#Policy and Resources Committee

[argyrocratie]

(June 13, 2025)

(...)

The recurring massacres of Palestinians rushing to food distribution centers, with at least 245 Palestinians killed in the past two weeks, have shocked many. But these incidents should not distract us from the structural change: instead of hundreds of food distribution centers operating across the Gaza Strip by experienced international organizations, Israel set up only four centers for over two million people. That is not how to meet the needs of a population after many months of devastation and deprivation. It’s how you starve and strip survivors of their human dignity.

The location of the four centers is no less important. One is in the central part of the Strip along the Netzarim Corridor, and three in the south, west of Rafah. A quick look at the map is enough to understand: there is no connection between the locations of the “distribution centers” and the needs of the people.

An Israeli army map showing the location of aid distribution centers. (IDF Spokesperson)

Instead, the goal is to promote “moving the population” southward, ideally into the “concentration zones.” Since this constitutes a crime against humanity, Israel employed concealment tactics: first expelling established aid groups that could provide aid efficiently, then outsourcing distribution to opaque entities like the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

As early as May 11, Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly stated in a secret session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that “receiving aid would be conditional on Gazans not returning to the places from which they came to the aid distribution sites.” This policy’s underlying logic was confirmed by Dr. Tammy Caner, a lawyer and director of the Law and National Security Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), a think tank with close ties with the Israeli military.

Indeed, the recent and sudden U-turn by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who went from vehemently opposing any aid to “Arabs” to endorsing it so “that the world does not stop us and accuse us of war crimes” — should also be understood as an endorsement of Netanyahu’s scheme to use food distribution to extort Gazans into “consenting” to their displacement.

Dr. Caner also confirmed that according to most experts, if Israel’s stated concern is Hamas seizing aid supplies, the logical solution would be flooding Gaza with abundant provisions in order to eliminate any single group’s ability to monopolize resources. But in fact, monopoly is precisely the point: Israel wants it for itself, to wield it as leverage against the civilian population. Starvation and distribution under the occupier’s conditions are two complementary methods of using food as a weapon.

A dangerous failure

Facilitating “population transfer” through the denial and conditional provision of basic necessities is not a new Israeli tactic. In a yet-unpublished study, I found that in the early 1950s, Israeli authorities systematically weaponized access to essential supplies, primarily against Palestinians and to a lesser but significant extent against Jews (mostly Mizrahim) whom the state sought to use to settle frontier regions.

Yet it remains unclear whether the starvation-transfer plan is achieving its intended goals. Reports from Gaza suggest that those reaching distribution centers are primarily the ones physically strong enough to walk several kilometers and carry back a week’s worth of food. Meanwhile, Israel has so far failed to compel the hundreds of thousands remaining in northern Gaza to make the long journey south — and at this stage, has also failed to stop many from returning. After all, who would embark on such a grueling trek if they can’t bring food back to their loved ones who stayed behind?

Does this mean the danger is diminishing — that starvation-transfer plan isn’t working? Not necessarily. The plan is still in its early stages and if allowed to continue, the suffering it produces could very well achieve its intended effect. More importantly, in the absence of public criticism, oversight, or meaningful international pressure, the likely response to the short-term failure of coercive measures is escalation: more destruction, more violence. There are already signs of this in northern Gaza, which comes after the army’s complete flattening of Rafah. The apparent goal of this systematic demolition of vital infrastructure and residential buildings is to force residents out in a way that makes return impossible.

There is even explicit confirmation of this intent in leaked remarks by Netanyahu during the same session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee: “We’re destroying more and more homes — they have nowhere to return to. The only natural outcome will be that Gazans will want to emigrate out of the Strip. Our main problem is with receiving countries.”

This is what the ongoing bombings are designed to accomplish: to continue the waves of destruction from previous months and render northern Gaza, along with other areas, uninhabitable. The major transfer project remains very much on the table, with various factions of the Israeli right — both inside and outside the government — actively involved.

The outcome of ‘concentration zones’

Where are people supposed to go if they cannot withstand the unbearable pressure? For months, Israel has been in talks with potential “receiving countries” — a selection of authoritarian regimes that, one can assume, are weighing factors like regime stability, international legitimacy, and, undoubtedly, what they would receive in return for their cooperation. But as long as there’s a lack of willing “receiving” countries, the question remains: where, exactly, is Israel trying to transfer these people?

Israeli authorities openly speak of creating three so-called “concentration zones” within Gaza itself. These areas appeared on a leaked map published by The Times on May 17, based on diplomatic sources. But the map is misleading: it omits the fact that residents have already been expelled from the entire border area of the Gaza Strip, and that a systematic campaign of demolition has already taken place there. According to official statements, Gazans will not be allowed to return or live in those areas.

In a map published in Haaretz a week later, the designated “concentration areas” appear even smaller. According to rough estimates, the Gaza block covers around 50 square kilometers, the central camps block about 85, and the Al-Mawasi coastal strip just eight.

Data gathered by humanitarian organizations also confirms that Palestinians in Gaza continue to be expelled into ever-smaller territories. Before the war, impoverished Gaza already had a population density comparable to that of London. If Israel succeeds in forcing the civilian population into the zones marked on the Haaretz map, over 2 million Gazans would be crammed into just 40 percent of the Strip. The resulting density would reach approximately 15,000 people per square kilometer — living in a scorched landscape, stripped of infrastructure.

Official Israeli spokespeople refer to these as “concentration areas,” but their limited size, the prohibition on exiting them, and the near-total absence of infrastructure or means of survival, makes it possible to confidently refer to them as concentration camps.

