Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot"
Shanahan separately made news on Thursday when it was revealed that she had poured another $8 million into Kennedy’s campaign coffers, adding to the $2 million she previously gave in March, and other funds she has routed to his Super PAC.
People are going to say “Bobby only picked me for my money,” she quipped at a fundraiser in Tennessee.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr’s running mate has aligned herself with fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Nicole Shanahan, a 38-year-old California-based lawyer and now RFK Jr’s vice-president pick, mentioned the disgraced conservative media host at a campaign event last Thursday in Maine, where Carlson has a home.
“I’m sitting across from Tucker, and he and I are so on the same page in every single way,” Shanahan beamed, according to the Daily Beast. “We are on the same page because we have left establishment thinking once and for all.”
Shanahan, who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, posted Thursday night on X that she is, “gearing up to make some big donations to members of Congress who are protecting our Constitutional freedoms.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is at “the top of my list,” she added.
Shanahan scored big in her 2022 divorce from Google founder Sergey Brin, who has a net worth of $135.1 billion, according to Forbes. She has helped finance RFK Jr.’s 2024 campaign for president with the money she received from the split.
Her alignment with Massie is a telling admission for a largely unknown figure who only recently burst onto the political scene. The Kentucky congressman is among the U.S. House of Representatives’ most conservative members.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s popularity has plummeted in the past year, polls have shown.
According to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Kennedy, the son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, has seen his favorability rating decline from 42.1 percent on June 4, 2023, to 35.3 percent on June 4, 2024. It's a change from a net score of +15.5 percent favorable to -6.6 percent unfavorable in 12 months.
The covert campaign was commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, a government body that connects Jews around the world with the State of Israel, four Israeli officials said. The ministry allocated about $2 million to the operation and hired Stoic, a political marketing firm in Tel Aviv, to carry it out, according to the officials and the documents.
The campaign began in October and remains active on the platform X. At its peak, it used hundreds of fake accounts that posed as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments. The accounts focused on U.S. lawmakers, particularly ones who are Black and Democrats, such as Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, with posts urging them to continue funding Israel’s military.
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, was used to generate many of the posts. The campaign also created three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles.
Joe Biden has said that there is “every reason” to draw the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political self-preservation.
Biden made the remarks about the Israeli prime minister in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday morning, drawing a sharp response from the Israeli government, which accused the US president of straying from diplomatic norms.
Netanyahu’s popularity plummeted after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which exposed serious flaws in Israeli security. Most political observers say Netanyahu would lose elections if they were held now, and would be forced into opposition, facing court hearings on corruption charges. But elections have been put off until the war is over, or at least until major military operations are deemed to have been completed.
Time asked Biden whether he believed Netanyahu was “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” the president said in response, but added: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
We end today’s show looking at Israel’s war on Gaza and its impact on Palestinian children. More than 15,000 Palestinian children have been killed over the past eight months, and Palestinian officials are warning over 3,500 children are at risk of death due to starvation.
We’re joined now by Janti Soeripto, the president and CEO of Save the Children US.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us. You and other CEO and presidents of major human rights and humanitarian organizations and NGOs have written an op-ed. Talk about what you are calling for, Janti.
JANTI SOERIPTO: Thanks, Amy, for having me.
And, yes, we wrote that op-ed in December for The New York Times, essentially calling out the risk of what we see happening now: casualties, deaths at a massive, massive scale, particularly of children, which, in our view, are avoidable if there was a ceasefire. And we have called on that for months and months now, ceasefire for all parties to adhere, to release hostages and to allow aid come in at a massive scale.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Janti, when you spoke at the United Nations in April, you said that more children have been killed in this conflict than have been killed in all armed conflicts globally over the past four years. Is it your sense that the world community is acting at a speed necessary for what’s going on here?
JANTI SOERIPTO: No. Looking at the results on the ground, clearly, clearly, that is not the case. We see — and sometimes these numbers, I think, numb people, right? Because behind every number is a child, are its parents, the community, the family that loses that child. And we’ve always said, for months now, put yourselves in the shoes of those parents, of those innocent civilians who are caught up in this conflict, and imagine that it was your child, your cousin, your grandchild that was exposed to this level of trauma, let alone death. And sometimes that makes people remember their humanity.
