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When disinformation is the primary strategy

benfell

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.

It seems just a bit conspiratorial:

[T]he strategy that matters most for the Kremlin is not the military strategy, but rather the spread of disinformation that causes the West to back away and allow Russia to win. That disinformation operation echoes the Russian practice of getting a population to believe in a false reality so that voters will cast their ballots for the party of oligarchs. In this case, in addition to seeding the idea that Ukraine cannot win and that the Russian invasion was justified, the Kremlin is exploiting divisions already roiling U.S. politics.[2]

I had understood the link between the illiberal movements in the U.S. and elsewhere and Russia to be somewhat opportunistic. Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric affirms values dear to the right and the right responds accordingly. Heather Cox Richardson suggests that Putin’s courtship of the right has been an intentional strategy to support Russian imperialism.[3] This, of course, fits with a somewhat discredited narrative blaming Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016 on Russian disinformation efforts, but that that narrative has been partly discredited—yes, there was an effort, but no, it wasn’t “the cause” of her defeat—hardly means the effort has been abandoned or that Russians have not improved their tactics since.

I haven’t known what to make of Russian and Chinese hacking efforts. A lot of it, which we hear less about, is directed at economic targets. They want our technology. Some has been directed at government targets. They want our secrets. Some of it, however, has clearly been an effort, much like that of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, to defend their imperialism in the court of public opinion. But to be honest, that this might be aimed more foundationally at amplifying and enhancing right-wing voices hadn’t occurred to me. Cox assembles a substantive case that this is so.[4]

Heather Cox Richardson, “March 29, 2024,” Letters from an American, March 30, 2024, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-29-2024

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
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,[5] fair use.

There’s a Republican congressman who wants all the wars over quickly.[6] Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence sharing with Israel is beginning to draw scrutiny:[7]

At the start of the war, the U.S. intelligence community framed guidelines for sharing intelligence with their Israeli counterparts, but top White House policymakers ultimately determine whether any violation has occurred, people familiar with the process said.

U.S. intelligence agencies compile instances of potential violations of the laws of armed conflict by both sides in Gaza as part of a biweekly report titled the “Gaza Crisis Potential Wrongful Acts Summary,” outlining specific incidents and trends related to the war, one of the people familiar with the process said. . . .

Israel is responsible for certifying its own compliance [with U.S. law], and in some cases does so orally, officials said. In addition, they said, it is hard to know how U.S.-provided intelligence is used once it is combined with Israel’s own data.[8]

Maegan Vazquez, “Michigan lawmaker says Gaza should be approached ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima,’” Washington Post, March 31, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/30/michigan-lawmaker-gaza-hiroshima/

Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef, “U.S. and Israel’s ‘Unprecedented’ Intelligence Sharing Draws Criticism,” Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4

Illiberalism

Gilead

White Christian nationalism


Fig. 3. If one weighs by geography rather than population, Pennsylvania is very much a white Christian nationalist kind of place. Photograph by author, January 5, 2023.

Heather Cox Richardson, “March 30, 2024,” Letters from an American, March 31, 2024, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-30-2024

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, “Pittsburgh’s hidden T station is getting new life. Is there a future?” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 30, 2024, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburghs-hidden-t-station-is-getting-new-life-is-there-a-future/

  1. [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. [2]Heather Cox Richardson, “March 29, 2024,” Letters from an American, March 30, 2024, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-29-2024↩
  3. [3]Heather Cox Richardson, “March 29, 2024,” Letters from an American, March 30, 2024, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-29-2024↩
  4. [4]Heather Cox Richardson, “March 29, 2024,” Letters from an American, March 30, 2024, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-29-2024↩
  5. [5]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/↩
  6. [6]Maegan Vazquez, “Michigan lawmaker says Gaza should be approached ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima,’” Washington Post, March 31, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/30/michigan-lawmaker-gaza-hiroshima/↩
  7. [7]Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef, “U.S. and Israel’s ‘Unprecedented’ Intelligence Sharing Draws Criticism,” Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4↩
  8. [8]Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef, “U.S. and Israel’s ‘Unprecedented’ Intelligence Sharing Draws Criticism,” Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-and-israels-unprecedented-intelligence-sharing-draws-criticism-a85979b4↩

Special people

benfell

It seems a few people think they’re special, that they do not need to comply with laws that other people must comply with. The obvious example is Donald Trump. But an awful lot of Israelis would likely make a similar claim; it appears absolutely incomprehensible to them that Palestinians are human beings with human rights. And to this ever-lengthening list, we must add Joe Biden, who has approved yet another arms package for Israel,[1] despite this aid being flatly illegal.[2]

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump


Fig. 1. Donald Trump, depicted in an orange jumpsuit, reportedly by the Drudge, date unknown, via Mediaite,[3] fair use. Apparently, no mugshot was taken when he was actually arrested over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.[4]

Since leaving office in 2021, former President Donald J. Trump has spent more than $100 million on lawyers and other costs related to fending off various investigations, indictments and his coming criminal trials, according to a New York Times review of federal records.

The remarkable sum means that Mr. Trump has averaged more than $90,000 a day in legal-related costs for more than three years — none of it paid for with his own money.[5]

Chris Lehmann, “Trump’s New Line of Work: Bible Salesman,” Nation, March 28, 2024, https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-bibles-lee-greenwood/

Molly Cook Escobar, Albert Sun, and Shane Goldmacher, “How Trump Moved Money to Pay $100 Million in Legal Bills,” New York Times, March 29, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/27/us/politics/trump-cases-legal-fund.html

Coup attempt

2024

Fig. 1. Cartoon by Ben Jennings, January 24, 2024, via the Guardian,[6] fair use.

Tori Otten, “A Judge Finally Found Fraudulent Votes. They’re All From a Republican,” New Republic, March 28, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/180230/georgia-official-vote-illegally

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[7] fair use.

On January 26, the ICJ ordered Israel to comply with a series of provisional measures based on its finding that there was plausibility to an application filed by South Africa against Israel that Israel’s actions in Gaza fall under the scope of the Genocide Convention.

Lawyers for Israel denied allegations of deliberately causing humanitarian suffering in the enclave, where hunger is rising, and said South Africa’s repeated requests for additional measures were an abuse of procedures.

The ICJ on Thursday reaffirmed those measures and further ordered Israel to ensure “the unhindered provision at scale… of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements,” and to allow in medical supplies, as well as “increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary.”[8]

Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel pounds Rafah in southern Gaza despite ceasefire calls,” Reuters, March 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-kills-dozens-gaza-attacks-besieges-two-hospitals-palestinian-medics-say-2024-03-25/

Felicia Schwartz, “UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution,” Financial Times, March 25, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/d96cafbd-4bb0-4b31-8285-7be53ccd6082

Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/

Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/

Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/

Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy

Rory Carroll, “Ireland backs bid to include blocking of aid in definition of genocide,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/27/gaza-ireland-joins-battle-to-include-the-blocking-of-vital-aid-in-definition-of-genocide

Louis Mian and Benjamin Brown, “‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN rights expert says,” CNN, March 27, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/middleeast/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-un-rights-expert-says-intl/index.html

Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/

Peter Beaumont and Lorenzo Tondo, “‘Famine is setting in’: UN court orders Israel to unblock Gaza food aid,” Guardian, March 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid

Times of Israel, “ICJ orders Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, demands report in 30 days,” March 28, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/icj-orders-israel-to-increase-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza-demands-report-in-30-days/

John Hudson, “U.S. signs off on more bombs, warplanes for Israel,” Washington Post, March 29, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/29/us-weapons-israel-gaza-war/

  1. [1]John Hudson, “U.S. signs off on more bombs, warplanes for Israel,” Washington Post, March 29, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/29/us-weapons-israel-gaza-war/↩
  2. [2]Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy↩
  3. [3]Alex Griffing, “Drudge Puts Trump in an Orange Jumpsuit as Site Monitors His Potential Indictment,” Mediaite, August 29, 2022, https://www.mediaite.com/news/drudge-puts-trump-in-an-orange-jumpsuit-as-site-monitors-his-potential-indictment/↩
  4. [4]Sarah D. Wire and Alexandra E. Petri, “Trump charged with 34 felony counts in alleged hush money cover-up case,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-04-04/donald-trump-alleged-hush-money-investigation-indictment-arraignment↩
  5. [5]Molly Cook Escobar, Albert Sun, and Shane Goldmacher, “How Trump Moved Money to Pay $100 Million in Legal Bills,” New York Times, March 27, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/27/us/politics/trump-cases-legal-fund.html↩
  6. [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. [7]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/↩
  8. [8]Times of Israel, “,” March 28, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/icj-orders-israel-to-increase-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza-demands-report-in-30-days/↩

For Israel, the game is up

benfell

Imperialism

China


Fig. 1. “Map of Qing Empire filled with the flag.” Graphic by Daniel222potato [pseud.], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ishaan Tharoor, “China decries U.S. ‘bullying.’ But, to many, China is the bully,” Washington Post, March 29, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/29/china-security-us-region-influence-confrontation/

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[1] fair use.

The game is up. Israel has lost:

In its legally binding order, the [International Court of Justice] told Israel to take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.

The ICJ also ordered Israel to immediately ensure “that its military does not commit acts which constitute a violation of any of the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza as a protected group under the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide, including by preventing, through any action, the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance”.[2]

I’m not quite clear on the relationship between this ruling[3] and the case that South Africa brought to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.[4] But with a ruling like this, it’s awfully hard to see how Israel prevails in that case.

Israel needs to comply. It won’t. It’s far too self-righteous to do so. But the writing has been on the wall here for a while now: The world, which has plenty of experience with this sort of thing, simply does not buy Israel’s excuses. And this ruling will only reinforce that skepticism.

Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel pounds Rafah in southern Gaza despite ceasefire calls,” Reuters, March 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-kills-dozens-gaza-attacks-besieges-two-hospitals-palestinian-medics-say-2024-03-25/

Felicia Schwartz, “UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution,” Financial Times, March 25, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/d96cafbd-4bb0-4b31-8285-7be53ccd6082

Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/

Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/

Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/

Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy

Rory Carroll, “Ireland backs bid to include blocking of aid in definition of genocide,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/27/gaza-ireland-joins-battle-to-include-the-blocking-of-vital-aid-in-definition-of-genocide

Louis Mian and Benjamin Brown, “‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN rights expert says,” CNN, March 27, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/middleeast/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-un-rights-expert-says-intl/index.html

Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/

Peter Beaumont and Lorenzo Tondo, “‘Famine is setting in’: UN court orders Israel to unblock Gaza food aid,” Guardian, March 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid

  1. [1]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/↩
  2. [2]Peter Beaumont and Lorenzo Tondo, “‘Famine is setting in’: UN court orders Israel to unblock Gaza food aid,” Guardian, March 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid↩
  3. [3]Peter Beaumont and Lorenzo Tondo, “‘Famine is setting in’: UN court orders Israel to unblock Gaza food aid,” Guardian, March 28, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/famine-is-setting-in-icj-orders-israel-to-unblock-gaza-food-aid↩
  4. [4]Jess Bravin, “South Africa Accuses Israel of Genocide in U.N. Court,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-in-u-n-court-3af69eb7; Ryan Grim, “South Africa Just Made Its Case at The Hague. What’s Next?” Intercept, January 11, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/01/11/south-africa-israel-genocide-charges/; Barbara Moens, Jacopo Barigazzi, and Eddy Wax, “South Africa’s genocide case against Israel lays bare Europe’s feeble power,” Politico, January 11, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/south-africas-genocide-case-against-israel-lays-bare-europes-feeble-power/; Claire Parker and Emily Rauhala to Today’s Worldview list, “What to know about the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ,” Washington Post, January 11, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/todays-worldview/; Yves Smith, “Israel Capitulates at the Start of International Court of Justice Genocide Hearing,” Naked Capitalism, January 11, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/01/israel-capitulates-at-the-start-of-international-court-of-justice-genocide-hearing.html↩

Joe Biden knowingly violating U.S. law with support for Israel

benfell

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[1] fair use.

If the State Department knows that Joe Biden is violating U.S. law,[2] then I think we can presume that Biden does or should know.

The 38-year-old [Annelle Sheline], who studied the foreign policy of Arab governments for her doctorate, said the state department was aware of plenty of evidence that Israel was violating international law in its conduct of the Gaza war, and that the [Joe] Biden administration was violating US law by continuing to supply weapons.

She pointed in particular to the Leahy laws, which forbid assistance to foreign military units implicated in atrocities, and section 620 (I) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which states that no assistance should be given to any government which “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance”.[3]

Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/

Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/

Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy

Rory Carroll, “Ireland backs bid to include blocking of aid in definition of genocide,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/27/gaza-ireland-joins-battle-to-include-the-blocking-of-vital-aid-in-definition-of-genocide

Louis Mian and Benjamin Brown, “‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN rights expert says,” CNN, March 27, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/27/middleeast/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-un-rights-expert-says-intl/index.html

Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump


Fig. 1. Donald Trump, depicted in an orange jumpsuit, reportedly by the Drudge, date unknown, via Mediaite,[4] fair use. Apparently, no mugshot was taken when he was actually arrested over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.[5]

Two things I have to say here:

  1. It just keeps getting worse and worse.
  2. Don’t try to make sense of the senseless.

Chris Lehmann, “Trump’s New Line of Work: Bible Salesman,” Nation, March 28, 2024, https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-bibles-lee-greenwood/

Neoliberalism

Ed Kilgore, “Joe Lieberman and the Center That Did Not Hold,” New York, March 28, 2024, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/joe-lieberman-obituary.html

  1. [1]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/↩
  2. [2]Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy↩
  3. [3]Julian Borger, “State department official’s resignation highlights rifts over US Gaza policy,” Guardian, March 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/state-department-resignation-gaza-biden-policy↩
  4. [4]Alex Griffing, “Drudge Puts Trump in an Orange Jumpsuit as Site Monitors His Potential Indictment,” Mediaite, August 29, 2022, https://www.mediaite.com/news/drudge-puts-trump-in-an-orange-jumpsuit-as-site-monitors-his-potential-indictment/↩
  5. [5]Sarah D. Wire and Alexandra E. Petri, “Trump charged with 34 felony counts in alleged hush money cover-up case,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-04-04/donald-trump-alleged-hush-money-investigation-indictment-arraignment↩

Still waiting for substance from Joe Biden on Israel

benfell

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[1] fair use.

Whatever else you do, read Alon Pinkas:

But [Binyamin] Netanyahu has two reasons to instigate such a confrontation [with Joe Biden over the Gaza war]. The first is pure gaslighting on a grand scale. He concocted a narrative that supposedly explains the war’s context and consequently absolves him from the responsibility and accountability he persistently refuses to assume. It also distracts from his stated policy of imploring Qatar to funnel more funds to Gaza to strengthen Hamas, all in order to weaken the Palestinian Authority and render any political negotiations impossible.

According to this narrative, 7 October was simply a debacle that could have been averted had the Israel Defense Forces and Shabak intelligence not failed. The bigger problem now, according to Netanyahu, is the possibility of a Palestinian state that the world, especially the US, has been trying to impose on Israel since the attack. According to this narrative, only a heroic Netanyahu can stand up to the US, defy an American president and prevent this travesty.[2]

I had not understood from the rumblings I heard earlier what the difference was between the United Nations Security Council resolution the U.S. had proposed earlier that Russia and China vetoed, and the UNSC resolution the U.S. merely abstained from. Thank you, Ishaan Tharoor:

Unlike a U.S.-backed resolution that failed to pass last week, this one — supported by Russia and China — did not link a call for a cease-fire with the release of hostages in Hamas captivity. Instead, it articulated them as separate, independent provisions to take place during the holy month of Ramadan. And it hoped that an immediate truce would lead to “a sustainable lasting ceasefire.”[3]

This is a bit more substantive than what I feared: a distinction without a difference. Still, it’s just words on paper. What happens when Binyamin Netanyahu thumbs his nose at it, too? He’s already made an ass of Joe Biden (who doesn’t need the assistance, thank you very much). So what’s the UNSC?

I don’t know whether or not Palestinians want peace. I assume many do. I would also expect, however, that many are angry enough at the injustices of Israeli occupation that they may well want war. I won’t even pretend to guess how many would fall into each camp.

But it seems there is no question about most Israelis. They want war. War, war, war.

The State of Israel has a moral obligation to continue fighting until the hostages are returned and the threat of Hamas is removed and that is what we will do. The Security Council’s decision has no operational significance for us.[4]

David Barash and Charles Webel wrote a 548-page textbook, Peace and Conflict Studies—it’s one of the more important books on my shelf—that I can summarize in about three sentences: Peace without justice is merely a cessation of hostilities. The conflict remains, more as a suspended war than a real peace. Real peace requires real justice.[5] (Which is pretty much why we can’t have peace.)

But when I think about Netanyahu’s approach, I think even if I had not concluded already that this war is genocide, I would surely be forced to do so now. Because without justice for Palestinians, the conflict will persist. Even if Israel does manage to eliminate Hamas—even Israel is beginning to admit[6] what experts said early on,[7] that it will fail at this—it will have done so in a way that can only mean further conflict. That is, unless Israel eliminates the entire population of Gaza and the West Bank, in which case, well, I guess there’d be no one left to resist. And yes, I guess starvation and the deprivation of other essential supplies might help toward that end.

I’m pretty sure South Africa[8] is taking notes. Even if a whole bunch of experts are wrong about this war being genocide,[9] Israel is doing everything it can to prove them right. And as Tharoor notes, Joe Biden has been keeping Israel well-armed, allegedly to fight Hamas, but with a wink and a nod to Netanyahu[10] to pursue that genocide.

Facing increased international isolation over the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli air and ground strikes in Gaza and hundreds of thousands more nearing famine, the [Joe Biden] administration has repeatedly countered with support for “Israel’s right to defend itself” and continued to rush weapons to Israel.[11]

All this just absolutely flabbergasts me. Even having written those words on my screen, I am in disbelief. What ever happened to “Never Again!?” I don’t understand.

Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel pounds Rafah in southern Gaza despite ceasefire calls,” Reuters, March 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-kills-dozens-gaza-attacks-besieges-two-hospitals-palestinian-medics-say-2024-03-25/

Felicia Schwartz, “UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution,” Financial Times, March 25, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/d96cafbd-4bb0-4b31-8285-7be53ccd6082

Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/

Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/

Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/

Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/

Illiberalism

Gilead

Migration


Fig. 2. Photograph credited to “ProtoplasmaKid,”, November 9, 2018, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Just don’t get me started. My empathy is for the scapegoats, whether in the Occupied Territories, on American Indian reservations, along the U.S. southern border, or in any of so many places in so many parts of the world, for I know all too well the spite they endure.

Glenn Kessler, “No, Donald Trump, migrants aren’t ‘killing’ Social Security and Medicare,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/26/no-donald-trump-migrants-arent-killing-social-security-medicare/

Donald Trump
Finances


Fig. 3. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Edward Helmore, “Seizing Trump’s New York properties will not be easy for Letitia James,” Guardian, March 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/24/letitia-james-seize-trump-assets

Mark Berman, Jonathan O’Connell and Shayna Jacobs, “Trump wins partial stay of fraud judgment, allowed to post $175 million,” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-bond-reduced-new-york-fraud-case/

Hush money


Fig. 4. Cartoon by Jesse Duquette, undated, via “Minneapple23” [pseud.] on Imgur, April 1, 2023, fair use.

Shayna Jacobs, “Trump placed under limited gag order ahead of N.Y. hush money trial,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/26/trump-gag-order-hush-money-trial/

  1. [1]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/↩
  2. [2]Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one,” Guardian, March 26, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza↩
  3. [3]Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
  4. [4]Benny Gantz, quoted in Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
  5. [5]David P. Barash and Charles P. Webel, Peace and Conflict Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2002).↩
  6. [6]Melanie Swan, “Israel admits it may not be able to destroy Hamas now US has turned its back,” Telegraph, March 27, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/27/israeli-intelligence-admits-may-not-destroy-hamas/↩
  7. [7]Loveday Morris, “Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. Yet the group remains largely intact,” Washington Post, December 5, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/05/israel-military-offensive-hamas-destruction-gaza/; Alon Pinkas, “Netanyahu is stuck as he battles Hamas: he can’t afford to lose, yet can’t find a way to win,” Guardian, November 30, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/30/netanyahu-hamas-lose-win-israeli-public-us; Paul Rogers, “Israel is losing the war against Hamas – but Netanyahu and his government will never admit it,” Guardian, December 21, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/21/israel-losing-war-against-hamas-netanyahu-idf; Jeremy Scahill, “This Is Not a War Against Hamas,” Intercept, December 11, 2023, https://theintercept.com/2023/12/11/israel-hamas-war-civilians-biden/; Ishaan Tharoor, “Israel is struggling to destroy Hamas, but it’s destroying Gaza,” Washington Post, December 20, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/20/israel-battlefield-gaza-defeat-hamas/↩
  8. [8]Jess Bravin, “South Africa Accuses Israel of Genocide in U.N. Court,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-in-u-n-court-3af69eb7; Ryan Grim, “South Africa Just Made Its Case at The Hague. What’s Next?” Intercept, January 11, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/01/11/south-africa-israel-genocide-charges/; Barbara Moens, Jacopo Barigazzi, and Eddy Wax, “South Africa’s genocide case against Israel lays bare Europe’s feeble power,” Politico, January 11, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/south-africas-genocide-case-against-israel-lays-bare-europes-feeble-power/; Claire Parker and Emily Rauhala to Today’s Worldview list, “What to know about the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ,” Washington Post, January 11, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/todays-worldview/; Yves Smith, “Israel Capitulates at the Start of International Court of Justice Genocide Hearing,” Naked Capitalism, January 11, 2024, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/01/israel-capitulates-at-the-start-of-international-court-of-justice-genocide-hearing.html↩
  9. [9]Democracy Now! “Judith Butler on Hamas, Israel’s Collective Punishment of Gaza & Why Biden Must Push for Ceasefire,” October 26, 2023, https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/26/judith_butler_on_hamas_israels_collective; Democracy Now! “Palestinian Lives Matter Too: Jewish Scholar Judith Butler Condemns Israel’s ‘Genocide’ in Gaza,” October 26, 2023, https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/26/judith_butler_ceasefire_gaza_israel; Nina Lakhani, “Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says,” Guardian, February 27, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-food-starvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide; Khaleda Rahman, “Israel Committing ‘Textbook Case of Genocide,’ Holocaust Historian Says,” Newsweek, October 17, 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/holocaust-historian-israel-committing-genocide-raz-segal-1835346↩
  10. [10]Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. allows U.N. ceasefire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/26/united-states-united-nations-veto-israel-ceasefire-gaza/↩
  11. [11]Karen DeYoung, Yasmeen Abutaleb, and Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit,” Washington Post, March 26, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/25/biden-netanyahu-un-delegation-rift/↩

No surprise here: Israel attacks Rafah

benfell

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump
Finances


Fig. 1. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Edward Helmore, “Seizing Trump’s New York properties will not be easy for Letitia James,” Guardian, March 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/24/letitia-james-seize-trump-assets

Mark Berman, Jonathan O’Connell and Shayna Jacobs, “Trump wins partial stay of fraud judgment, allowed to post $175 million,” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-bond-reduced-new-york-fraud-case/

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[1] fair use.

Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel pounds Rafah in southern Gaza despite ceasefire calls,” Reuters, March 25, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-kills-dozens-gaza-attacks-besieges-two-hospitals-palestinian-medics-say-2024-03-25/

Felicia Schwartz, “UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution,” Financial Times, March 25, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/d96cafbd-4bb0-4b31-8285-7be53ccd6082

Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/

  1. [1]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/↩

I am a news junkie who cannot afford his habit

benfell

The Irregular Bullshit is about to lose some value. I have, for several years, maintained several subscriptions to various publications, to keep up on the news.

But I have suffered some reverses and I am a news junkie who cannot afford his habit. A number of subscriptions will expire beginning in April. I simply cannot afford to continue carrying them. It will take me some time just to find them all to cancel. But unless my life starts making some kind of sense—and we know, as sure as the sun rises in the east, it will not[1]—this cannot continue.

Inevitably, I will be less well informed. Inevitably, the quality here will decline. For that, my profound apologies. There may well be further cuts. My entire online presence is in question. I apologize for all this as well.

There will, in addition, be a toll on my mental health, which after a lifetime of abuse and exploitation, is not great to begin with. My work here and on my blog is in part to take my mind off my utterly intractable other problems. This will not end well. It can’t. Because I have been consistently refused—at this point, how can it not be personal?—the opportunities that nearly everyone else enjoys. Even with a Ph.D.

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump
Finances


Fig. 1. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Finally, we’re seeing the nitty gritty on how Letitia James will have to proceed in seizing Donald Trump’s properties.[2]

Edward Helmore, “Seizing Trump’s New York properties will not be easy for Letitia James,” Guardian, March 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/24/letitia-james-seize-trump-assets

Abortion, reproductive freedom and health


Fig. 2. Sign at demonstration in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, May 3, 2022. Janni Rye, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Chris Geidner, “Anti-abortion rights reach the Supreme Court,” Law Dork, March 25, 2024, https://www.lawdork.com/p/law-dork-video-anti-abortion-rights-reach-scotus

Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2023-2024


Fig. 1. Photograph credited to Office of Congressman Kevin McCarthy, date inconsistent with title but given as November 9, 2022, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

I’m still not inclined to make much of this, but where’s there’s smoke, there might be fire. It doesn’t really sound like the situation[3] has changed much from Friday (March 22),[4] but a narrowing Republican majority may indeed introduce some far out possibilities, like a speaker from the Democratic Party.[5]

Maegan Vazquez and Mariana Alfaro, “Weakened House GOP majority reckons with Johnson’s leadership,” Washington Post, March 24, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/24/house-speaker-johnson-spending-complaints/

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 3. 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,[6] fair use.

Ishaan Tharoor, “The U.S. and Israel have a ‘major credibility problem,’” Washington Post, March 25, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/25/israel-united-states-credibility-confrontation/

  1. [1]It is amply clear that I have been delusional about my value in this society and delusional about my prospects. There’s no excuse. I had hoped that my contributions here might improve my prospects, but this can never happen. My recent setbacks are part of an ongoing pattern of rejection, which I have been in lifelong denial about, that dates to the day I was born. I should have understood this much, much sooner from my father’s abuse, my schoolmates’ relentless teasing and bullying, my ongoing failures in job hunting dating back to when I burned out hard on computer programming, and, of course, the fact I have never found a woman who could tolerate me. I didn’t.↩
  2. [2]Edward Helmore, “Seizing Trump’s New York properties will not be easy for Letitia James,” Guardian, March 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/24/letitia-james-seize-trump-assets↩
  3. [3]Maegan Vazquez and Mariana Alfaro, “Weakened House GOP majority reckons with Johnson’s leadership,” Washington Post, March 24, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/24/house-speaker-johnson-spending-complaints/↩
  4. [4]Victor Reklaitis, “Speaker Johnson faces ouster motion as bill to avert shutdown passes House,” Market Watch, March 22, 2024, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/house-passes-package-that-prevents-government-shutdown-ce0b032b↩
  5. [5]Maegan Vazquez and Mariana Alfaro, “Weakened House GOP majority reckons with Johnson’s leadership,” Washington Post, March 24, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/24/house-speaker-johnson-spending-complaints/↩
  6. [6]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/↩

Watch what they do, less what they say

benfell

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[1] fair use.

There is another new blog post entitled, “On Joe Biden versus Binyamin Netanyahu, watch much more what they do, much less what they say.”

Louisa Loveluck et al., “Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists,” Washington Post, March 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/19/gaza-journalists-killed-israel-al-jazeera-footage/

Ishaan Tharoor, “Israel’s war on Hamas brings famine to Gaza,” Washington Post, March 19, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/03/19/gaza-famine-aid-warn/

Eric Lutz, “Will Biden’s “Immediate Ceasefire” Resolution Actually Change Netanyahu’s Calculus?” Vanity Fair, March 21, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/will-bidens-ceasefire-resolution-change-netanyahus-calculus

Jonathan Freedland, “In defying Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu is exposing the limits of US power,” Guardian, March 22, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/22/joe-biden-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-gaza-donald-trump

  1. [1]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/↩

Donald Trump, twisting and turning

benfell

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump


Fig. 1. Donald Trump, depicted in an orange jumpsuit, reportedly by the Drudge, date unknown, via Mediaite,[1] fair use. Apparently, no mugshot was taken when he was actually arrested over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.[2]

I haven’t done this in a while—I actually have a book in the works (don’t hold your breath)—but there is a new blog post entitled, “Anti-semitism, visible compliance, and righteousness.”

Michael Kranish, “Shadowing Trump’s attacks on mental fitness — his own father’s dementia,” Washington Post, March 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/20/donald-trump-dementia-father-fred-alzheimers-biden/

Peter Smith and Tiffany Stanley, “US Jews upset with Trump’s latest rhetoric say he doesn’t get to tell them how to be Jewish,” Associated Press, March 21, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trump-jewish-voters-democrats-antisemitism-a43bf6f6266d9c6a4b761b82281aa512

Finances


Fig. 2. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

[Letitia] James’s filing did not give a reason for the registration, nor did it specify which of [Donald] Trump’s Westchester assets she intends to seize, but the registration will make it easier for James to secure liens. Westchester is home to two of Trump’s most valuable properties, the Trump National Golf Club Westchester and Seven Springs, a mostly undeveloped 212-acre estate.[3]

James Fanelli and Corinne Ramey, “Trump Says He Can’t Secure Bond for $454 Million Civil-Fraud Judgment,” Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-cant-secure-bond-for-454-million-civil-fraud-judgment-6c6fb7f1

Tori Otten, “Broke Donald Trump Admits He Can’t Post That Massive $464 Million Bond,” New Republic, March 18, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/179901/trump-cant-secure-fraud-bond

Adam Reiss and Dareh Gregorian, “Trump has been unable to get bond for $464 million judgment, his lawyers say,” NBC News, March 18, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-unable-get-bond-464-million-judgment-lawyers-say-rcna143860

Matt Stieb, “Trump Says He Can’t Pay His $464 Million Bond. Now What?” New York, March 18, 2024, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-says-he-cant-find-a-usd464-million-bond-now-what.html

John Cassidy, “A Financial Reckoning for Donald Trump,” New Yorker, March 19, 2024, https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/a-financial-reckoning-for-donald-trump

Joshua Chaffin, “NY attorney-general rejects Donald Trump’s pleas for leniency over $464mn bond,” Financial Times, March 20, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/1237571f-56d4-4248-bafd-c0ed44e21ff8

Jonathan O’Connell and Josh Dawsey, “Bankruptcy is one way out of Trump’s financial jam. He doesn’t want to take it,” Washington Post, March 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/20/trump-bond-bankruptcy/

Bess Levin, “Donald Trump Should Probably File for Bankruptcy, but Likely Won’t Because He’s Worried It Would Make Him Look Like a Loser: Report,” Vanity Fair, March 21, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/donald-trump-bankruptcy-finances

Tori Otten, “Letitia James Is Prepared to Seize One of Trump’s Favorite Assets,” New Republic, March 21, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/180032/new-york-letitia-james-seize-trump-assets-westchester

Kara Scannell, “New York Attorney General takes initial step to prepare to seize Trump assets,” CNN, March 21, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/21/politics/trump-calls-ny-attorney-generals-bond-suggestions-impractical-and-unjust/index.html

Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu, and Shelby Rose to Meanwhile in America list, “Brother, Can You Spare Half a Billion Bucks?” CNN, March 22, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/newsletters

Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2023-2024


Fig. 3. Photograph credited to Office of Congressman Kevin McCarthy, date inconsistent with title but given as November 9, 2022, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who had accused [Mike] Johnson of supporting a “trillion dollar Democrat wish list,” filed a motion Friday that could remove the speaker from his post.

But it wasn’t clear how quickly the House might act on it. Greene told reporters that it’s “basically a warning,” and she doesn’t want to “inflict pain” on the GOP and “throw the House in chaos.”[4]

I don’t know and I sure as hell wouldn’t bank on it, but this feels like the hard right in the House of Representatives has exhausted its ammunition.

Victor Reklaitis, “Speaker Johnson faces ouster motion as bill to avert shutdown passes House,” Market Watch, March 22, 2024, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/house-passes-package-that-prevents-government-shutdown-ce0b032b

Pennsylvania and surrounding areas

Pittsburgh, the Ohio Valley, and surrounding areas

Pollution


Fig. 4. Photographer unknown, circa 1940-1950, from Smoke Control Lantern Slide Collection, ca. 1940-1950, AIS.1978.22, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh, via Bloomberg,[5] fair use.

While lower pollution levels in communities across the nation have largely been attributed to the successful enforcement of the Clean Air Act, passed in 1970, researchers have found that some of the most persistently harmful air in America is present in communities that are predominantly made up of people of color or those with low incomes.

In Clairton, which is about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River, 40 percent of the population is African American and 23 percent live below the poverty line. The Coke Works, PennEnvironment found, was “in violation of the Clean Air Act in every quarter of the three years ending in March 2023” and has been fined more than $10 million since 2018. While Allegheny County’s overall air quality has improved since the days of killer smog and afternoon skies blackened with soot, in places like Clairton, progress still feels a long way off.[6]

Kiley Bense and Victoria St. Martin, “For residents of Clairton, progress on air quality feels a long way off,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, March 21, 2024, https://penncapital-star.com/energy-environment/for-residents-of-clairton-progress-on-air-quality-feels-a-long-way-off/

  1. [1]Alex Griffing, “Drudge Puts Trump in an Orange Jumpsuit as Site Monitors His Potential Indictment,” Mediaite, August 29, 2022, https://www.mediaite.com/news/drudge-puts-trump-in-an-orange-jumpsuit-as-site-monitors-his-potential-indictment/↩
  2. [2]Sarah D. Wire and Alexandra E. Petri, “Trump charged with 34 felony counts in alleged hush money cover-up case,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-04-04/donald-trump-alleged-hush-money-investigation-indictment-arraignment↩
  3. [3]Tori Otten, “Letitia James Is Prepared to Seize One of Trump’s Favorite Assets,” New Republic, March 21, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/180032/new-york-letitia-james-seize-trump-assets-westchester↩
  4. [4]Victor Reklaitis, “Speaker Johnson faces ouster motion as bill to avert shutdown passes House,” Market Watch, March 22, 2024, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/house-passes-package-that-prevents-government-shutdown-ce0b032b↩
  5. [5]Mark Byrnes, “What Pittsburgh Looked Like When It Decided It Had a Pollution Problem,” Bloomberg, June 5, 2012, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-06-05/what-pittsburgh-looked-like-when-it-decided-it-had-a-pollution-problem↩
  6. [6]Kiley Bense and Victoria St. Martin, “For residents of Clairton, progress on air quality feels a long way off,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, March 21, 2024, https://penncapital-star.com/energy-environment/for-residents-of-clairton-progress-on-air-quality-feels-a-long-way-off/↩

Trump wreck

benfell

Illiberalism

Gilead

Donald Trump
Finances


Fig. 1. Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas, undated image credited to https://www.flickr.com/photos/glynlowe/ [bad link], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

It’s like a train wreck. I can’t look away. It looks like Letitia James is preparing to go after the Seven Springs resort and golf course in Westchester County as well as 40 Wall Street.[1] I should be looking very hard at this:

Even one of [Donald Trump’s] legal cases would have been enough to drive any conventional candidate from the race long ago. But Trump leads many national and swing state polls, a sign that his attempts to spin his flurry of legal duress as persecution are working among many Republican voters. His standing in the race also reflects the daunting problems shadowing Biden’s reelection bid as the unpopular president tries to convince Americans that a recovering economy is healthier than they perceive in their daily lives, despite increasingly expensive groceries and the high interest rates that make housing and other major purchases so daunting.[2]

But the truth is, after having written a dissertation on conservatism, observed all I’ve observed since, I still really have no explanation.

James Fanelli and Corinne Ramey, “Trump Says He Can’t Secure Bond for $454 Million Civil-Fraud Judgment,” Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-cant-secure-bond-for-454-million-civil-fraud-judgment-6c6fb7f1

Tori Otten, “Broke Donald Trump Admits He Can’t Post That Massive $464 Million Bond,” New Republic, March 18, 2024, https://newrepublic.com/post/179901/trump-cant-secure-fraud-bond

Adam Reiss and Dareh Gregorian, “Trump has been unable to get bond for $464 million judgment, his lawyers say,” NBC News, March 18, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-unable-get-bond-464-million-judgment-lawyers-say-rcna143860

Matt Stieb, “Trump Says He Can’t Pay His $464 Million Bond. Now What?” New York, March 18, 2024, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-says-he-cant-find-a-usd464-million-bond-now-what.html

John Cassidy, “A Financial Reckoning for Donald Trump,” New Yorker, March 19, 2024, https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/a-financial-reckoning-for-donald-trump

Joshua Chaffin, “NY attorney-general rejects Donald Trump’s pleas for leniency over $464mn bond,” Financial Times, March 20, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/1237571f-56d4-4248-bafd-c0ed44e21ff8

Jonathan O’Connell and Josh Dawsey, “Bankruptcy is one way out of Trump’s financial jam. He doesn’t want to take it,” Washington Post, March 20, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/20/trump-bond-bankruptcy/

Bess Levin, “Donald Trump Should Probably File for Bankruptcy, but Likely Won’t Because He’s Worried It Would Make Him Look Like a Loser: Report,” Vanity Fair, March 21, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/donald-trump-bankruptcy-finances

Kara Scannell, “New York Attorney General takes initial step to prepare to seize Trump assets,” CNN, March 21, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/21/politics/trump-calls-ny-attorney-generals-bond-suggestions-impractical-and-unjust/index.html

Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu, and Shelby Rose to Meanwhile in America list, “Brother, Can You Spare Half a Billion Bucks?” CNN, March 22, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/newsletters

Imperialism

Israel

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. 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,[3] fair use.

What happens when a wet noodle meets an unstoppable force? About what you’re seeing with Joe Biden and Binyamin Netanyahu.[4]

Eric Lutz, “Will Biden’s “Immediate Ceasefire” Resolution Actually Change Netanyahu’s Calculus?” Vanity Fair, March 21, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/will-bidens-ceasefire-resolution-change-netanyahus-calculus

  1. [1]Kara Scannell, “New York Attorney General takes initial step to prepare to seize Trump assets,” CNN, March 21, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/21/politics/trump-calls-ny-attorney-generals-bond-suggestions-impractical-and-unjust/index.html↩
  2. [2]Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu, and Shelby Rose to Meanwhile in America list, “Brother, Can You Spare Half a Billion Bucks?” CNN, March 22, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/newsletters↩
  3. [3]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/↩
  4. [4]Eric Lutz, “Will Biden’s “Immediate Ceasefire” Resolution Actually Change Netanyahu’s Calculus?” Vanity Fair, March 21, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/will-bidens-ceasefire-resolution-change-netanyahus-calculus↩