Music: Bill Evans — ‘The Peacocks’
Why is Biden risking a new regional war in the Middle East?
Jeet Heer writes: The Biden administration, under fire for an increasingly unpopular policy of near-unconditional support for the Israeli government as it indiscriminately bombs civilians in Gaza, has resorted to the transparently desperate measure of claiming credit for keeping a terrible situation from getting even worse. The White House line on the Middle East is that Biden, behind closed doors, has used his close ties with Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent potentially reckless escalation that would have led to an even…
The war in Gaza may widen. The Biden admin is getting ready for it
Politico reports: Biden administration officials are drawing up plans for the U.S. to respond to what they’re increasingly concerned could expand from a war in Gaza to a wider, protracted regional conflict. Four officials familiar with the matter, including a senior administration official, described internal conversations about scenarios that could potentially draw the U.S. into another Middle East war. All were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive, ongoing national security discussions. The military is drafting plans to hit back at…
Arab and Muslim Americans weren’t happy with Biden before Gaza war. Now they’re enraged
Bishara A. Bahbah writes: In the key swing state of Michigan Arab and Muslim voters have been watching closely – and with growing rage – U.S. President Joe Biden’s one-sided support of Israel in a war they say is not being waged just against Hamas, but against Palestinians living in Gaza. These voters who helped him win in 2020 could now help tip the support against Biden, potentially costing him re-election. Michigan is home to the largest population of Arab…
The promise and risk of South Africa’s case against Israel
Alaa Hachem and Oona A. Hathaway write: The war in Gaza has now reached the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In the closing days of 2023, South Africa filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel before the ICJ. South Africa alleges that Israel’s conduct in Gaza violates its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide both by committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and by failing to prevent it, including by failing to…
If Trump is not an insurrectionist, what is he?
Jamelle Bouie writes: Last month the states of Colorado and Maine moved to disqualify Donald Trump as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. In response, Trump has asked the Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf in the Colorado case, and he has appealed Maine’s decision. There is a real question of whether this attempt to protect American democracy — by removing a would-be authoritarian from the ballot — is itself a…
The people of Solano County, California, versus the next tech-billionaire dystopia
Gil Duran writes: It is easy to mock the absurdity of California Forever, the new city that a group of tech billionaires want to build amid cattle pastures 60 miles north of San Francisco. Its wealthy backers frame the project—envisioned as a mega suburb with dense housing and walkable streets set on 60,000 rural acres—as an innovative solution to California’s housing shortage. But their bumbling and villainous antics may ensure it never gets built. The particulars of this caper veer…
Gut microbes may play role in social anxiety disorder, say researchers
The Guardian reports: While some people might relish the prospect of a new year party, for others socialising can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety and distress. Now researchers say microbes in the gut may play a role in causing social anxiety disorder, opening up fresh possibilities for therapies. Scientists have previously found the gut microbiome – the collection of bacteria and other organisms that live in the gastrointestinal system – differs for people who have social anxiety disorder (SAD) compared…
Music: Audio Lotion — ‘Otonal’
Stakes high as South Africa brings claim of genocidal intent against Israel
Patrick Wintour writes: South Africa’s request for an interim measure by the international court of justice to prevent Israel from committing acts of potential genocide – primarily by calling for a halt to combat operations – has suddenly taken on an urgency and relevance that seemed implausible a fortnight ago. Crack legal teams are being assembled, countries are issuing statements in support of South Africa, and Israel has said it will defend itself in court, reversing a decades-old policy of…
Biden campaign staff protest against his approach to Israel-Hamas war, call for ceasefire
Politico reports: A group of aides hired to reelect President Joe Biden is breaking with him on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In a letter first shared with West Wing Playbook, 17 current Biden campaign staffers called directly on the president to push for a permanent ceasefire in the monthslong conflict. “As your staff, we believe it is both a moral and electoral imperative for you to publicly call for a cessation of violence,” the staffers wrote in the…
Israel PM’s wife Sara Netanyahu accuses Gaza hostage families of ‘helping Hamas’
The New Arab reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara criticised relatives of hostages in Gaza for “helping Hamas” while accompanying her husband during a meeting with the families on Tuesday, Israeli media reported. Sara Netanyahu told the families of hostages that their public statements critical of her husband’s handling of the war and securing the return of their loved ones was helping Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to Israel’s Channel 12. This reportedly provoked angry responses from the…
The ‘bully’ billionaire who led calls for Claudine Gay’s Harvard exit
The Guardian reports: Chief among the campaigners celebrating the resignation of Claudine Gay as president of Harvard University was a man who arguably did the most to push Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, out the door: Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge-fund manager and Harvard alumnus. Ackman, who accused Gay of antisemitism and plagiarism, was a major player in what increasingly became a rightwing campaign against the Harvard president – who said many of the attacks against her were “fueled by…
Trump received millions from foreign governments as president, report finds
The New York Times reports: Donald J. Trump’s businesses received at least $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments during his presidency, according to new documents released by House Democrats on Thursday that show how much he received from overseas transactions while he was in the White House, most of it from China. The transactions, detailed in a 156-page report called “White House For Sale” that was produced by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, offer concrete evidence that the former…
Gaming out scenarios for an up-for-grabs convention (or two!) in 2024
Mark McKinnon writes: “The era of strategic certainty is over,” James Carville declared recently. Carville, the Democratic Yoda, often comes out with these kind of astute, irrefutable observations. I trust the guy. He’s a battle-tested political warrior. And 40 years ago he managed the first campaign I was a part of. He earned his spurs by winning hard-fought, high-stakes races. And he’s famous for other savvy political pronouncements such as the catchphrase of Bill Clinton’s 1992 run for the White…
Sufis still gather in Afghanistan
Annika Schmeding writes: My introduction into the world of Afghanistan’s Sufism began in 2015, over lunch with my friend Rohullah, the director of a research institute in Kabul. I had been working in Afghanistan in various sectors from government to nongovernmental jobs, and had returned to explore topics for a PhD that I had embarked on, a year prior. I asked what had happened to Afghanistan’s Sufis. Were they all gone? Afghanistan had, after all, once been the cradle of…