Realistically, there are only so many ways to confine millions under military oversight on a narrow strip of land. For military and political leaders, the leaking of maps and plans serves another function: to test the waters — to see if anyone will resist, to find out just how far they can go before encountering consequences. Maybe they’ll manage to concentrate the survivors into three “concentration areas.” Maybe the end result will be something else. Do you really want to wait to find out?

No master plan required

My Palestinian friends will say: of course, as we’ve said all along, the Nakba is not a single event, but an ongoing process. That’s entirely true. But that shouldn’t mean we miss the significance of what is happening right now.

First, dispossession and expulsion unfold at a variable pace, with periods of acceleration and escalation, as well as stretches of stabilization. There have even been moments of modest, yet meaningful, Palestinian return. What we are witnessing now is an almost inconceivable acceleration of forced displacement.

Second, pace is not only a matter of time. When the pace of the process accelerates, so does its brutality. The line between ethnic cleansing and extermination can vanish quickly, almost automatically, when armed forces accelerate the process without restraint. In conditions of war, without international oversight and under the cover of chaos, a failed or stalled transfer can slide into mass killing.

That’s how transfer turns murderous, especially when it stalls. The repeated displacement of people within the confined territory of the Strip is not only designed to sever them from their homes, but also to rip apart the fabric of their lives. Some die “on their own.” Others become a “problem” that must be solved through yet more brutal means. Systematic destruction creates a new reality: entire areas rendered uninhabitable, which then seemingly justifies further expulsion on “humanitarian grounds.” The forced relocation to so-called “concentration areas” produces unbearable living conditions by design.

When people seek relief from the crushing pressure, the exit door may open, but only in one direction. The alternative? Life inside the “concentration areas” may at some point push the population to resist, in any way they can. Such resistance could then be used as a pretext for policing raids, for revenge operations, for massacres — all of which would accelerate the process. It’s entirely possible that faced with the failure to corral people into massive holding pens, to force them out of Gaza, or to “manage” the humanitarian catastrophe it has itself created, the army will push the murderous dynamic even further."

[memecucker]

“This latest bill is part of a continued effort by the [California] Legislative Jewish Caucus to impose ideological constraints upon ethnic studies as a field to disallow the critical teaching of Palestine within K-12 education in California,” Christine Hong, a professor of critical race and ethnic studies at the University of California (UC) Santa Cruz and co-chair of the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council (UCESFC) told Truthout.

While AB 1468’s authors are Democrats who have condemned the Trump administration’s attacks on public education, Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), said the proposed bill would have similar effects as efforts in Republican-controlled states and on the federal level seeking to whitewash K-12 and college curricula and turn back the clock on civil rights progress.

“The Democrats and others who are championing these bills may not explicitly say themselves or even identify as part of the far right MAGA agenda, but it’s indisputable that what they are doing is in alignment with the broader attack on public education and the attack on anti-racist education, in particular,” Kiswani told Truthout.

AB 1468’s lead sponsor is the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC), one pillar of whose policy framework is to “maintain a strong California-Israel relationship,” including through “combat[ing] campaigns to delegitimize and demonize Israel.” JPAC lists the Anti-Defamation League and other Zionist organizations among its members.

Last year, members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus proposed a raft of bills meant to stifle Palestine-related speech in public schools and on college campuses. Among those was AB 2918, a predecessor to AB 1468. When a diverse coalition of educators and advocates mounted a pressure campaign and succeeded in having it shelved, sponsors vowed to reintroduce it this year. “AB 1468 is AB 2918, but on steroids,” Guadalupe Cardona, a high school educator and member of the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium, told Truthout.

The new bill would require all ethnic studies curricula, instruction and instructional materials to undergo public hearings, be vetted by the state, and be posted on the Department of Education’s website. AB 1468 also outlines standards according to which ethnic studies materials should be reviewed, including mandating that instruction focus on “domestic experience and stories” and not cover “abstract ideological theories, causes, or pedagogies.”

In the proposed legislation, “there are so many layers of policing and surveillance that no other academic area has,” Tricia Gallagher-Geurtsen, co-chair of the San Diego Unified School District Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee and a lecturer in critical race and ethnic studies at UC Santa Cruz, told Truthout. “It’s absolutely unprecedented overreach, and it’s an arm of the state trying to censor what our children are learning [and] censor the truth of our students’ realities.”

Under AB 1468, the body responsible for vetting ethnic studies materials would be the California State Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission, whose current members include Sen. Ben Allen and Anita Friedman. Friedman is a board trustee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and executive director of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, an organization known for its efforts to silence discussions of Palestine and anti-Zionism in schools.

[obi-wokenobi]

Trump racist efforts to eliminate DEI (diversity initiatives) within the US government just resulted with innocent people dying.

According to recent reports, that plane/helicopter crash on January 29th, resulted from a staffing issue & the failure to follow safety measures.

There already existed a committee that oversaw air safety - the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. However on January 21st, Trump fired all the members of that committee. Arguing that it was a waste of resources. Which is funny because the fucker is now saying that the accident could've been prevented. If only he had not fired those in charge of preventing such accidents.

Also, on January 19th, Elon Musk had asked Trump to fire the director of the Federal Aviation Administration. Because said director demanded Musk's Space X to implement safety measures or else face a hefty fine. The director quit his post the next day, after being pressured to do so. To this day, the FAA does not have a director.

Speaking of the FAA, they had been having a shortage of critical air traffic controllers for years. And of course, Trump made that worse by issuing an anti-DEI executive order to halt recruitement programs that reached out to women and minorities. So now the FAA is limited to only hiring white, straight males.

Speaking of hiring straight white males, Trump appointed Sean Duffy, a former REALITY SHOW "celebrity", to be in charge of travel safety. Who is currently being blasted online for his incompetence and total lack of experience at the job.

