Democratic Party not planning to hold presidential primary debates. “The national Democratic Party has said it will support [President Joe] Biden’s reelection, and it has no plans to sponsor primary debates. Biden is not expected to face any serious opposition from elected Democrats for the nomination, despite concerns from some in the party about his age and dissatisfaction among some liberals who say he has not pushed their priorities hard enough…. Marianne Williamson, who ran against Biden in 2020, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of former senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) — have announced they will challenge Biden for the nomination.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/20/biden-reelection-announcement-next-week/ “The Republican Party didn’t hold any primary debates ahead of the 2020 presidential election, when incumbent Trump easily was again chosen by his party…. There were no GOP-organized primary debates ahead of the 2004 presidential election, when President George W. Bush secured a second term, nor ahead of President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection. Similarly, the Democratic Party didn’t run any primary debates in 2012, when President Barack Obama was seeking reelection, though one was organized independently involving seven minor candidates. Nor did President Bill Clinton take part in any Democratic National Committee-run debates ahead of his reelection in 1996.” https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-do-democrats-plan-cancel-presidential-primary-debates-1796585
Bernie Sanders says he won’t run for president in 2024, endorses Joe Biden. “The last thing this country needs is a Donald Trump or some other right-wing demagogue who is going to try to undermine American democracy or take away a woman’s right to choose, or not address the crisis of gun violence, or racism, sexism or homophobia,” Sanders said in an interview. “So, I’m in to do what I can to make sure that the president is reelected.” https://apnews.com/article/bernie-sanders-biden-endorsement-2024-d8f0772b117e2bf83e1062708ea651c0 I don’t think this is going to play out the way Bernie is hoping though. People who didn’t know who Biden was last time will not have any illusions about him this time. Now they KNOW he’s a supporter of ‘business as usual’ – inequality, capitalism, fossil fuel, the police state and war. Hard to believe that Bernie doesn’t see this.
Turkish police arrest Kurdish leftist candidates and campaign workers ahead of May 14th presidential and parliamentary election. “The bar association of the city of Diyarbakir, where most of the arrests are concentrated, declared that at the moment there are 126 detainees and that the operation continues…. According to the public television channel TRT, the Prosecutor’s Office accuses the detainees of ‘recruiting’, ‘financing’ and ‘propaganda’ [on behalf] of the Kurdish guerrilla PKK, considered a terrorist organization in Turkey, the European Union and the United States…. The HDP party declared that the majority of detainees are senior officials of their party or members affiliated with the formation…. Due to a legal case to close the party, the HDP will contest the parliamentary elections in May under the name of the Green Left Party (YSP), to avoid the formation being affected in a possible closure during the electoral campaign. The YSP participates in a coalition with five other left-wing parties.” https://www.dailynewsen.com/breaking/middle-east-wave-of-arrests-against-the-kurdish-left-before-the-elections-h112987.html “The elections are being seen as Turkey’s most significant for years, with six opposition parties uniting behind a single candidate in Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The HDP is not part of that so-called Table of Six but has backed his candidacy. Mr Kilicdaroglu leads the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and opinion polls give him a realistic chance of defeating Turkey’s long-time leader Mr Erdogan, who has been in power for more than 20 years. He has accused Mr Erdogan’s ruling AK Party of stigmatising millions of Turkish Kurds as terrorists to consolidate nationalist votes.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65385119
State of Washington bans sales of ‘assault weapons’. “With the governor’s signature, Washington becomes the 10th state to adopt an ‘assault weapons’ ban. ‘No one needs an AR-15 to protect your family,’ Inslee said while surrounded by family members of shooting victims. ‘You only need it to kill other families.’ …. A lawsuit challenging the assault weapons ban was announced almost simultaneously with Tuesday’s bill signing. The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, accusing lawmakers of violating the Second Amendment with an outright ban on semiautomatic rifles. ‘The state has put politics ahead of constitutional rights, and is penalizing law-abiding citizens while this legislation does nothing to arrest and prosecute criminals who misuse firearms in defiance of all existing gun control laws,’ SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb said in a press release. ‘It is absurd.'” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/washington-governor-signs-big-gun-control-package-including-assault-weapons-ban-no-one-needs-ar-15 Like explosives and knives, firearms are tools that can be used for good or evil. If they are only for evil, why are police officers armed with them? Bad guys will still have access to this technology through the black market, and so will the government (which is what the 2nd Amendment is really about, based on my reading of the Declaration of Independence: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript), but the law-abiding public in 10 states no longer will.
