Britain’s new political prisoners

Britain’s new political prisoners

The Guardian reports: Britain has created a new breed of political prisoners through the systematic incarceration of people acting to prevent climate breakdown and the annihilation of Gaza, a report claims. The research by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the protest group Defend Our Juries says that custodial sentences for acts of direct action or civil disobedience were once rare but are now being imposed with increasing length and frequency. Their report, which will be launched on Tuesday,…

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The Trump-Miller anti-immigration agenda

The Trump-Miller anti-immigration agenda

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has pulled back its aggressive operations in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis after bad polling indicated the crackdown on illegal immigration was unpopular. In its wake, however, a new approach is emerging on legal immigration, one that makes it harder for those abroad to enter the United States, and for those already here on a temporary basis to stay. In recent months, Trump administration officials have discussed the legal immigration system as…

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U.S. funding cuts have hampered response to the deadly Ebola crisis, aid workers say

U.S. funding cuts have hampered response to the deadly Ebola crisis, aid workers say

CNN reports: As a deadly Ebola outbreak tears through northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, many first responders are turning a critical eye on events that preceded the crisis: layoffs of health workers funded by the United States, shortages of critical medical supplies and a steep reduction in American support for global aid programs. The World Health Organization says more than 170 deaths are thought to be linked to this outbreak, with nearly 750 suspected cases so far and it’s…

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Federal judge dismisses indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — rules prosecutors were ‘vindictive’

Federal judge dismisses indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — rules prosecutors were ‘vindictive’

Tennessee Lookout reports: A federal judge on Friday dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 30-year-old man living in Maryland who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last year, calling the prosecution “vindictive and selective.” “Then-Attorney General Robert H. Jackson warned his fellow prosecutors long ago of the danger of picking the person first and the crime second … That is the situation here,” U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to…

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Ted Cruz says GOP senators were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during ‘anti-weaponization’ fund briefing

Ted Cruz says GOP senators were ‘screaming’ at Todd Blanche during ‘anti-weaponization’ fund briefing

NBC News reports: Screaming, yelling and accusations of self-dealing. That’s how Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Friday described a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that’s drawn bipartisan opposition. On his podcast “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” the Texas senator described the meeting as “one of the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate.” “Fiery does not begin to cut it,” Cruz said. “My…

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A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar

A first among major nations, India is industrializing with solar

Fred Pearce writes: A sea of solar panels is rapidly engulfing one of the world’s largest salt deserts. By 2029, nearly 60 million panels will cover 280 square miles of India’s Rann of Kutch, extending right up to the border with Pakistan. The Khavda solar park is set to be the world’s largest and most powerful supplier of electricity from the sun, with a generating capacity of 30 gigawatts — 30 times the size of a typical coal or nuclear…

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U.S. prepares for new military strikes against Iran

U.S. prepares for new military strikes against Iran

CBS News reports: The Trump administration was preparing Friday for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran, according to sources with direct knowledge of the planning, even as diplomacy continued. No final decision on strikes had been reached as of Friday afternoon. “Circumstances pertaining to Government” are keeping President Trump from attending his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding this weekend, he said in a social media post. The president had planned to spend Memorial Day weekend at his golf…

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There is a way to stop Trump’s IRS slush fund

There is a way to stop Trump’s IRS slush fund

Rep. Jamie Raskin writes: These days it takes a spectacular burst of corruption to get the attention of our scandal-weary nation, but President Trump and his administration have managed, once again, to transfix Americans by establishing a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund in the Department of Justice that will undoubtedly be used to line the pockets of Mr. Trump’s partisans and foot soldiers — with your tax dollars. The creation of this fund is a stupefying feat of self-dealing, part of…

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‘A huge omission’: Everyone is baffled by the exclusion of Gaza in DNC autopsy

‘A huge omission’: Everyone is baffled by the exclusion of Gaza in DNC autopsy

Politico reports: The Democratic National Committee’s autopsy of the 2024 election doesn’t mention the war in Gaza. That’s sparking condemnation from across the party — and reigniting questions about leaders’ reticence to engage on the polarizing issue. Multiple progressive activists said they had spoken with the report’s author about how the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict hurt former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, especially with younger and more progressive voters. David Hogg, a former DNC vice chair…

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Tulsi Gabbard did lasting damage to the intelligence community

Tulsi Gabbard did lasting damage to the intelligence community

Shane Harris writes: It’s a measure of Donald Trump’s low regard for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well as its soon-to-be former occupant, that while the commander in chief was making final preparations to invade Venezuela and kidnap its president, Tulsi Gabbard was posting photos of herself from a beach in Hawaii. Gabbard, who informed Trump of her resignation today, spent 15 months as the director of national intelligence—on paper, at least. By law, the DNI…

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The civil rights era is collapsing before our eyes

The civil rights era is collapsing before our eyes

Nikole Hannah-Jones writes: On May 7, amid the din of protesters, Tennessee’s Republican-majority legislature met to vote on a bill that would eliminate the state’s lone majority-Black and Democratic House district, divvying its voters up between three heavily white ones. Outraged, State Representative Justin Jones of Nashville stood in the hallway of the State Capitol and set afire a paper replica of the Confederate battle flag. The words “We will not go back” were printed along the top. But going…

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After charges against ‘Broadview Six’ are dropped, judge admonishes federal prosecutors

After charges against ‘Broadview Six’ are dropped, judge admonishes federal prosecutors

Chicago Sun-Times reports: Chicago’s top federal prosecutor announced the permanent dismissal Thursday of charges against the remaining members of the “Broadview Six” in a stunning hearing that revealed apparent misconduct by his staff before a grand jury during Operation Midway Blitz. In a rare courtroom appearance, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros told U.S. District Judge April Perry he’d learned of what happened three weeks ago. He said he didn’t believe any member of his staff had intentionally misled the judge. Then,…

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TikTok disproportionately served anti-Democratic videos during the 2024 election, study finds

TikTok disproportionately served anti-Democratic videos during the 2024 election, study finds

PsyPost reports: A recent study provides evidence that TikTok’s recommendation system tends to expose users to more conservative and anti-Democrat political content than liberal material. This ideological imbalance occurs regardless of a user’s initial political interests, suggesting that automation plays a significant role in modern information access. The research was published in the scientific journal Nature. Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi’s AI and Society Lab conducted the new research to explore how automated internet systems shape what political…

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Trump officials ‘freaked’ about the political symbolism of breaking Biden’s high gas price record

Trump officials ‘freaked’ about the political symbolism of breaking Biden’s high gas price record

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s war threatens to push gas prices past the record high under former President Joe Biden. They aren’t the only numbers the White House staff is sweating. While record high prices at the pump are a persistent concern, the bond market’s spike over the last several days also has aides and allies fretting, worried that borrowing costs will pummel a nation that runs on credit and make it harder for the Federal Reserve to cut rates….

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