U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Registration Requirement to Take Effect April 11, 2025

The new immigration rule will take effect on April 11, 2025. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) requiring non-citizens who remain in the U.S. for 30 days or more and were not previously registered to register and be fingerprinted.

Individuals who are considered already registered include: Individuals issued immigrant or nonimmigrant visas before their last date of arrival

• Individuals admitted to the United States as nonimmigrants who were issued Form I-94 or I-94W (paper or electronic)

• Lawful permanent residents

• Individuals issued an employment authorization document

• Individuals paroled into the United States

• Individuals placed into removal proceedings

• Individuals who have applied for lawful permanent residence using Forms I-485, I-687, I-691, I-698, I-700, and provided fingerprints, even if the applications were denied

• Individuals issued Border Crossing Cards

Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration

A Rule by the Homeland Security Department on 03/12/2025

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Diplomats and officials with A and G visa status, as well as certain American Indians born in Canada, are exempt from the registration requirement.

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USCIS has published additional information about the registration requirement.

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Each individual not already considered registered must create their own USCIS Online Account. Non-citizen children under the age of 14 must apply to register and be fingerprinted (unless waived) within 30 days of their fourteenth birthday. Children under the age of 14 must be registered by their parents/guardians. And also create an online account on their child’s behalf, in their child’s name. Once the USCIS online account is created, the registrant must complete G-325R.

Canadian visitors who enter the U.S. at a land port of entry and were not issued Form I-94 at admission will be required to register if they remain in the U.S. for 30 days or longer.

Canadians require a visa to enter the US

“U.S. immigration lawyer Len Saunders says the U.S. enforcing a visitor registration law for Canadians is ‘disastrous’ because most won’t know about it and could face arrest.”

— New U.S. immigration rules for Canadians ‘disastrous,’ says lawyer | Hanomansing Tonight

An individual who deliberately fails or refuses to apply for registration or to be fingerprinted may face a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both. Failing to carry proof of registration at all times or to report a change of address can result in a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. Furthermore, an individual who does not comply with the requirement to report a change of address may be subject to deportation unless the failure to report was not willful or was reasonably justified.

The same applies to the parents or guardians of those under the age of 14 who fail to comply. Those who are 18 years or older are required to carry proof of their registration and fingerprinting at all times. Failure to do so may result in a misdemeanor charge, which could incur a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for no more than 30 days, or both. This constitutes a criminal offense.

Theo Edwards for YAME Digital

Mark Carney Wins Race to Replace Trudeau as Canada's Prime Minister

By Promit Mukherjee and Ismail Shakil | March 10, 20252:46 AM EDT | Updated a day ago

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READ New Tariffs Imposed on Goods Entering the US From Canada, Mexico, and China

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Summary

• Justin Trudeau stepping down after more than nine years in power
• Former central banker Mark Carney will be next Prime Minister
• Carney promises to fight Trump's tariffs

OTTAWA, March 9 (Reuters) - Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed on Sunday.

Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.

Carney, 59, took 86% of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.

"There's someone who's trying to weaken our economy," Carney said of Trump, spurring loud boos at the party gathering. "He's attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can't let him succeed."

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“Full Mark Carney speech tackles Trump tariffs after becoming new Prime Minister of Canada”

— Source

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"This won’t be business as usual," Carney said. "We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible."

Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him.

"Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given," Trudeau said.

Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.

Trudeau has imposed C$30 billion of retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to tariffs Trump levied on Canada.

"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect," Carney said.

[1/7]Mark Carney waves on the day members of Canada's Liberal Party gather to choose a successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, Canada. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights

[2/7]Mark Carney, Ottawa, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights

[3/7]Justin Trudeau and his daughter Ella-Grace Margaret Trudeau, Ottawa, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights

[4/7]Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and her husband Graham Bowley look on after it was announced that former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as... Purchase Licensing Rights

[5/7]Frank Baylis gestures on the day members of Canada's Liberal Party gather to choose a successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Blair Gable Purchase Licensing Rights

[6/7]Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney greets supporters after he won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/Pool Purchase Licensing Rights

[7/7]former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Justin Trudeau interact after former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 9, 2025. ... Purchase Licensing Rights

Carney's win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks - Canada and England - meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump.

The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes.

RALLY-AROUND-THE-FLAG MOMENT

At the start of 2025, the party trailed by 20 or more points but is now statistically tied with the official opposition Conservatives led by career politician Pierre Poilievre in several polls.

At a protest outside Canada's Parliament building in Ottawa on Sunday, dozens of Canadians held up signs protesting Trump with no reference to domestic politics.

"There is a rallying-around-the-flag moment that we would never have predicted a year ago," said University of British Columbia politics professor Richard Johnston. "I think it's probably true as we speak that the Liberals have been saved from oblivion."

Polls though indicate that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives would be able to form a majority government. An election must be held by October 20.

Two Liberal Party sources said Carney would call an election in the coming weeks, meaning one could take place much sooner.

Carney could legally serve as prime minister without a seat in the House of Commons but tradition dictates that he should seek to win one as soon as possible.

Liberals sought to compare Conservative leader Poilievre to Trump in a recent advertisement. Poilievre in turn ramped up attacks on Carney on Sunday.

Source: Reuters

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Reporting by David Ljunggren, Promit Mukherjee and Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Mark Porter and Diane Craft

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“FULL SPEECH: Justin Trudeau gives final speech as Liberal Party leader”

— Source

Veterans Fired From Federal Jobs Say They Feel Betrayed, Including Some Who Voted For Trump

1 of 4| James Stancil is seen outside the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November. Barely three months later, he’s now unemployed and says he feels betrayed by the president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government that cost him his job.

“I think a lot of other veterans voted the same way, and we have been betrayed,” said Hooven, who was fired in February from a Virginia medical facility for veterans. “I feel like my life and the lives of so many like me, so many that have sacrificed so much for this country, are being destroyed.”

The mass firing of federal employees since Trump took office in January is pushing out veterans who make up 30% of the nation’s federal workforce. The exact number of veterans who have lost their jobs is unknown, although House Democrats last month estimated that it was potentially in the thousands.

More could be on the way. The Department of Veterans Affairs — a major employer of veterans — is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Veterans represent more than 25% of the VA’s workforce.

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READ Sweeping Layoffs! Conditions in America Have Only Just Begun to Change. Anger, chaos, and confusion take hold. The insight!

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In interviews, several veterans who supported candidates of both parties described their recent job losses as a betrayal of their military service. They are particularly angered by how it happened: in an email that cited inadequate job performance — despite, they say, receiving positive reviews in their roles.

James Stancil, a 62-year-old Army veteran who was fired last month from his job as a supply technician at a VA hospital in Milwaukee, said it felt like he’d been shot and dumped out of a helicopter.

“And you just free fall and hit the ground — that’s it,” said Stancil, who supported Democrat Kamala Harris last year. “I’m not dead weight. You’re tossing off the wrong stuff.”

Stancil said the email he received telling him his performance wasn’t good enough came as “a complete shock” because he had previously received positive feedback. Hooven also said his performance was cited despite similarly positive feedback during his 11 months as a probationary employee.

“I’ve been blindsided,” Hooven said. “My life has been completely upended with zero chance to prepare. I was fired without notice, unjustly, based on a lie that I’m a subpar, poor performer at my job.”

Stancil said he believes Trump owes fired veterans an apology.

Asked this week about fired federal workers who are veterans, Alina Habba, a former member of Trump’s personal legal team who now serves as a counselor in the White House, defended the cuts.

“But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,” Habba told reporters. “That doesn’t mean that we forget our veterans, by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way. But perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work.”

Veterans were much likelier to support Trump than Harris in November’s presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted in all 50 states. Nearly 6 in 10 voters who are veterans backed Trump, while about 4 in 10 voted for Harris.

Cynthia Williams, an Army veteran who lost her job as a dispatcher at a VA in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said she didn’t vote for either candidate but suspects fellow veterans who backed Trump might have changed their minds had they known this was coming.

“It was blindsiding because he said he wanted to make the country great again … but this is not making it great again,” Williams said.

Matthew Sims, an Army veteran, lost his job last month as a program support assistant at a mental health clinic at a VA in Salem, Virginia, after moving with his wife and three children from Texas. He voted for Trump and said he supports reducing the size of the federal government but not this way.

“I support downsizing, but it’s just the way they’re going about doing it. It’s like the chainsaw approach, I guess, versus the surgical approach that they should be doing,” Sims said.