Alabama Sweet 16 party shooting: Six suspects, seven guns. “State investigators found 89 shell casings and believe seven guns were used at a dance studio shooting that left four people dead during a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville, Alabama, earlier this month, according to a report from CNN affiliate WBMA. The new details came Tuesday during testimony from an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency special agent at a bail hearing for several shooting suspects, according to WBMA…. Another new detail came to light as the investigator testified one of the deceased victims may have fired first, according to CNN affiliates WTVM and WFSA.” https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/25/us/dadeville-alabama-birthday-party-shooting-hearing/index.html None of these weapons were ‘assault weapons’ apparently.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly failed to recuse himself when hearing case involving billionaire’s brother. “According to NPR, the value of Thomas’s undisclosed gifts [from Harlan Crow] could total over a million dollars, and ProPublica’s investigation valued the Indonesia trip alone at $500,000…. Thomas has said that his failure to report gifts he accepted from Crow did not violate the law because he did not have business before the court. But in 2005, an architecture firm appealed [to] the Supreme Court in a case alleging misuse of copyrighted designs and sought $25 million in damages from Trammell Crow Residential, a firm founded by [Trammell and Harlan] Crow’s father and in which the Crow family was invested at the time, as Bloomberg reported on Monday. The court, including Thomas, who did not recuse himself, voted to deny the petition.” https://theintercept.com/2023/04/25/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-citizenship-st-kitts/
Oakland homicide detective accused of paying witness to lie at murder trial. “According to Oaklandside, the detective — Phong Tran — is accused of paying a witness to lie in a murder case that resulted in two men receiving life sentences…. Oaklandside reported that the charges against Tran stem from the murder of Charles Butler, who was shot and killed in his car in Oakland in December 2011. The outlet reported that Tran suspected Giovonte Douglas and Cartier Hunter of killing Butler but didn’t have enough evidence to arrest the two men. However, in 2013, a witness came forward and claimed that she saw Hunter shoot Butler and flee in a car driven by Douglas…. But in 2021, the witness reportedly withdrew her testimony and told Douglas’ attorney that she had received payments from Tran and had been pressured by Tran into lying about what she saw.” https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/arrest-warrant-issued-for-oakland-police-detective-17917666.php
Colorado passes ‘right to repair’ law for farm equipment. “‘I am proud to sign this important bipartisan legislation that saves hardworking farmers and ranchers time and money on repairs, and supports Colorado’s thriving agriculture industry,’ [Governor Jared Polis (D)] said in an emailed statement. ‘This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help people avoid unnecessary delays from equipment repairs.’ …. Once the law goes into effect on Jan 1, farm machinery manufacturers… will have to provide farmers with diagnostic tools, software and documents. Independent technicians will also be able to access similar resources.” https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/colorado-governor-signs-first-us-agriculture-right-repair-bill-into-law-2023-04-25/
Singapore executes man for attempted marijuana trafficking. “While cannabis has been legalized in a growing number of nations worldwide, Singapore maintains some of the world’s harshest drug laws and its government remains adamant that capital punishment works to deter drug traffickers and must remain in place to maintain public safety. Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean, was put to death on Wednesday in Changi Prison, Singapore Prison Service said in a brief statement. His sister Leelavathy Suppiah told CNN that her brother had been hanged and that the family had received a death certificate…. ‘Once again, Singapore shows how completely out of step they are with the basic concepts of human rights, proportionality in criminal punishments and justice,’ [Asia deputy director of Human Rights Watch Phil] Robertson said.” https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/25/asia/singapore-cannabis-execution-tangaraju-suppiah-intl-hnk/index.html
Death toll from Christian ‘starvation cult’ in Kenya hits 90. “The discovery of mass graves in Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi has shocked Kenyans, with cult leader Paul Mackenzie Nthenge accused of driving his followers to death by preaching that starvation was the only path to God…. The majority of the dead were children, according to three sources close to the investigation, highlighting the macabre nature of the cult’s alleged practices which included urging parents to starve their offspring…. Hussein Khalid, executive director of the rights group Haki Africa that tipped off the police to Mackenzie’s activities, told AFP that the cult appeared to require children to starve first, followed by women, and finally men…. The televangelist had been arrested in 2017 on charges of “radicalization” after urging families not to send their children to school, saying education was not recognized by the Bible.” https://news.yahoo.com/kenya-starvation-cult-death-toll-183100702.html
Amnesty International urges Biden administration to free Leonard Peltier. “Amnesty International has launched a new campaign calling on Joe Biden to grant clemency for Leonard Peltier, the Indigenous rights activist whose health is deteriorating after almost five decades in maximum security prison for crimes he has always denied…. he was convicted for killing two FBI agents in a trial rife with irregularities and due process violations including evidence that the agency coerced witnesses and withheld and falsified evidence…. Peltier was a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), an Indigenous civil rights movement founded in Minneapolis that was infiltrated and repressed by the FBI.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/18/leonard-peltier-release-biden-amnesty-international I don’t think the U.S. realizes how bad it’s going to look internationally if he dies in prison.