I'm posting all of this here, not only because I usually tackle the issues related to DEI. But because the fucking mainstream media refuses to report on Trump's dangerous anti-DEI actions out of fear of facing any repercussions. We're like in freakin' Russia here. With the media being terrified to report facts less they get thrown out a window.

Their silence is complicit, tho. Because they're helping Trump carry out policies that have resulted in people losing their jobs, homes, and as we saw with the recent plane/helicopter crash, even losing their lives.

Anyway, its been less than a month since the orange turd became America's new tyrant. And the country is already fucked.

Have a good day!

[easfdasfas]

People's Daily commentator: With firm confidence, the private economy has broad prospects for development and great potential - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on private enterprises

"In the new era and new journey, the development prospects of the private economy are broad and promising." At a symposium on private enterprises held recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the development of the private economy from the perspective of the overall situation of China's modernization construction, and deeply encouraged private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to "see the future, the light and the future in the face of difficulties and challenges, maintain development determination, enhance development confidence, and maintain the spirit of hard work and winning."

The private economy is an important part of the national economy. Supporting the development of the private economy is a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy is a long-term strategy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, one of the important aspects of the rapid progress of China's private economy is that it has always adhered to the "two unshakable" principles, ensuring that all types of ownership economies use production factors equally in accordance with the law, participate in market competition fairly, and are equally protected by law, creating good conditions and opening up broad space for the development and growth of the private economy. At present, China's modernization construction has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright prospect. my country's private economy can only grow, not weaken. We have the confidence and ability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development and promote the high-quality development of the private economy to a new level.

Looking at the development foundation, my country's private economy has now formed a considerable scale and occupies a heavy weight, and there is a solid foundation for promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of registered private enterprises nationwide exceeds 55 million, and private enterprises account for more than 92% of the total number of enterprises. In terms of innovation capabilities, the private economy has contributed more than 70% of technological innovation results and has become an important subject of scientific and technological innovation in my country. From the domestic AI large model empowering the industrial chain to the humanoid robot stunning the world, it all proves that the scale, strength, innovation level and market competitiveness of the private economy have been greatly improved. As a new force in promoting Chinese-style modernization, private enterprises will surely play their strengths and prepare to set sail in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and promoting high-quality development.

Looking at the development stage, the development of my country's private economy is welcoming new opportunities and greater development space. Take the super-large market with a population of more than 1.4 billion as an example. With the implementation of the "two new" policies, "potential consumption" and "effective investment" will be further stimulated, driving the rapid growth of machinery and equipment, new energy vehicles, home appliances, retail and other industries. In the new era and new journey, my country's social productivity will continue to leap, people's living standards will steadily improve, and reform and opening up will be further deepened in an all-round way. These all contain huge development potential. By making full use of the advantages of a large number of talents and labor resources with excellent quality, and a complete supporting industrial system and infrastructure system, and seizing the opportunities of industrial and consumption upgrades, the private economy will be able to move towards a broader world.

Looking at development guarantees, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy" issued in 2023 covers aspects such as continuing to optimize the development environment of the private economy, increasing policy support for the private economy, and strengthening legal protection for the development of the private economy. Since last year, various reform measures deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are being implemented, from improving the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national projects, improving financing support policies and systems for private enterprises, standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, and accelerating the legislative process of the Private Economy Promotion Law. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages in many aspects. The continuous improvement and improvement of the socialist market economic system and the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics will provide a stronger guarantee for the development of the private economy.

[famousgardenpoetry]

People's Daily commentator: With firm confidence, the private economy has broad prospects for development and great potential - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on private enterprises

"In the new era and new journey, the development prospects of the private economy are broad and promising." At a symposium on private enterprises held recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the development of the private economy from the perspective of the overall situation of China's modernization construction, and deeply encouraged private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to "see the future, the light and the future in the face of difficulties and challenges, maintain development determination, enhance development confidence, and maintain the spirit of hard work and winning."

The private economy is an important part of the national economy. Supporting the development of the private economy is a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy is a long-term strategy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, one of the important aspects of the rapid progress of China's private economy is that it has always adhered to the "two unshakable" principles, ensuring that all types of ownership economies use production factors equally in accordance with the law, participate in market competition fairly, and are equally protected by law, creating good conditions and opening up broad space for the development and growth of the private economy. At present, China's modernization construction has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright prospect. my country's private economy can only grow, not weaken. We have the confidence and ability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development and promote the high-quality development of the private economy to a new level.

Looking at the development foundation, my country's private economy has now formed a considerable scale and occupies a heavy weight, and there is a solid foundation for promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of registered private enterprises nationwide exceeds 55 million, and private enterprises account for more than 92% of the total number of enterprises. In terms of innovation capabilities, the private economy has contributed more than 70% of technological innovation results and has become an important subject of scientific and technological innovation in my country. From the domestic AI large model empowering the industrial chain to the humanoid robot stunning the world, it all proves that the scale, strength, innovation level and market competitiveness of the private economy have been greatly improved. As a new force in promoting Chinese-style modernization, private enterprises will surely play their strengths and prepare to set sail in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and promoting high-quality development.

Looking at the development stage, the development of my country's private economy is welcoming new opportunities and greater development space. Take the super-large market with a population of more than 1.4 billion as an example. With the implementation of the "two new" policies, "potential consumption" and "effective investment" will be further stimulated, driving the rapid growth of machinery and equipment, new energy vehicles, home appliances, retail and other industries. In the new era and new journey, my country's social productivity will continue to leap, people's living standards will steadily improve, and reform and opening up will be further deepened in an all-round way. These all contain huge development potential. By making full use of the advantages of a large number of talents and labor resources with excellent quality, and a complete supporting industrial system and infrastructure system, and seizing the opportunities of industrial and consumption upgrades, the private economy will be able to move towards a broader world.