Jared Evans, a recreation therapist at the Salem VA, was fired in February, his eighth month as a probationary worker. Evans said a patient had just told him how much he appreciated his work when he received his email. He had moved from California with his wife, 3-year-old son, and 1-year-old daughter for a job that he had long wanted.

Evans, a 36-year-old Army veteran, was the only one working in his family. He said he feels scared, numb and angry.

“I cried,” Evans said about learning of his firing. “I haven’t done that in a while, because you’re just kind of free-falling now. You’re in an area to where you’re not really familiar with, and you’re just being left out to dry.”

This article first appeared on APNews!

Share your thoughts in the 'Post Comments' section of this article if you believe this is the appropriate way to downsize the federal workforce.

Ever Wonder Why Africa’s Borders Appear So Strange?

By Marium Ali | 23 Feb 2025 

Al Jazeera explores the stories behind Africa’s map, from winding borders to straight lines and landlocked nations.

(Al Jazeera)

Africa has the most countries of any continent with a total of 54.

Rather than following natural terrains or historical boundaries, many of its borders are strikingly straight in some areas and jagged in others, cutting through mountains, rivers, and even communities.

Most of these artificial borders trace back to the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference, a meeting that concluded 140 years ago this week in which European powers carved up the continent among themselves with no African nations invited or represented.

In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera delves into the stories behind some of the continent’s most unusual borders.

Egypt or Sudan – why does no one want Bir Tawil?

Starting in northeastern Africa is a 2,000sq-km (795sq-mile) uninhabited, arid piece of land that neither Egypt nor Sudan wants to claim as their own.

In 1899, Britain drew a straight-line border along the 22nd parallel, a line of latitude 22 degrees north of the equator, separating Egypt and Sudan, two territories under British control

However, in 1902, Britain reassigned the coastal and resource-rich Hala’ib Triangle to Sudan and Bir Tawil to Egypt for geopolitical and administrative reasons.

Decades later, after both countries gained independence, Egypt insisted that the true border should follow the 1899 agreement while Sudan argued that it should follow the 1902 demarcation. Bir Tawil remains unclaimed by either country because claiming it would require forfeiting claims to the Hala’ib Triangle.

Egypt has controlled the Hala’ib Triangle since 2000, but the dispute remains unresolved.

(Al Jazeera)

Why is The Gambia so narrow?

As you travel along Africa’s western coast, you’ll see a narrow strip of land wrapped around the Gambia River and almost entirely surrounded by Senegal. This is The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa and home to about three million people.

First explored by the Portuguese in the 15th century, The Gambia later became a major hub in the transatlantic slave trade. It remained a British colony from 1821 until gaining independence in 1965. Due to its proximity to then-French Senegal, its territorial boundaries were a point of contention between British and French authorities.

In 1889, Britain and France formally established The Gambia’s borders, agreeing that British control would extend about 16km (10 miles) on either side of the river, reaching its furthest navigable point at Yarbutenda.

A popular legend suggests that British forces fired cannonballs from their ships to determine the country’s width, ensuring control over vital trade routes. While no evidence supports this claim, historical records indicate that an Anglo-French commission in 1891 tried to refine the borders but faced resistance from local rulers whose lands were being arbitrarily divided.

Ultimately, The Gambia’s borders were shaped by colonial interests and British military power, leaving it as a long, narrow enclave within Senegal.

(Al Jazeera)

Why is Cabinda part of Angola?

Heading south along the continent’s western coast, you’ll come across a small section of Angola separated from the rest of the country. This is Cabinda, Angola’s northern province, cut off from the rest of the country by a narrow strip of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Cabinda became part of Angola due to historical decisions made during Portuguese colonial rule.

During the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference, Cabinda was formally recognised as a Portuguese possession, separate from Angola, although both were under Portuguese rule. Over time, Portugal administratively merged Cabinda with Angola, but the region remained geographically and culturally distinct.

When Portugal withdrew from its African colonies in 1975, the Alvor Agreement, signed with Angola’s main liberation groups, excluded Cabindan representation. and Cabinda was merged with Angola, primarily for its valuable offshore oil reserves.

This sparked resistance from the Cabindan independence movement, particularly the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, which has continued to call for Cabinda’s independence from Angola.

(Al Jazeera)

Why does Namibia have a little panhandle?

As you move into Southern Africa, you may notice a narrow panhandle jutting out from Namibia. This is the Caprivi Strip.

Until the early 20th century, Germany controlled German South West Africa (now Namibia) and German East Africa (now Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi) while Britain controlled the surrounding territories, including modern-day Botswana and Zambia.

Germany was looking for a direct trade route to link its territories and wanted access to the Zambezi River. The plan was to navigate the river to the Indian Ocean, providing a shortcut to Tanzania.

In 1890, Germany and Britain signed a treaty in which Germany gave up claims to Zanzibar in exchange for Heligoland, an island in the North Sea, and control of the Caprivi Strip, which met the Zambezi River.

However, Germany’s transport plan failed. It is believed that no one told the Germans about Victoria Falls – one of the world’s largest waterfalls with a 108-metre (354ft) drop, about 65km (40 miles) east of the strip, making it useless for transport.

(Al Jazeera)

Why is Lesotho surrounded by South Africa?

Nestled in the mountains of Southern Africa lies a small landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa called Lesotho.

In the 19th century, the Basotho people, led by King Moshoeshoe I, established their stronghold in the highlands, using the mountains as a natural defence against invaders like the Zulu and Boer settlers (Dutch farmers).

To resist Boer expansion, Moshoeshoe sought British protection in 1868, making Basutoland a British protectorate.

Attempts to place it under Colonial Cape rule failed due to Basotho resistance, and in 1884, Britain declared it a crown colony.

When the Union of South Africa formed in 1910, Basutoland remained under British rule, avoiding South Africa’s apartheid policies, and later gained independence in 1966 as Lesotho.

(Al Jazeera)

Why are three African countries named Guinea?

Four countries around the world have “Guinea” in their names, three of which are along the West African coast.

They are:

1. Guinea, formerly known as French Guinea, gained independence in 1958 and kept the name Guinea.

2. Guinea-Bissau, formerly known as Portuguese Guinea, gained independence in 1974 and added “Bissau” to its name to differentiate itself from neighboring Guinea.

3. Equatorial Guinea, formerly known as Spanish Guinea, gained independence in 1968 and added Equatorial to its name because it is near the equator.

On the other side of the world lies Papua New Guinea, named by a Spanish explorer who named it after Guinea in West Africa, believing the locals resembled its inhabitants.

The name Guinea is believed to have been derived from the Portuguese word Guine, which refers to the region along the West African coast. When European colonizers divided this region, each called their territory Guinea.

Fun fact: The British guinea coin, first minted in 1663, was named after the region of Guinea in West Africa because the gold used to produce it came from there.

(Al Jazeera)

Why are there two Congos?

On opposite sides of the Congo River lie two countries named after it: the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.

Colonial powers Belgium and France established separate colonies along the river, naming each after it. The name Congo comes from the Kingdom of Kongo, a powerful kingdom that once flourished along the river.

(Al Jazeera)

Source: Al Jazeera

Special Counsel, Jack Smith's Final Report: Cutting through the noise and laying down the facts

Jack-Smith and Donald Trump

The US Department of Justice released Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report, claiming that Donald Trump illegally conspired to overturn the 2020 election.

The report lays out why charges were pursued or dropped—no politics, no games, just federal guidelines. It tackles two critical investigations involving Donald Trump: election Interference and Classified Documents. Smith dismantles Trump's 'witch hunt' cries and delves into how Trump tried to hijack democracy itself, bending federal laws to cling to power after losing in 2020. Some parts stay sealed.

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READ The Second Coming: 2024 US Election

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What does this say about our once-great nation?

The lengthy 137-page document, dated January 7, summarized years of Smith's investigation into the 2020 election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump. It concluded that Trump would likely have been convicted in the case if he had not been elected president in 2024.

