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Category: Politics

Crypto’s ‘huge moment’ scrambling U.S. politics

Crypto’s ‘huge moment’ scrambling U.S. politics

Politico reports: Cryptocurrency is used by a fraction of the American electorate. But it’s starting to have an outsize impact on U.S. politics and policy. The crypto industry won several eye-catching victories this month that showcased its growing influence on the levers of power in Washington — something that’s poised to expand as it prepares to spend more than $80 million on the 2024 elections. The wins come as the Federal Reserve said this week that only 7 percent of…

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Critics say seditious Alito flags expose his ‘Christian nationalism’

Critics say seditious Alito flags expose his ‘Christian nationalism’

Charles R Davis writes: When Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was caught raising an upside down American flag outside his Virginia home, the conservative jurist found a woman to blame: his wife. It was she who decided to wave the chosen banner of election deniers in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, he said, after she became righteously furious at an allegedly profane display of anti-Trump sentiment in her neighborhood. Alito, innocent, just happened to live there — with…

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Far-right ID group expels Alternative for Germany (AfD)

Far-right ID group expels Alternative for Germany (AfD)

Politico reports: Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been expelled from its pan-European group Identity and Democracy in the European Parliament following a series of scandals that have damaged its popularity and made it something of a pariah. Long-simmering tensions between European far-right parties came to a boil this week when Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s lead candidate for the European election, told an Italian newspaper that members of the Nazi SS were not necessarily criminals. Following those comments,…

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Norway, Ireland and Spain will join 140 other countries recognizing Palestine, deepening Israel’s isolation

Norway, Ireland and Spain will join 140 other countries recognizing Palestine, deepening Israel’s isolation

US & several Western countries remain the only ones who don’t recognise Palestine as a state https://t.co/ckuYENm1Jw — convencia (@convencia) May 22, 2024 The Associated Press reports: Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic move that further deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel immediately denounced the decisions and recalled its ambassadors to the three countries. Palestinians welcomed the announcements as…

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The theatrics of genocidal impunity

The theatrics of genocidal impunity

Farhan Mujahid Chak writes: On May 1, a draft resolution was submitted to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to declare July 11 a day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The document was put forward by Germany and Rwanda and co-sponsored by the United States and other countries. It will be debated and voted on during a UNGA session on May 23. The actions the draft resolution lays out – including condemnation of genocide denial and prohibiting glorification…

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U.S. sees Israel’s military strategy in Gaza as strengthening Hamas

U.S. sees Israel’s military strategy in Gaza as strengthening Hamas

Politico reports: The Biden administration fears Israel is disastrously squandering its opportunity for victory against Hamas, losing its best chance to eliminate the group’s hold on Gaza and threat to the Israeli people. Top officials are publicly calling Israel’s strategy in Gaza self-defeating and likely to open the door to Hamas’ return — a level of criticism of the Middle East ally not seen since the war began in October. The officials say Israel’s government has failed to hold parts…

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Biden’s ‘disastrous’ support for ‘Israel’s genocide in Gaza’ led to this Jewish staffer’s resignation

Biden’s ‘disastrous’ support for ‘Israel’s genocide in Gaza’ led to this Jewish staffer’s resignation

  We speak with Lily Greenberg Call, the first known Jewish appointee to resign from the Biden administration over the war in Gaza. Greenberg Call was a special assistant to the chief of staff at the Interior Department after being named to the post by President Joe Biden in early 2023, but she quit on May 15 in a four-page letter that slammed Biden’s “disastrous, continued support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” Greenberg Call is at least the fifth high-profile…

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The campaign to gut Washington’s power over corporate America

The campaign to gut Washington’s power over corporate America

Politico reports: A decade-long conservative crusade against financial regulators will come to a head soon with a crucial Supreme Court ruling, part of a legal strategy that has spread across multiple Washington agencies into a broad attack on a core power of the federal government. The court’s ruling on Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, a case challenging the power of in-house federal judges, could hobble a whole range of agencies in unpredictable ways, cutting the powers of antitrust enforcers,…

