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07.02.2025 - 13:49 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Massenüberwachungspläne der Union: Trump geleckt

(January 27, 2025)

Der Antragsentwurf der Christenunion hat es in sich: In Deutschland soll nicht nur bei Fragen der Einreise und des Asyls eine Politik im Stile Donald Trumps mit massiven Verschärfungen beginnen. Auch ein ganzer Überwachungskatalog soll Wirklichkeit werden. Neben mehreren Vorhaben von technisierter Massenüberwachung ist auch der Ausbau staatlichen Hackings vorgesehen, dazu mehr Befugnisse für Polizei und Geheimdienste.

Die Fülle an Vorhaben begründet die Union mit den zurückliegenden Morden von Tätern mit psychischen Auffälligkeiten in Magdeburg und Aschaffenburg und mit der „ernüchternden innenpolitischen Bilanz nach drei Jahren Regierung Scholz“, wie es im Antrag heißt.

(…)

Die wenigen Abgeordneten des Bundestags, die in Überwachungsfragen der Geheimdienste Einblick bekommen, sollte das beunruhigen. Denn die Kontrolle durch das Parlament ist schon heute unterentwickelt und kaum praktikabel. Parlamentarische Untersuchungsausschüsse des Bundestags, die wegen Geheimdienstskandalen immer wieder bemüht werden mussten, haben gezeigt: Das Stochern im Nebel hat System. Wenn nun noch mehr Auflagen „zurückgeführt werden“, läuft die Geheimdienstkontrolle ins Leere.

07.02.2025 - 00:30 [ Tagesschau.de ]

ARD-DeutschlandTrend: Vorgehen der Union spaltet die Deutschen

Im aktuellen ARD DeutschlandTrend äußert sich die Hälfte kritisch zum Vorgehen der Union, mit AfD-Stimmen einem Antrag zur Mehrheit zu verhelfen. Ein gutes Viertel davon (27 Prozent) finden das Vorgehen der Union grundsätzlich falsch. Knapp jeder Vierte (23 Prozent) ist zwar grundsätzlich mit dem Vorstoß der Union einverstanden, nicht jedoch mit der Inkaufnahme von AfD-Stimmen.

Gut vier von zehn (43 Prozent) bewerten das Unions-Vorgehen im Bundestag grundsätzlich als richtig – auch wenn dafür AfD-Stimmen in Kauf genommen wurden.

31.01.2025 - 18:42 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Migrationspolitik: Bundestag lehnt Gesetzentwurf der Union ab

Insgesamt wurden nur 692 Stimmen abgegeben, im Bundestag sitzen jedoch 733 Abgeordnete. Wie die Abgeordneten im Einzelnen abgestimmt haben, soll noch mitgeteilt werden.

29.01.2025 - 22:08 [ Junge Welt ]

Rechter Bürgerblock stimmt durch

Das sogenannte Zustrombegrenzungsgesetz soll am Freitag abgestimmt werden; es könnte rechtlich bindende Folgen haben.

13.01.2025 - 18:00 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Neue „Division für Heimatschutz“: Legal, illegal, sch…egal

Eine neue „Division für Heimatschutz“ der Bundeswehr verstößt mutmaßlich gegen das Grundgesetz. Einem Einsatz der deutschen Armee im Inland sind enge juristische Grenzen gesetzt, aber das interessiert die Initiatoren des Vorstoßes und die großen Medien nicht.

12.01.2025 - 18:51 [ Politico.eu ]

Germany reportedly boosting domestic defense with new division

The fourth division will oversee Germany‘s domestic defense, including the protection of infrastructure such as ports, railways and supply and deployment routes, the reports said.

12.01.2025 - 18:43 [ Heise.de ]

Kritische Infrastruktur: Bundeswehr soll Drohnen im Inland abschießen dürfen

(January 10, 2025)

Das Luftsicherheitsgesetz gestattet es der Bundeswehr bisher nur, recht milde Mittel einzusetzen. So dürfen die Streitkräfte im Luftraum fliegende Objekte abdrängen, zur Landung zwingen, den Einsatz von Waffengewalt androhen oder Warnschüsse abgeben. Abschüsse zur Ergänzung polizeilicher Aktionen sollen nun vor allem infrage kommen, wenn ein katastrophaler Schaden oder Gefahr für Leib und Leben droht. Als Beispiele werden ein Flugzeug- oder Eisenbahnunglück, der Ausfall des Stromnetzes oder ein drohender Terroranschlag genannt

19.11.2024 - 00:00 [ theNation.com ]

Yes, Antony Blinken Should Resign. But He’s Not the Only One.

(September 27, 2024)

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

18.11.2024 - 23:41 [ Truthout.org ]

Tlaib: Blinken Must Resign Over Lies About Israel Blocking Humanitarian Aid

(November 16, 2024)

“Secretary Blinken has continued to lie to Congress and should resign,” she said. “U.S. law is very clear. No nation blocking U.S. humanitarian assistance can receive U.S. weapons. The Biden administration cannot pick and choose when they comply with our own laws.”

“Children are forced to eat pet food and bug infested flour,” she went on. “But Blinken says there is no need to change our own policy. Shameful.”

14.10.2024 - 19:39 [ ZDF ]

Deutsche Geheimdienste warnen vor Russland

Auch Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser (SPD) warnte vor den zunehmenden Gefahren durch russische Geheimdienst-Aktivitäten in Deutschland. „Wir sehen, dass Putins Regime immer aggressiver agiert“, sagte Faeser dem „Handelsblatt“. Der CDU-Politiker Roderich Kiesewetter warnte in diesem Zusammenhang auch vor Gewalttaten: „Sabotage und gezielte Mordanschläge sind deshalb wahrscheinlich“, sagte er ebenfalls dem „Handelsblatt“.

14.10.2024 - 19:38 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Warnung deutscher Geheimdienste: „Russische Spionage und Sabotage nehmen zu“

Nach Informationen der Nachrichtenagentur dpa bestand der glückliche Zufall darin, dass der Weiterflug des aus dem Baltikum stammenden Frachtpakets sich in Leipzig verzögerte. Das Paket hatte einen Brandsatz enthalten, der dort zündete und einen Frachtcontainer in Brand setzte. In Sicherheitskreisen wird davon ausgegangen, dass der Vorfall im Zusammenhang mit russischer Sabotage steht.

Der Kreml sieht den Westen und damit auch Deutschland als Gegner“, warnte auch Bruno Kahl, Präsident des Bundesnachrichtendienstes (BND), mit Hinweis auf den Ukraine-Krieg.

(…)

Alle drei Geheimdienst-Spitzen mahnten, dass die Sicherheitsdienste mit den nötigen Kompetenzen ausgestattet werden müssten, um die Gefahren abwehren zu können. Rosenberg sagte, sie hoffe auf „eine Realitätsanpassung der Gesetzeslage, um unseren Auftrag bestmöglich erfüllen zu können“.