Preview or Download the full report Here:

Theo Edwards for YAME Digital

Tags #Final Report on the Special Counsel's Investigations and Prosecutions | #The US Department of Justice [DoJ] | #Jack Smith | #election-LAW-blog

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Highlights from the "Final Report of the Special Counsel Under 28 C.F.R. § 600.8":

• Investigations: The report covers two major investigations involving former President Donald J. Trump. The first investigation focused on potential interference with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election. The second investigation examined the possession of highly classified documents at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence
• Findings: The Special Counsel, Jack Smith, and his team conducted thorough investigations and subsequent prosecutions under their mandate. The report details the findings and prosecution decisions made during these investigations
• Public and Confidential Volumes: The report is divided into two volumes. Volume One is available to the public, while Volume Two remains confidential due to ongoing criminal proceedings
• Attorney General's Remarks: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the importance of independence and accountability in handling these sensitive matters. He highlighted the Department of Justice's commitment to impartiality and fairness
• Special Counsel's Commitment: Upon his appointment, Special Counsel Jack Smith pledged to exercise independent judgment, follow the best traditions of the Department of Justice, and conduct his work expeditiously and thoroughly to reach whatever outcome the facts and law dictated

Steve Bannon Slams ‘Toddler’ Elon Musk After Tesla Owner Tells Critics To ‘F**k Yourself In the Face’ As MAGA Civil War Rages On

Zachary Leeman Dec 28th, 2024, 10:15 am

Steve Bannon slammed Elon Musk as a “toddler” as the X owner doubled down on his views on H-1B work visas and his criticisms of American workers.

“Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler,” Bannon wrote on Gettr on Friday night in response to Musk telling his critics to “fuck yourself in the face.”

“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote in the original X post. “Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend.”

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have both earned the ire of fellow supporters of President-elect Donald Trump with their recent comments on American workers and support for H-1B work visas, specifically to fill tech jobs in the United States.

Musk previously endorsed a post calling American workers too “retarded” to perform high-skilled tech jobs.

In a lengthy post to X, Ramaswamy accused the United States of valuing “mediocrity over excellence for way too long,” going on to criticize the popularity of ’90s shows like Boy Meets World and the celebration of the “jock over the valedictorian.

The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if…

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 26, 2024

Musk has taken things a step further, being accused of going back on his promise of X being a free speech haven as critics like Laura Loomer were stripped of their verification badges and locked out of their Twitter accounts as they accused Musk of pushing immigration views that go directly against Trump’s America First agenda.

“Those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem,” Musk said of his critics.

Yes.

And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2024

In followup posts on Gettr, Bannon argued that H-1B visas are used as a “tool” of the tech industry to drive wages down and he told Musk to “bring it.”

“Bring.It.Dude—All of It,” he wrote in response to Musk promising “war” on the issue of H-1B visas.

On his War Room podcast on Friday, Bannon referred to tech leaders like Musk as “on the spectrum” and incapable of taking criticism.

“The nerds don’t take criticism,” he said. “They’re kind of, you know, they’re a little bit all on the spectrum, right? They don’t know– they’re not deep in social skills.”

This article first appears on mediaite.com

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He has his motives, and they are not ours. Musk is now officially in a public meltdown.

He would burn the world for his own advantage. What’s your take! Please comment below.

https://t.co/t3zOozJvDe

Hot Take from an HR consultant on the H-1B visa debacle for tech workers.

— Yame.space (@SpaceYame) December 29, 2024

The Second Coming

2024 US Election

America and the world are livid

Google search 'election result 2024'. Select the view pane for President, Senate, House, etc. Toggle the 'All states' box under the US map by expanding the drop-down to find out more.

They say, "The eyes are the windows of the soul." Looking into the mirror, we see that America's soul is decidedly murky. The world was under the illusion that we Americans were so much better, but the election outcome indicates otherwise.

Something fundamentally wrong

Vanity Fair, the popular Condé Nast culture fashion, and current affairs magazine published a digital cover featuring a close-up image of him alongside the words: “34 felony counts, 1 conviction, 2 pending cases, 2 impeachments, and 6 bankruptcies, 4 more years—the 47th American president.”

In the wake of Trump’s victory. We have now elected a President with no guardrails. A man who promised to be a dictator from day one! A man who openly vowed to get rid of the Department of Education, which is a dog whistle for defunding Public Schools. The last time we checked that’s where most minorities send their kids to get an education. We have now elected a man who promised to gut down the EPA and has shown his disdain for NATO. We have now elected a man who at the ‘height of the pandemic in 2020, while the dead bodies of Americans were being dumped in trenches, secretly shipped our much-needed medications to Russia’ ~ Wall Street Journal. He now has control of the Congress, the Senate, the Justice Department, and the Supreme Court.

These election results beg the question: When will folks realize what they are up against and unite? Trump got more Hispanic votes than any other candidate since JFK. He called them rapists, animals, and crooks, yet 45% rode him to victory. Blacks are saying Kamala is not Black enough. Maybe they would prefer a Black candidate from the Ghetto who speaks Ebonics.

Analysts say race and gender played a significant role in Harris’s defeat, but so did voter disillusionment. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a scathing statement on the Democratic Party's ‘disastrous’ campaign after Vice President Kamala Harris lost.

Reflections Through a Dark Mirror

Jerry Seinfeld had it right: "It would be a nice world if it weren't for the people."

We have made our bed, and now we must lie in it. We must live with the decisions of this democratic process. For some, there is hope and joy; for others, there is worry and despair. Regardless of how you feel, we must face the outcome together. Considering everything that happened during his 45th term, it is difficult for us to understand the electorate's decision. However, we must now move forward, hoping that our democracy will not be destroyed in the process.

While we may have voted as a country, real change occurs in our local communities within America. We need to focus on our values and promote ideals that benefit everyone, one neighbor at a time.

Does this task feel overwhelming, naive, and overly hopeful? Without a doubt! But what’s the alternative? Destruction, division, and chaos await us if we don’t act!

Where we go from here is uncertain, but we hope America will do her best to act rightly, regardless of who is in D.C. God Bless us all!

Jonathan Pie | @JonathanPieNews

Trump wins the White House. Again. The Democrats blew it. Again. A depressing yet predictable result.

A depressing yet predictable result. pic.twitter.com/YAGfv2SAmd— Jonathan Pie (@JonathanPieNews) November 6, 2024

Contributors: Ola George, Theo Edwards, and J. Reynold Weeks for YAME Digital

It's not that Kamala Harris lost; it's that America itself has lost. Share your thoughts!

Trump Picks Massad Boulos to Serve as Adviser on Arab, Middle Eastern Affairs

Andrea Shalal and Maya Gebeily | Sun, December 1, 2024 at 11:02 AM EST 5 min read

Eric Trump, his sister Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Massad Boulos arrive for U.S. President Donald Trump's acceptance speech as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee in Washington

By Andrea Shalal and Maya Gebeily

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos would serve as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social. Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders during the election campaign.

It was the second time in recent days that Trump chose the father-in-law of one of his children to serve in his administration.

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READ The Second Coming. In the wake of Trump’s victory

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On Saturday, Trump said that he had picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, real estate mogul Charles Kushner, to serve as U.S. ambassador to France.

In recent months, Boulos campaigned for Trump to drum up Lebanese and Arab American support, even as the U.S.-backed Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Boulos has powerful roots in both countries.

His father and grandfather were both figures in Lebanese politics and his father-in-law was a key funder of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party aligned with Hezbollah.

His son Michael and Tiffany Trump were married in an elaborate ceremony at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago Club in November 2022, after getting engaged in the White House Rose Garden during Trump's first term.

Boulos has been in touch with interlocutors across Lebanon's multipolar political world, three sources who spoke to him in recent months say, a rare feat in Lebanon, where decades-old rivalries between factions run deep.

Particularly notable is his ability to maintain relations with Hezbollah, they say. The Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim party has a large number of seats in Lebanon's parliament and ministers in the government.

Boulos is a friend of Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian ally of Hezbollah and its candidate for Lebanon's presidency. The sources say he is also in touch with the Lebanese Forces Party, a vehemently anti-Hezbollah Christian faction, and has ties to independent lawmakers.

Aron Lund, fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, said Boulos was well placed to influence Trump's Middle East policy after playing a small but significant role in expanding Trump's appeal to Arab American and Muslim voters during the campaign.

"Boulos' Lebanese political past gives no real indication of a geostrategic or even national vision, but it demonstrates ambition and a set of political allies that will stand out in Trump's circle like a sore thumb," Lund wrote.

MICHIGAN WIN

Boulos, a billionaire with extensive business ties in Nigeria, was born in Lebanon, but moved to Texas as a teenager, where he attended the University of Houston, earned a law degree, and became a U.S. citizen.

