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Category: Politics

Biden administration investigating Israel’s possible war crimes — despite public claims to the contrary

Biden administration investigating Israel’s possible war crimes — despite public claims to the contrary

HuffPost reports: A month ago, White House spokesperson John Kirby declared Washington was so confident in Israel’s U.S.-backed offensive in Gaza that the U.S. did not need to investigate its actions. “I’m not aware of any kind of formal assessment being done by the United States government to analyze the compliance with international law by our partner Israel,” Kirby told reporters on Jan. 4, as the Biden administration rallied to defend Israel against an International Court of Justice case arguing…

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Young Israelis block aid to Gaza while IDF soldiers stand and watch

Young Israelis block aid to Gaza while IDF soldiers stand and watch

The Washington Post reports: In Gaza, families are eating animal feed to survive. Ninety-three percent of the population of over 2 million faces “crisis levels of hunger,” a U.N.-backed consortium reported in late December. Hadas Kremer, a 17-year-old with curly blond hair from the Orthodox settlement of Otniel near Hebron, explains that Palestinians who are unhappy and hungry in Gaza should leave. Israel pays for them to exit, she says. In reality, the vast majority of Gazans have no way…

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Democrats should pick a new presidential candidate now

Democrats should pick a new presidential candidate now

Damon Linker writes: The Democratic Party is heading into the 2024 election with a presumptive nominee who may well be incapable of defeating former President Donald Trump. The incumbent on whom the party is relying to run against Trump’s dangerous threat to the country and the world currently rates at an anemic and steady 39 percent approval. Worse, no less than three-quarters of Americans and half of Democrats worry that President Joe Biden lacks “the necessary mental and physical health to be president for a…

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Trump and the GOP’s fascist rhetoric has broad appeal, poll finds

Trump and the GOP’s fascist rhetoric has broad appeal, poll finds

Rolling Stone reports: Donald Trump’s fascistic rhetoric about how immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country, as well as the GOP’s embrace of the “great replacement theory,” are repellent to many Americans. But for a startling number of people, new survey results exclusively provided to Rolling Stone reveal, the message that immigrants pose a dark threat to the nation is being met with enthusiasm — or a dangerous shrug of indifference. More than a third of Trump’s 2020 voters…

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EU climate policy is dangerously reliant on untested carbon-capture technology

EU climate policy is dangerously reliant on untested carbon-capture technology

An editorial in Nature says: Last week, the European Commission published its long-awaited recommendations for climate targets for 2040. The commission, which is the executive arm of the European Union, is recommending that EU member states cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 90% by 2040, compared with 1990 levels. If countries agree, this would be an interim milestone, ahead of the European Climate Law, which sets out a legally binding target for net-zero emissions by 2050. A target cut of 90% is…

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Expressive responding: Political partisanship can lead to willful disregard for facts, study suggests

Expressive responding: Political partisanship can lead to willful disregard for facts, study suggests

PsyPost reports: Have you ever wondered if people really believe the controversial statements they make, especially in today’s politically charged environment? A recent study sheds light on this question, revealing that political affiliation may influence how people respond to factual questions, not necessarily reflecting their true beliefs but rather their allegiance to a political group. This phenomenon, known as “expressive responding,” was the focus of a recent replication study aimed at understanding how partisanship affects perceptions of truth in the…

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Israel’s assault on Gaza is exposing the holes in everything liberal politicians claim to believe

Israel’s assault on Gaza is exposing the holes in everything liberal politicians claim to believe

Nesrine Malik writes: Something odd is happening. A sort of glitch or malfunction. Liberal politicians who refuse to call for a ceasefire in Gaza or halt support for Israel’s assault are no longer making sense, and increasingly seem as though they are going through a crisis. Garbled language and contradictory statements are becoming common among establishment figures. When Keir Starmer was asked if cutting off water and supplies are actions that fall within international law, he said on live radio…

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‘This war must end,’ Jordan’s King Abdullah insists after talks with Biden

‘This war must end,’ Jordan’s King Abdullah insists after talks with Biden

AFP reports: Jordan’s King Abdullah II appealed for a full ceasefire to end the war in Gaza after talks with Joe Biden, striking a discordant note with the US president who is seeking a shorter six-week pause to allow Israel time to defeat Hamas. Speaking at the White House with Abdullah by his side, Biden said civilians in the southern city of Rafah must be protected as Israel considers a ground incursion, while the Jordanian warned against any offensive at…

