The Political Thread

[Samoa Looch]

• 2025 New York Peace Conference on Gaza
  • The Trump administration calls on countries not to attend the conference and warns of potential diplomatic consequences should any measures be taken that are deemed hostile toward Israel. (Reuters)

And in other news

• North Korea–South Korea relations
  • The military of South Korea shuts down its loudspeakers across the border with North Korea and stops its propaganda messages against the government of North Korea by orders of President Lee Jae-myung, to ease tensions between the countries. (AP)

 

[Chris]

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/11/middle-east-evacuating-baghdad-iran

The U.S. is evacuating nonessential staff from the embassy in Baghdad and families members of military personnel from several bases in the Gulf amid growing concerns about the security situation, according to two State Department and Pentagon officials.

Why it matters: The unusual steps are taking place ahead of a crucial round of nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and amid threats made by Tehran to launch missiles against U.S. military bases in the region in retaliation for any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israeli officials said the IDF has been on extremely high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran.

The evacuations were announced three days after President Trump held a meeting on Iran with his top national security team at Camp David.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Well will they finally throw the bombs or not? Would be nice if they'd let us know if we still have to worry about next week or not.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/11/dnc-vote-david-hogg-democrats/

David Hogg will step down from his role as Democratic National Committee vice chair, capping months of party infighting and turmoil centering on the Gen Z activist’s pledge to involve himself in primaries and back challengers against some incumbents.

Hogg has decided not to run to retain his position after the conclusion Wednesday of a DNC-wide vote that could have led to his forced ouster. Last month a DNC panel found that Hogg and Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta were not properly elected earlier this year because their election ran afoul of gender-diversity rules.

“It is clear that there is a fundamental disagreement about the role of a Vice Chair — and it’s okay to have disagreements. What isn’t okay is allowing this to remain our focus when there is so much more we need to be focused on,” Hogg said in a statement Wednesday night. “I have decided to not run in this upcoming election so the party can focus on what really matters.”

In a 294-99 vote that concluded Wednesday, DNC members agreed to move forward with redoing the contest earlier this year that elected Hogg and another Democrat, Malcolm Kenyatta, as vice chairs. The DNC will now vote from Thursday through Saturday — and then Sunday through Tuesday — to fill the two slots.

 

[Chris]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/world/middleeast/israel-knesset-vote-orthodox-draft-law.html

A a motion by opposition parties to dissolve the Israeli Parliament failed in the early hours of Thursday morning.

But the vote itself presented the most serious challenge yet to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, exposing splits in the ruling coalition and weakening his leadership credentials.

Fifty-three of the 120 Parliament members voted for the dissolution bill, including two members of the governing coalition, while a majority of 61 opposed it.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Spending Review: Reeves boosts NHS and housing budgets but Tories say it's 'spend now, tax later'

The chancellor announces a 3% annual rise for the NHS and £39bn for affordable homes in the Spending Review, but cuts day-to-day budgets of some key departments.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Chancellor Reeves Is on her last legs if this doesn't work and with unemployment at record highs. I can see her being moved to another r department or sacked making way for what most Center left labour members want Pat McFadden taking over

 

[Barry Poppins]

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Some crazy shit happening in the states . Also got a president who's about to cause a civil war for the first time 160 years. Crazy

 

[Chris]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/12/world/india-plane-crash-ahmedabad

More than 200 people were killed when an Air India flight crashed shortly after takeoff in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the city’s police commissioner said. The plane, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed into a medical college about three and a half miles southwest of the city’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

The commissioner, G.S. Malik, said that emergency crews had recovered 204 bodies from the crash site, and did not rule out the possibility of survivors. Among those killed were at least five students at the medical college, where the plane hit a dining facility as students were having lunch, according to Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the college.

 

[Chris]

Judge declares mistrial on rape count in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial

The judge declared a mistrial on the third-degree rape count in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial on Thursday, after the jury foreman refused to return to deliberate.

abcnews.go.com

A New York judge has declared a mistrial on the third-degree rape count in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial on Thursday, after the jury foreman refused to return to deliberate.

The foreman had told Judge Curtis Farber on Wednesday that he was afraid to be in the same room with fellow jurors after he claimed they yelled at him to try and change his mind.

Asked if he would be willing to go back to the deliberation room Thursday, the foreman said, "No, I'm sorry."

Farber will now dismiss the remaining jurors.

The former movie mogul was accused of sexually assaulting three women over a decade ago in New York City.

The mistrial comes a day after the jury convicted Weinstein on one count of criminal sex act involving Mimi Haley and acquitted him of another count of criminal sex act involving Kaja Sokola.

The third count related to an alleged assault on aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

All three women have publicly come forward and testified during the trial.

 

[Barry Poppins]

Yikes, what a fuckin' asshole.

 

[Chris]

Judge orders release of Harvard researcher Kseniia Petrova while her case proceeds

A judge in Massachusetts has ordered Harvard researcher Kseniia Petrova released from custody as she faces charges related to the alleged smuggling of frog embryos.

abcnews.go.com

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday ordered Harvard medical researcher Kseniia Petrova released from custody as she faces charges related to the alleged smuggling of frog embryos.

Petrova was detained by customs agents at Logan International Airport in Boston in February for allegedly trying to bring undeclared frog embryos into the U.S. as part of her research.

 

[Chris]

Israel has attacked Iran

 

[Barry Poppins]

Israel has attacked Iran

World War 3 here we come.