His son and Trump's daughter, whose mother is Trump's second wife, Marla Maples, met on the Greek island of Mykonos, at actor Lindsay Lohan's club, People Magazine reported in 2022.

Trump's election win in Michigan came in part because of Boulos' help flipping some of the 300,000 Arab Americans and Muslims in the state who overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020 but opposed Biden's policies in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, Trump campaign officials and supporters told Reuters.

"Boulos played a big role in the outreach to Muslim voters," said Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump.

Beginning in September, the Trump campaign held weekly meetings in person and via Zoom with dozens of Arab American and Muslim civic leaders and business executives.

Boulos spent weeks on the ground in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states with big Arab American and Muslim populations, assuring audiences in private lunches and dinners that tapped his own connections to Lebanese American businessmen that Trump was committed to ending the wars in the Middle East.

The Trump campaign spent tens of millions of dollars on the effort to mobilize Arab American and Muslim voters, Boulos told Reuters in an interview shortly after the election.

Trump won endorsements from Muslim imams and the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, another town near Detroit with a large Arab American population, as well as the large Bangladeshi community, and courted Iraqi Americans, Albanian Americans, and others.

While the events on the ground in Lebanon played a factor, the economy did too. And conservative Arabs and Muslims were concerned about what they saw as the Democrats' "far-left ideology," including support of transgender rights, Boulos said.

Boulos met with members of the 150,000-strong Albanian community in Michigan.

POLITICAL AMBITIONS?

The new role could offer Boulos the kind of political clout he could not achieve in Lebanon. He had a brief run for Lebanon's parliament in 2018 alongside pro-Hezbollah candidates, but since then he has not consistently aligned himself with any particular party, sources in Lebanon said. He hails from a Greek Orthodox family. In Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, that would cap his chances at a senior role in government at the level of deputy speaker of parliament. The post of president - the highest Christian role in the country - is reserved for Maronite Catholics.

While he used to travel to Lebanon frequently, he has not visited in the last four years, one of the sources said.

Some people in Lebanon were hopeful about the prospects of having a friendly face in Trump's inner circle even before the announcement on Sunday.

"It's a nice thing - and hopefully he will work for Lebanon. And Trump maybe is of the type who makes a promise and could possibly be more loyal to it than others," said Hamdi Hawallah, a Lebanese man in his late 70s.

"So we're optimistic about him. These days we hold on to a piece of driftwood just to be optimistic."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Maya Gebeily in Beirut, additional reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)

Election 2024 Requiem for America

‘Policy’ vs. ‘Personality’

By Aaron Humes

On the eve of the presidential election, America finds itself at a crossroads. It seems that the country has a clear binary choice. However, the media pundits tell us that the election is too close to call. They say the country is bitterly divided, and a huge percentage of people are conflicted.

When it comes to policy and personal integrity the contrast could not be clearer.

In my mind's eye, there are a myriad of reasons why voting for Donald J. Trump is tantamount to voting for more chaos and division. A second Trump presidency is a dire possibility.

In the past four years, we have all been able to breathe a collective sigh of relief that we no longer have to worry about 'what did he do or say now?'

Those who are ‘on the fence’ have forgotten the stress of COVID-19 deaths, economic downfall, and increased racial and economic division. We must reflect and never forget where this so-called leader of the free world has led us and where he will lead us.

The United States is or was considered one of the most powerful countries in the world, yet we are behind other countries in embracing a female leader. The challenges facing America involve the human spirit, not politics. We must commit to choosing better to become better.

The stain of J6 has tarnished our once-stellar reputation and champion of democracy, globally. Therefore, on November 5, we must commit to a path that will help us regain respect, both internationally and for ourselves. It is crucial to consider the impact our decisions will have on future generations.

RELATED

The ‘Red Mirage’ on election night. Listen!

Analysis: 4 Key Moments From The Harris-Trump Debate

Harris at debate: "I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump"

Philadelphia: September 10, 2024

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Trump falls into Harris’s traps as he lies about abortion and ‘eating pets.’ Donald Trump appeared to fall apart in his first head-to-head debate with Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, providing rambling answers on illegal immigration, abortion, and the economy and taking the bait whenever his opponent goaded him.

Andrew Romano · Reporter | yahoo!news | Wed, September 11, 2024 at 12:40 AM EDT

The stakes couldn’t have been higher when Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met Tuesday night for their only scheduled debate of the 2024 contest.

In the previous clash, President Biden — then the presumptive Democratic nominee — delivered such a wobbly performance that his own party soon forced him to withdraw. Now, after an initial burst of momentum for Harris, the polls show the race is (once again) too close to call.

With less than two months to go until Election Day — and no other debates on the calendar — Tuesday could have been the last best chance for Harris and Trump to shake things up before voters start casting their ballots. So who had a better night? Here are four takeaways from the face-off in Philadelphia.

Harris triggers Trump

The vice president spent most of her career as a prosecutor before heading to Washington. It showed Tuesday night.

To be sure, Harris used her time on stage to “prosecute the case” against Trump, as expected, criticizing his positions on taxes, abortion, the border, Jan. 6, Ukraine, Obamacare and so on.

But more important than what Harris told viewers about Trump — all of which they’ve heard before, and largely learned to tune out — was what she managed to show them: How easily he can be baited into losing control.

Skillful prosecutors know how to provoke self-incriminating behavior — and that was very much Harris’s strategy during the debate. Again and again, she set traps for Trump; again and again, he walked right into them.

Harris “invited” viewers to attend Trump’s rallies, for instance, where he “talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter” and “people start leaving … early out of exhaustion and boredom.” Moments later, after defensively claiming that “we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” Trump suddenly started ranting about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, “eating the pets of the people that live there” — a claim that has no basis in reality.

READ Springfield, Ohio: A central Ohio city at a heated political conversation about immigration after political leaders make claims without evidence. Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck, through his office, released a statement saying there's no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants.

Harris’s goal was to puncture Trump’s sense of pride. She attacked his business acumen (“he got $400 million on a silver platter” from his father, she said, “then filed for bankruptcy six times”); his military leadership (“world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump”); and his political success (“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people … clearly he’s having a very difficult time processing that”) — and then stood aside as her opponent demonstrated, on live TV, that he can’t keep his cool in confrontational, high-pressure situations.

“These dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors,” Harris said at one point. “That is why we understand that we have to have a president who is not consistently weak and wrong on national security.”

No, “she's the one … that's weak,” Trump sputtered in response. But that’s not how Harris made it seem on stage.

Trump avoids ‘her’ while Harris addresses ‘you’

Presidential debates aren’t collegiate point-scoring affairs; they’re usually won or lost on vibes and moments rather than wonkery. And what was striking about Tuesday’s debate between Trump and Harris, aside from the words they said, was how differently they acted toward each other — and to the audience.

The tone was set in the opening seconds. Trump ambled slowly in from the wings, heading for his podium; Harris went directly to Trump and initiated a handshake that he seemed to want to avoid. “Let’s have a good debate,” Harris said.

That pattern — Trump avoidant, Harris direct — repeated itself throughout the evening. Trump only referred to his rival as the “vice president” once: to call her the “worst vice president in the history of our country.” Otherwise, he seemed only able to address Harris in the third person, as “she” or “her” — as if she wasn’t there. He rarely made eye contact.

In contrast, Harris called Trump the “former president” more than a dozen times — and when she wasn’t referring to Trump by his title, she was looking right at him and addressing him as “you.”

Harris did the same thing to the camera, and by extension, the people watching at home. “You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams, and your needs and your desires,” she said. “And I'll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first. And I pledge to you that I will.”

Harris and Trump’s respective behavior and body language reinforced that message — that only one candidate on stage was comfortable confronting the other, and that only one was interested in connecting with undecided voters.

One issue to rule them all … at least for Trump

Forced to play defense for much of the debate, Trump instinctively retreated to his comfort zone: immigration. No matter what the question was about, the former president found a way to accuse Harris — whom he inaccurately called Biden’s “border czar” — of “destroying the country” by allowing “millions of criminals” to pour into the country via Mexico.

Never mind that the best available data suggests the crime rate has fallen significantly over the past few years, down near the lowest levels ever recorded, and that numerous studies have found that immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than U.S.-born citizens. Trump has been running on the border for years, and he’s not about to stop now.

But what about when the debate turned to other issues — like, say, abortion?

There, Trump claimed that overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing states to ban the procedure was “what everybody wanted — Democrats, Republicans, and everybody else” (despite polls showing otherwise).