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Poland arrests sabotage suspects and warns of potential hostile acts by Russia

Poland arrests sabotage suspects and warns of potential hostile acts by Russia

The Associated Press reports: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that three people were recently arrested on suspicion of links to foreign-sponsored sabotage, adding to nine others already under arrest. Tusk was speaking at a weekly news conference about what steps his government was taking to protect Poland against hostile activity, including incidents with suspected links to Russian intelligence services. “Another three people were arrested” on Monday night, Tusk said, as he praised the efficiency of Poland’s national security…

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UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city

UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city

A reminder that Biden could — whenever he wants to — use his leverage to force Israel to open land routes to aid to stop the famine spreading from the north. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk. https://t.co/2jBl6dOHDZ — Richard Hall (@_RichardHall) May 21, 2024 The Associated Press reports: The United Nations says it has suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks…

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Israeli soldiers and police assisting settlers that attack Gaza aid trucks

Israeli soldiers and police assisting settlers that attack Gaza aid trucks

The Guardian reports: Individual members of Israel’s security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers to the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza, enabling the groups to block and vandalise the convoys, according to multiple sources. Settlers intercepting the vital humanitarian supplies to the strip are receiving information about the location of the aid trucks from members of the Israeli police and military, a spokesperson from the main Israeli activist group behind the blockades told the…

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‘A watershed event’: ICC charges against Netanyahu first time court has gone after a Western leader

‘A watershed event’: ICC charges against Netanyahu first time court has gone after a Western leader

  Israel and the United States have both strongly condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges, calling it “outrageous” and seeking support from other allies in opposing the court’s moves. On Monday, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan outlined specific charges against Netanyahu and Gallant, including “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “extermination.” The ICC also sought arrest warrants for…

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‘Israel will be ostracized all over the world,’ warns opposition leader Lapid after AP’s equipment is seized

‘Israel will be ostracized all over the world,’ warns opposition leader Lapid after AP’s equipment is seized

The Associated Press reports: Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating the country’s new ban on Al Jazeera. The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organizations. The AP denounced the move. “The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding…

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How changes in the Israeli military led to the failure of October 7

How changes in the Israeli military led to the failure of October 7

James Rosen-Birch writes: In public presentations, Saar Koursh, former CEO of the Israeli security firm Magal Security Systems — the company that built the Gaza border fence — often boasted that the blockaded territory was his “showroom.” “Anybody can give you a very nice PowerPoint, but few can show you such a complex project as Gaza that is constantly battle-tested,” Koursh said in a 2016 interview. Magal’s smart fence formed part of an integrated system of concrete barriers, high-tech sensor…

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Biden, Netanyahu, and Hamas, denounce ICC prosecutor, while Bernie Sanders defends international law

Biden, Netanyahu, and Hamas, denounce ICC prosecutor, while Bernie Sanders defends international law

#ICC Prosecutor @KarimKhanQC announces applications for arrest warrants in relation to Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant in the context of the situation in the State of #Palestine ⤵️https://t.co/WqDZecXFZq pic.twitter.com/bxqLWc5M6u — Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) May 20, 2024 The ICC prosecutor is right to issue arrest warrants for political leaders who engage in war crimes. The global community must uphold international law. Without these standards of decency & morality, the planet may rapidly descend into anarchy, never-ending wars, and barbarism. pic.twitter.com/KF7aD0JsHw…

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War on terrorism based on a mistake: New 9/11 evidence points to deep Saudi complicity

War on terrorism based on a mistake: New 9/11 evidence points to deep Saudi complicity

Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon writes: For more than two decades, through two wars and domestic upheaval, the idea that al-Qaeda acted alone on 9/11 has been the basis of U.S. policy. A blue-ribbon commission concluded that Osama bin Laden had pioneered a new kind of terrorist group—combining superior technological know-how, extensive resources, and a worldwide network so well coordinated that it could carry out operations of unprecedented magnitude. This vanguard of jihad, it seemed, was the first nonstate actor…

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