26.09.2024 - 18:22 [ Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator for Vermont ]

NEWS: Sanders and Colleagues Move to Block Arms Sales to Israel

The Senate will vote on these resolutions when it reconvenes in November. Let me explain why these arms sales must not proceed.

Israel clearly had the right to respond to Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on October 7th, which killed 1,200 innocent Israelis and took hundreds of hostages. But Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged all-out war against the Palestinian people, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 95,000 – 60 percent of whom are women, children, or elderly people. Netanyahu has bombed hospitals and schools, starved children, destroyed infrastructure and housing stock, and made life unlivable in Gaza. The United States must end its complicity in this atrocity.

Sending more weapons is not only immoral, it is also illegal. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act lay out clear requirements for the use of American weaponry – Israel has egregiously violated those rules.

26.09.2024 - 18:10 [ Common Dreams ]

Sanders Unveils Resolutions to Block US Arms Sales as Israel Rejects Cease-Fire Call

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and a pair of his Senate colleagues on Wednesday formally introduced resolutions aimed at blocking a series of proposed arms sales to the Israeli government as it bombards Gaza and Lebanon, deepening humanitarian crises there and pushing the region to the brink of all-out war.

The six Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, five of which were backed by Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would together prevent the sale of $20 billion of U.S. weaponry to Israel. The Biden administration approved the massive sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, tank ammunition, F-15 fighter jets, and other military equipment last month.

25.09.2024 - 15:01 [ New Republic ]

Damning Report Reveals How Antony Blinken Lied to Congress on Israel

The U.S. government’s handling of USAID’s memo led to internal conflict, with one official in the State Department, Stacy Gilbert, resigning in May over Blinken’s statement to Congress.

“There is abundant evidence showing Israel is responsible for blocking aid,” Gilbert wrote in a statement at the time. “To deny this is absurd and shameful. That report and its flagrant untruths will haunt us.” (mehr …)

25.09.2024 - 14:42 [ Democracy Now ]

Biden Admin Kept Arming Genocide After State Dept., USAID Found Israel Blocked Gaza Aid Delivery

Blinken’s decision allowed the U.S. to keep sending arms to Israel. Under U.S. law, the government is required to cut off weapons shipments to countries preventing the delivery of U.S.-backed aid.

25.09.2024 - 14:31 [ Propublica.org ]

Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Rejected Them.

Blinken told Congress, “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting” aid, even though the U.S. Agency for International Development and others had determined that Israel had broken the law.

28.04.2024 - 07:35 [ Devex.com ]

Exclusive: USAID officials say Israel breached US directive on Gaza aid

Israel is in violation of a White House directive requiring recipients of American military assistance to comply with international humanitarian law and permit the unimpeded delivery of U.S.-funded humanitarian support, USAID officials concluded in a confidential United States paper reviewed by Devex.

The findings earlier this month follow the Feb. 8 issuance of a national security memo from the White House instructing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “obtain credible and reliable written assurances” from U.S. weapons recipients that they will abide by international humanitarian law, and report those findings to the White House and Congress. In Israel’s case, it would only apply to offensive weapons.

11.04.2024 - 22:32 [ Kyiv Post ]

Final Version of Mobilization Bill Approved, Ukraine’s Soldiers ‘Not Happy’ About It

However, at the same time, the rule on demobilization after 36 months of service disappeared from the final version. (…)

The military members, who have been serving since 2022, were waiting for this provision, wrote DPSU officer Maksym Nesmyanov.

“This is a disaster… How could it be possible to promise demobilization to soldiers from December 2023, only to abandon them at the end!!! You can‘t take away hope from soldiers that they will return home,” Nesmyanov wrote on Facebook.

07.03.2024 - 19:59 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Taktik des Terrorkrieges: “Hate Speech” und Kontrolle

(27.01.2018)

Lüge, Betrug, Verrat, Vergewaltigung, Mord, Folter, Ausbeutung, Unterdrückung, Krieg, Genozid und deren strukturelle Manifestation durch Politik, Staat und Kapital zu hassen ist eine ganz normale menschliche Emotion. Sie kann allerdings genau dazu benutzt werden was sie bei Menschen normalerweise hervorruft.

(…)

Des Weiteren gibt die Akzeptanz des politischen, letztlich unweigerlich repressiven Begriff “Hate Speech” (Hass-Sprache) repressiven Organen die Option einer maximal perfiden und zynischen Dialektik: mehr Lüge, mehr Betrug, mehr Verrat, mehr Vergewaltigung, mehr Mord, Folter, Ausbeutung, Unterdrückung und Krieg gegen Ausgelieferte und Hilflose anzuwenden, mit der ganz normalen menschlichen Reaktion der Betroffenen zu rechnen, diese einzukalkulieren, sogar gezielt zu provozieren und diese dann als “hateful” zu bezeichnen und noch mehr entsprechende Maßnahmen gegen diese anzuwenden, da diese ja “hateful” seien, abnormal und gefährlich.

21.02.2024 - 17:20 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Neue Meldestelle beim BKA: Darf’s auch etwas mehr sein?

Gegenüber netzpolitik.org sagt ein Sprecher des BKA, dass die Behörde „im Prüfungs- und Weiterleitungsprozess Zugriff auf die durch den Hostingdiensteanbieter übermittelten Daten“ habe, also auch auf identifizierende Daten. Derartige Daten seien laut dem BKA erforderlich, um die örtlich zuständige Strafverfolgungsbehörde ermitteln zu können oder um Gefahren abwehren zu können.

11.02.2024 - 18:00 [ Norbert Häring ]

Faeser und Paus wollen Demokratie nach Art der DDR herbeifördern

(05.02.2024)

Ist man eigentlich noch bei klarem Verstand, wenn man behauptet, dass es die Demokratie fördert, wenn die Regierung per „Demokratiefördergesetz“ ermächtigt und beauftragt wird, Geld an behördlich ausgewählte „zivilgesellschaftliche“ Organisationen zu geben, damit diese Oppositionsparteien und oppositionelle Medien bekämpfen? Die (wohl mangels ausreichender Demokratieförderung) in den Hessenwahlen krachend gescheiterte Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser meint Ja.

Im Dezember 2022 hatten Feaser (SPD) und die Ministerin für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, Lisa Paus (Grüne) den Entwurf eines Demokratiefördergesetzes vorgestellt, mit dem „Populisten und Extremisten“ bekämpft werden sollen, die „versuchen besonders in Krisenzeiten, unsere offene, plurale Gesellschaft zu spalten“.

Bisher haben sie dafǘr zum Glück keine Mehrheit im Bundestag zustande gebracht. Doch nun, angesichts der Demonstrationen gegen die AfD, wittert Faeser Morgenluft und versucht es erneut.