Harris was ready to pounce.

“I have talked with women around our country,” she said. “This is what people wanted? Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she's bleeding out in a car in the parking lot — she didn't want that. Her husband didn't want that. A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term? They don't want that. And I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade — as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”

In the run-up to the debate, much was made about the need for Harris to provide voters with more specifics. But while Trump accused Harris Tuesday of simply copying Biden’s agenda — “She IS Biden,” he snapped — he actually ceded the “policy” card to her by returning to the border so many times and saying so little of substance elsewhere.

“Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump,” Harris said. “What I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country — one who believes in what is possible, one who brings a sense of optimism about what we can do instead of always disparaging the American people.”

Harris then mentioned her “plan to give startup businesses a $50,000 tax deduction to pursue their ambitions, their innovation, their ideas, their hard work”; her plan to create a “$6,000 [tax credit] for young families, for the first year of your child's life;” her plan to offer “$25,000 [in] down payment assistance for first time home buyers.”

“That's the kind of conversation I believe... people really want tonight, as opposed to a conversation that is constantly about belittling and name-calling,” Harris concluded.

Trump has some plans too (or "concepts of a plan," as he put it when asked what he would replace Obamacare with). But the former president was too busy calling America “a failing nation” beset by foreign criminals to talk much about them.

The most consequential moment of this campaign?

That’s how ABC News billed the debate during its pre-show. But it remains to be seen whether Tuesday’s spectacle will move the needle.

Because Trump is such a familiar figure — and because views of him are so fixed — there’s little left for him to say or do to change how voters see him, one way or the other. Getting repeatedly fact-checked by ABC’s moderators won’t upend his campaign. So the former president is likely to hold onto the 45% or so of voters who tell pollsters they support him — the same 45% who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.

Yet 45% isn’t enough to win an election. What Trump really needed to do Tuesday night was change how voters see Harris — or let Harris do the job herself. Instead, Trump allowed his opponent to project precisely the kind of presidential, forward-looking positivity she wanted to project — without provoking any of the meandering, word-salad responses that have caused her problems in the past.

That probably means Harris won the debate. But two months can be an eternity in politics — and winning a debate isn’t the same thing as winning in November.

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“LIVE: ABC News Presidential Debate: Harris and Trump meet in Philadelphia”

— Moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis

Harris at debate: "I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump"

“And then he said, ‘They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the pets!’ Video Excerpt from the Presidential debate on September 10, 2024.”

— Courtesy New York Post @nypost on TikTok

READ Springfield, Ohio: A central Ohio city at a heated political conversation about immigration after political leaders make claims without evidence. Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck, through his office, released a statement saying there's no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants.

Apparently, their newfound relationship blossomed overnight. And by Wednesday, they shook hands for a second time, about 12 hours after their first handshake, at a ceremony in Manhattan to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. And the niceties didn’t end there.

“Trump’s Surprise Compliment to Harris About That Debate— ‘Good job.’”

— Mary Ann Akers | Wed, September 11, 2024 at 2:52 PM EDT

“Good job,” Trump told Harris as they shook hands when they both arrived to sit in the front row for the commemoration, according to a source at the event.

Donald Trump has had really bad—even vile—things to say about Kamala Harris, who he’d never met until their epic Tuesday night debate when she forced him to shake hands before igniting his implosion on stage.

READ Trump’s Surprise Compliment to Harris About That Debate | DAILY BEAST

What's Behind White-America Support for Donald J. Trump

Jared Taylor White-America

In Video: Excerpt

The 45th lost the 2020 election, trailing Biden by about 7 million votes. He made repeated and false claims of election fraud, in the process fueling the violence of Jan. 6, 2021. He continues to push those falsehoods.

He was impeached for his role in the Jan. 6 — becoming the only president in American history to be twice impeached. Throughout 2023 was indicted four times and faces 91 criminal charges. Separately, in a civil trial last May, he was found liable for the sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Carroll.

Despite all of this, the majority of white Americans still express their unflinching support for the Don. Why? You have to watch and listen to the recording. Just Listen!

In Video: What's Behind White-America Support for Donald J. Trump.

Jared Taylor White-America

So, who is Jared Taylor speaking for White-America?

You Can Feel Something Historic Building in The Air

Philadelphia: August 6, 2024

Kamala Harris delivers a show-stopping rally in front of a roaring crowd in Pennsylvania with her new running mate Tim Walz — and shares a moving anecdote.

"So America, for some folks, they're just getting to know Coach Walz's story," said Harris to the enthusiastic crowd. "And I'll tell you he is the proud product of a middle-class family in rural Nebraska. He is a veteran who served our nation in uniform for more than two decades as a member of the Army National Guard and he went to college on the G.I. Bill."

"He is someone who long before he entered politics worked as a teacher. When Coach Walz and his wife Gwen moved from his native Nebraska to Minnesota nearly thirty years ago they both took jobs at the local high school," Harris continued.

"Coach Walz taught social studies. Gwen taught English. After school, Tim was the linebackers' coach for the football team where I've heard the stories, he had a knack for using the game of football to teach life lessons," she went on. "He saw the potential in kids who sometimes didn't even see it in themselves."

"Under those Friday night lights, Coach Walz motivated his players to believe they could achieve anything, and together they defied the odds — hear this out — going from a winless record to the school's first-ever state championship," said Harris.

At that point, the crowd lost it, applauding and cheering at the top of their lungs.

"And I'll say and I'll add: Tim wasn't only a role model on the football field," continued Vice President Harris. "Around that time, Coach Walz was approached by a student in his social studies class. The young man was one of the first openly gay students at the school and was hoping to start a gay-straight alliance."

"At a time when acceptance was difficult to find for LGBTQ students, Tim knew the signal that it would send to have a football coach get involved," she continued. "So he signed up to be the group's faculty adviser. And as students have said, he made the school a safe place for everybody."

"In the high school yearbook, the students voted Coach Walz the most inspiring faculty member," said Harris. "And as I think everyone he can see, Tim Walz was the kind of teacher and mentor that every child in America dreams of having and that every kid deserves."

"The kind of coach — because he's the kind of person — who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big and that's the kind of vice president he will be," said Harris, as the crowd once again roared.

"And that's the kind of vice president America deserves!" she added.

What a breath of fresh air!

The Harris-Walz campaign released its first video introducing Tim Walz to America. Please watch and share!

The Harris-Walz campaign just dropped their first Tim Walz video, introducing him to America.

Please watch and share widely!! pic.twitter.com/9j7hAyPuwh

— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@NickKnudsenUS) August 6, 2024

Occupy Democrats | @OccupyDemocrats

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“Who is Tim Walz? Meet Kamala Harris VP pick.”

— On 'X' formerly Twitter

When I called @Tim_Walz this morning to ask him to join our campaign, I shared my deep level of respect for him and the work we've done together.

We're going to unify this country and we're going to win.

Let's go get this done. pic.twitter.com/EcqZ497lyk

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 6, 2024

The moment Kamala Harris called Tim Walz to ask him to join her campaign as her VP pick.

Comment from Barrack Obama on Twitter

Like Vice President Harris, Governor @Tim_Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.

https://x.com/BarackObama/status/1820838206037794848

China Reconciliation Talks Between Fatah, Hamas, and Palestinian Factions Sign Reconciliation Agreement

July 23, 2024

The factions have agreed on an ‘interim national reconciliation government’, says the Chinese Foreign Ministry

READ: Al Jazeera: Hamas and Fatah sign unity deal in Beijing aimed at Gaza governance

Mahmoud al-Aloul, vice chairman of the Central Committee of Fatah (L), China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), and Mousa Abu Marzouk, senior Hamas member, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, July 23 [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

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Firas | @FirasPalestine on ‘X,’ formally Twitter 

China reconciliation talks between Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian factions sign reconciliation agreement.

The national factions agreed during their meetings in China to achieve comprehensive Palestinian national unity, including all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). They committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and ensuring the right of return in accordance with Resolution 194.

The participants also agreed on the Palestinian people's right to resist occupation and end it according to international laws and the United Nations Charter. They decided to form a temporary national unity government with the consensus of the Palestinian factions by decree of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas based on the Palestinian Basic Law. This government will begin by unifying all Palestinian institutions in the territories of the Palestinian state, initiating the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and preparing for general elections under the supervision of the Central Elections Commission as soon as possible, according to the approved election law.

