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In DNC Speech, Sanders Condemns 'Oligarchs' Buying Elections and Blocking Change
Sen. Bernie Sanders said during his primetime appearance at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night that overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision should be "at the very top" of the party's list of priorities, particularly given the outsized role that billionaires and dark-money groups have played in recent elections."Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, including primary elections," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in his speech to Democratic delegates and activists gathered in Chicago. "For the sake of our democracy, we must overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision and move toward public funding of...
'Complicity in War Crimes': Report Names Countries, Companies Supplying Fuel to Israel
Oil Change International on Tuesday released a report detailing fossil fuel transfers to Israel since its siege of Gaza began in October, arguing that the countries and companies responsible, which include the United States and U.S.-based multinationals, could be held liable for contributing to "acts of genocide" under international law. Azerbaijan, Kazahstan, and Gabon are major suppliers of crude oil to Israel, as are Big Oil companies such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, according to the report, which comes from data that the U.S.-based advocacy group commissioned from Data Desk, an investigative consultancy. Data Desk tracked 65 shipments of petroleum products...
Fresh Warnings of Election Deepfakes After Trump's Taylor Swift Stunt
U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's posting of artificial intelligence-generated images suggesting pop star Taylor Swift had endorsed him earned him the ridicule of Swift's fans and journalists this week, but at least one pro-democracy watchdog warned that the incident served as a reminder that regulators must act with much more urgency to stop such behavior.On Sunday, Trump used his Truth Social account to share the AI-generated images, known as "deepfakes," one of which showed Swift dressed up as Uncle Sam with the caption, "Taylor Wants You to Vote for Donald Trump." Others showed people wearing shirts that read, "Swifties...
'History Is Watching': Gaza Doctors Urge Harris to Back Israel Arms Embargo at Democratic Convention
As humanitarians opposed to the U.S. government's support for Israel's assault on Gaza continued to protest during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, American doctors who recently volunteered in the besieged enclave implored the party's presidential nominee Kamala Harris—based on the carnage and heartache they have witnessed—to embrace an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate cease-fire. during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Uncommitted National Movement held a Tuesday press conference at which American doctors who volunteered in Gaza implored Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, to embrace an arms embargo on Israel and an...
'Let's Go!' Top Economist Applauds as Harris Signals Support for Billionaires Tax
An economist at the forefront of the growing global push for a billionaire wealth tax is welcoming news that U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is embracing calls for a minimum levy on the United States' richest individuals. "Let's go!" Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote Tuesday in response to Semafor reporting on the Harris team's endorsement of taxes on ultra-wealthy individuals and large corporations proposed in President Joe Biden's budget for Fiscal Year 2025.Semafor highlighted a "little-noticed portion" of an analysis released late last week by the Committee for a Responsible...
'Complicit in War Crimes': UK Official Resigns Over Arms Sales to Israel
A British diplomat on Friday resigned in protest of the United Kingdom's arm sales to Israel, saying that there is "no justification" for the sales and that Israel has committed war crimes. Mark Smith, who was a second secretary at the U.K. embassy in Dublin, had a previous official role working on arms export licensing assessments for the Middle East, he said. He is the first known British official to resign over the war in Gaza. He sent an email to a long list of fellow officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). Iraqi-British journalist Hind Hassan obtained the email...
Global Wealth Tax Could Raise $2.1 Trillion Annually for Climate Action and More
With countries set to focus heavily on climate finance for the Global South at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, the Tax Justice Network on Monday offered a proposal that could raise double the amount of money needed to help developing countries transition to clean energy and adapt to extreme weather—and there's already proof the idea is effective and politically feasible.The "featherlight" wealth tax introduced in Spain less than two years ago raised hundreds of millions of euros last year by taxing the net worth of the 0.5% richest households, and the group's report argued that the...
'Fed Up With Being Exploited,' Unionized Cornell Workers Strike as Students Arrive
More than 1,000 unionized campus workers at Cornell University—from maintenance and dining room employees to gardeners and custodians—went on strike late Sunday to protest management's refusal to negotiate in good faith and put forth a fair pay and benefits package. The strike by Cornell employees, who are represented by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300, coincided with the Ivy League university's student move-in day. The union local has filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges against Cornell with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the university of retaliating against workers for engaging in protected union activity and interfering with organizing...
On Eve of DNC, 'Not Another Bomb' Rallies Demand US Arms Embargo on Israel
On the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, proponents of a U.S. arms embargo on Israel—which is on trial for genocide at the World Court for its assault on Gaza that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians—took to the streets of cities in states from New York to Hawaii on Sunday to amplify their demand of "Not Another Bomb" for Israeli military forces. "It is crystal clear: In order to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, the U.S. must immediately stop arming Israel," the Not Another Bomb campaign—an initiative led by the Uncommitted National Movement—said in a statement ahead of this...
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