11.02.2024 - 17:03 [ Netzwerk Kritische Richter und Staatsanwälte (KRiSTA) ]

Meinungsfreiheit – ein Auslaufmodell: Der Digital Services Act (DSA)

(16.01.2024)

Am 16.11.2022 ist die Verordnung (EU) 2022/2065 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 19.10.2022 über den Binnenmarkt für digitale Dienste (Digital Services Act – im Folgenden DSA genannt) in Kraft getreten.

Sie gilt spätestens ab dem 17.02.2024 unmittelbar in jedem EU-Mitgliedstaat in erster Linie für „sehr große Online-Plattformen und sehr große Online-Suchmaschinen“ (Art. 33 Abs. 4, Art. 92, 93 Abs. 2 DSA).

Diese werden unter Androhung empfindlicher finanzieller Sanktionen verpflichtet, alle ihre Inhalte zu kontrollieren und gegebenenfalls zu löschen. Und sie werden dabei kontrolliert von der EU-Kommission, von staatlichen Koordinatoren und von zivilgesellschaftlichen Hinweisgebern.

Trotz seiner unmittelbaren Geltung im deutschen Recht bedarf der DSA eines konkretisierenden nationalen Ausführungsgesetzes. Ein Entwurf dieses Digitale-Dienste-Gesetzes (DDG-Entwurf) wurde von der Bundesregierung am 20.12.2023 verabschiedet.

Beraten und beschlossen werden soll er im Bundestag vor dem 17.02.2024.

(…)
In Erwägungsgrund Nr. 5 wird schon zwischen der „Vermittlung und Verbreitung rechtswidriger oder anderweitig schädlicher Informationen und Tätigkeiten“ unterschieden (Hervorhebung d. Verf.). Auch Art. 34 Abs. 1 DSA spricht in Abs. 1 a von der „Verbreitung rechtswidriger Inhalte über ihre Dienste“, in Abs. 1 b-d allerdings nur noch von Informationen mit „nachteiligen Auswirkungen“, die nicht rechtswidrig sein müssen.

(…)

Im Zentrum, jedenfalls des nationalstaatlichen Geschehens, steht der von jedem Mitgliedstaat bis zum 17.02.2024 zu ernennende „Koordinator für digitale Dienste“ (KdD).

17.11.2023 - 12:05 [ Rep. Ilhan Omar / Twitter ]

NEW: I introduced legislation to block the sale of $320M worth of bomb kits that are already being used to commit atrocities in Gaza. We cannot allow weapons sales that will be used to directly violate U.S. and international law and human rights.

12.11.2023 - 21:14 [ New York Post ]

Hamas leaders worth staggering $11B revel in luxury — while Gaza’s people suffer

(November 7, 2023)

The terror group’s three top leaders alone are worth a staggering total of $11 billion and enjoy a life of luxury in the sanctuary of the emirate of Qatar.

The emirate has long welcomed the leaders of the terror group and installed them in its luxury hotels and villas at the same time as it hosts a vast American military presence.

Now US Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) is sponsoring a bill that would strip Qatar of its status as a key US ally, The Post has learned, unless it kicks out the Hamas leadership.

10.11.2023 - 04:50 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Geheime Liste: Wie der Sicherheitsapparat die Chatkontrolle prägt

Auffällig ist, dass die EU-Kommission von den neun Regierungsvertreter:innen auch zwei von der australischen Bundespolizei einlud. Hintergrund könnte hier sein, dass Australien seit 2019 ein Gesetz gegen sichere Verschlüsselung anwendet. Australien gehört wie das Vereinigte Königreich, die USA, Neuseeland und Kanada zum Geheimdienstverbund „Five Eyes“.

01.11.2023 - 15:41 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Neues Gesetz: Geheimdienst soll Bürger im privaten Umfeld anschwärzen dürfen

Die Pläne würden in einem Gesetzentwurf des Bundesinnenministeriums für eine Reform des Bundesverfassungsschutzgesetzes stehen, den das Kabinett bereits gebilligt habe, so die SZ. Im November soll er im Bundestag zur Abstimmung kommen. Der Gesetzentwurf würde es dem Inlandsgeheimdienst nach Ansicht von Fachleuten ermöglichen, sich weitaus stärker in der Gesellschaft einzumischen: Auch Lehrer oder Sporttrainer sollen die Agenten demnach ansprechen und diskret auf einen Verdacht gegen einen Menschen hinweisen dürfen – solange es irgendwie der „Deradikalisierung“ diene, oder auch, solange es irgendwie helfe, „das Gefährdungspotenzial zu reduzieren“.

21.10.2023 - 14:09 [ Times of Israel ]

Soldier killed by Lebanon missile; Gallant: Hezbollah joined fighting, is paying price

The soldier was named as Staff Sgt. (res.) Omer Balva, 22, a commander in the 9203rd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade, from Herzliya.

Balva was a dual Israeli-American citizen. A child of Israeli parents, he grew up in Rockville, Maryland, where he went to the Charles E. Smith Jewish day school.

He went to Israel to serve in the IDF, and was in the reserves because of the current war.

21.10.2023 - 14:03 [ New York Times ]

Biden Requests $105 Billion Aid Package for Israel, Ukraine and Other Crises

If Congress approves Mr. Biden’s combined approach, Ukraine would receive $61.4 billion for military and economic assistance, while Israel would get about $14.3 billion to bolster its air and missile defenses, including the Iron Dome system, which has protected the country from incoming Hamas rockets.

The request also includes more than $9 billion for humanitarian assistance in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine and $7.4 billion for security to support Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific.

26.09.2023 - 09:15 [ ORF.at ]

„Five Eyes“ hinter den Entschlüsselungsplänen des EU-Ministerrats

(29.11.2020)

Gemeint ist ein erster Schritt zu einer EU-weiten Regulation, die Plattformbetreiber de facto verpflichten wird, Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung mit einem Generalschlüssel auszuhebeln. Dass diese vom britischen Geheimdienst GCHQ vorgeschlagene Methode favorisiert wird, bestätigte de Kerchove ganz nebenbei in einem am Freitag von der Nachrichtenagentur AFP verbreiteten Interview. Ein frisch geleaktes Dokument des Rats dokumentiert die tiefe Involvierung der Spionageallianz „Five Eyes“ in die Entschlüsselungspläne.

(…)

Was de Kerchove, der auch die Gaming-Websites als überwachungspflichtig ins Spiel gebracht hatte, geflissentlich verschwieg, ist, wozu dies in jedem EU-Staat unweigerlich führen wird, dessen Gesetze den Geheimdiensten ein Mandat zum Anzapfen der Glasfaserleitungen zum Zwecke der „Gefahrenverhütung“ bzw. der „Nachrichtenaufklärung“ verleihen.

10.08.2023 - 14:20 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Knesset Okays ‘Sexual Terrorism’ Racist Law

(03.08.2023)

Sponsored by a group of lawmakers led by MK Limor Son Har Melech, from the racist coalition faction Otzma Yehudit, and MK Yulia Malinovsky from right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beytenu, the new law marked a rare case of cross-Knesset alignment and passed 39 to 7 on its final reading.