The Palestinian factions meeting in Beijing are:

• Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah)

• Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)

• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

• Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

• Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement

• Palestinian People's Party

• Palestinian Popular Struggle Front

• Palestinian National Initiative Movement

• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command

• Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA)

• Palestinian Liberation Front

• Arab Liberation Front

• Arab Palestinian Front

• Vanguards of the Popular Liberation War (As-Sa'iqa Forces)

The attendees agreed on the following points:

1. Unifying national efforts to confront Zionist aggression and stop the genocide perpetrated by the occupying state and settler gangs supported by the United States of America. They also agreed to resist attempts to displace our people from their homeland, Palestine, and to force the Zionist entity to end its occupation of the Gaza Strip and all other occupied territories, while maintaining the unity of Palestinian lands, including the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

2. The Palestinian factions welcomed the opinion of the International Court of Justice, which affirmed the illegitimacy of the Israeli presence, occupation, and settlements on the land of the State of Palestine and emphasized the need for their removal as soon as possible.

3. Based on the National Reconciliation Agreement signed in Cairo on 4/5/2011 and the Algiers Declaration signed on 12/10/2022, the factions agreed to continue following up on the implementation of agreements to end the division with the assistance of Egypt, Algeria, and friends in the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation as follows:

a) Commitment to establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, following relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolutions 181 and 2334, and ensuring the right of return following Resolution 194.

b) The right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation and end it following international laws and the United Nations Charter, and the right of people to self-determination and their struggle to achieve it by all available means.

c) Formation of a temporary national unity government with the consensus of the Palestinian factions and by a decision from the President based on the applicable Palestinian Basic Law. This government will exercise its powers and authority over all Palestinian territories, emphasizing the unity of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. It will begin by unifying all Palestinian institutions in the territories of the Palestinian state, initiating the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and preparing for general elections under the supervision of the Central Elections Commission as soon as possible, according to the approved election law.

d) Until practical steps are taken to form the new National Council according to the approved election law, and to deepen political partnership in bearing national responsibility and developing the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), it was confirmed to activate and regularize the unified temporary leadership framework for partnership in political decision-making as agreed upon in the Palestinian National Reconciliation Document signed on May 4, 2011.

4. Resisting and thwarting attempts to displace our people from their homeland, especially from the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and affirming the illegitimacy of settlements and settlement expansion following the decisions of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly and the opinion of the International Court of Justice.

READ: UN Top Court Says Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories is Illegal

5. Working to break the brutal siege on our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and to deliver humanitarian and medical aid without restrictions or conditions.

6. Supporting and endorsing the heroic steadfastness of our struggling people and their valiant resistance in Palestine to overcome the wounds and destruction caused by the criminal aggression, and to rebuild what the occupation destroyed, supporting the families of martyrs and the wounded, and all those who lost their homes, properties, and sources of livelihood.

7. Confronting the occupation's conspiracies and its continuous violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and resisting any harm to it and the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

8. Paying tribute to the martyrs of the Palestinian people and reaffirming full support for the brave prisoners in the occupation's prisons and camps, who are subjected to various forms of torture and repression, and prioritizing all efforts possible to liberate them from the occupation's captivity.

In light of this declaration, the attendees agreed on a collective mechanism to implement all aspects of the declaration and decided to consider the meeting of the general secretaries as a starting point for the urgent work of the joint national teams. It was also decided to set a timeline for implementing this declaration.

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Joe Biden Drops Out of 2024 Race Amid Growing Pressure From Top Democrats

Sunday, July 21, 2024

WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden said Sunday he is ending his bid for reelection amid intense pressure from Democratic leaders sounding the alarm that his path to beat former President Donald Trump in November had vanished.

JOEY GARRISON AND SWAPNA VENUGOPAL RAMASWAMY, USA TODAY | Updated July 21, 2024 at 2:07 PM

WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden said Sunday he is ending his bid for reelection amid intense pressure from Democratic leaders sounding the alarm that his path to beat former President Donald Trump in November had vanished.

The president's historic withdrawal throws the 2024 race − already roiled by a shocking attempt on Trump's life − into uncertain territory, with Vice President Kamala Harris widely seen as the Democrat most likely to take Biden's place atop the party's ticket.

Biden made the announcement from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., where he's self-isolated since testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday night.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a letter addressed to Americans. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the rest of my term."

Biden quickly endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee in a separate statement on X. He said he would speak to the nation later this week to provide more details about his decision.

It marks an extraordinary turn for Biden, who for three weeks remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers that he withdraw after a disastrous June 27 debate with Trump raised scrutiny over the president's mental fitness.

In his statement, Biden reflected fondly on his four years in office, saying the U.S. has built the “strongest economy in the world” while touting efforts to lower prescription drug prices, expand health care, tackle climate change, and appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

President Joe Biden speaks on economics during the Vote To Live Properity Summit at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024.

The decision upends the 2024 election less than 110 days before Election Day, with Democratic National Committee members now tasked with choosing an alternative nominee to take on Trump, whose polling lead has swelled while Democrats have fought internally.

Biden's departure will soon mean the end of a five-decade career in Washington that began in 1972 with an upset victory for the U.S. Senate in Delaware. He served as a senator for 36 years, and then as Obama's vice president from 2009 to 2017. Biden returned to public life to run against Trump in the 2020 presidential election. He framed the race as a "battle for the soul of the nation" and defeated Trump 51%-47% in the popular vote.

Keep up with the USA TODAY Network's live updates. [Refresh HERE!]

Josh Shapiro calls Biden a 'patriot'

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hailed Joe Biden as a “patriot” and commended his work as president in a social media post on Sunday shortly after the president announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race.“President Biden has gotten an incredible amount done to move our country forward, defend our democracy, and protect real freedom,” Shapiro wrote on X, formerly Twitter.Shapiro has been floated as a potential Democratic presidential nominee to replace Biden, or as a vice presidential nominee if Kamala Harris takes over the top of the ticket. Shapiro did not mention Harris in his message Sunday.“I am proud to work by his side and am grateful for his leadership and his unwavering commitment to delivering for Pennsylvania — the Commonwealth that raised him,” Shapiro said about Biden in the post.

−Karissa Waddick

Schumer says Biden put 'his country, his party, and our future first'

Chuck Schumer shared in a post on X that "Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he's a truly amazing human being."

"His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first. Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American," he added.

−Marina Pitofsky

Biden exits race amid widespread pressure, mounting concerns about his age

Biden's exit came after he received bleak warnings from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., that his candidacy could lead to massive losses for Democrats in the Senate and House. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared similar concerns to Biden.

More than 30 congressional Democrats had called for Biden to bow out. Former President Barack Obama reportedly also relayed fears privately to Democratic allies about Biden's prospects of beating Trump. Democratic donors from Hollywood to Wall Street also came out against Biden continuing his reelection bid.

Biden, 81, has battled Americans’ concerns over his age since he took office but it turned into panic for Democrats after last month's first debate with Trump, the Republican nominee. Biden's voice sounded faint, he struggled to complete sentences and finish thoughts, and he failed to rebut many of Trump's claims on the debate stage.

Biden's campaign was in a free fall over the past few weeks with his future in doubt. Instead of focusing solely on Trump, Democrats spent as much time and energy debating whether Biden could even defeat his predecessor.

Fundraising for the Biden campaign took a dramatic hit. And Biden not only fell behind in key battleground states that will decide the election, but his growing unpopularity seemed to put recent Democratic strongholds like Virginia in play for Trump.

−Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal

Biden becomes first incumbent not to seek reelection since LBJ

Biden becomes the first incumbent president not to seek reelection since Lyndon B. Johnson who, in 1968 amid national unrest and turmoil within the Democratic Party over the Vietnam War, stunned the nation with his decision not to seek a second full term.

− Joey Garrison

Who could replace Biden?

With Biden's endorsement, Harris is the clear frontrunner to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee, but the party's bench of Democratic governors could also be in the mix including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California.

− Joey Garrison

Trump knocks Biden after exit

Donald Trump, in a post on his social media web site Truth Social after Biden’s exit, wrote: "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!”

“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump added.

