Imperialism
Russia
Ukraine
Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[1] fair use.
Dan Lamothe, “U.S. to send Ukraine $300 million arms package as further aid stalls,” Washington Post, March 12, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/12/ukraine-weapons-package/
Oren Liebermann, Haley Britzky, and Natasha Bertrand, “Biden admin announces new weapons package for Ukraine following months of warnings there was no money left,” CNN, March 12, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/politics/us-announces-weapons-package-ukraine/index.html
Israel
Palestine
Fig. 2. The ruins of a terminal at the Gaza airport. Image by Said Khatib (Agence France-Presse) on September 9, 2018, via the Times of Israel,[2] fair use.
Opening its main nightly news broadcast, Channel 12 said that the statement came from “the most senior Israeli political source you can imagine,” indicating this was [Binyamin] Netanyahu himself, and added that the US report [that Netanyahu’s rule may be in jeopardy] had left the prime minister “fuming.”
Netanyahu has “decided to embark upon strong, public and dramatic confrontations with the president of the United States,” Channel 12 added.
In the same intelligence report, the US observed that Israel will likely be challenged by Hamas for years to come, despite its insistence in the wake of the deadly October 7 terror assault that it will eradicate the terror group in its entirety and Netanyahu repeated vow of “total victory.”[3]
Sorry, but if you’re going to accuse the U.S. of seeking to oust Binyamin Netanyahu,[4] you’re going to have to show me something a lot more substantive than an intelligence assessment that his ouster is a possibility.[5] This is just asinine. But I guess we see what gets under Netanyahu’s skin.
Zack Beauchamp, “Are Biden and the Democrats finally turning on Israel?” Vox, March 8, 2024, https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/3/8/24093748/biden-israel-democrats-state-of-the-union-gaza-port
Konstantin Toropin, “New Military Sealift Operation to Aid Starving Gaza Residents Will Require More than 1,000 US Troops,” Military.com, March 8, 2024, https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/03/08/new-military-sealift-operation-aid-starving-gaza-residents-will-require-more-1000-us-troops.html
Steve Hendrix and Sufian Taha, “At Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, Ramadan brings uncertainty and fear,” Washington Post, March 9, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/09/ramadan-jerusalem-al-aqsa-gaza-war/
Paul Ronzheimer and Carlo Martuscelli, “Netanyahu vows to defy Biden’s ‘red line’ and invade Rafah,” Politico, March 10, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/israels-netanyahu-says-he-will-defy-bidens-red-line-and-invade-rafah/
Roya News, “Exposé reveals list of essential aid items banned by ‘Israel’ from entry into Gaza,” March 10, 2024, https://en.royanews.tv/news/49795/2024-03-03
Eric Lutz, “Joe Biden’s Delicate Dance With Netanyahu Can’t Go on Forever,” Vanity Fair, March 11, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/joe-biden-benjamin-netanyahu-rift
Claire Parker, “Israeli pressure on Palestinian economy pushes West Bank to the brink,” Washington Post, March 11, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/11/israel-gaza-west-bank-economy/
Nataliya Vasilyeva and Tony Diver, “Israel could see Netanyahu ousted from power, US predicts,” Telegraph, March 11, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/11/israel-could-see-netanyahu-ousted-from-power-us-predicts/
Adam Taylor, “Biden has huge leverage on Israel. He hasn’t really used it yet,” Washington Post, March 12, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/12/israel-united-states-military-aid-leverage/
Times of Israel, “Biden mulling conditions on Israel military aid if Rafah assault goes ahead — report,” Times of Israel, March 12, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-mulling-conditions-on-israel-military-aid-if-rafah-assault-goes-ahead-report/
Times of Israel, “‘Very senior’ Israeli official accuses US government of seeking to oust Netanyahu,” March 12, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/very-senior-israeli-official-accuses-us-government-of-seeking-to-oust-netanyahu/
Andrew Lapin, “80+ bands pull out of South by Southwest to protest festival’s ties to Israeli military,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 13, 2024, https://www.jta.org/2024/03/13/israel/80-bands-pull-out-of-south-by-southwest-to-protest-festivals-ties-to-israeli-military
Illiberalism
Gilead
Migration
Fig. 3. Photograph credited to “ProtoplasmaKid,”, November 9, 2018, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rich Cholodofsky, “Westmoreland looks to shed label of being a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 13, 2024, https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/westmoreland-looks-to-shed-label-of-being-a-sanctuary-for-undocumented-immigrants/
Sara McKinnon, “What is the Darien Gap? And why are more migrants risking this Latin American route to get to the US?” Conversation, March 13, 2024, https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-darien-gap-and-why-are-more-migrants-risking-this-latin-american-route-to-get-to-the-us-225422
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Infrastructure
Fig. 4. Post-collapse scene at the Fern Hollow Bridge, photograph by National Transportation Safety Board, January 29, 2022, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Ryan Deto, “Is it time to replace the Mon Incline? Officials ponder its future,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 12, 2024, https://triblive.com/local/is-it-time-to-replace-the-mon-incline-officials-ponder-its-future/
Illiberalism
Gilead
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Fig. 5. Cartoon by Ben Jennings, January 24, 2024, via the Guardian,[6] fair use.
The ruling [dismissing six charges] affects three of the 13 felony counts [Donald] Trump faces in the case, though not the central charge of a racketeering conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Several of the dismissed counts do not involve Trump but instead apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee emphasized that prosecutors may refile the charges with greater detail or appeal his ruling. . . .
It’s the latest setback for prosecutors in a case already waylaid for weeks by allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis improperly benefited from the case by appointing a special prosecutor she had a romantic relationship with, Nathan Wade. Defendants have alleged that Wade used income he earned from his contract as a special prosecutor to take lavish vacations with Willis.[7]
Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein, and Betsy Woodruff Swan, “Judge tosses six charges in Trump Georgia indictment,” Politico, March 13, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/13/judge-tosses-six-charges-in-trump-georgia-indictment-00146713
- [1]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
- [2]Agence France-Presse and Times of Israel, “20 years after its opening, destroyed Gaza airport embodies grounded peace hopes,” Times of Israel, September 12, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/20-years-after-its-opening-destroyed-gaza-airport-embodies-grounded-peace-hopes/↩
- [3]Times of Israel, “‘Very senior’ Israeli official accuses US government of seeking to oust Netanyahu,” March 12, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/very-senior-israeli-official-accuses-us-government-of-seeking-to-oust-netanyahu/↩
- [4]Times of Israel, “‘Very senior’ Israeli official accuses US government of seeking to oust Netanyahu,” March 12, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/very-senior-israeli-official-accuses-us-government-of-seeking-to-oust-netanyahu/↩
- [5]Nataliya Vasilyeva and Tony Diver, “Israel could see Netanyahu ousted from power, US predicts,” Telegraph, March 11, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/11/israel-could-see-netanyahu-ousted-from-power-us-predicts/↩
- [6]Ben Jennings, “Ben Jennings on Donald Trump’s progress along the Republican nomination trail – cartoon,” Guardian, January 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2024/jan/24/ben-jennings-on-donald-trumps-progress-along-the-republican-nomination-trail-cartoon↩
- [7]Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein, and Betsy Woodruff Swan, “Judge tosses six charges in Trump Georgia indictment,” Politico, March 13, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/13/judge-tosses-six-charges-in-trump-georgia-indictment-00146713↩