Sharp criticism of the law quickly came in from Hadash-Ta’al lawmakers and Israel’s rape crisis center umbrella organization, with both alleging the law improperly creates a ranking of the severity of such crimes. Hadash-Ta’al MK Aida Touma-Sliman, a former head of the Knesset’s Women’s Status Committee, told the Knesset: “Do not punish according to hierarchies and classifications.” “Shame on these laws,” she continued, tweeting after the law passed, “Don’t promote racism on the backs of victims!”

29.07.2023 - 07:40 [ theHill.com ]

Alito says Congress has ‘no authority’ to regulate Supreme Court

(28.07.2023)

“I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it,” Alito told the Journal. “No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court — period.”

Although the Constitution enables Congress to structure the lower federal courts, it explicitly vests judicial power within a singular Supreme Court.

(…)

The piece also revealed Alito’s first public comments on the recent ethics push since he authored an op-ed for the same paper that was shared just before a ProPublica investigation into an undisclosed Alaskan fishing trip the justice accepted in 2008 paid for by a conservative donor was made public.

21.07.2023 - 03:10 [ the-Star.co.ke ]

Kenya Kwanza defends police on alleged brutality in demos

„We want to ask ICC to be alert because what is happening are acts of criminality,“ he said.

Kiambu Senator Karungo Wathangwa asked the President to lock the country and deal with the opposition if that is what it will take to restore peace and order in the country.

„If it takes three, four or five days to lock down this country and deal with these people, let it be,“ he said.

21.07.2023 - 03:01 [ APNews.com ]

Kenya police are told not to report deaths during protests. A watchdog says they killed 6 this week

Police in Kenya say they have been ordered not to report deaths during a crackdown on protests over tax increases amid the rising cost of living, but an independent watchdog said Thursday that police shot dead at least six people this week and 27 in previous weeks.

It wasn’t clear who issued the unusual order.

21.07.2023 - 02:24 [ AmsterdamNews.com ]

Painful cost of living hikes spark violent protests across Kenya

Kenyans are preparing for tough times after lawmakers approved tax increases that are unpopular even with supporters of the president, who once vowed to reduce the cost of living. William Ruto’s election win was attributed to his appeal to voters as a fellow “hustler” who rose from a humble background to senior roles in government, including as Jomo Kenyatta’s vice president. (…)

Kenya’s High Court suspended the tax hike pending a legal challenge, but the government raised gas prices anyway.

08.07.2023 - 13:33 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Hadash Lawmaker Brutally Cut Off After Jenin Comments in Knesset

During the deliberations, a storm erupted in the Knesset plenum when MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) stated in regard to the occupation forces operation in Jenin: “Every action has a reaction. There’s a reaction to the occupation, and that’s the resistance. Long live the Jenin Refugee Camp! Boo to you!” Odeh accused the far-right coalition MKs, saying: “Everyone’s blood for your accursed occupation, you are behaving not only as criminals but also as fools. Everyone is proud of Jenin and rightly so, and now more people will join the fighters against this accursed occupation. Every action has a response because it is the law of nature, the occupation has a response and this is the resistance, the resistance to the occupation is legitimate, long live the Jenin refugee camp, long live the Palestinian struggle.”

Odeh was immediately kicked off the podium after his support for Palestinians in Jenin and said, “Take me down, but the Palestinian people will continue to struggle.”

01.07.2023 - 15:38 [ Fox News ]

Roberts scolds liberal justices for demonizing rulings they don‘t like: ‚Disturbing feature‘ of dissents

„It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,“ Roberts wrote. He said the majority came to its decision by adhering to court precedent „old and new“ that „requires that Congress speak clearly before a Department Secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy.“

01.07.2023 - 15:26 [ Business Insider ]

Kagan says the Supreme Court risks becoming ‚a danger to a democratic order‘ after it axed Biden‘s student loan forgiveness plan

Kagan in a scorching dissent argued that the court itself overstepped its bounds and by doing so is barreling to a future where it is the „maker of national policy“ by failing to defer to President Joe Biden and Congress to set the national agenda.

„That is no proper role for a court,“ Kagan wrote. „And it is a danger to a democratic order.“ (…)

The chief justice agreed with Kagan that the case is about a branch of government overstepping its authority, but Roberts remained steadfast in his view that it was the executive branch.

01.07.2023 - 15:14 [ theCollegeInvestor.com ]

Is Student Loan Forgiveness By Executive Order Legal?

(June 30, 2023)

Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) want President Joe Biden to forgive $50,000 in federal student loans per borrower. They claim that he can do this unilaterally through executive order.

(…)

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan proposed by President Biden does not include any student loan forgiveness.

26.06.2023 - 08:20 [ PBS.org ]

Hollywood producer testifies about ‘supply line’ of gifts at Netanyahu’s corruption trial

The indictment accuses Netanyahu of using his influential perch to assist Milchan to secure a U.S. visa extension by drawing on his diplomatic contacts, among them former Secretary of State John Kerry. Prosecutors also accuse Netanyahu of working to push legislation that would have granted Milchan millions in tax breaks.

22.06.2023 - 20:14 [ EuropeanConservative.com ]

EU Members Want Option To Spy on Journalists in the Name of National Security

According to Politico, the latest text of the draft law from June 16th states that the word “spyware” has been replaced by the term “intrusive surveillance software” and that at least one delegation is wanting the inclusion of a passage noting member states having sole responsibility for their own national security.

The new law comes after several scandals across Europe involving spyware, such as the Pegasus spyware scandal, in which both politicians and journalists were targeted by the software, which was created by the Israel-based NSO Group.

22.06.2023 - 20:09 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

EU-Staaten schwächen Gesetz zum Schutz der Pressefreiheit

Der Rat der EU-Staaten hat heute seinen Entwurf für das geplante Europäische Medienfreiheitsgesetz beschlossen. Darin hat der Rat den vorgesehenen Schutz von Journalist:innen vor staatlicher Überwachung deutlich abgeschwächt. Nach dem Vorschlag der Kommission sollte das Gesetz eigentlich europaweit ein weitgehendes Verbot von Überwachungsmaßnahmen, Inhaftierung und Beschlagnahmungen gegen Journalist:innen zur Ausforschung ihrer Quellen einführen. Auch sollte es demnach ein explizites Verbot der Überwachung von Journalist:innen mit Staatstrojanern festschreiben.

22.06.2023 - 20:02 [ Politico.eu ]

EU capitals want media law carve-out to spy on reporters

(20.06.2023)

European Union governments want to be able to spy on reporters in the name of national security, even as lawmakers urge them to crack down on spyware.

Governments‘ deputy ambassadors are set to give their blessing at a Council meeting on Wednesday to a national security exemption in a new media regulation whose original purpose was to safeguard media independence and pluralism.

Privacy advocates and journalists’ organizations argue the new clause would give countries a free pass to snoop on reporters.

