Widow of successful investor donates $1 billion to medical school to abolish tuition. “The donation marks the largest made to any medical school in the United States. It was made by 93-year-old Dr. Ruth Gottesman, the chair of the Einstein Board of Trustees and a former professor. The money came from her late husband’s investment in Berkshire Hathaway — an investment that is now changing lives. ‘My mom’s been a physician for 30 years,’ said first-year student Leeva Laub. ‘She’s still paying off her debt for medical school. Like this is really, really life-changing. I think people don’t even comprehend how much it can change the trajectory of our life. We’re really, really grateful.’ ….Officials say the gift is intended to attract a talented and diverse pool of students who may not otherwise have the means to pursue a medical education.” https://abc7ny.com/einstein-medical-school-bronx-albert-montefiore/14469941/
Aaron Bushnell, the soldier who immolated himself in front of Israeli embassy, told friend U.S. troops were fighting in Gaza. “‘He told me on Saturday that we have troops in those tunnels, that it’s US soldiers participating in the killings,’ the pal, whose ties to Bushnell have been verified by The Post, claimed. ….’He told me that we had troops on the ground, you know, that were there and were killing large numbers of Palestinians.’ ….Aaron also supported the Burning River Anarchist Collective and Mutual Aid Street Solidarity on his Facebook page. Bushnell’s friend said he had no idea the devout Christian would commit suicide, especially since the airman previously told him he was against it.” https://nypost.com/2024/02/27/us-news/aaron-bushnell-claimed-secret-knowledge-of-us-forces-in-gaza/
U.S. cities break February high temperature records. “Some of the cities that saw their hottest February day on record [on Monday] include Omaha (80 degrees), Des Moines (78 degrees), Minneapolis (65 degrees) and Abilene, Texas (94 degrees). ….In Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, the thermometer hit an astounding 100 degrees. ….After hitting a record-breaking 80 degrees on Monday, St. Louis soared to 86 on Tuesday, the all-time record for St. Louis in February. ….Over 40 cities set record highs on Tuesday. Detroit hit 73 on Tuesday to break the all-time record highs for February. Tuesday also saw Wisconsin all-time record highs for the month in Milwaukee (74), Green Bay (70) and Madison (70).” https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/soaring-temperatures-record-breaking-warmth-end-february It’s going to be a long, hot summer…. Better get used to it.
NATO countries say they have no plans to send troops into Ukraine, in response to suggestion by France’s president. “Macron’s comments were interesting in part because he wasn’t talking about an alliance-wide initiative (which would require consensus among all 31 members) but rather an individual bilateral initiative of the sort that’s used to help train and arm Ukraine’s military. Even so, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and even the United States swiftly disavowed his idea. ….’We will continue to provide Ukraine with comprehensive military assistance, but as a NATO member, Canada has no plans to deploy combat troops to Ukraine,’ said [Ministry of Defense spokesperson] Diana Ebadi.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/macron-ukraine-russia-putin-1.7127500
Macy’s to close more than 150 department stores nationwide. “On Tuesday, Macy’s said the 150 stores would close over the next three years, 50 of which will be closed by the end of 2024. At least 400 employees at the [San Francisco] Union Square Location are impacted, according to the UFCW Local 5, which represents workers there. ….Macy’s says the closures are due to sluggish sales and they’re hoping to fend off a pending takeover bid.” https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-macys-sf-union-square-retail-store-closure-location-closing/14473247/
CEO of Kellogg’s suggests that financially struggling families eat cereal for dinner. “Kellogg’s CEO and chairman is being compared to Marie Antoinette after he suggested Americans start having cereal for dinner to deal with rising food costs amid inflation. Gary Pilnick made the controversial comments during an appearance on CNBC last week, sparking backlash online from many offended by the suggestion from the CEO, who makes more than $4 million a year. ….’If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable,’ Pilnick said, claiming that it could help a ‘consumer under pressure’ because the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit ‘is less than a dollar’. ….’Hey, what stage of capitalism is this?’ asked a TikToker before sharing footage of the CEO’s suggestion. ….Others pointed out that cereal prices have also gone up by 28 percent thanks to inflation.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13132325/Kelloggs-CEO-suggestion-Americans-eat-cereal-dinne.html
