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Category: Politics

The outrage of the plutocrats after they failed to buy an election

The outrage of the plutocrats after they failed to buy an election

Paul Krugman writes: I was enormously cheered by Mamdani’s victory, not because I think he’ll be a great mayor — honestly I have no idea — but because a Cuomo victory would have been deeply depressing. Why? Because it would have been an affirmation of elite impunity and lack of accountability. Cuomo is by all accounts a terrible person, and his bungled response to Covid killed people. For him to make a comeback simply because he’s part of the old…

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Israel’s euphoric ‘victory’ over Iran is quickly giving way to disillusionment

Israel’s euphoric ‘victory’ over Iran is quickly giving way to disillusionment

Meron Rapoport writes: “Can we say this is the greatest victory in the history of the State of Israel?” This is what a host on Israel’s Channel 12 asked retired Israeli army General Giora Eiland — father of the so-called “Generals’ Plan” to starve and ethnically cleanse Gaza’s northernmost cities — some two hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect on June 24. Eiland was modest. The victory in the 1967 war was bigger, he reassured the…

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Most Americans favor a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants rather than deportation

Most Americans favor a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants rather than deportation

Quinnipiac University Poll: Nearly two-thirds of voters (64 percent) say they prefer giving most undocumented immigrants in the United States a pathway to legal status, while 31 percent say they prefer deporting most undocumented immigrants in the United States, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of registered voters released today. This is a change from roughly six months ago. In Quinnipiac University’s December 18, 2024 poll, 55 percent of voters said they preferred giving most undocumented immigrants a…

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ICE detention centers are inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowding

ICE detention centers are inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowding

Wired reports: On April 28, a nurse at the Aurora ICE Processing Center near Denver called 911. A woman in custody, four months pregnant, had arrived at the facility’s medical unit, bleeding and in pain. As the staff rushed to get vitals, the dispatcher rattled off questions: How old was she? Was the pregnancy high risk? The nurse hesitated: “She just came to us three days ago.” On 911 audio obtained by WIRED, the dispatcher’s voice cuts in: “Is there…

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Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues

Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues

Polarization has led many people to feel they’re being silenced. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik By James L. Gibson, Washington University in St. Louis For decades, Americans’ trust in one another has been on the decline, according to the most recent General Social Survey. A major factor in that downshift has been the concurrent rise in the polarization between the two major political parties. Supporters of Republicans and Democrats are far more likely than in the past to view the opposite side…

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Mamdani’s win reveals the majority has shifted on Israel. Will the Democratic establishment listen?

Mamdani’s win reveals the majority has shifted on Israel. Will the Democratic establishment listen?

  Zohran Mamdani won a historic race thanks to support from Jewish Americans in New York City. However, the Democratic establishment and pro-Israel hawks continue smearing him as an anti-semite. Author and professor Peter Beinart, editor of The Beinart Notebook, argues that Mamdani’s win definitively shows that the old Democratic party line on Israel, shamefully exemplified by Joe Biden’s unconditional support for Netanyahu, no longer has traction with the majority. He also says Mamdani’s win, along with the recent poll…

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Experts view Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial as an assault on judicial independence in Israel

Experts view Trump’s call to end Netanyahu’s trial as an assault on judicial independence in Israel

The Times of Israel reports: Pro-democracy activists, legal scholars, and non-governmental organizations on Thursday strongly criticized US President Donald Trump’s call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial to be canceled, with some accusing the prime minister of actively having sought Trump’s intervention. And even the head of Republicans Overseas Israel rebuked the president for setting a precedent of US interference in Israel’s internal legal processes. Netanyahu’s criminal trial began in 2020. He is charged with the crime of fraud…

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Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy warns ‘democracy is at risk’

Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy warns ‘democracy is at risk’

Politico reports: Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy warned Thursday that acrimonious political discourse and threats to judges are eroding the ability of the United States to serve as an example of democracy worldwide. “Many in the rest of the world look to the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy ought to be,” Kennedy said during an online forum about threats to the rule of law. “If they see a hostile, fractious discourse, if they…