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Dutch court orders halt to export of F-35 jet parts to Israel

Dutch court orders halt to export of F-35 jet parts to Israel

Reuters reports: A Dutch appeals court on Monday ordered the government to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over concerns they were being used in violations of international law during Israel’s Gaza offensive. It said the state had to comply with the order within seven days and dismissed a request by government lawyers to suspend the order pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. The state has eight weeks to appeal against the decision. “It is…

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Israel appears to be in breach of ICJ orders on Gaza, senior UN official says

Israel appears to be in breach of ICJ orders on Gaza, senior UN official says

The Guardian reports: Israel appears to be in breach of the orders issued a fortnight ago by the international court of justice requiring it to take immediate steps to protect Palestinians’ rights and cease all activities that could constitute genocide, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied territories, Francesca Albanese, has said. The Israeli government was given until 23 February to report to the ICJ on what it has done to comply with six orders the court issued, including one…

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Advancing Russian interests, is now a core tenet of MAGA politics

Advancing Russian interests, is now a core tenet of MAGA politics

David Rothkopf writes: Trump and his MAGA followers do shocking things—things that represent a profound threat to our society—and a combination of spineless GOP leadership, irresponsible media coverage, and the loyalty of millions of Americans who support the MAGA GOP movement quickly act to normalize and accept it. We saw the same pattern around positions and actions that were far more akin to those of past enemies than anything resembling responsible citizenship. The litany is long and well-known by now….

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Israel is bombing Rafah while Americans watch the Super Bowl

Israel is bombing Rafah while Americans watch the Super Bowl

The Israeli military is bombing Rafah, the most densely populated area in the world, while Americans watch the Super Bowl. This is intentional. This is genocide. We're demanding the world watching the #superbowl turn their eyes to #Rafah. #alleyesongaza #CeasefireNOW pic.twitter.com/IPRV6mqD3P — Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) February 12, 2024 Biden tells Netanyahu “a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety” of 1+ million Gaza refugees sheltering there. Netanyahu’s response:…

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Message to Biden: ‘Stop sending us military aid! Send us peace aid!’

Message to Biden: ‘Stop sending us military aid! Send us peace aid!’

Maoz Inon, who lost both his parents on October 7th, is calling the US and Germany to stop their unconditional financial aid to Israel. His calling "Stop sending us military aid! Send us peace aid!". Join @maozinon by signing our petition to Biden: https://t.co/TDkIAT5yzv pic.twitter.com/YeeemIh98W — Voices Against War (@againstwarvoice) February 11, 2024 The Washington Post reports: White House aides say publicly that there has been no change in Biden’s strategy or message. But many of his allies contend that…

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Meta considering increased censorship of the word ‘Zionist’

Meta considering increased censorship of the word ‘Zionist’

The Intercept reports: Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, is contemplating stricter rules around discussing Israeli nationalism on its platforms, a major policy change that could stifle criticism and free expression about the war in Gaza and beyond, five civil society sources who were briefed on the potential change told The Intercept. “Meta is currently revisiting its hate speech policy, specifically in relation to the term ‘Zionist,’” reads a January 30 email sent to civil society groups by Meta policy…

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NATO chief says Trump remarks may put U.S. and EU lives at risk

NATO chief says Trump remarks may put U.S. and EU lives at risk

The Guardian reports: The Nato chief, Jens Stoltenberg, has said any attack on the western military alliance would be met with a “united and forceful response”, after Donald Trump invited Russia to attack member countries that he perceived as not meeting their financial obligations. Stoltenberg said in a statement: “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk. I expect that…

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Overwhelming majority of Americans think Biden is too old for another term, poll finds

Overwhelming majority of Americans think Biden is too old for another term, poll finds

ABC News reports: An overwhelming majority of Americans think President Joe Biden is too old to serve another term, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll. According to the poll, conducted using Ipsos’ Knowledge Panel, 86% of Americans think Biden, 81, is too old to serve another term as president. That figure includes 59% of Americans who think both he and former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, are too old and 27% who think only Biden is too old….

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