populist and nationalist leaders have welcomed Boris Johnson’s imminent arrival at No 10 Downing St after Donald Trump praised the UK’s new prime minister as a “Britain Trump” who was “tough and smart” and would “do a great job”. In Italy, Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right, anti-immigration League and deputy prime minister, wished Johnson “all the best”, adding: “The fact that on the left they are painting him as ‘more dangerous than the League’ makes…

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Revealing the secret lives of cells with advanced microscopy

Revealing the secret lives of cells with advanced microscopy

Chris Parker writes: Open any biology textbook, and you’ll encounter an artistic rendering of a perfectly round cell, says biophysicist Winfried Wiegraebe. Yet the truth is more complex. Wiegraebe’s team at the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle has been modeling the behavior of individual cells in three dimensions. Among their recent observations: Even with cells of the same type, no two are shaped alike, let alone truly round. “We were surprised,” says Wiegraebe. More than 350 years after…

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Boris Johnson selected to become Britain’s next prime minister

Boris Johnson selected to become Britain’s next prime minister

Having won the support of 92,153 members of the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson has the privilege of entering 10 Downing Street without having to win an election. The minuscule voting pool didn’t prevent Donald Trump drawing the ridiculous conclusion that Johnson’s victory means Britons like Trump. "Good man," says Pres Trump of Britain's next Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "He's tough and he's smart," @POTUS tells conservative teen student summit. Says Johnson is known as "Britain's Trump. They like me over…

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Trump talks like a populist but acts in the interests of the wealthy

Trump talks like a populist but acts in the interests of the wealthy

The New York Times reports: History will record last week as a moment when President Trump turned to raw racial appeals to attack a group of nonwhite lawmakers, but his attacks also underscored a remarkable fact of his first term: His rhetorical appeals to white working-class voters have not been matched by legislative accomplishments aimed at their economic interests. As Mr. Trump was lashing out at Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna S. Pressley, House Democrats were…

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Trump attacks ‘socialists’ at home, but sides with Communists suppressing dissent in Hong Kong

Trump attacks ‘socialists’ at home, but sides with Communists suppressing dissent in Hong Kong

In an editorial, the Washington Post says: Chinese officials and state media were in high dudgeon Monday about minor acts of vandalism following the latest mass demonstration in Hong Kong. Protesters who threw eggs at China’s liaison office and splashed ink on the state emblem “trample on the rule of law,” roared a front-page editorial in the People’s Daily. Yet Beijing had little to say about the genuinely shocking incident that followed: an assault by an organized group of men…

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MAGA bomber’s lawyers blame Trump, Sean Hannity for his radicalization

MAGA bomber’s lawyers blame Trump, Sean Hannity for his radicalization

The Daily Beast reports: The “MAGA Bomber” who mailed explosives to President Donald Trump’s critics turned violent on a steady diet of Fox News, Trump tweets, and Facebook, his lawyers claim. Cesar Sayoc, 57, previously pleaded guilty to sending 16 pipe bombs to news outlets and public figures in October. On social media, Sayoc promoted far-right conspiracy theories and threatened people who were critical of Trump. He faces life in prison for the mail bombings. But Sayoc’s lawyers argue he…

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Trump’s genocidal comments cause alarm in Afghanistan

Trump’s genocidal comments cause alarm in Afghanistan

The Washington Post reports: Afghans were startled to hear President Trump’s remarks that he could end the war in Afghanistan “in a week” but that it would cause the deaths of millions of people. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday immediately asked for “clarification” about Trump’s statement “via diplomatic means and channels.” “If I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth,” Trump said Monday. “It would be over in…

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Israel destroys Palestinian homes in biggest demolition push since 1967

Israel destroys Palestinian homes in biggest demolition push since 1967

Middle East Eye reports: Israeli bulldozers joined by hundreds of soldiers and police demolished Palestinian homes on the outskirts of East Jerusalem on Monday, in the face of local protests and international criticism. The Israeli forces moved into the Palestinian village of Sur Bahir in the early hours to demolish 11 buildings, including dozens of homes, in the Wadi Hummus neighbourhood close to the barrier which cuts the West Bank from Jerusalem. By late afternoon, at least one resident had…

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House Democrats plan to develop a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century

House Democrats plan to develop a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century

Think Progress reports: House Democrats on Tuesday announced they plan to develop policies to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century, a sweeping target in the fight to address climate change. The goal marks a step forward on climate action for lawmakers, but falls short of the 2030 timeline championed by some progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and environmental groups like the youth-led Sunrise Movement. Moreover, the announced target does not amount to a formal plan and Democrats declined to give…

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Restoration of forested land at a global scale could help capture carbon and mitigate climate change

Restoration of forested land at a global scale could help capture carbon and mitigate climate change

Science News reports: A whopping new estimate of the power of planting trees could rearrange to-do lists for fighting climate change. Planting trees on 0.9 billion hectares of land could trap about two-thirds the amount of carbon released by human activities since the start of the Industrial Revolution, a new study finds. The planet has that much tree-friendly land available for use. Without knocking down cities or taking over farms or natural grasslands, reforested pieces could add up to new…

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The coming economic crash — and how to stop it

The coming economic crash — and how to stop it

Elizabeth Warren writes: I warned about an economic crash years before the 2008 crisis, but the people in power wouldn’t listen. Now I’m seeing serious warning signs in the economy again — and I’m calling on regulators and Congress to act before another crisis costs America’s families their homes, jobs, and savings. I’ve spent most of my career getting to the bottom of what’s happening to working families in America. And when I saw the seeds of the 2008 crisis…

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‘It’s a disaster over there’: Commerce reaches new heights of dysfunction

‘It’s a disaster over there’: Commerce reaches new heights of dysfunction

Politico reports: Constant infighting among top officials. Sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation. A leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings. The Commerce Department has reached its apex of dysfunction under Wilbur Ross, according to four people with knowledge of the inner workings of the department. The 81-year-old Commerce secretary, who has for months endured whispers that he is on the outs, spends much of his time at the White House to try to retain…

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