Looking at development guarantees, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy" issued in 2023 covers aspects such as continuing to optimize the development environment of the private economy, increasing policy support for the private economy, and strengthening legal protection for the development of the private economy. Since last year, various reform measures deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are being implemented, from improving the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national projects, improving financing support policies and systems for private enterprises, standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, and accelerating the legislative process of the Private Economy Promotion Law. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages in many aspects. The continuous improvement and improvement of the socialist market economic system and the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics will provide a stronger guarantee for the development of the private economy.

[magnificenthottubtriumph]

People's Daily commentator: With firm confidence, the private economy has broad prospects for development and great potential - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on private enterprises

"In the new era and new journey, the development prospects of the private economy are broad and promising." At a symposium on private enterprises held recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the development of the private economy from the perspective of the overall situation of China's modernization construction, and deeply encouraged private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to "see the future, the light and the future in the face of difficulties and challenges, maintain development determination, enhance development confidence, and maintain the spirit of hard work and winning."

The private economy is an important part of the national economy. Supporting the development of the private economy is a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy is a long-term strategy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, one of the important aspects of the rapid progress of China's private economy is that it has always adhered to the "two unshakable" principles, ensuring that all types of ownership economies use production factors equally in accordance with the law, participate in market competition fairly, and are equally protected by law, creating good conditions and opening up broad space for the development and growth of the private economy. At present, China's modernization construction has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright prospect. my country's private economy can only grow, not weaken. We have the confidence and ability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development and promote the high-quality development of the private economy to a new level.

Looking at the development foundation, my country's private economy has now formed a considerable scale and occupies a heavy weight, and there is a solid foundation for promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of registered private enterprises nationwide exceeds 55 million, and private enterprises account for more than 92% of the total number of enterprises. In terms of innovation capabilities, the private economy has contributed more than 70% of technological innovation results and has become an important subject of scientific and technological innovation in my country. From the domestic AI large model empowering the industrial chain to the humanoid robot stunning the world, it all proves that the scale, strength, innovation level and market competitiveness of the private economy have been greatly improved. As a new force in promoting Chinese-style modernization, private enterprises will surely play their strengths and prepare to set sail in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and promoting high-quality development.

Looking at the development stage, the development of my country's private economy is welcoming new opportunities and greater development space. Take the super-large market with a population of more than 1.4 billion as an example. With the implementation of the "two new" policies, "potential consumption" and "effective investment" will be further stimulated, driving the rapid growth of machinery and equipment, new energy vehicles, home appliances, retail and other industries. In the new era and new journey, my country's social productivity will continue to leap, people's living standards will steadily improve, and reform and opening up will be further deepened in an all-round way. These all contain huge development potential. By making full use of the advantages of a large number of talents and labor resources with excellent quality, and a complete supporting industrial system and infrastructure system, and seizing the opportunities of industrial and consumption upgrades, the private economy will be able to move towards a broader world.

Looking at development guarantees, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy" issued in 2023 covers aspects such as continuing to optimize the development environment of the private economy, increasing policy support for the private economy, and strengthening legal protection for the development of the private economy. Since last year, various reform measures deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are being implemented, from improving the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national projects, improving financing support policies and systems for private enterprises, standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, and accelerating the legislative process of the Private Economy Promotion Law. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages in many aspects. The continuous improvement and improvement of the socialist market economic system and the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics will provide a stronger guarantee for the development of the private economy.

[asfdsadsa]

People's Daily commentator: With firm confidence, the private economy has broad prospects for development and great potential - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on private enterprises

"In the new era and new journey, the development prospects of the private economy are broad and promising." At a symposium on private enterprises held recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the development of the private economy from the perspective of the overall situation of China's modernization construction, and deeply encouraged private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to "see the future, the light and the future in the face of difficulties and challenges, maintain development determination, enhance development confidence, and maintain the spirit of hard work and winning."

The private economy is an important part of the national economy. Supporting the development of the private economy is a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy is a long-term strategy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, one of the important aspects of the rapid progress of China's private economy is that it has always adhered to the "two unshakable" principles, ensuring that all types of ownership economies use production factors equally in accordance with the law, participate in market competition fairly, and are equally protected by law, creating good conditions and opening up broad space for the development and growth of the private economy. At present, China's modernization construction has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright prospect. my country's private economy can only grow, not weaken. We have the confidence and ability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development and promote the high-quality development of the private economy to a new level.

Looking at the development foundation, my country's private economy has now formed a considerable scale and occupies a heavy weight, and there is a solid foundation for promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of registered private enterprises nationwide exceeds 55 million, and private enterprises account for more than 92% of the total number of enterprises. In terms of innovation capabilities, the private economy has contributed more than 70% of technological innovation results and has become an important subject of scientific and technological innovation in my country. From the domestic AI large model empowering the industrial chain to the humanoid robot stunning the world, it all proves that the scale, strength, innovation level and market competitiveness of the private economy have been greatly improved. As a new force in promoting Chinese-style modernization, private enterprises will surely play their strengths and prepare to set sail in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and promoting high-quality development.