22.06.2023 - 19:55 [ theGuardian.com ]

Draft EU plans to allow spying on journalists are dangerous, warn critics

On Wednesday, the European Council – which represents the governments of EU member states – published a draft of the European Media Freedom Act that would allow spyware to be placed on journalists’ phones if a national government thought it necessary.

Unusually, the council did not take the step of holding an in-person meeting of ministers responsible for media before the draft was published.

22.06.2023 - 19:53 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

EU set to approve the use of spyware to uncover confidential journalist sources ‚in the name of national security‘

Press freedom advocates warned the last-minute changes demanded by France could ‚open the door to all sorts of abuses‘.

All 32 offences listed in the EU arrest warrant, alongside any crime that could lead to a prison sentence of over five years, could be used under the new draft law.

It would also let EU governments exempt themselves from spying on journalists if it is an ‚overriding requirement of the public interest‘.

21.06.2023 - 16:25 [ Abstimmung21.de ]

Themenwahl 2023: Anlasslose Kontrolle von Chatnachrichten verhindern

Die EU-Kommission plant eine umfassende Überwachung unserer Messenger-Kommunikation (z. B. via WhatsApp, iMessage, facebook Messenger, Telegram und andere) in ganz Europa einzuführen. Durch die Überwachung all unserer Nachrichten hofft die EU-Kommission, Missbrauchsdarstellungen von Kindern und Jugendlichen auf unseren Endgeräten zu finden, um somit gegen die Verbreitung kinderpornographischer Darstellungen vorzugehen (1).

Im Koalitionsvertrag heißt es dazu: „Allgemeine Überwachungspflichten, Maßnahmen zum Scannen privater Kommunikation und eine Identifizierungspflicht lehnen wir ab“ (2).

Entgegen dieser Vereinbarung hat die deutsche Bundesregierung Anfang April entschieden, die Massnahmen zum Scannen der privaten Kommunikation auf EU-Ebene nicht abzulehnen (3).

21.06.2023 - 15:55 [ Abstimmung21 - Für Volksentscheide auf Bundesebene ]

ABSTIMMUNG21: Volksabstimmungen auf Bundesebene

1. Themenvorschläge

Für die Themenwahl konnten bis Ende März bei uns Vorschläge eingereicht werden.

2. Themenwahl vom 01. Mai bis zum 30. Juni

Alle zugelassenen Vorschläge werden ab dem 1. Mai nach und nach hier veröffentlicht. Die drei Themen mit den meisten Unterzeichnungen kommen auf den Stimmzettel für die zweite bundesweite Volksabstimmung im Herbst 2023.

3. Volksabstimmung am 31.Oktober

Im Juli werden die drei Themen redaktionell aufgearbeitet. Im August findet der Druck und Versand der Abstimmungsunterlagen statt. Im September können Sie dann per Brief abstimmen. Die Auszählung der Stimmen findet im Oktober statt. Am 31. Oktober werden die Ergebnisse bekannt gegeben.

12.06.2023 - 11:45 [ Rand Paul, U.S. Senator for Kentucky | I fight for the Constitution, individual liberty and the freedoms that make this country great. / Twitter ]

I have continuously led the fight to reassess our foreign policy, to end our “forever wars” and bring our fighting forces home. That’s why I’m introducing the End Endless Wars Act today!

(Jun 8, 2023)

12.06.2023 - 11:27 [ Based-Politics.com ]

Rand Paul bill sets out to ‘end endless war’: ‘Couldn’t we just try the Constitution?’

(08.06.2023)

Congress voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs in March. Paul’s amendment to that legislation that would have also repealed the 2001 AUMF failed 9-86.

The Republican senator explained the difficulties he’s had with other Republicans in trying to rollback AUMF during a foreign policy conference hosted by The American Conservative on Thursday.

“I have good news and bad news,” Paul told the audience. “The good news is that Congress finally voted to end a war. The bad news is the war they voted to end had already been over for about 15 years.”

12.06.2023 - 11:14 [ Hannah Cox / Nitter ]

The 2001 AUMF still exists! It‘s how the gov keeps endless war going without ever having to take a vote Anyone not signing on to repeal it does not work for you but for the military industrial complex. @RandPaul to the rescue, yet again.

(09.06.2023)

02.06.2023 - 11:34 [ Neue Zürcher Zeitung ]

Streit um das Klimagesetz: Erhielte der Bundesrat neue Vollmachten? Könnte er gar das Fleischessen verbieten? Professoren widersprechen – und zweifeln

(17.05.2023)

Kley argumentiert, das Gesetz könne in Kombination mit dem mittlerweile berühmt-berüchtigten «Notstandsartikel» der Bundesverfassung ungeahnte Folgen haben. In aller Kürze: Mit dem Klimagesetz nehme das Risiko zu, dass der Bundesrat dermaleinst mit Notrecht – an Parlament und Volk vorbei – klimapolitische Eingriffe beschliesse.

Andreas Kley gehört in Sachen Notrecht zu den prominentesten Kritikern des Bundesrats. Die Häufung der letzten Jahre – von der Rettung der UBS 2008 über die Corona-Krise bis zum CS-UBS-Deal im März 2023 – beschäftigt ihn.

02.06.2023 - 10:46 [ Notrecht.com ]

Plattform der Notrechtsbetroffenen

Was ist passiert?

Am Wochenende vom 18./19. März 2023 beschloss der Bundesrat, gemeinsam mit der FINMA, der Nationalbank und den Entscheidungsträgern der Banken Credit Suisse und UBS die Fusion der beiden Grossbanken.

Dabei wendete der Bundesrat Notrecht an um diverse gesetzliche Vorgaben, die bei einer Transaktion wie der vorliegenden allenfalls zu beachten wären (sei es u.a. aus dem Fusionsgesetz, Obligationenrecht, Bankengesetz oder dem Wettbewerbsrecht) via «Notverordnung» ausser Kraft zu setzen.

02.06.2023 - 10:35 [ Blick.ch ]

Statt Notrecht: Bundesrat will Bankenrettung gesetzlich absichern

(25.05.2023)

Der PLB soll das Instrumentarium der bestehenden «Too big to fail»-Regulierung ergänzen. Die CS mitgezählt, hat die Schweiz fünf systemrelevante Banken: UBS, CS, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Raiffeisen und Postfinance.

Der PLB gehört laut Finanzdepartement international zum Standard-Kriseninstrumentarium. Zum Tragen kommt er, wenn eine systemrelevante Bank nicht mehr genügend flüssige Mittel hat, um ihre finanziellen Verpflichtungen zu erfüllen.

02.06.2023 - 09:53 [ Giacometti-Initiative.ch ]

«Volk und Stände entscheiden über dringlich erklärte Bundesgesetze!» kurz: GIACOMETTI-Initiative

Seit Sommer 2020 erklärt die Bundesversammlung wieder vermehrt Bundesgesetze als «dringlich», um diese sofort in Kraft zu setzen. Gegen einige dieser Gesetze wurde ein fakultatives Referendum ergriffen, doch war vielen Stimmberechtigten nicht immer klar, worüber abgestimmt wurde.