United Auto Workers union claims more than half of employees at Alabama Mercedes-Benz plant have signed union cards. “Hitting a majority of sign-ups marks a milestone for the UAW as it seeks to represent workers at foreign-owned auto plants in the South. The union has struggled to organize such facilities for years but has seen a surge of interest from workers following its historic strike against Ford, General Motors and Jeep parent company Stellantis last year. ….The union can file for an election when at least 30% of the proposed bargaining unit have signed authorization cards, but unions typically wait until a strong majority of workers ― often two-thirds or more ― have gotten onboard before seeking a vote, assuming the company will try to erode support. The union needs to get more than half of the votes cast to win. About 6,000 employees work at the Tuscaloosa plant producing sport utility vehicles, according to Mercedes. Opened in 1995, it was the company’s first major vehicle production plant outside its home country of Germany.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alabama-mercedes-united-auto-workers_n_65dd0ad5e4b0189a6a7f0197
Ukrainian drone operator captures video of UFO over battlefield. “‘Ukrainian defenders filmed an unidentified disc-shaped object in the combat zone. pic.twitter.com/Ak8wKUbAPm ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) February 28, 2024‘ ….’Why isn’t it moving?’ one serviceman asked, after the object appeared to remain still despite the drone zooming in. ‘I’m telling you, it’s a UFO, for sure. It is staying in place, on the screen,’ one member of the battalion said. ‘Zoom in more. It’s standing still, do you see?’ another said.” https://www.newsweek.com/mystery-ufo-spotted-drone-ukraine-war-1874156
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit of tortured Gitmo detainee. “U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice ruled Tuesday that the suit Abu Zubaydah filed last year against psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen was precluded by a 2006 federal law limiting the ability of war-on-terror detainees who are not U.S. citizens to sue in U.S. courts over their detention or treatment. Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah, born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents, argued that the legislation applies only to U.S. government employees and not to contractors like Mitchell and Jessen. But Rice, an appointee of President Barack Obama, disagreed. ….After being captured in Pakistan in 2002, Abu Zubaydah, also known as Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, was waterboarded at least 83 times while in CIA custody, according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report released in part in 2014. The report said he was also subjected to a variety of other torture techniques, including being confined in a small box and being placed in so-called stress positions. ….The interrogation sessions led by Mitchell and Jessen at a so-called black site in Poland continued for 17 consecutive days in August 2002. ….At a military tribunal hearing for another detainee in Guantanamo in 2020, Mitchell testified that he repeatedly begged officials at CIA headquarters to be permitted to end the simulated drownings of Abu Zubaydah but officials insisted they continue, the New York Times reported.” https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/27/al-qaeda-operatives-lawsuit-cia-waterboarding-00143644 How about a law to block civilians killed by U.S. drone strikes from suing? Or blocking lawsuits by people who were victimized after U.S. orchestrated coups in their countries brought repressive regimes into power?
Overwhelming majority of Americans favor ceasefire in Gaza. “When asked if they support the US calling for a permanent Gaza ceasefire and a general de-escalation of violence, 67% of respondents said they did, including 77% of Democrats, 69% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans. ….In the latest poll, voters were then asked if they would support the US calling for a ceasefire, de-escalation, and the “release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.” Including the call for the release of hostages increased support to 74%.” https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/27/poll-two-thirds-of-us-voters-support-us-pushing-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza/
China calls on governments with nuclear weapons to make ‘no first use’ pledges. “During the [U.N. Conference on Disarmament’s] weekly meeting in Geneva on Monday, Sun [Xiaobo] said the body should define a roadmap or timetable for an international legal instrument that would protect non-nuclear-weapon states from the threat of nuclear weapons. ‘Nuclear-weapon states should negotiate and conclude a treaty on no-first-use of nuclear weapons against each other or make a political statement in this regard,’ Sun said. China and India are currently the only two nuclear powers to formally maintain a ‘no first use’ policy. Russia and the United States have the world’s biggest nuclear arsenals.” https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-02-27/china-urges-un-to-define-roadmap-to-exempt-non-nuclear-states-from-nuclear-threat-state-media-says
