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Elise Stefanik Brags About Purging University Leaders

In a revealing moment during her recent CPAC speech, Donald Trump’s newly appointed UN ambassador, Elise Stefanik, openly took credit for the ousting of multiple Ivy League university presidents on Israel’s behalf. “Do you remember that famous Congressional hearing with the anti-Semitic university presidents from Harvard and Penn?” she asked the crowd. “I should say former presidents after my questions. Five down and so many to go.” Stefanik was referring to her high-profile exchanges with university leaders, which she claims exposed their alleged tolerance for anti-Semitism and failure to combat calls for genocide against Jews.

Reflections On The Life Of A Cuban-American Exile Hardliner

“One should never speak ill of the dead,” so the old cliché goes about the recently deceased. Those with less inclination toward sentimentality, however, hold that this rule applies only to those who have lived a life exclusively in private and whose actions have had an effect only among their close-knit circle of family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. For those who have lived a public life and who have wielded power over others in a political capacity, their decision to live such a life exempts them from this freedom-from-criticism even, or perhaps especially, in death.

I Saw Firsthand How Excessive CEO Pay Harms Workers And Customers

"Remember the 2016 “phony accounts” scandal at Wells Fargo? Executives relentlessly pressured employees to meet extreme sales quotas, leading them to create millions of fraudulent accounts without clients’ consent. As these fake accounts grew, the CEO of Wells Fargo at the time, John Stumpf, raked in bigger and bigger bonuses. After the scandal blew up, regulators hit Stumpf with fines totalling $20 million — only a small dent in the estimated $130 million he walked away with in compensation when he resigned. This is just one of countless stories of CEOs taking reckless actions to pump up their own paychecks while putting their employees and the general public at risk.

Republicans Passed A Budget That Could Result In Cuts To Medicaid

On Tuesday, February 25, Republicans in the House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget resolution that would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and implement new tax cuts, costing the government USD 4.1 trillion. These cuts will allow the highest income brackets to pay less in taxes, often contributing far less of their income than those at the lowest income brackets. Tax cuts to the wealthy serve to deprive the government of tax revenue it would have otherwise received from the highest income brackets—which could otherwise go to funding government programs that millions rely on.

Anti-Palestinian Legislation To Look Out For In The New Congress

In recent years we have seen an increasing amount of congressional legislation targeting criticism of Israel and boycotts of the country. This push only increased when the genocidal assault on Gaza began last year. We can anticipate further efforts as the GOP now controls the presidency, the Senate, and the House. However, many of these bills were pushed during the Biden administration and have found support on both sides of the aisles. Mondoweiss U.S. correspondent Michael Arria spoke with Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) President Lara Friedman.

When They Tell You About Their Own, Believe Them

There are periods in history… epochs, distinctive periods in time marked by notable events, that in many instances signal change. Columbus stumbling upon the Americas where Indigenous peoples had been living for thousands of years. The French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the semiconductor, WWII, the Civil Rights era, etc. In many instances, one may not realize that they’re living in the historic moment. It’s only upon reflection that you realize the significance of the time. There are other periods, I call them Oppenheimer moments, where you know that you are in the moment.

How Does RFK Jr. Intend To ‘Make America Healthy Again’?

In the course of two Senate hearings this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced a long list of questions, ranging from immunization to chronic diseases to the functioning of the United States health system in general. Having observed him spreading vaccine misinformation for years, most senators were prepared for a very long conversation—and that’s exactly what they got. During his marathon testimonies, Kennedy largely struggled to provide definite and clear answers. One of the most concerning moments came when he failed to differentiate between the basic functions and workings of Medicare and Medicaid, two of the most important health programs in the US.

Trump Attempts To Freeze Federal Spending

Last night, at the behest of President Donald Trump, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a sweeping freeze on the flow of congressionally approved federal funding. The decision has had a deeply harmful and chaotic effect already and is an unlawful overreach of executive power that ignores Congress’ constitutionally mandated control of federal spending and undermines the checks and balances that have, for hundreds of years, maintained democracy in the United States. Several states have already legally challenged the guidance.

US Senate To Vote On Sanctions Against ICC Over Israel War Crimes Warrants

The US Senate is set to begin voting on Tuesday on a bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to a report by The Washington Post. The move has reportedly sparked concerns among some prominent European allies who warn it could undermine international law. “U.S. lawmakers are moving to pass a law that some of Washington’s top European allies fear will ‘cripple’ the world’s preeminent international court, enable war criminals to act with impunity, and degrade the West’s moral authority,” the Washington Post reported.

Three Reasons To Vote Against Nomination Of Pete Hegseth For Secretary Of Defense

On January 14 at 9:30am, the Fox News commentator and Army National Guard Major Pete Hegseth is scheduled to be questioned by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in a confirmation hearing on President-elect Trump’s nomination for him to be Secretary of Defense. I, along with many other women and men military veterans, will be at the hearing to strongly protest Hegseth’s nomination and demand that the Senate refuse to send the nomination forward for a vote of the entire Senate. I am an unlikely protester. I served 29 years in the US Army and Army Reserves.  I retired as a Colonel.

Healthcare Workers Tell Congress To Halt Military Aid To Israel

Doctors Against Genocide (DAG) has called for the US to halt aid to Israel after their colleagues were detained last month by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. DAG, a global coalition of health care workers, mobilized more than 50 medical professionals on Capitol Hill to advocate for the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, who was detained by Israeli forces along with others during a Dec. 27 raid on the health facility. The delegation visited members of the House of Representatives and Senate on Wednesday to advocate for urgent congressional action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Taxpayers Suing Congressmembers For Funding Genocide Speak Out

On December 19, more than 500 federal taxpayers from 10 northern California counties filed an unprecedented class-action lawsuit against their congressional representatives. Seth Donnelly et. al. v. Mike Thompson, and Jared Huffman charges that the defendants — two Democratic congressmembers — illegally abused their tax and spend authority on April 20, 2024, when they voted for the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which authorized $26.38 billion in military aid to Israel. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, alleges that Thompson and Huffman violated the U.S. Constitution, the Genocide Convention and several U.S. laws.

Veteran Calls Out House Committee For Supporting Genocide

Washington, DC - On Wednesday, 17-year veteran and intelligence officer Josephine Guilbeau disrupted the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to call out the billions of dollars Congress sends to fund genocide in Gaza while neglecting veterans at home. Here is what she had to say:  “US Congress is complicit in the genocide in Gaza! You keep sending billions of dollars to Israel meanwhile veterans are homeless and committing suicide with more budget cuts on the way. As a 17-year veteran and intelligence officer, I am watching you destroy American values and jeopardize our national security.

Pete Hegseth Is A Terrible Choice To Head The Pentagon

Veterans For Peace is astounded that someone with the track record of Pete Hegseth would seriously be considered for the critically important role of US Secretary of Defense. His dubious and questionable qualifications are far overshadowed by the many reasons that should disqualify him. These include a well-documented record of misogyny, sexual assault, white supremacy, Islamophobia, financial malfeasance, alcoholism, and opposition to VA healthcare. Are these the qualities we want in our Secretary of Defense?

Meetings At The Hague Reveal Crisis And Turmoil

The issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former War Minister, Yoav Gallant, on November 21, not only shocked the Israeli and U.S. establishment but also some of the 125 State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who would soon be tasked with executing those warrants, once they’ve been certified and communicated to them by the Court Registry. This past week, in the sprawling chambers of the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague, representatives of those countries gathered for the 23rd Session of the ICC’s Assembly of State Parties (ASP), the representative body that funds, governs, and supervises the implementation of the ICC’s founding treaty.