Looking at the development stage, the development of my country's private economy is welcoming new opportunities and greater development space. Take the super-large market with a population of more than 1.4 billion as an example. With the implementation of the "two new" policies, "potential consumption" and "effective investment" will be further stimulated, driving the rapid growth of machinery and equipment, new energy vehicles, home appliances, retail and other industries. In the new era and new journey, my country's social productivity will continue to leap, people's living standards will steadily improve, and reform and opening up will be further deepened in an all-round way. These all contain huge development potential. By making full use of the advantages of a large number of talents and labor resources with excellent quality, and a complete supporting industrial system and infrastructure system, and seizing the opportunities of industrial and consumption upgrades, the private economy will be able to move towards a broader world.

Looking at development guarantees, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy" issued in 2023 covers aspects such as continuing to optimize the development environment of the private economy, increasing policy support for the private economy, and strengthening legal protection for the development of the private economy. Since last year, various reform measures deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are being implemented, from improving the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national projects, improving financing support policies and systems for private enterprises, standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, and accelerating the legislative process of the Private Economy Promotion Law. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages in many aspects. The continuous improvement and improvement of the socialist market economic system and the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics will provide a stronger guarantee for the development of the private economy.

[iyrthdfvdfsfeasd]

People's Daily commentator: With firm confidence, the private economy has broad prospects for development and great potential - On studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on private enterprises

"In the new era and new journey, the development prospects of the private economy are broad and promising." At a symposium on private enterprises held recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the development of the private economy from the perspective of the overall situation of China's modernization construction, and deeply encouraged private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to "see the future, the light and the future in the face of difficulties and challenges, maintain development determination, enhance development confidence, and maintain the spirit of hard work and winning."

The private economy is an important part of the national economy. Supporting the development of the private economy is a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy is a long-term strategy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, one of the important aspects of the rapid progress of China's private economy is that it has always adhered to the "two unshakable" principles, ensuring that all types of ownership economies use production factors equally in accordance with the law, participate in market competition fairly, and are equally protected by law, creating good conditions and opening up broad space for the development and growth of the private economy. At present, China's modernization construction has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright prospect. my country's private economy can only grow, not weaken. We have the confidence and ability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development and promote the high-quality development of the private economy to a new level.

Looking at the development foundation, my country's private economy has now formed a considerable scale and occupies a heavy weight, and there is a solid foundation for promoting the high-quality development of the private economy. In terms of scale and quantity, the number of registered private enterprises nationwide exceeds 55 million, and private enterprises account for more than 92% of the total number of enterprises. In terms of innovation capabilities, the private economy has contributed more than 70% of technological innovation results and has become an important subject of scientific and technological innovation in my country. From the domestic AI large model empowering the industrial chain to the humanoid robot stunning the world, it all proves that the scale, strength, innovation level and market competitiveness of the private economy have been greatly improved. As a new force in promoting Chinese-style modernization, private enterprises will surely play their strengths and prepare to set sail in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and promoting high-quality development.

Looking at the development stage, the development of my country's private economy is welcoming new opportunities and greater development space. Take the super-large market with a population of more than 1.4 billion as an example. With the implementation of the "two new" policies, "potential consumption" and "effective investment" will be further stimulated, driving the rapid growth of machinery and equipment, new energy vehicles, home appliances, retail and other industries. In the new era and new journey, my country's social productivity will continue to leap, people's living standards will steadily improve, and reform and opening up will be further deepened in an all-round way. These all contain huge development potential. By making full use of the advantages of a large number of talents and labor resources with excellent quality, and a complete supporting industrial system and infrastructure system, and seizing the opportunities of industrial and consumption upgrades, the private economy will be able to move towards a broader world.

Looking at development guarantees, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy" issued in 2023 covers aspects such as continuing to optimize the development environment of the private economy, increasing policy support for the private economy, and strengthening legal protection for the development of the private economy. Since last year, various reform measures deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are being implemented, from improving the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national projects, improving financing support policies and systems for private enterprises, standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, and accelerating the legislative process of the Private Economy Promotion Law. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages in many aspects. The continuous improvement and improvement of the socialist market economic system and the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics will provide a stronger guarantee for the development of the private economy.

[rjzimmerman]

Biden to block oil drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. waters. (Washington Post)

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

President Joe Biden will moveMonday to block all future oil and gas drilling across more than 625 million acres of federal waters — equivalent to nearly a quarter of the total land area of the United States, according to two people briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement is not yet public.

The action underscores how Biden is racing to cement his legacy on climate change and conservation in his last weeks in office. President-elect Donald Trump, who has describedhis energy policy as “drill, baby, drill,” is likely to work with congressional Republicans to challenge the decision.

Biden will issue two memorandums that prohibit future federal oil and gas leasing across large swaths of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska, the two people said. The oil and gas industry has long prized the eastern Gulf of Mexico in particular, viewing the area as a key part of its offshore production plans.

The move could have the biggest impact in the Gulf of Mexico, which accounts for about 14 percent of the country’s crude oil production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Industry operations there focus on a small sliver of federal waters off Louisiana’s coast.

The decision would have little effect on a stretch of the Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida, where no drilling is underway.There is weak industry interest in the region, and lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about possible oil spills devastating local beaches and tourism.

In fact, Trump imposed a 10-year moratorium on offshore oil exploration off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina when courting voters there during his 2020 campaign. “This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come,” Trump said as he announced the election-year reversal during an appearance at a lighthouse in Florida.

The Northern Bering Sea, off the coast of western Alaska, is home to migrating marine mammals including bowhead and beluga whales, walruses and ice seals, which are hunted by many Alaska Natives. In 2016, President Barack Obama issued an executive order that prohibited oil and gas exploration across more than 112,000 square miles of marine habitat in the Northern Bering Sea and called for tribal comanagement of the protected area.

Biden plans to invoke the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president broad powers to withdraw federal waters from future leasing. A federal judge ruled in 2019 that such withdrawals cannot be undone without an act of Congress.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, suggested that he would seek to overturn the decision using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to nullify an executive action within 60 days of enactment with a simple majority vote.