−Joey Garrison

Jill Biden reacts to Joe Biden dropping out of 2024 race

First lady Jill Biden reposted the president's message on Sunday with heart emojis. She also retweeted her husband's message endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYw

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

− Marina Pitofsky

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden drops out: President leaves 2024 race amid party pressure

With Biden out of presidential race, Kamala Harris emerges as frontrunner with his endorsement

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RELATED

“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order. ”

— Barak Obama | Sunday, July 21, 2024

Barak Obama

Full Statement on President Biden’s Announcement

Click Here

“More than that, President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty, kindness and hard work; a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability; a country that insists that everyone, no matter who they are, has a voice and deserves a chance at a better life” ~ Barak Obama.

UN Top Court Says Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories is Illegal

The result could have consequences for Israel over its occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza

It also says Israel should end all settlement activity there, in the landmark case.

By Raffi Berg, BBC News, London

The UN's top court has said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is against international law, in a landmark opinion.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its "illegal" occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.

The court's advisory opinion is not legally binding but still carries significant political weight. It marks the first time the ICJ has delivered a position on the legality of the 57-year occupation.

The ICJ, based at The Hague in the Netherlands, has been examining the issue since the beginning of last year, at the request of the UN General Assembly.

The court was specifically asked to give its view on Israel's policies and practices towards the Palestinians, and on the legal status of the occupation.

Delivering the court's findings, ICJ President Nawaf Salam said it had found that "Israel's... continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal."

"The State of Israel is under the obligation to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible," he said.

The court also said Israel should evacuate all of its settlers and pay reparations to Palestinians for damages caused by the occupation.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. The court said the settlements were illegal. Israel has consistently disputed that they are against international law.

Israel also claims sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem, which it considers its indivisible capital - something which is not accepted by the vast majority of the international community.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page [HERE] for the fullest version.

Change Begins Now, Starmer says

As Labour wins a historic landslide

July 5, 2024 (UK)

Sir Keir Starmer enters Downing Street as Labour's first prime minister in 14 years after a landslide victory at the general election.

Work to bring change to the country will begin "immediately" says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

He promises his party will "rebuild Britain" with "wealth created in every community".#GeneralElection2024 https://t.co/xItZsH7tea

📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/D7fu5OmGyH

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 5, 2024

The Labour leader has become the UK's new prime minister - securing the 326 seats required for a majority in the House of Commons - putting an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.

He said "My government will serve you, politics can be a force for good", as he addressed the nation from Downing Street for the first time as prime minister.

"Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal, and a return of politics to public service," he said.

"Our work is urgent and we begin it today."

Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat moments before Labour surpassed the target number of seats needed for victory, declaring at his election count: "The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory."

Later, as he resigned as leader of the Conservative Party - signaling a Tory leadership race - Mr. Sunak said it had been an honor to serve as the country's prime minister and he had "given this job my all."

Earlier, a gleaming Sir Keir told a crowd of supporters: "We did it, you campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived, change begins now."

He added the UK is once again experiencing the "sunlight of hope".

"The sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day. Shining once again on a country with an opportunity after 14 years to get its future back."

With 648 seats out of 650 seats declared by Friday lunchtime, Labour will be forming the next government with a majority of at least 170.

Read more:
Uneasy voters hand Labour 'loveless landslide'

Labour have won - but what happens next?

The results have seen the nation firmly turn its back on the Tories.

Speaking after he held on to his seat, a solemn-looking Mr Sunak said his party had faced a "difficult night" and he took full responsibility for the results.

He said: "The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight... and I take responsibility for the loss.

"To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight... I am sorry."

Other key moments from a dramatic night of results include:

• Several Tory cabinet ministers lost seats to Labour, including Liz Truss, Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt;

• Others fell victim to the Lib Dem plan to "smash" the Tory Blue Wall, like Alex Chalk and Gillian Keegan;

• Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held on to his seat as an independent;

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage won a Commons seat at his eighth attempt;

• Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer defeated shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central;

• Labour's shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat to an independent;

• Senior Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg lost his seat to Labour.

Read more:
Who is your local MP now?
Tory big beasts who lost their seats
Houdini Hunt's great escape

The results mean a Labour prime minister in Number 10 for the first time since 2010 and the Conservatives facing a fight over the future direction of the party.

Already senior figures have been weighing in on what went wrong.

Ms Mordaunt, who is likely to have been a leadership contender if she had survived, said the Conservatives had taken a "battering because it failed to honour the trust that people had placed in it".

Warning against a shift to the right she said the party's renewal would not be achieved "by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves, but being guided by the people of our country".

"Our values must be the people's," she added.

Keir Starmer embraces Victoria at a watch party at Tate Modern. Pic: PA

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, seen as a leadership contender on the right, blamed the result on the Conservative's "not keeping our promises".

And Mr Shapps hit out at the Tory "soap opera" which had turned off voters, as he warned his party against going "off on some tangent, condemning ourselves to years of lacklustre opposition".

The Tories faced a battering not only from Labour, but from the Lib Dems and Reform UK too.

Nigel Farage. Pic: Nigel Farage/Reform/X

The success of Reform UK saw Nigel Farage win in Clacton - his eighth attempt at entering parliament - alongside former Tory Lee Anderson, who won his seat of Ashfield, Rupert Lowe, who took Great Yarmouth for the party, while former party leader Richard Tice won in Boston and Skegness.

It came after a swathe of Reform candidates took second place in Labour seats, pushing the Tories into third or even fourth place.

Mr. Farage said there is now a "massive gap on the center-right of British politics and my job is to fill it".

He added it is not just the Tories he would be taking on: "We're coming for Labour."

Read more:
Meet Victoria, Sir Keir Starmer's wife
Who won the popular vote?

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey hailed the results for his party as "exceptional".

The Lib Dems won their highest number of seats since the party was founded - securing at least 70.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey. Pic: PA

When polls closed on Thursday night, the exit poll by Ipsos UK for Sky News, the BBC and ITV News suggested the Lib Dems would win 61 seats - up from 11 - more than five times the number they secured at the last election in 2019.

They secured a number of gains from the Tories - including in Wells & Mendip Hills, Dorking & Horley, Wimbledon, Yeovil, Hampshire North East and Norfolk North.

They also took the constituencies of two of the four former Conservative prime ministers from the last 14 years - Lord Cameron in Witney and Lady May in Maidenhead.

In Wales, the Tories were wiped out, while in Scotland Labour were rampant.

It was a torrid night for the SNP, who were down to just nine MPs by Friday morning.

That is down from 48 at the last election, resulting in the Lib Dems overtaking them as the third-largest party.

In a sign that Sir Keir's landslide may not have been driven by overwhelming public enthusiasm, turnout at the election was on course to be the lowest for more than 20 years.

After all but two results had been declared, the turnout figure stood at 59.85%, the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001.

Faye Brown | Political reporter @fayebrownSky | Friday 5 July 2024 12:57, UK

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Related

Miatta Fahnbulleh, the 44-year-old British economist, born in Liberia with matrilineal ties to Sierra Leone, was elected as the new Member of Parliament for Peckham in the UK general election on July 4, 2024. She secured 22,813 votes in what is considered a safe Labour seat.

Miatta Fahnbulleh

Fahnbulleh takes over from former Labour MP Harriet Harman, who had represented the area for many years.

Education: BA from Lincoln College, Oxford; MA and Ph.D. in Economic Development from London School of Economics. Prospective Parliamentary Candidate: Labour Party's candidate for Camberwell and Peckham in the UK.

The election result was part of a broader Labour success in Southwark, where the party secured all five constituencies that overlap with the borough.

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UK general election 2024 results live: Starmer becomes PM after Labour win

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Keir Starmer to appoint cabinet as senior Labour MPs arrive in Downing Street

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JP Hitting The Nail. Interesting take on the Tories!

No surprise, the Labour landslide. The comment from a Conservative MP. ‘Frankly, I feel disgusted about how a Conservative Prime Minister can treat decent people who have sacrificed so much with such contempt.

Harvard Profs Argue Biden Admin Well-positioned to Give 'Reparations' to Black Americans

June 21, 2024

This article makes it clear that the norm, precedent, and federal expertise are in place to make reparatory compensation a reality for black Americans—now.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Harvard paper has made the argument that the Biden administration has the "precedent" as well as the "expertise" to implement reparations for black Americans in the United States who are descendants of slaves.   

Academics Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks, both professors at Harvard, wrote the paper on how models for reparations would be done in the US based on other programs and wrote about the implications of reparations. Bilmes and Brooks claim that the federal government, “already has the norm, precedent, expertise, and resources to provide reparations to black Americans.”  