Die «GIACOMETTI-Initiative» verlangt die Bestätigung von dringlich erlassenen Bundesgesetzen durch Volk und Stände innert 100 Tagen ab Inkraftsetzung, vereinfacht die Bundesverfassung und stärkt das Referendumsrecht.

27.05.2023 - 21:58 [ Noa Landau נעה לנדאו / Nitter ]

Israel informed several European countries the bill targeting foreign government funding for local NGOs will not be discussed at tomorrow’s ministerial committee

27.05.2023 - 09:56 [ Haaretz ]

McCarthyism in Israel

The bill’s sponsor, MK Ariel Kallner (Likud), made sure the bill would apply only to contributions from a “state entity” – a body friendly to Israel whose budget is open and transparent – and not to donations from private organizations and individuals, for whom the bill doesn’t even require transparency. The reason for this is that states constitute a significant funding source for organizations that promote liberal ideology, whereas organizations that promote the opposite ideology, like the Kohelet Policy Forum, the Ir David Foundation (Elad) and Ateret Cohanim are funded by anonymous private donors.

07.05.2023 - 21:20 [ Giacometti-Initiative.ch ]

«Volk und Stände entscheiden über dringlich erklärte Bundesgesetze!» kurz: GIACOMETTI-Initiative

Seit Sommer 2020 erklärt die Bundesversammlung wieder vermehrt Bundesgesetze als «dringlich», um diese sofort in Kraft zu setzen. Gegen einige dieser Gesetze wurde ein fakultatives Referendum ergriffen, doch war vielen Stimmberechtigten nicht immer klar, worüber abgestimmt wurde.

Die «GIACOMETTI-Initiative» verlangt die Bestätigung von dringlich erlassenen Bundesgesetzen durch Volk und Stände innert 100 Tagen ab Inkraftsetzung, vereinfacht die Bundesverfassung und stärkt das Referendumsrecht.

07.05.2023 - 21:03 [ Freunde der Verfassung - Verfassungsfreunde.ch ]

Die Giacometti Initiative

Die beiden Referenden über das für dringlich erklärte Covid-Gesetz haben in den letzten beiden Jahren die Schweizer Grundrechtsbewegung viel Zeit und Energie gekostet.

Wenn die Giaccometti Initiative angenommen wird, kann das Volk über dringliche Bundesgesetze entscheiden. Dies ist eine wichtige Stärkung unserer direkten Demokratie. Der Weg dahin ist jedoch noch weit – 100.000 Unterschriften müssen gesammelt werden. Somit rufen wir alle dazu auf, diese Initiative zu unterstützen!

07.05.2023 - 12:10 [ Ron Wyden / Youtube ]

Wyden Warns of Potential Public Backlash From Allowing Secret Law

(May 27, 2011)

Speaking on the floor of the U.S Senate during the truncated debate on the reauthorization of the PATRIOT ACT for another four years, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence — warned his colleagues that a vote to extend the bill without amendments that would ban any Administration‘s ability to keep internal interpretations of the Patriot Act classified will eventually cause public outrage.

Known as Secret Law, the official interpretation of the Patriot Act could dramatically differ from what the public believes the law allows. This could create severe violations of the Constitutional and Civil Rights of American Citizens.

04.05.2023 - 10:30 [ ORF.at ]

Schweden beschließt verschärftes Anti-Terror-Gesetz

Bei der Vorstellung des Gesetzes im Februar hatte Justizminister Gunnar Strömmer gesagt, der Vorschlag stelle eine „erhebliche Ausweitung des Anwendungsbereichs im Vergleich zu den geltenden Rechtsvorschriften“ dar. So seien nun beispielsweise auch der Umgang mit Ausrüstungsgegenständen, die Organisation von Versammlungsorten, das Kochen und die Bereitstellung von Transport für terroristische Organisationen strafbar.

02.05.2023 - 22:05 [ France24.com ]

French unions announce new day of pension protests, strikes for June 6

With lawmakers poised to discuss on June 8 a draft bill proposed by the opposition Liot party to cancel the retirement age reform, the unions said in a joint statement that the day of industrial action on June 6 was meant to “allow all workers to make themselves heard by the MPs.”

30.04.2023 - 10:45 [ New York Times ]

Who’s Behind the Judicial Overhaul Now Dividing Israel? Two New Yorkers.

(March 20, 2023)

“I don’t want to sound arrogant,” he told Ami, the Orthodox Jewish magazine, in 2019, “but in some sense we’re the brains of the Israeli right wing.”

Kohelet is not required to disclose the names of individual donors, and for years Mr. Koppel has artfully deflected questions about funding.

But one source of money is a second New Yorker: Arthur Dantchik, a 65-year-old multibillionaire who has donated millions to Kohelet, according to people familiar with his philanthropic giving. Mr. Dantchik did not return a call for comment.

30.04.2023 - 10:40 [ Haaretz ]

The American Billionaires Behind the Far-right Attempt to Destroy Liberal Israel

(Jan 15, 2023)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin‘s judicial overhaul was apparently written by the Kohelet Policy Forum, one of the best-funded research institutes in Israel, which advances nationalist, libertarian policies – and is funded by two American billionaires

27.04.2023 - 18:39 [ The Technocrat, MIT Technology ]

Why child safety bills are popping up all over the US

The laws also expose the lack of federal protections for everyone’s security, privacy, and freedoms online, regardless of age, says Bailey Sanchez, policy counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum, another DC-based think tank. (Current federal laws prohibit websites from collecting data on users under the age of 13.)

“Someday that 17-year-old is going to turn 18, and unless they’re in a handful of states, there is no privacy law that applies to them,” she says.

24.03.2023 - 10:16 [ France24.com ]

‘Democracy at stake’: French protesters vent fury at Macron over pension push

French protesters downed their tools and marched once again in Paris and other cities on Thursday, galvanised by President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ram his deeply unpopular pension reform through parliament without a vote, in what critics have branded a “denial of democracy”.

22.03.2023 - 23:25 [ TheSpectator.com ]

Emmanuel Macron: France’s Caligula?

Instead, on Macron’s orders, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne used a controversial clause in the Constitution, Article 49.3, to pass the bill.

The Republican Party are widely supportive of Macron’s reform bill, which raises the age of retirement from sixty-two to sixty-four, and issued instructions for its sixty-one Members of Parliament to vote against the motion. But nineteen of its MPs defied orders, adding to the dissent and disorder which has swept France in recent days, in parliament and on the street.

22.03.2023 - 23:16 [ France24.com ]

Macron holds firm on pension reform bill as protests escalate

Dismissing calls for a snap election or a referendum, he said the plan to raise France’s minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 would continue on its “democratic path” and come into force by the end of 2023.

The French president also reaffirmed his faith in Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, whose government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote triggered by Macron‘s use of special executive powers to bypass parliament.

