2024 is a decade away in political years Dave Wasserman commented last night on the present chaos in D.C.: “What’s so wild about the current political environment is that if the 2024 election were held this November, I believe a) Biden’s numbers are so bad he’d lose to an indicted Trump and b) House Rs are so dysfunctional/out of sorts they would lose the majority.” November 2024 is a decade away in political years. Donald Trump could be appealing convictions by then, be banned from the ballot in a state or two, or be drooling onto his fast food while raging about beating Barack Obama at the polls in November as a regional war burns in the Middle East. Still, Wasserman’s warnings about Biden’s weakness point to some Democratic weaknesses I monitor. How is it Dems are cleaning up in special elections/referendums if their national poll numbers are so bad? Because in the Trump era, Dems are excelling w/ the most civic-minded, highly-engaged voters. Their biggest weakness? Peripheral voters who only show up in presidentials. — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 14, 2023 They skew young, unaffiliated, nonwhite and non-college.
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Auto workers secure EV wins, California protects restaurant employees, Vermont brings batteries home, and Biden kills junk fees.
Pretty much says it: As Israel launches its eye-for-an-eye effort to obliterate Hamas for murdering 1,000+ civilians on its soil in a rave of bloodshed — young and old, Israelis and tourists — multiple commentators remind us that killing the idea of Hamas is quite a different thing from killing its leaders. Flattening northern Gaza and killing more even civilians in the process will not accomplish that. And yet no state cannot endure such a threat on its doorstep. Palestinians cannot endure life under tighter and tighter restrictions. Something was going to give. This is it. And yet. Those of us watching, powerless to stop the killing, would do well to heed Nicholas Kristof’s admonition: If we owe a moral responsibility to Israeli children, then we owe the same moral responsibility to Palestinian children. Their lives have equal weight. If you care about human life only in Israel or only in Gaza, then you don’t actually care about human life. CNN reports: What are the chances it will be only foreign nationals allowed to leave? See below.
In honor of the Doctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration concert, we look at how Murray Gold told the Twelfth Doctor's story in three themes.
In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Tara Strong, Warrior Nun, Archer, Monarch, Doctor Who, Werewolf by Night, Squid Game, For All Mankind & more!
Hamas has long offered Israel an alibi to avoid abiding by its supposed commitment to Palestinian statehood.
The post Before They Vowed to Annihilate Hamas, Israeli Officials Considered It an Asset appeared first on The Intercept.
Today, October 14, is my birthday. I’m far from home, in Brussels, with my wife on a trip to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. We had a long, exhausting flight from Montreal, got in yesterday evening, and dragged ourselves out for dinner and got to sleep at a reasonable hour. This morning, coffee and … Continue reading Birthday Inventory 2023
The Hamas surprise attack isn’t history rhyming, it’s a reprise of 1973’s Yom Kippur War — and it doesn’t bode well for Benjamin Netanyahu.
The post A Half-Century Ago, Another Major Intel Failure Saw Israel’s Leader Resign appeared first on The Intercept.
Use to discuss topics unrelated to recent posts. (i.e. no Gaza/Israel stuff.)
Once a “pro-peace” Israel lobby alternative, J Street is pushing a hawkish resolution on Israel that ignores Palestinian civilians.
The post J Street to Democrats: Back Resolution Supporting Gaza War or Lose Endorsement appeared first on The Intercept.
I think we all need one tonight. I know I do. (And a good stiff drink as well.) There are a lot of good things about dogs, and their cuteness and loyalty are two of them. But we’re not the only ones who see all these positives; a sweet little sheep does, too. On October 10, 2023, TikTok user Lunatic Asylum (@lunatic.asylum6) shared a video of a miniature sheep named Kevin, who loves dogs so much he thinks he is one. Take a look! @lunatic.asylum6 kevin thinks he’s a dog #nz #miniaturesheep #lilguy ♬ Funny Song – Funny Song Studio & Sounds Reel @lunatic.asylum6 Kevin the miniature sheep 🐮 #miniaturesheep #happydog ♬ Happy Dog – DJ Moody Kevin is a miniature sheep and he’s the cutest thing. He is small and has fluffy black and white wool, and looks to be the happiest sheep we’ve seen in a long time. But there’s something else that makes this little one stand out–he thinks he’s a dog. In a 30-second video, Kevin’s human shared a good look at his dog-like qualities, starting from the fact that this sheep always looks happy. He runs up to the camera and pauses to give a smile.
In Kenya, a group of conservation scientists confront the cultural tradition of an indigenous tribe.
The post “The Killing of Animals Is a Matter of Pride” appeared first on Nautilus.
It has now taken over the GOP host Josh Marshall wrote this last night and I think it’s the only way to properly frame what’s happening in the US Congress right now. It’s bigger than the speakers race. It’s simply the way the Republican party operates now in every way: Just moments ago news broke that Steve Scalise had withdrawn his bid to be Speaker of the House. This is a genuinely stunning development, even though I semi-predicted it earlier today. I said it half in jest. But we live in an age when half-jokes often come to pass rapidly. I had a conversation this evening that allowed me to clarify some of my own thinking about these developments. After Scalise won the caucus Speakership vote you had a slow trickle of members saying “I’m still for Jim Jordan.” Then later you had news reports asking, “Can Steve Scalise get to 217?” There’s a category, conceptual breakdown here that is kind of hiding in plain view. What do these members mean they’re still for Jim Jordan? He lost. It’s over. Scalise is the Republican Speaker candidate. End of story.
Settlers and soldiers have killed 51 Palestinians in the West Bank since Saturday. At least two Palestinian villages have been entirely depopulated.
The post Israeli Settlers Take Advantage of Gaza Chaos to Attack Palestinians in West Bank appeared first on The Intercept.
The new estimate for how much heat we can tolerate makes rising global temperatures even more alarming.
The post Humid Heat Can Kill Us Much Faster Than We Thought appeared first on Nautilus.
And she might just win it There’s a new “crazy Nancy” in town and she is very, very weird: When former President Donald Trump lined up his top supporters at a hot and sticky rally in South Carolina’s Lowcountry two weeks ago, one of the state’s most visible GOP politicians was notably not in attendance. Despite her ubiquity on TV and social media, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) wasn’t even an intro speaker. In a sense, Mace’s absence wasn’t surprising. In 2021, her first year in office, she went from harshly criticizing Trump over Jan. 6 to groveling in a self-filmed video in front of Trump Tower after the former president endorsed her 2022 primary challenger, Katie Arrington. A week after the South Carolina rally, Mace’s vote to end Kevin McCarthy’s speakership—and her confusing justification for it—may have obliterated whatever relationships she had left in the GOP.
Here's a look/listen to the new theme for Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor from BBC Radio 2's Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration.