Search Results for: BID

Pro-Cancel Culture: Right-wing ideology has always tried to ostracize people for the views it despises

“It’s official: the Republican party is more devoted to a one-term, twice impeached con man than they are to the truth and protecting our democracy. Truth shouldn’t be political. Those who speak uncomfortable truths should be heard, not pushed to silence. Every step along the way, Republicans have had a chance to steer their party in a better direction. Instead, they chose the politically expedient route. None of this has to do with how best to serve our country or how to benefit our neighbors. It isn’t policy based or even ideologically driven. It is simply a die-hard devotion...

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Today’s Jim Crow America: When a political party abandons democracy to “save” the nation

As expected, the House Republicans elected Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Trump’s choice for conference chair, to replace Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY). This means that the four top House Republican leaders — Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Stefanik, and Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer (R-AL) — all voted to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Stefanik thanked “President Trump for his support,” saying “he is a critical part of our Republican team.” She went on to say that “House Republicans are united in our fight to save our country from...

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From Redcoats to Redhats: Oligarchs prevail when the core function of a democratic republic is suppressed

The Republican party has now introduced over 300 pieces of legislation designed to make it more difficult for American citizens to participate in the process of selecting their representatives, the core function of a democratic republic. They’ve also proposed or passed numerous laws criminalizing protest and dissent, primary American values written into the First Amendment, and given a “get out of jail free” card to people who kill protesters. Today’s Republican party does not believe in democracy or the core idea on which this nation was founded: “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their...

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Israel has its own “Black Lives Matter” reckoning as Palestinian minority protests against Anti-Arab Racism

By James L. Gelvin, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Los Angeles The images and reports coming from Israel, Jerusalem and Gaza in recent days are shocking. They are also surprising to those who thought the 2020 Abraham Accords and subsequent agreements to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan would place the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians permanently on the backburner. As someone who has been writing and teaching about the Middle East for more than 30 years, I had no such illusions. The reason for this is that...

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CDC announces that masks are no longer required indoors or outside for fully vaccinated people

Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear a mask in most situations, indoors and outdoors, federal health officials said in an updated set of recommendations on May 13 that marks a major turning point in the pandemic. The announcement is a shift from earlier federal guidance, which had urged people who are vaccinated to continue wearing a face mask when indoors with anyone not vaccinated or when in large-group settings. With a larger share of Americans vaccinated and a growing stack of studies confirming the vaccines’ effectiveness, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease...

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Milwaukee awarded $20M from HUD grant to increase affordable housing and address homelessness

Marcia L. Fudge, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced the allocation of nearly $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to help communities across the country create affordable housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Nearly $90 million was awarded to regions across Wisconsin, with more than $20 million specifically for Milwaukee. Secretary Fudge released the news on April 12 during a Zoom call with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH), Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin. The supplemental funding was allocated through the HOME...

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