The expected move is “yet another attempt by the Biden administration to undercut the incoming Trump administration and ignore the will of the American people — who decisively voted to reverse this war on American energy,” Lee said in an emailed statement, adding, “Senate Republicans will push back using every tool at our disposal.”

[saywhat-politics]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will no longer reimburse service members for travel out of state to get reproductive health care, including abortions and fertility treatments, according to a new memo.

The directive signed this week eliminates a rarely used Biden administration policy enacted in October 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and more states began to impose increased abortion restrictions.

Signed on Wednesday by Jeffrey Register, the director of the Pentagon’s human resources department, the memo simply shows red lines crossing out the previous regulation and offers no other guidance.

Asked if service members would still be allowed time off to travel at their own expense, the department had no immediate answer.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the policy change “shameful.”

[endcant]

Crossposted from my Tumblr Community: The Trans South

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The Trans South Monthly Bulletin Board

. * ❄ . ❅ * { Our pinned post for January 2025. } * ❅ . ❄ * .

in this issue: direct mutual aid opportunities, LGBTQ+ good news, southern events, job board, fun links, resources

comment anything you want to add, and i'll add what fits in this month's post. i'll be making a new post each month, so you may need to resubmit any links that are applicable for multiple months. i'll update this if i get new info in a timely way, but still check the comments for anything i missed!

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[UPDATED 1/24!] Direct Mutual Aid Opportunities:

Actually help a trans southerner today!

Requests in this section are submitted by TTS members.

Cecilpedia needs to eat!

Catgirl-smash needs help getting somewhere safe!

Turing-tested needs help with his grandmother's funerary expenses!

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the bright side:

the fact that you're alive is good news to me!

Good-enough news for LGBTQ+ Southerners.

The First Trans Community Center Opens in Arkansas | "'We declare that Arkansas Can’t Erase Trans People!' said Rumba Yambú, founder and director of Intransitive. 'We are here to stay, and we will keep fighting for our rights to ensure Trans people can build a future in Arkansas'."

Nashville Notary Battles Marriage Discrimination by Marrying Queer Couples | "Huff says... 'If you don’t have a family that’s gonna support you, there are so many other people that will. It’s really inspired me to keep the love going.'"

"Zebra Youth is expanding its short-term housing for LGBTQ+ youth" | "ORLANDO | Zebra Youth, a local nonprofit focused on providing services to LGBTQ+ youth, is expanding its short-term housing for queer youth this month thanks to a grant from the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida through its Brighter Days initiative."

"An Alabama city banned an LGBTQ+ Pride float from its Christmas parade. It marched anyways " | "Prattville Pride was able to march in the city's Christmas parade despite being banned the day prior after swift action from a federal judge."

[Bitter-sweet] Plans for Pulse Nightclub Memorial Move Forward | "ORLANDO | The Pulse nightclub building will be torn down as part of the future memorial design, the Pulse Memorial advisory committee said during its meeting Dec. 12."

More News

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[UPDATED 1/24!] southern events:

no affiliation, just interesting finds

Virtual/Twitch. Mon, Jan 27th. Nashville-based streamer Joe Hills welcomes special guest: trans activist Allison Chapman | "There's a lot of work to do, so let's chat about how each of us can help." Allison will talk about her work, and we can learn more about doing activist work in our own communities. 8:30 PM US Central Time.

Virtual/Zoom. Thurs, Jan 30th. Pre-register. Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Policy Seminar | "Are you interested in public policy and how it affects your community? Do you want to get involved in policy advocacy, but are unsure where to start? Join us for Policy Advocacy: What we do and how we do it on January 30 at 4-5:30pm ET!"

[event complete]Virtual.January 9.Beyond the Ballot: LGBTQ+ Equality and Legislative Trends for 2025 | A public event by Funders for LGBTQ issues: Attend for an overview on policy expectations for 2025.

Are you a member of The Trans South and you want me to find events in your area? DM me and tell me what you need me to know, so I can focus on the neighborhoods and budget ranges of people within our community <3

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[NEW SECTION!] opportunities:

Work, Volunteer, and Make Change in the South!

[closed] Disabled Artists, Tennessee. due [unknown time next week], unpaid. Submit Your Work for Breaking Ground Arts Issue

Black & Latino Gay & Bisexual Men Age 18-35, Middle Tennessee. due ASAP, earn $375 Southern TENNacity | "We are a team of Yale-affiliated LGBTQ+ scholars of color... We are now currently recruiting for the TENNacity trial, a 11-week group therapy treatment created by and for Black and Latino/x gay, bisexual, and queer men (inclusive of cisgender men, trans men, and nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth)."

Community Organizers, 1-2 Years Experience, Alabama. due date unknown, $23-$26/hr. Hometown Organizing Project/Hometown Action is hiring Lead Community Organizer for Gender Justice | "Hometown Action is an affiliated 501c4 nonprofit advocacy organization building a multiracial, working class, trans/queer-affirming movement for racial, gender, economic, and climate justice in rural and small town communities across Alabama."

Experienced Marketers, Texas and Georgia. due date unknown. Lambda Legal is Hiring Remotely for Director of Integrated Marketing Position | "Lambda Legal is a national advocacy organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work."

[closed] Regularatory Activism, Nationaldue Jan 17Comment on Fair Standards Labor Act Changes

[closed] Subject Matter Experts, Nationaldue Jan 11You Can Make a Difference by Serving on an HHS National Advisory Board/Committees

Are you a member of The Trans South and you want me to find opportunities in your area? DM me and tell me what you need me to know, so I can focus on the neighborhoods and goals of people within our community <3

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fun links:

media, literature, and games keeping me going this month

Read "Love Letter From A Poet Under Empire" by Mónica Teresa Ortiz | "The South isn't just a site of burials... but also of refusals: a list of those speaking out against the brutality that the state imposes."

