Coolkidbozzy

JERUSALEM—Following its ban of the Qatar-based news outlet’s operations in the country, Israel accused Al Jazeera Monday of being a mouthpiece for journalism. “It is clear from its continuous, 24-hour coverage of the war in Gaza that Al Jazeera is working on behalf of journalistic principles,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a blistering statement, accusing the broadcaster of harboring hundreds of journalists who engage in tactics such as gathering information, validating that information to its ensure accuracy, and then presenting it to the public. “What else are we to call their relentless on-the-ground reporting and their fact-based firsthand accounts of what’s going on in Gaza? It is journalism, plain and simple. Some of these fanatics at Al Jazeera have even sacrificed their lives for the cause, dying as they carry out acts of journalism that threaten the Israeli government.” Netanyahu went on to defend his administration’s record of rooting out journalism, noting that since the war began in October, around 100 journalists had been killed.

I was driving south from here after a backpacking trip and saw possibly 100 or so cop cars and unmarked vehicles heading to Cal Poly Humboldt. Might be something to watch. Occupying admin buildings is very cool

have no cool games been released?

Voters in Michigan have been organising for months to send Joe Biden a message during the state's primary on Tuesday: "No ceasefire. No vote."

After President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Donald Trump in Michigan in the last election in 2020, a protest vote tied to events in Gaza is a real concern for the White House.

Mr Biden and Mr Trump are on course for a rematch in November, and in a close presidential election - as is predicted by most polls - experts say Michigan is a must-win state.

With the largest Arab-American population in the US, the state poses a crucial test as to the impact the Biden administration's policy on the Israel-Gaza conflict could have on the Democrats.

The anger it has created among many in that community has been festering for months, and the Democratic primary on Tuesday offers the first chance for the party's voters to register that discontent by withholding their vote from the president.

He is largely unopposed in the Democratic Party's search for their presidential nominee, but that has not stopped those opposed to his Middle East policy from taking action.

In the final hours on the eve of Tuesday's primary election, Khalid Turaani stood outside the Islamic Center of Detroit and distributed pamphlets encouraging people to vote "uncommitted" on their ballot papers.

"We're doing all that we can to ensure that Biden is a one-term president," Mr Turaani, the co-organiser behind Abandon Biden, told the BBC. "In November, we will remember. When you stand against the will of the people, you're going to lose."

Two grassroots organisations, including Mr Turaani's group Abandon Biden and a second, Listen to Michigan, are urging Democrats to choose "uncommitted" in Tuesday's primary.

In the state, each party's candidate list includes an "uncommitted" option, which allows a voter to exercise a party vote without selecting a candidate - in this case, Mr Biden.

The movement has gained endorsements from at least 39 state and local elected officials. These include congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Michigan state legislator Abraham Aiyash and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.

Lexis Zeidan, a co-organiser for Listen to Michigan, said they're hoping to get at least 10,000 people to vote uncommitted.

"We want to wake up the next day on Wednesday, and we want to be able to claim Michigan as a pro-Palestinian state," she said. "And we want to inspire communities across the nation to know that, at the end of the day, America is beholden to its people."

Mr Biden's victory in this primary election is assured, but Democrats will be watching how many vote "uncommitted" to see what electoral harm has been done by the president's support of Israel in its months-long war against Hamas in Gaza.

Recent national opinion polls suggest a majority of Democrats disapprove of the president's handling of the crisis. In places like Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit where a large concentration of the state's Arab American population lives, discontent with Democrats appears to be widespread.

The president has attempted to walk a tightrope between sending aid to Israel, a longstanding US ally with historically strong support from Democrats, and appeasing those in his party who want the devastation in Gaza to end now.

In one attempt to pacify their frustrations, Mr Biden's campaign staff attempted to organise an in-person meeting with Arab-American leaders in January, a request denied by Dearborn's mayor. "This is not the time to talk about elections," Mayor Hammoud said at the time.

Instead, he and other community leaders met senior staff from the White House in February. Mr Aiyash, the state representative, told the New York Times after the meeting: "We emphasised that beyond communication, there needs to be a change in policies."

However, the White House has been reluctant to reel back its support, sending billions of dollars in military aid to Israel and three times blocking a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Samraa Luqman, another member of Abandon Biden who described herself as a far-left Democrat, said: "And yet today I stand before you telling you that I am considering voting for Trump in 2024.

what the fuck

"Irrespective of the price I may pay as a Muslim woman in this country, I'm still willing to draw the red line and say that the commission of genocide is more of a priority to me," she said.

Israel vehemently rejects allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.

Shawn Fain, the United Auto Workers president, criticized Donald Trump on Monday but declined to back Joe Biden as he reaffirmed plans to lead a general strike in the US in 2028.

Speaking to union members at the UAW national political conference in Washington DC, Fain said it was time for union members to come together.

“We have to pay for our sins of the past. Back in 1980 when Reagan at the time fired patco workers, everybody in this country should have stood up and walked the hell out,” Fain said. “We missed the opportunity then, but we’re not going to miss it in 2028. That’s the plan. We want a general strike. We want everybody walking out just like they do in other countries.”

A general strike is a mass strike across various industries around similar demands or bargaining positions. In the US, they have been virtually non-existent in recent decades given the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 that restricted secondary strikes and the decline of labor unions in the US since the 1970s.

After successfully taking on the US auto companies, Fain has emerged as a potent political figure, courted by Trump and Biden.

Fain also used his speech to criticize Trump, telling reporters that Trump “is as a person ... pretty much contrary to everything we stand for”.

But the UAW has yet to formally endorse Biden, who was the first president to walk on a picket line with striking workers in September 2023. Fain told reporters the union will be holding formal discussions on an endorsement amid rumors that Biden may address the union in person later this week.

It was investigative outlet Correctiv that released a bombshell report about a "secret" meeting at a hotel near Berlin in November involving around 20 people - including senior AfD figures and neo-Nazi influencers.

At least two members of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, were also said to be present - claims being "examined" by party officials.

Discussion allegedly focused on so-called "remigration" - the removal of millions of asylum seekers, "non-assimilated" people and those with "non-German" backgrounds, even if they hold residency rights and citizenship.

germany is so fucked

Alternative für Deutschland has been enjoying record success in the polls in a significant election year, placing second behind the CDU and ahead of all three coalition parties; the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats.

Their rise coincides with dissatisfaction among voters with the divided government, as well as policy issues such as the cost of living and levels of immigration.

The AfD is hoping to make big gains in the European Parliament elections in June and could even emerge as the strongest party in next September's votes in the three eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg.

Any pursuit of a ban would present serious political dangers as well as legal obstacles.