The Political Thread

[Chris]

Uvalde families reach settlement with city, county ahead of 2-year mark: Can 'begin rebuilding trust'

Families of some of the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting victims have reached a settlement with the city and county of Uvalde.

abcnews.go.com

Nineteen families whose loved ones were killed or hurt in the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting announced they've reached a settlement with the city and county of Uvalde.

"For two long years, we have languished in pain and without any accountability from the law enforcement agencies and officers who allowed our families to be destroyed that day," Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter, Jailah, and nephew, Jayce, were killed, said in a statement Wednesday. "This settlement reflects a first good faith effort, particularly by the City of Uvalde, to begin rebuilding trust in the systems that failed to protect us."

 

[Chris]

Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home

The justice’s beach house displayed an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, a symbol carried on Jan. 6 and associated with a push for a more Christian-minded government.

www.nytimes.com

Last summer, two years after an upside-down American flag was flown outside the Virginia home of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., another provocative symbol was displayed at his vacation house in New Jersey, according to interviews and photographs.

This time, it was the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which, like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War, but largely fell into obscurity until recent years and is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the “Stop the Steal” campaign and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.

 

[Chris]

Inside the White House, a Debate Over Letting Ukraine Shoot U.S. Weapons Into Russia

After a sobering trip to Kyiv, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is urging the president to lift restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms.

www.nytimes.com

Since the first American shipments of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, President Biden has never wavered on one prohibition: President Volodymyr Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Mr. Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”

But the consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Department, there is now a vigorous debate inside the administration over relaxing the ban to allow the Ukrainians to hit missile and artillery launch sites just over the border in Russia — targets that Mr. Zelensky says have enabled Moscow’s recent territorial gains.

The proposal, pressed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken after a sobering visit to Kyiv last week, is still in the formative stages, and it is not clear how many of his colleagues among Mr. Biden’s inner circle have signed on. It has not yet been formally presented to the president, who has traditionally been the most cautious, officials said.

 

[Chris]

Justice Department sues Live Nation and Ticketmaster for monopolizing concert industry

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit accusing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry.

www.cbsnews.com

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry to the detriment of concertgoers and artists alike.

In a civil suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, federal officials allege that Live Nation has illegally thwarted competition and unduly burdened consumers in part through its ownership of Ticketmaster, effectively giving it control over much of the market for live entertainment.

Justice Department officials said Thursday they are seeking structural changes to how the company does business, which could include breaking apart the two entities.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/23/politics/supreme-court-south-carolina-district-black-voting-power/index.html

The Supreme Court upheld a pro-Republican South Carolina congressional map Thursday, rejecting the argument raised by civil rights groups that lawmakers impermissibly used race as a proxy to bolster the GOP’s chances.

But the high court also said that the civil rights groups that challenged the maps could continue to pursue one part of their claim, a move that will likely delay the battle over the districts for months.

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Justice Department sues Live Nation and Ticketmaster for monopolizing concert industry

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit accusing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry.

www.cbsnews.com

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry to the detriment of concertgoers and artists alike.

In a civil suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, federal officials allege that Live Nation has illegally thwarted competition and unduly burdened consumers in part through its ownership of Ticketmaster, effectively giving it control over much of the market for live entertainment.

Justice Department officials said Thursday they are seeking structural changes to how the company does business, which could include breaking apart the two entities.

Honestly good, Live Nation actively does hold a monopoly on tickets and venues, it's ridiculous.

 

[Deezy]

Inside the White House, a Debate Over Letting Ukraine Shoot U.S. Weapons Into Russia

After a sobering trip to Kyiv, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is urging the president to lift restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms.

www.nytimes.com

Since the first American shipments of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, President Biden has never wavered on one prohibition: President Volodymyr Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Mr. Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”

But the consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Department, there is now a vigorous debate inside the administration over relaxing the ban to allow the Ukrainians to hit missile and artillery launch sites just over the border in Russia — targets that Mr. Zelensky says have enabled Moscow’s recent territorial gains.

The proposal, pressed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken after a sobering visit to Kyiv last week, is still in the formative stages, and it is not clear how many of his colleagues among Mr. Biden’s inner circle have signed on. It has not yet been formally presented to the president, who has traditionally been the most cautious, officials said.

Would an administration who is in an election year and losing in the polls across the board enter a war because war time prsaidents rarely lose elections?

 

[Chris]

Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls faces $6 million fine and criminal charges

A former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair whose phone number was spoofed in artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden's voice ahead of New Hampshire's presidential primary says today's charges related to the case show the steep price for trying to interfere in ele

apnews.com

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $6 million fine against a political consultant who sent AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice to voters ahead of New Hampshire’s presidential primary.

Steve Kramer, who also faces two dozen criminal charges in New Hampshire, has admitted orchestrating a message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. The message played an AI-generated voice similar to Biden’s that used his phrase “What a bunch of malarkey” and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting a ballot in November.

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls faces $6 million fine and criminal charges

A former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair whose phone number was spoofed in artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden's voice ahead of New Hampshire's presidential primary says today's charges related to the case show the steep price for trying to interfere in ele

apnews.com

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $6 million fine against a political consultant who sent AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice to voters ahead of New Hampshire’s presidential primary.

Steve Kramer, who also faces two dozen criminal charges in New Hampshire, has admitted orchestrating a message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. The message played an AI-generated voice similar to Biden’s that used his phrase “What a bunch of malarkey” and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting a ballot in November.

Both this and Scarlet Johansson suing OpenAI for ripping off her voice should really be making people push for much stricter AI voice laws in the US.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/21/louisiana-legislature-abortion-mifepristone-misoprostol/

The Louisiana House on Tuesday passed a bill that classifies the two drugs used to induce an abortion as “controlled dangerous substances.” Abortion opponents hope the measure, now on its way to Gov. Jeff Landry, will be a template for conservative states trying to end the procedure.

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

Yeah that's a big yikes and I feel like this is gonna be a lawsuit waiting to go to the Supreme Court.

 

[Chris]

Israel-Gaza war live: ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive in new ruling

The International Court of Justice says it is ‘not convinced’ that evacuation of Rafah and other measures by Israel are alleviating suffering of Palestinians

www.theguardian.com

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to halt its Rafah military offensive.

In its ruling, the world court said it was “not convinced” that the evacuation of Rafah and other measures by Israel are sufficent to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians.

 

[Chris]

US missionaries killed in Haiti gang violence

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee from months of widespread gang violence in Haiti.

www.bbc.com

A US missionary couple were among three people killed in Haiti as widespread gang violence continues to plague the country.

Natalie Lloyd, 21, her 23-year-old husband David, and Jude Montis, a 20-year-old Haitian, were ambushed by gunmen as they left a church.

 

[Brandon Blaze]

Fucking POS

 

[Chris]

Netanyahu Acknowledges 'Tragic Mistake' in Israeli Strike on Rafah That Killed Dozens

Israel faced new condemnation for strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that local health officials said killed at least 45 Palestinians.

time.com

Israel faced new condemnation Monday for strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that local health officials said killed at least 45 Palestinians, including displaced people living in tents that were engulfed by fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been a “tragic mistake” and that Israel was investigating.