Watch Black in Appalachia on PBS.org | Black in Appalachia explores the roots of African-American influence on the history and culture of Appalachia through documentaries, research, local narratives, public engagement and exhibition.

CSS Diner | Learn about CSS with this diner-themed game. Knowing CSS can help you learn to publish indie websites outside of social media!

More Fun

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useful links:

interesting resources and organizations you should know about

Repro Legal Defense Fund | The Repro Legal Defense Fund provides financial support for people investigated or fighting charges related to their pregnancy or abortion.

Trans in the South: A Directory of Trans-Affirming Health & Legal Service Providers | "Trans in the South is dedicated to every trans Southerner who persists in growing in this rocky clay soil."

More Resources

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If you're an adult trans person in the U.S. South, join my Tumblr Community: The Trans South.

If you're a teen trans person in the U.S. South and you create a youth community for trans southerners, let me know and I'll link to it in The Trans South.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

There was nothing lazy about a former government's decision to ban fracking in Nova Scotia, MLAs heard on Monday. Multiple presenters to the legislature's committee on public bills said the Houston government's plan to lift the ban on uranium exploration and mining and the moratorium on fracking for onshore gas, as proposed in the omnibus legislation Bill 6, should not happen without robust public consultation — if it happens at all. For several months, Premier Tim Houston has said blanket bans on resource development are the result of lazy government policy and pressure exerted by special interest groups that, to date, neither the premier nor anyone from his government has been willing to identify.

Continue reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jessica Valenti at Abortion, Every Day:

Well this is a nightmare: A new Missouri bill would create a state-run registry of pregnant women the government deems “at risk for seeking an abortion.” If tracking pregnant women wasn’t dystopian enough, the Republican-sponsored legislation would also give people interested in adopting babies access to this registry—because what’s more on brand for Republicans than turning pregnancy into a state-monitored marketplace? “We’re looking at something like e-Harmony for babies,” adoption attorney Gerard Harms told the House Children and Families Committee. Harms apparently worked on the bill alongside its sponsor, Rep. Phil Amato. I don’t think I need to explain why this is terrifying. Missouri Republicans are proposing a government database to track pregnant women they suspect might want an abortion. But how would the state decide who makes the list? What qualifies someone as “at risk of seeking an abortion”? And why in the ever-loving fuck would they hand over these women’s information to anyone?

If the premise isn’t chilling enough, the fine print makes it even worse. The bill appears to clear the way for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to run the registry: House Bill 807 states that Missouri will hire outside “contractors” to run the system—specifically ones with a “proven record of providing resources to expectant mothers and children.” Sound familiar? Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) already receive millions in funding from Republican-led states, prey on vulnerable women, and have deep ties to evangelical adoption agencies. Many also run ‘maternity homes’—residential facilities that seek to shame and control pregnant women, and pressure them into terminating their parental rights. And let’s not forget: Republicans in multiple states are also pushing to “streamline” adoption processes, aka making it easier for the state to terminate people’s parental rights.

Meanwhile, these centers have a long history of tracking and misusing women’s data. It wasn’t long ago that Abortion, Every Day revealed how Heartbeat International—the country’s largest network of crisis pregnancy centers—was lying to women about how their personal information was being stored and shared. Knowing all of the above, I’ll tell you what this Missouri bill sounds like to me: Republicans creating a system that targets vulnerable pregnant people they deem “unfit,” coercing them into giving birth and surrendering their parental rights, then placing their children with families it considers more ‘worthy.’ I think we all know the race and class implications here, too. What’s more, the bill also says that the groups offering these services “shall have qualified immunity from civil liability for providing such services.” In other words, they could track, manipulate, and exploit pregnant women without fear of lawsuits. Policy attempts like this are nothing new: We’ve watched Republicans like then-Senator Marco Rubio push for a state-run website to collect data on pregnant women—all while claiming to 'help women.'

Anti-abortion bill Missouri HB807 is about the creation of a state-run registry of pregnant women.

See Also:

Fox2now: Missouri bill proposes registry for pregnant mothers

[wiisagi-maiingan]

“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” wrote Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

[. . .]

"The scope of this illegal action is unprecedented and could have devastating consequences across the country,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “For real people, we could see a screeching halt to resources for child care, cancer research, housing, police officers, opioid addiction treatment, rebuilding roads and bridges, and even disaster relief efforts.”

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Sign of the Day - Boston again… another great overpass banner sign there….

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 4, 2025

Heather Cox Richardson

Jun 04, 2025

Just hours after President Donald J. Trump posted on social media yesterday that “[b]ecause of Tariffs, our Economy is BOOMING!” a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the opposite. Founded in 1961, the OECD is a forum in which 38 market-based democracies cooperate to promote sustainable economic growth.

The OECD’s economic outlook reports that economic growth around the globe is slowing because of Trump’s trade war. It projects global growth slowing from 3.3% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025 and 2026. That economic slowdown is concentrated primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China.

The OECD predicts that growth in the United States will decline from 2.8% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released two analyses today of Trump’s policies that add more detail to that report. The CBO’s estimate for the effect of Trump’s current tariffs—which are unlikely to stay as they are—is that they will raise inflation and slow economic growth as consumers bear their costs. The CBO says it is hard to anticipate how the tariffs will change purchasing behavior, but it estimates that the tariffs will reduce the deficit by $2.8 trillion over ten years.