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What Democrats must learn from Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in New York

What Democrats must learn from Zohran Mamdani’s historic win in New York

  Like Zohran Mamdani, Kat Abughazaleh is a Gen-Z Democrat running against the status quo and believes the Democratic establishment must evolve and embrace Mamdani’s win to stay relevant. Bhaskar Sunkara writes: [Andrew] Cuomo’s attempt to reinvent himself in New York City politics was flawed from the outset. His candidacy was perceived by many voters as an arrogant power grab, a rehabilitation project rather than a serious commitment to addressing the city’s challenges. He neglected to engage seriously with New…

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Wall Street panics over the prospect of a socialist becoming the mayor of New York City

Wall Street panics over the prospect of a socialist becoming the mayor of New York City

The Wall Street Journal reports: On Wednesday morning, the world’s epicenter of capitalism woke up to find it might soon have a socialist mayor. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s stunning win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic primary for mayor shocked Wall Street. Some of the world’s most influential and powerful financiers were left grasping to understand what Mamdani’s victory would mean for their industry—and whether they would leave the city. “It’s officially hot commie summer,”…

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The attacks on Zohran Mamdani show we need a new understanding of antisemitism

The attacks on Zohran Mamdani show we need a new understanding of antisemitism

Masha Gessen writes: In recent years, the United States has had an alarming number of antisemitic episodes, from swastika graffiti to marchers chanting “Jews will not replace us” to attacks at synagogues. But in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, it has become increasingly difficult to separate instances of antisemitism from times when people and institutions are accused of antisemitism with little or no basis. In short order, Representative Elise Stefanik and several of her Republican…

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Trump’s masked henchmen challenge local police, sowing fear across LA and the rest of America

Trump’s masked henchmen challenge local police, sowing fear across LA and the rest of America

The Los Angeles Times reports: Increasingly aggressive immigration raids carried out by masked federal agents, sometimes using unmarked vehicles, are creating problems for local law enforcement agencies. Police have little or no insight into where the federal enforcement actions are taking place but often have to deal with the aftermath, including protests and questions from residents about what exactly happened. In some cases, local cops have been mistaken for federal agents, eroding years of work to have immigrant communities trust…

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Since most Republicans view immigration itself as a threat, they care little who is actually a criminal

Since most Republicans view immigration itself as a threat, they care little who is actually a criminal

Philip Bump writes: When Trump took office in January, there were 10.3 immigrants with criminal convictions arrested and detained by ICE for every one with no record. Now, there are 1.2 criminals detained for every immigrant with no record. Partly as a result of this aggressive approach, approval for Trump’s handling of immigration has plunged. Among the Republicans who selected him as their 2024 presidential nominee and overwhelmingly backed his candidacy, though, support remains strong. In fact, as PRRI President…

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Europe is now divided by pro- and anti-Trump political parties

Europe is now divided by pro- and anti-Trump political parties

Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard write: When U.S. President Donald Trump was elected for a second term, he launched a political revolution that is fundamentally transforming the political identity of entire countries. In just six months, the U.S. shifted from championing liberal democracy and free trade to promoting illiberalism and protectionism. Now, that revolution has arrived in Europe, and it’s forcing the bloc to alter its view of the world — along with its place in it. After talking to…

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Initial U.S. intel assessment suggests Iran’s nuclear program only set back by months, at most

Initial U.S. intel assessment suggests Iran’s nuclear program only set back by months, at most

CNN reports: The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by four people briefed on it. The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central…

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In the Iranian regime ‘everyone is now a hardliner’

In the Iranian regime ‘everyone is now a hardliner’

The Economist reports: On June 23rd Iran’s regime ignored President Donald Trump’s warnings and attacked American military bases in Qatar and Iraq. Missiles could be seen over skyscrapers in Doha, Qatar’s capital. While the damage and casualties appear minimal, the war has reached the Gulf, whose glimmering cities offer an alternative vision of the Middle East and whose energy the world needs. The strikes outside Iran come alongside a sudden, ominous power shift inside it. Military hardliners are grabbing power…

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