An estimated 1,200 EU citizens flown out of Sudan. “‘We have been evacuating EU citizens and some citizens from other countries. I cannot give you a precise number. I can give you the number of my staff, around 21, but my best estimation is more than 1,200 evacuated by the end of the day, on 31 flights,’ [foreign affairs chief Josep] Borrell told a press conference after the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.” https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/eu-evacuates-1-200-european-citizens-from-sudan-says-foreign-affairs-chief-123042500098_1.html U.K. also flying its citizens out of Sudan. “The first flight carrying British nationals escaping conflict-hit Sudan has landed in the UK…. A total of eight evacuation flights are expected to leave Khartoum by the end of Wednesday…. The first onward flight to the UK is carrying about 250 people…. ‘We’re calling everyone forward and we have no issue with capacity, and people are being processed smoothly,’ he said, adding those travelling to the airport were not having significant issues. Trapped British nationals had been told to make their own way to an airstrip near Sudanese capital Khartoum.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65395361 Second American dies in Sudan. “The White House said on Wednesday that a second American had died in Sudan on Tuesday amid violence between warring parties.” https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-confirms-death-second-american-sudan-2023-04-26/ Why aren’t Americans being flown out? “The United States has, for decades, considered its commitment to its citizens abroad to be sacrosanct. For this reason, until very recently, the evacuation of noncombatants from conflict zones—known as a Noncombatant Evacuation Operation—was a relatively common and quintessentially American mission…. Since the early 1980s, the U.S. has executed approximately one NEO every two years…. The Biden administration understandably wishes to avoid a repetition of those events [which occurred during the evacuation of Kabul]. But in doing so, it is sending the message that the U.S. government is no longer willing to go to the same lengths it once was to recover American citizens.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/04/sudan-evacuation-us-citizens-abroad-noncombatant-evacuation-operation/673843/
General Motors to discontinue Chevy Bolt. “The Bolt was (and is, so long as you can still find it) the best value in EVs you can buy today. The smaller Bolt EV started at $27,495 (including destination); the slightly larger EUV model ran $28,795 (including destination). That got you a modern EV with over 200 miles of real-world usable range, enough space to seat five, and all of the modern creature comforts and safety features you’d expect with a new car in 2023. On top of that, the Bolts are among the few EVs you can buy today that qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, which among other requirements, has a price cap. This was a brand-new EV for a total cost well under $30,000. There’s literally nothing quite like it on the road, and it’s a shame that GM has decided it no longer has a future…. Yes, we should have EVs that cater to the wants of Americans that demand bigger, showier, faster cars. But we are also going to need a lot more cars like the Bolt if we want people to adopt EVs faster than they are now.” https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/26/23697911/gm-discontinued-chevy-bolt-small-affordable-ev This might be counter-intuitive, but how about an EV smaller and cheaper than a Bolt or a Leaf? EVs are a lot simpler to build than IC cars, so it should be possible to make them cheaper, giving cash-strapped consumers a sub-compact, affordable option. For example, the Nissan Sakura. The mid-level X model is about $18,000 in Japan: https://global.nissannews.com/en/releases/nissan-unveils-all-new-all-electric-minivehicle-in-japan
Six UFO whistle-blowers have reportedly contacted Congress. “Senior members of Congress have spoken to as many as six whistleblowers who claim they worked on Roswell-style UFO crash retrieval and reverse engineering programs, according to a top attorney, a leading Stanford scientist, and ex-UFO program officials…. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, [attorney] Daniel Sheehan said he is in contact with at least six former government officials or military contractors who say they worked on just such a program…. Immunologist and Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Garry Nolan… claims to be in contact with several former staffers of extraordinary UFO ‘reverse engineering’ programs…. Another Nobel Prize nominee and CIA scientist Dr. Hal Puthoff, who worked in the government’s 2008-2012 UFO program called AAWSAP, told DailyMail.com that he had briefed Congress on classified information about reverse engineering programs, and knew of whistleblowers who had worked in the alleged programs…. Documentarian James Fox told The Amazing People Podcast on April 4, 2023 that he had just interviewed at least four whistleblowers who had testified to [AARO director Dr. Sean] Kirkpatrick with evidence of UFO