Also today, the CBO’s analysis of the Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” is that it will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade because the $1.2 trillion in spending cuts in the measure do not fully offset the $3.7 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Republicans have met this CBO score with attacks on the CBO, but its estimate is in keeping with those of a wide range of economists and think tanks.

Taken together, these studies illustrate how Trump’s economic policies are designed to transfer wealth from consumers to the wealthy and corporations. From 1981 to 2021, American policies moved $50 trillion from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%. After Biden stopped that upward transfer, the Trump administration is restarting it again, on steroids.

Just how these policies are affecting Americans is no longer clear, though. Matt Grossman of the Wall Street Journal reported today that economists no longer trust the accuracy of the government’s inflation data. Officials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles a huge monthly survey of employment and costs, told economists that staffing shortages and a hiring freeze have forced them to cut back on their research and use less precise methods for figuring out price changes. Grossman reports that the bureau has also cut back on the number of places where it collects data and that the administration has gotten rid of committees of external experts that worked to improve government statistics.

There is more than money at stake in the administration’s policies. The administration's gutting of the government seeks to decimate the modern government that regulates business, provides a basic social safety net, promotes infrastructure, and protects civil rights and to replace it with a government that permits a few wealthy men to rule.

The CBO score for the Republicans’ omnibus bill projects that if it is enacted, 16 million people will lose access to healthcare insurance over the next decade in what is essentially an assault on the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The bill also dramatically cuts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits, clean energy credits, aid for student borrowers, benefits for federal workers, and consumer protection services, while requiring the sale of public natural resources.

These cuts continue those the administration has made since Trump took office, many of which fell under the hand of the “Department of Government Efficiency.” But, while billionaire Elon Musk was the figurehead for that group, it appears his main interest was in collecting data. His understudy, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, appears to have determined the direction of the cuts, which did not save money so much as decimate the parts of the government that the authors of Project 2025 wanted to destroy.

Vought was a key author of Project 2025, whose aim is to disrupt and destroy the United States government in order to center a Christian, heteronormative, male-dominated family as the primary element of society. To do so, the plan calls for destroying the administrative state, withdrawing the United States from global affairs, and ending environmental and business regulations.

Yesterday the White House asked Congress to cancel $9.4 billion in already-appropriated spending that the Department of Government Efficiency identified as wasteful, a procedure known as “rescission.” Trump aides say the money funds programs that promote what they consider inappropriate ideologies, including public media networks PBS and NPR; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides food and basic medical care globally; and PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that was established under President George W. Bush to combat HIV/AIDS in more than 50 countries and is currently credited with saving about 26 million lives.

Vought appeared today before the House Appropriations Committee, where members scolded him for neglecting to provide a budget for the year, which they need to do their jobs. But Vought had plenty to say about the things he is doing. According to ProPublica’s Andy Kroll, he claimed that under Biden “every agency became a tool of the Left.” He said the White House will continue to ask for rescissions, but also noted that, as Project 2025 laid out, he does not believe that the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive branch to spend the money that Congress has appropriated, is constitutional, despite court decisions saying it is.

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) told Vought: “Be honest, this is never about government efficiency. In fact, an efficient government, a government that capably serves the American people and proves good government is achievable is what you fear the most. You want a government so broken, so dysfunctional, so starved of resources, so full of incompetent political lackeys and bereft of experts and professionals that its departments and agencies cannot feasibly achieve the goals and the missions to which they are lawfully directed. Your goal is privatization, for the biggest companies to have unchecked power, for an economy that does not work for the middle class, for working and vulnerable families. You want the American people to have no one to turn to, but to the billionaires and the corporations this administration has put in charge. Waste, fraud, and abuse are not the targets of this administration. They are your primary objectives.”

The use of the government to impose evangelical beliefs on the country, even at the expense of lives, also appears to be an administration goal. Yesterday, the administration announced it is ending the Biden administration’s 2022 guidance to hospital emergency rooms that accept Medicare—which is virtually all of them—requiring that under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act they must perform an abortion in an emergency if the procedure is necessary to prevent a patient’s organ failure or severe hemorrhaging. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act requires emergency rooms to stabilize patients.

The Trump administration will no longer enforce that policy. Last year, an investigation by the Associated Press found that even when the Biden administration policy was being enforced, dozens of pregnant women, some of whom needed emergency abortions, were turned away from emergency rooms with advice to “let nature take its course.”

Finally tonight, in what seems likely to be an attempt to distract attention from the omnibus bill and all the controversy surrounding it, Trump banned Harvard from hosting foreign students. He also banned nationals from a dozen countries—Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—from entering the United States, an echo of the travel ban of his first term that threw the country into chaos.

Trump justified his travel ban by citing the attack Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, on peaceful demonstrators marching to support Israeli hostages in Gaza. An Egyptian national who had overstayed a tourist visa hurled Molotov cocktails at the marchers, injuring 15 people.

Egypt is not on the list of countries whose nationals Trump has banned from the United States.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[fairyfawm]

if you live in aotearoa and you haven't made a submission on the regulatory standards bill please consider doing so!

here is a link tree with a bunch of articles, information, and resources, and a google doc that i think is particularly helpful (if you don't know where to start, try the google doc).

you can submit your thoughts to the select committee here until 1pm 23 june NZST.

if you're not up for writing much even just saying you oppose it and giving a single sentence reason why is great! could be related to it breaching te tiriti, worsening greenhouse gas emissions, lack of environmental protections, prioritisation of profit for the wealthy over public interest and safety, ignoring of inequality and the necessity of equity based policies, or the financial cost of compensating companies for lost profits and the effects that would have on tax rates and funding for public services.