Reading

Bolstered by a momentous ICJ ruling, Palestinians, including Americans, gave three hours of testimony against the Biden administration.

The post “I Have Lost Everything”: In Federal Court, Palestinians Accuse Biden of Complicity in Genocide appeared first on The Intercept.

I wanted to like God & Country: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, the new Rob...

The Lever has led national coverage on the safety problems, cost-cutting, dark money lobbying, and lax regulations at Boeing and its suppliers.

It tells you a lot about the cult and why they love him Philip Bump reads Trump’s social media so you don’t have to. And his analysis of what it tells us is right on: Truth Social is a weird place. The social media site started by Donald Trump (or, really, by tech-savvy people working for him) is not formally oriented around Trump, but it is in practice. It is largely populated by Trump fans and allies who use the site to orbit Trump like asteroids circling the sun. Trump uses it differently, injecting rhetoric and framing into the national conversation. Nearly every one of his posts triggers the same response from the site’s users: a flurry of pro-Trump, anti-Biden memes tacked on to Trump’s missive. It’s feudalistic; when the king emerges from the castle, the serfs compete to offer him their wares in the hopes that — glory be! — he might lackadaisically bless them with a reshare. All of that, the context for the site, offers insight into how Trump approaches power. But one post in particular, offered up by Trump on Wednesday evening, was even more revealing.

There are five times as many beetle species as fish, reptile, bird, amphibian, and mammal species combined.

The post Beetle Mania: The World’s Most Diverse Animal appeared first on Nautilus.

Democrats are attacking Joe Biden’s critics by presenting a false choice between supporting abortion rights and opposing genocide.

The post Dear Biden Apologists: Reproductive Justice Means Fighting for Gaza’s Women and Children appeared first on The Intercept.

“I’m not aware of any U.S. forces on the ground,” a Pentagon spokesperson said, directly contradicting the White House.

The post Pentagon Suggests There’re No U.S. Troops in Yemen — but Last Month the White House Said There Are appeared first on The Intercept.

Do people really want someone who acts like this in a federal court room to be the president of the United States? I guess he’s the best the Republican party can do… Roughly 20 minutes after walking into the courtroom, Donald Trump stormed out of closing arguments in a civil trial to determine how much money he owes E Jean Carroll for repeatedly defaming her. The former president arrived in federal court in Manhattan on Friday morning after briefly testifying in his defence on Thursday afternoon, after which he unleashed more attacks and potentially defamatory statements about the former Elle magazine columnist. In her closing statement, Ms Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan told jurors that the former president “acts as if these rules of law just don’t apply to him.” His attacks didn’t stop after he was found liable for defamation and sexual abuse in a $5m jury verdict, she noted. “Not at all,” Ms Kaplan said.

Preparation time: 5 minutesCooking time: about 12 minutesTo serve: 2 You will need 1 freshly cooked lobster, about 1 lb2 oz. butter2 oz. button mushrooms, sliced2 tablespoons brandy2 tablespoons dry Madeira or sherrysalt and cayenne pepper¼ pint (U.S. ⅝ cup) thick cream Twist off the claws and with a large sharp knife split the lobster […]

I guess I don’t expect anything better of these people but it makes me ill anyway: Big Pharma has invested big money in the organizations planning what a MAGA policy agenda will look like in a new Trump administration. Not surprisingly, that policy playbook contains a major gift for the drug industry: a swift end to the Biden administration’s landmark program to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. For two decades, Congress barred Medicare from negotiating prescription drug prices, which is a major reason why Americans pay higher prices for drugs than anyone else in the world. In 2022, Democrats finally passed legislation creating a price negotiation pilot program.  The same year, Washington’s top drug lobby — Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA — donated $530,000 to groups involved with the far-right Project 2025 agenda. The agenda, which is meant to serve as a policy roadmap for the early days of a new Donald Trump presidency, includes a call to repeal the new provisions allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

The U.S. seems determined to go down swinging with Israel.

The post The ICJ Sides With South Africa Over Israel in Scathing Ruling appeared first on The Intercept.

“The craze for Stanley-branded beverage tumblers continues. In the wake of the arrest of a California woman accused of stealing about $2,500 worth of the products, a search by NBC News reveals that the marketplace for the popular reusable cups remains frenzied. On eBay, an ‘Adventure Quencher Tumbler Parfait Pearlescent’ had 59 bids Wednesday afternoon, with the price having reached $375.” — NBC News

This is an agreement to sublease a Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler between Edward McKelroy (hereinafter known as the “Sublessor”) and Matt Kennedy (hereinafter known as the "Sublessee.”)

The Sublessor agrees to sublet to the Sublessee, and the Sublessee agrees to take possession of the Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler under the following terms and conditions:

The ICJ agreed to put Israel on trial for genocide and ruled that Israel’s military shall not commit acts forbidden by Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, but stopped short of ordering Israel to cease its military operation in Gaza. The court session can be viewed at the link below: Court session begins at 36 Continue reading »

Continue reading »

Nuclear power went backwards last year despite the hype about a new nuclear ‘renaissance’. Meanwhile, renewables enjoyed record growth for the 22nd consecutive year. The nuclear renaissance of the late-2000s was a bust due to the Fukushima disaster and catastrophic cost overruns with reactor projects. The latest renaissance is heading the same way, i.e. nowhere. Continue reading »

Vox Pop illustrates that the most enthusiastic celebrants of Australia Day do not always know what happened on 26 January 1788 in Sydney Cove. Some think their holiday has to do with Captain Cook who had sailed past Sydney Harbour eighteen years earlier. Others run the event together with the creation of the Commonwealth from Continue reading »

The ideologies of capitalism and socialism are perceived to be irreconcilable. Individual freedom and the desire to accumulate wealth without government hinderance is pitted against the recognition of the necessity of the State to provide a humane, fair and sustainable society; one in which we all can flourish. But are they diametrically opposed? Without a Continue reading »

The Productivity Commission has released a damning report on Australia’s worsening public and community housing disaster. Needs have increased, supply has not and the various announced policies stretching out in the distance aren’t enough to make a significant difference. However bad you think the Australian public and community housing crisis is, it worsened over the Continue reading »

Divisions on the Australian War Memorial Council and political pressure are putting Memorial staff in a difficult position over the depiction of Frontier Wars. This has become clearer as time passes and more evidence becomes available. The immediate past Council Chair, Brendan Nelson, and the current Chair, Kim Beazley, have both committed to the representation Continue reading »