More than 100,000 Michigan Democrats vote ‘uncommitted’ in primary election. “It is a warning shot to the Democratic party, and shows more signs of expanding than diminishing as the primary season wears on. In just four weeks, the uncommitted campaign mobilized a cohort of progressives concentrated in the suburbs of Detroit, a region that saw a significant rise in Democratic turnout four years ago. ‘This is a humanitarian vote,’ said the [Listen to Michigan] campaign’s manager, Layla Elabed, a 34-year-old lifelong Democrat, as she sipped coffee at a Yemeni cafe on a frigid Sunday morning, two days before the vote. ‘Right now, Joe Biden sits in a place of power where he can actually change course and save lives.'” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/28/michigan-uncommitted-vote-biden-israel-support
Sen. Bernie Sanders says U.S. spending too much on weapons. “In an article published Tuesday in The Atlantic, Sanders (I-Vt.) called for a revived Truman Committee—a World War II-era bipartisan congressional panel ‘designed to rein in defense contractors, closely oversee military contracts, and take back excessive payments’. ‘America’s national priorities are badly misplaced,’ [Sanders] asserted. ‘Our country spends, with almost no debate, nearly $1 trillion a year on the military while at the same time ignoring massive problems at home. We apparently have unlimited amounts of money for nuclear weapons, fighter planes, bombs, and tanks. But somehow we can’t summon the resources to provide healthcare for all, childcare, affordable housing, and other basic needs. The United States remains the world’s dominant military power,’ the senator continued. ‘Alone, we account for roughly 40% of global military spending; the U.S. spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined, most of whom are allies. Last year, we spent more than three times what China spent on its military.’ ….Sanders noted that nearly half of the approximately $900 billion the U.S. will allocate for military spending this year ‘will go to a handful of huge defense contractors enjoying immense profits.'” https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-military-spending-2667378533
Huge tax cuts for the rich have fueled inequality and austerity. “An analysis released Tuesday by Oxfam estimates that the richest 1% in G20 countries have seen their top income tax rates plummet by around a third in recent decades, a trend that the group attributed to political and economic elites’ years-long ‘war on fair taxation’. Oxfam’s analysis was published as G20 finance ministers and central bank governors convened in São Paulo, Brazil for their first meeting of 2024. The humanitarian and anti-poverty group noted that in Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, the mega-rich pay a lower effective tax rate than the average worker following years of regressive cuts across the G20, which is home to most of the world’s billionaires. In 1980, Oxfam said Tuesday, the average top marginal tax rate across G20 nations was 59.5%. By 2022, the top rate had been cut to 40.4%—a 32% drop. In the U.S., tax cuts under the Bush and Trump administrations cut the top marginal rate for wealthy Americans and added roughly $10 trillion to the national debt.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/oxfam-war-on-taxation
1/3 of Americans polled say constitution gives citizens too much freedom of speech. “According to a new poll from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a First Amendment organization, nearly a third of Americans, including similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats, say that the First Amendment goes ‘too far’ in the rights it guarantees. More than half agreed that their local community should not allow a public speech that espouses a belief they find particularly offensive. ….The survey, which was conducted in partnership with the Polarization Research Lab (PRL) at Dartmouth College, asked 1,000 Americans about their opinions on free speech and expression. The survey found that ‘when it comes to whether people are able to freely express their views,’ over two-thirds of respondents said they believed America was headed in the wrong direction. [And what direction is that? Headed towards too much censorship and intolerance? Or the opposite?] Further, only 25 percent of respondents agreed that the right to free speech was ‘very’ or ‘completely’ secure. ….The survey also asked respondents to read a dozen controversial statements and pick the one they found most offensive. The most disliked beliefs were that ‘all whites are racist oppressors’, [LOL!] followed by statements like ‘America got what it deserved on 9/11’ and ‘January 6th was a peaceful protest’. The survey then asked respondents whether they’d agree with allowing this opinion to be expressed in different circumstances. Half of the respondents said that their community ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ should not permit a public speech expressing the opinion they found most offensive.” https://reason.com/2024/02/27/poll-almost-a-third-of-americans-say-the-first-amendment-goes-too-far/ ‘Free speech for me, but not for thee.’ If ‘offensiveness’ is the criteria for censorship, then almost all political speech would end up being banned because someone is going to be offended by any controversial statement.
Progressive News Service 