22.03.2023 - 22:32 [ @Charlie_denkt / Nitter ]

Nur neun Stimmen fehlten beim 3ten Misstrauensvotum – was den Sturz der Regierung nach sich gezogen hätte… #Macron-Regierung

(21.03.2023)

22.03.2023 - 22:30 [ Metro.co.uk ]

Paris erupts in violence after Macron wins no-confidence vote by just nine

(21.03.2023)

The first motion, which was the only one ever likely to succeed, failed thanks to the decision of the conservative Republican party not to support it.

17.03.2023 - 15:30 [ Cross-Border Talks / Nitter ]

… and reform pensions so that most Czechs work until 68. This is the age in which most citizens are no longer fit and healthy. It is good to add that pensions in the Czech republic are ridiculously low, and the country spends a below-average share of GDP in the EU comparison.

17.03.2023 - 15:27 [ Joseph Triska / Nitter ]

What a shame. To appease the warmongers, during this time the Czech government raised annual military budget to match 2% GDP as they are planning to purchase F-35 fighter jets costing 100 billion CZK. The pension cuts will save them 19 billion this year.

17.03.2023 - 14:42 [ Reuters ]

Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote

Opposition parties said they would request a vote of no confidence in the government, which will be voted on in the coming days, possibly on Monday.

17.03.2023 - 09:42 [ Reuters ]

The French parliament saw chaotic scenes after President Emmanuel Macron‘s unpopular plan to reform the country‘s costly pension system was pushed through without a vote

17.03.2023 - 09:31 [ CNN ]

Protests erupt as French government forces through higher retirement age

The pension reform bill passed the French Senate earlier on Thursday, but was not expected to pass the National Assembly – the lower house of the country’s parliament – where lawmakers were due to vote this afternoon.

The session was stopped early for Borne’s announcement. Lawmakers erupted into chaotic scenes as she explained the government’s decision, fighting to be heard as lawmakers sang French national anthem “La Marseillaise” and others held signs reading “No to 64 years.”

17.03.2023 - 09:28 [ CNBC ]

French President Macron overrides parliament to pass retirement age bill

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday resorted to using special constitutional powers.
The pensions overhaul has been met with widespread protests and strikes across France.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced to the assembly that the government would trigger Article 49.3 of the French Constitution.

17.03.2023 - 09:04 [ bijus.eu ]

Verfassung der Französischen Republik vom 4. Oktober 1958 / Constitution du 4 octobre 1958

Artikel 49

(..)

(3) Der Premierminister kann auf Beschluss des Ministerrates die Nationalversammlung ersuchen, der Regierung das Vertrauen in Verbindung mit einer Abstimmung über einen Haushaltsgesetzentwurf oder einen Gesetzentwurf zur Finanzierung der Sozialversicherung auszusprechen. In diesem Fall gilt der Entwurf als angenommen, wenn nicht innerhalb der nächsten vierundzwanzig Stunden ein Misstrauensantrag eingebracht und nach Maßgabe des vorstehenden Absatzes angenommen wird. Einmal pro Sitzungsperiode kann der Premierminister auf dieses Verfahren auch bei einem anderen Gesetzentwurf oder Gesetzesvorschlag zurückgreifen.

17.03.2023 - 08:02 [ France24.com ]

Protests in Paris as Macron forces through controversial pension reform

But the government was unsure of the vote numbers in the National Assembly, forcing French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to announce the triggering of Article 49.3.

The decision runs the risk of further inflaming the protests and strikes that have rocked France over the last months. It also gives the opposition the right to immediately call a confidence vote in parliament.

The opposition reacted with fury to the decision to avoid a vote after weeks of debates on the legislation.

14.03.2023 - 19:01 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Israel could learn a thing or two from history of US Constitution – opinion

The constitution is the guiding force behind the US. The president, federal officers and all members of the military swear to defend it.

Though written at the end of the 18th century, many of the lessons from the debate over its adoption are of interest to us in modern-day Israel: namely the maintenance of equality between the three branches of government, the preservation of checks and balances, the need to maintain a strong judiciary but also the need to retain a path to override Supreme Court decisions, the importance of harnessing the talents of high-level visionaries and the need to maintain a broad consensus before initiating reform.

14.03.2023 - 18:54 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s Judicial Coup: Israel‘s Knesset Passes Three Bills Aimed at Enfeebling Top Court in First Reading

(13.03.2023)

The third amendment approved by the Knesset, the override clause, allows its members to enact laws previously overruled by the court. This proposed amendment to the Basic Law on the Judiciary would also make any law passed by a slim majority (61 out of 120 lawmakers) immune to judicial review by the court.

09.03.2023 - 19:01 [ Haaretz ]

This Is Definitely a Coup. Israel Is on Its Way to Becoming a Dictatorship

It can be very confusing when a “coup from above” takes place. On the face of it, everything looks normal. There are no tanks in the streets, and no general with a uniform sagging with medals interrupts the television broadcasts. The coup occurs behind closed doors, with laws being passed and decrees being signed that remove all restraints on the government, and dismantle all checks and balances. Of course, the government does not declare that it is carrying out a coup. It claims only that it is passing some much-needed reforms, “for the good of the people.”

09.03.2023 - 05:30 [ Navy Vet / Nitter ]

Republicans say new tax bill is DOA. It would raise Medicare$ from 3.8% to 5% for income greater than $400K. Also tax wealthy >$100 million and families 20% on income & stocks.

I guess this would be bad for @GOP next taxes on bribes.

09.03.2023 - 05:09 [ ABC7 News Bay Area / Youtube ]

President Biden plans new taxes on the rich to help save Medicare

President Joe Biden on Tuesday proposed new taxes on the rich to help fund Medicare, saying the plan would help to extend the insurance program‘s solvency by 25 years and provide a degree of middle-class stability to millions of older adults.

09.03.2023 - 04:57 [ New York Times ]

Biden Is Set to Detail Nearly $3 Trillion in Measures to Reduce Deficits

Mr. Biden’s plans to trim the deficit are unlikely to mollify Republicans. He has refused to negotiate over the debt limit and has said he will not cut benefits for Social Security or Medicare, two popular safety net programs. But he has said repeatedly that he is open to reducing deficits by raising taxes on corporations and the rich.

09.03.2023 - 04:51 [ Kiplinger.com ]

Biden Wants a Wealth Tax: Should Billionaires Pay More?

For example, in 2021, a ProPublica report indicated that the richest twenty-five Americans had an effective zero percent tax rate. When the ProPublica analysis was first released, it generated controversy over confidentiality of taxpayer information. But the data made some people aware of how the very wealthy can sometimes avoid paying federal taxes.

So, why does all of this matter? Well, there’s a wealth distribution gap in America.