crash retrieval programs…. Physicist and intelligence official Dr. Eric Davis allegedly met with then-deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Admiral Thomas Wilson, in Las Vegas in October 2002, and wrote notes of what Wilson told him. According to the notes, the Vice Admiral told Davis that in the early 2000s he uncovered – but was denied access to – a secret program run by a defense contractor that retrieved and attempted to reverse engineer UFOs…. Wilson allegedly met with three officials from the program who called themselves ‘the watch committee’, who told him ‘they were a reverse engineering program’ with ‘something recovered years ago… an intact craft they believed could fly’. ‘Program manager said they didn’t know where it was from,’ Wilson told Davis, according to the notes. ‘It was technology that was not of this Earth – not made by man – not by human hands.’ Despite his rank, the DIA deputy was denied access, and his bosses said his career would suffer if he pursued it, the notes claimed.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11996773/Six-whistleblowers-spill-UFO-secrets-congress.html
FBI reports drop in mass shootings. “The FBI counted 50 such shootings in 2022, a decrease from the 61 incidents recorded in 2021. At the same time, the bloodshed from those attacks rose — 313 casualties last year, including 100 deaths, compared with 243, including 103 deaths, in 2021…. The FBI defines a mass shooting as when one or more individuals actively engage in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. The bureau’s definition excludes shootings motivated by gang violence, drug violence, domestic disputes or hostage situations, or resulting from another criminal act, like a bank robbery.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/04/26/fbi-mass-shootings-report/
FBI conducted over 200,000 unauthorized searches of NSA data in 2022. “After a string of scandals, these newly released documents demonstrate some of the steps the FBI took to train personnel who apparently did not understand how to stay within the law’s extremely broad mandate. Namely, to query the collected communications of U.S. persons only if they are investigating foreign intelligence, a crime, or both, still without judicial review. According to FBI director and media reports, these guidelines led to a significant drop in unauthorized searches, but even this “dramatic” drop still allegedly resulted in over two hundred thousand warrantless searches of Americans’ private communications in 2022 alone. That’s two hundred thousand too many; Congress should close the “backdoor loophole” and require the FBI to get a search warrant.” https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/internal-documents-show-how-little-fbi-did-correct-misuse-section-702-databases
Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96. “He continued making films into his 80s, making his final appearance in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. In his music career, he recorded more than 30 albums, including collaborative records with Nana Mouskouri, Lena Horne, and Miriam Makeba. Bob Dylan even made his first recorded appearance playing harmonica on Belafonte’s 1962 album, Midnight Special. A close friend of Martin Luther King, the artist was a notable and visible supporter of the civil rights movement, who bankrolled several anti-segregation organisations and was known to have bailed Dr King and other activists out of jail. He was one of the organisers of the 1963 March on Washington, and also took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965…. The star also campaigned against poverty, apartheid and AIDS in Africa; and became an ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund. In 1985, he organised the charity single We Are the World, an all-star musical collaboration that raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia…. Even in his late 80s, Belafonte was still speaking out on race and income equality and urged President Barack Obama to do more to help the poor.” https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65390525
Scientists discover rapid heating of ocean’s surface. “Scientists from institutions including Mercator Ocean International in France, Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States, and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research collaborated to discover that as the planet has accumulated as much heat in the past 15 years as it did in the previous 45 years, the majority of the excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans. In March, researchers examining the ocean off the east coast of North America found that the water’s surface was 13.8°C, or 14.8°F, hotter than the average temperature between 1981 and 2011…. Hotter oceans could lead to further glacial melting—in turn weakening ocean currents that carry warm water across the globe and support the global food chain—as well as intensified hurricanes and tropical storms, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels due to thermal expansion.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/ocean-warming-study
Progressive News Service 