Adding in the paper, the academics cited how President Joe Biden "pledged to cover all uninsured deposits, assuring Americans that 'no losses will be borne by the taxpayers'" when the Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March 2023. The authors from Harvard wrote that this was a sign that the federal government already has "arrangements to help pay for the wide system of reparatory compensation."  

They also cited Native American reserve lands as a compensatory program that would be comparable to the process of reparations for black Americans who are descendants of slaves. Other programs listed included payments to Jews from the Holocaust and Japanese who were put into internment camps during World War II. "US laws and rules governing compensation programs show that Congress has long sought to provide some measure of restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation to those who have suffered harms that are largely beyond their control," the paper said.

The authors claimed that many of the problems today facing the black community can be traced back to slavery, and cited the year 1619 as the starting point, perhaps in reference to the 1619 Project from Nicole Hannah Jones.   

In the paper's conclusion, it was recommended to the Executive and Legislative branches of the US to "convene a national commission to study and propose a scheme of federal reparations, authorized by an Executive Order or federal legislation." This would "use the breadth, variety, and diversity of reparatory compensation programs to develop a reparations program that addresses the full range of racial harms, including specifically the racial wealth gap."

It concludes, "This article makes it clear that the norm, precedent, and federal expertise are in place to make reparatory compensation a reality for black Americans—now."

Footnote: Professors Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks are both from Harvard University.

By Thomas Stevenson For AMERICAN NEWS Jun 21, 2024 / thepostmillennial.com

An Active U.S. Serviceman Dies After Setting Self on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy to Protest War in Gaza

Which he described as a 'genocide'

Updated: February 26,2024

In apparent protest of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

An active-duty U.S. Air Force member, later identified as Aaron Bushnell, who live-streamed himself protesting the Israel-Hamas war by setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on Sunday, February 25, 2024, is dead, a U.S. official confirmed.

While streaming himself live on Twitch, he stated that he ‘will no longer be complicit in genocide’ before dousing himself in accelerant and setting himself ablaze around 1 PM on Sunday. As he became engulfed in flames, Bushnell repeatedly yelled 'Free Palestine' before falling to the ground.

Emergency response vehicles near the Embassy of Israel in Washington on Feb. 25, 2024. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) identified the deceased demonstrator in a statement to TIME on Monday as 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, whose identity and death were first reported on social media by independent journalist Talia Jane.

Bushnell, who was wearing fatigues on Sunday in Washington, was a DevOps engineer based in San Antonio, Texas, according to his LinkedIn profile.

DC Fire and EMS initially said in a post on X on Sunday that it transported an adult male in critical condition to an area hospital after being dispatched at 12:58 p.m. to an incident outside the Israeli embassy, where it found the fire had already been extinguished by U.S. Secret Service members on the scene. Secret Service spokesperson Joe Routh told TIME in a statement that officers of its uniformed division responded to what appeared as “an individual that was experiencing a possible medical/mental health emergency.”

Embassy spokesperson Tal Naim told media outlets that no embassy personnel were injured. MPD told TIME that it is working with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to investigate the incident. MPD said in an earlier post on X that it also investigated a suspicious vehicle near the scene but that no hazardous materials were found.

Spokespersons for the U.S. Air Force confirmed to CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post that the man who set himself on fire, prior to his public identification, was an active-duty airman. Defense Department policy states that service members on active duty should “not engage in partisan political activity.” Military regulations also prohibit wearing the uniform during “unofficial public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or any public demonstration which may imply sanction or endorsement by [the Defense Department] or the Military Service.”

Bushnell reportedly sent a message to media outlets before his self-immolation. “​​Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people,” he warned.

On Facebook Sunday morning, he also wrote: “Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.” The post included a link to a live stream of his protest on the web-broadcasting platform Twitch, which took down the video for violations of its community guidelines and terms of service.

“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” the airman repeated, in footage reviewed by TIME, as he walked toward the driveway of the Israeli embassy. “But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

After Bushnell doused himself with liquid and reached for his lighter, unidentified law enforcement or security officers could be heard asking him, “Can I help you?” After setting himself aflame, Bushnell repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine.”

Protests have grown worldwide against Israel’s military actions in Gaza as well as against U.S. support for Israel since war broke out after the Oct. 7 assault from Palestinian militant group Hamas that Israeli officials claim killed about 1,200 people. Gaza’s health ministry, overseen by Hamas, has said that Israel’s bombardment of the enclave has in turn killed some 30,000 people.

Israel’s diplomatic outposts have become sustained sites of demonstration against the war in the Middle East, and it is not the first time someone has set their body ablaze outside one.

Self-immolation has a long history as a form of protest, gaining particular prominence during the Vietnam War and in Tunisia during the Arab Spring.

In December, an unidentified person with a Palestinian flag was left in critical condition after they lit themself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

Credit Source: Reported by CHAD DE GUZMAN. Chad de Guzman is a reporter for TIME, based in Singapore. He covers the Asia-Pacific region and global overnight news.

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“RAW VIDEO! Viewer discretion is advised.”

— Aaron Bushnell immolation

An active-duty U.S. Air Force member, later identified as Aaron Bushnell, live-streamed himself protesting the Israel-Hamas war by setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

Credit Source:

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“U.S. Veterans burn their uniforms at Aaron Bushnell’s vigil.”

— Source: @AlissaAzar /*UPDATED: February 29, 2024*/

US VETERANS BURN THEIR UNIFORMS

AT AARON BUSHNELL’S VIGIL

Source: @AlissaAzar pic.twitter.com/Mhf3iJEpUU

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) February 29, 2024

Aaron Bushnell’s Vigil

The Cost of Applying for the U.S. Citizenship is About to Increase

The price of getting a 'green card' — the first step to citizenship — will jump, too

Department of Homeland Security — RIN 1615-AC68

This final rule is effective April 1, 2024

The changes are a fraction of the fee increases sought by the Trump administration before a federal judge scrapped them. Still, immigration attorneys say immigration costs almost always trend higher, so those who want to naturalize for less should consider applying before April 1, 2024.

On April 1, the cost of the application to naturalize will increase to about 19 percent. The price hike is significant. According to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, more than 9 million legal permanent residents in the United States are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship but haven’t done so yet.

The price of getting a 'green card' — the first step to citizenship — will jump, too.

In summary, that 'green card' packet requires at least four different forms for most applicants, and certain fees are waived when submitted together under the current guidelines. After April 1, the price of pursuing legal permanent residency will jump from $1,760 to $3,005.

U.S. Citizenship Cost

The costs vary. The naturalization application form, called N-400, currently costs $640 when filing a paper application or $725, including the fingerprint fee, called 'biometrics.' On April 1, the cost of both jumps to $760.

See the Department of Homeland Security Services — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes. And other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements.

Department of Homeland Security Services 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes

Click Here

The cost increase may be less than USCIS' previous attempt to boost fees, but it can still be a burden for families when more than one family member wants to naturalize and each individual has to pay a separate application fee.

Monday, February 19, 2024, at 5:13 AM Est. EDT - Source: yahoo /news

Protests against Queen Elizabeth Day of Mourning demand abolishment of the monarchy

While Australia's parliament house held a memorial service, thousands across the country hit the streets to take a stand against colonisation.

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Aboriginal activist Wayne Wharton and WAR protesters burn an Australian flag in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Russell Freeman

Thousands of protesters have marched the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra in opposition to the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth and "racist colonial imperialism."

The Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) organized a National Day of Protest in response to the government's swift action to declare the one-off public holiday.

While at Canberra's Parliament House, the likes of politicians and ambassadors gathered to commemorate Queen Elizabeth, others were hitting the pavement to stand against the day.

Brisbane's organized rally began at 11:00 am, the same time which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese encouraged Australians to take part in a minute's silence for Queen Elizabeth.

Protest organizer and Gomeroi/Kooma woman Ruby Wharton said the lead-up to the public holiday felt similar to Invasion Day, on January 26.

“We've been yelling for a day of mourning and demanding one for the last 200 years.”

"[Australians] need to ask themselves why our Head of State doesn't even come from this country. And how the head of state got to this country, that's through murder, through pillaging, through [the] dispossession of lands and First Nations people and that's a continuing, ongoing project," she told NITV News.

Published 22 September 2022 at 3:27 pm, updated 22 September 2022 at 5:01 pm. By Tanisha Stanton, Alexis Moran, Cameron Gooley, Ricky Kirby. Source: NITV

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