05.03.2023 - 14:30 [ theHill.com ]

Millionaires urge Democrats to include billionaire tax in spending bill

(01.11.2021)

A group of about 250 millionaires on Monday urged top Democrats to include a proposal to tax billionaires‘ investment gains annually in their social-spending package, after the proposal was left out of a framework the White House released last week.

05.03.2023 - 14:21 [ Salon.com ]

Amazon‘s labor exploitation is a return to the 1920s — and unions are our best hope out

(14.06.2021)

Amazon claims to be innovative, but its strategies of market dominance and labor exploitation are as old as capitalism itself, and were perfected by predecessors like Standard Oil, General Motors, US Steel, AT&T, Walmart and Microsoft. My union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, views this as history repeating itself.

The Roaring ‘20s were great for those at the top, but meant massive exploitation of workers. As we embark further into the 2020s, the Teamsters will make sure that Amazon cannot repeat a history where workers suffered acutely to make ends meet and were frequently injured or even killed on the job while company executives stuffed their pockets with the profits.

05.03.2023 - 14:19 [ CNBC ]

How companies like Amazon, Nike and FedEx avoid paying federal taxes

(14.04.2022)

The 55 corporations cited by ITEP would have paid a collective total of $8.5 billion. Instead, they received $3.5 billion in tax rebates, collectively draining $12 billion from the U.S. government, according to the institute.

05.03.2023 - 14:17 [ theGuardian.com ]

Amazon had sales income of €44bn in Europe in 2020 but paid no corporation tax

(4, May 2021)

Accounts for Amazon EU Sarl, through which it sells products to hundreds of millions of households in the UK and across Europe, show that despite collecting record income, the Luxembourg unit made a €1.2bn loss and therefore paid no tax. (…)

The Luxembourg unit – which handles sales for the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden – employs just 5,262 staff meaning that the income per employ amounts to €8.4m.

05.03.2023 - 14:07 [ Macrotrends.net ]

Amazon Income Taxes 2010-2022 | AMZN

Amazon annual income taxes for 2022 were $3.217B, a 167.15% decline from 2021.
Amazon annual income taxes for 2021 were $4.791B, a 67.34% increase from 2020.
Amazon annual income taxes for 2020 were $2.863B, a 20.6% increase from 2019.

26.02.2023 - 20:45 [ Times of Israel ]

Coalition advances bill that would return Deri to cabinet, defying High Court ruling

(22 February 2023)

In addition to his January 2022 conviction for tax fraud, Deri served prison time for a 1999 bribery conviction related to his conduct while a minister. In its explosive January ruling, the High Court of Justice said Netanyahu’s decision to appoint a convicted financial criminal as minister in charge of the large Health Ministry and Interior Ministry budgets was “unreasonable in the extreme.”

26.02.2023 - 20:39 [ Haaretz ]

Bill Curbing Power to Rule Netanyahu Unfit Could Lead to ‚Absurd Situations,‘ Attorney General Warns

The bill, submitted by coalition chairman Ofir Katz, states that only the cabinet can declare a prime minister unfit or incapacitated by a two-thirds majority, and that in some cases, such a declaration would require approval by a majority of 90 lawmakers. Moreover, a declaration of incapacitation would apply to incompetence for health reasons only.

The bill is being advanced in response to the Movement for Quality Government in Israel’s petition to the High Court asking to declare Netanyahu unfit for office over a conflict of interest due to the ongoing criminal proceedings against him.

26.02.2023 - 20:30 [ Times of Israel ]

Court gives Netanyahu 1 month to respond to petition to declare him unfit for office

(10 February 2023)

The High Court of Justice on Friday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one month to respond to a petition to declare him unfit for office and force him to take a leave of absence.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the court on Thursday, arguing that Netanyahu is in violation of a conflict of interest arrangement that bars him from involvement in matters that could impact his ongoing trial on graft charges.

26.02.2023 - 20:17 [ Jerusalem Post ]

AG pondering declaring Netanyahu unfit as PM due to conflicts of interest

(Jan 22, 2023)

In 2021, the High Court of Justice ruled that a conflict of interest arrangement formulated under then former attorney-general Avichai Mandelblit was binding for Netanyahu.

The arrangement prohibits Netanyahu from being involved in the nomination of judges or of the police commissioner and from being involved in legislation that has an impact on the criminal proceedings against him.

20.02.2023 - 07:41 [ theIntercept.com ]

GOP Megadonor Is Funding a Far-Right Israeli Think Tank — and Establishment Democrats

Pulling from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council — a Koch-backed group that writes model legislation for conservative lawmakers across the U.S. — Kohelet’s founder helped draft the law that became Israel’s Basic Law on the Nation-State in 2018. The controversial policy established Jewish people as having the sole right to self-determination, downgraded Arabic from its status as an official language, and declared the development of Jewish settlement a “national value.” Kohelet also drafted a new law that gives Israel’s Parliament the power to override Supreme Court decisions, grants the government complete control over judicial appointments, and abolishes the courts’ reasonableness doctrine, which was most recently used to disqualify a thrice-convicted criminal and Netanyahu ally from serving as health and interior minister.

01.02.2023 - 09:59 [ Sky.com ]

UK strikes: No 10 admits ‚very difficult‘ day ahead as hundreds of thousands of workers walk out

Downing Street has conceded that today‘s mass strike action will be „very difficult“ for the public.

The prime minister‘s official spokesman said it is „disappointing“ that headteachers do not know fully how many teachers will be available for work until later today.

01.02.2023 - 09:52 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Strikes UK – live: Train drivers and teachers join biggest walkout in decade today

Downing Street said 600 military personnel as well as civil servants and volunteers across government have been trained to fill the gaps in public services.

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said a petition of more than 250,000 signatures opposing new so-called “anti-strike” laws will be delivered to Downing Street.

17.01.2023 - 19:24 [ theHill.com ]

Millionaires urge Democrats to include billionaire tax in spending bill

(01.11.2021)

A group of about 250 millionaires on Monday urged top Democrats to include a proposal to tax billionaires‘ investment gains annually in their social-spending package, after the proposal was left out of a framework the White House released last week.

09.01.2023 - 22:51 [ RebelNews.com ]

Justin Trudeau says 2023 is the year Rebel News must die.

(December 31, 2022)

When the Online Streaming Act becomes law in a few months, section 9.1(1)(e) will give Trudeau the power to order Internet companies like Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram to promote or hide whatever news sources he likes.

He can order them to promote the CBC and the Toronto Star, and to make it impossible to find Rebel News. Here’s the wording of the law. Trudeau can, „make orders… respecting the presentation of programs and programming services for selection by the public, including the showcasing and the discoverability of Canadian programs and programming services.”

Let me translate: Trudeau doesn’t have to ban Rebel News anymore. He can just order the big Internet companies to make us disappear. I’ve heard several journalists call this the “Kill Rebel Law” because it so clearly targets us.

But I’ve got news for Trudeau: we will not lay down and die.

As you know, we fight like hell when Trudeau tries to censor us. And we often win — we’ve beat him twice before in Federal Court.