But if you look at the actions on the ground, even over these past couple of weeks, it has even gotten worse. I was in Gaza myself eight weeks ago, and I saw, sadly, exactly what I expected to see: scores of children, huge undernutrition, malnutrition, children without shoes, children without a home, people sleeping in tents, often with 20 or 30 people at a time, no access to clean water. Real health issues abound, children with rashes, coughing, fevers, pneumonia, etc. And it’s gotten worse since. When I was there eight weeks ago, not nearly enough trucks made it in. I think there were about 150 or so a day. Over the last couple of weeks, it has really slowed down to a trickle, because of the closure even of the few crossings that were open. And then there are areas within the Gaza Strip that have had no aid supplies whatsoever for the last — for these last past months.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I wanted to ask you — we’ve seen all of the protests at American universities and schools, and the repression, as these students have sought to raise the issue of what’s happening in Palestine. But could you remind our viewers and listeners what the education situation is like in Gaza, what the school situation for many of these young people — for all of the young people of Gaza is right now?
JANTI SOERIPTO: Right. So, children have been out of school since the start of this conflict. We estimate — I mean, we don’t know the exact numbers, of course, because it’s so hard to get people on the ground, but we estimate that over 80% of schools are either damaged or completely destroyed. What’s left of some of these schools are actually populated by people who are displaced. So there is no way schools can function at this point in Gaza. Save the Children has been running, where we can do so safely, learning spaces, child-friendly spaces, as we call them, where children can be children. They play. They learn. But clearly, this is not even close to resembling, you know, a formal education system. We’re many, many months behind that.
AMY GOODMAN: So, what specifically are you calling for, Janti Soeripto? As you sit there in the nation’s capital, in Washington, D.C., what are you demanding of the Biden administration at this point? As you say, this is unprecedented, not to mention the 15,000 children dead, 3,500 facing death by starvation — even if they don’t die, how they’re affected for the rest of their lives.
JANTI SOERIPTO: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, there are numbers that are estimated that 17,000 children have lost their parents or at least one parent. So, no, the trauma is unimaginable. We’ve been calling four months now for a ceasefire, for all parties to adhere to it, for the violence to stop, and then for allowing massive aid to come in, to flood Gaza, to make sure people get access to clean water, to food, to shelter, and every other basic supplies in order to start rebuilding their lives, and for humanitarian workers to be able to do their work safely and securely.
AMY GOODMAN: Janti Soeripto, I also want to ask you about your recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo —
JANTI SOERIPTO: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: — where over 7 million people have been forced from their homes in one of the world’s largest displacement crises. Can you talk about what Save the Children is calling for there now and what you found?
JANTI SOERIPTO: Well, first and foremost — and that’s partly why I traveled — attention for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a vast country, a country that contains multitudes. So, as you say, one of the largest — the largest displacement crisis in the world today, over 7 million people displaced. Huge conflict, particularly in the east of the country, with scores of armed groups and international armies fighting, which displaces people and puts people at risk. And at the same time, unbelievable wealth of resources, critical for our energy transition for the world — the lungs of Africa, as it’s called, and it’s also one of the biggest carbon sinks in the world. So, the DRC should play a much more important, critical role for the international community, and it should get attention and the support its population deserves.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And briefly, what do you think Washington could do right now in terms of what’s going on in the Congo?
JANTI SOERIPTO: Support the peace process. There has to be peace in the DRC to really have sustainable development and support for its population, in particular the many, many millions of children. Support the peace process that’s running. Make sure men with guns come to the table and agree that this is no way to support this great country. And then, really put funding behind the work in Congo. Currently, the humanitarian resource plan for the DRC is funded, I think, by 17%, so 17% of the required funding — that’s an estimation of the United Nations — is currently funded. So, that gives you a sense of how big the gap is between what is needed and what we actually have.
I was visiting an IDP camp there in the east last week, and Save the Children was literally the only humanitarian organization in that particular camp, of 20,000 people who were displaced, who was actively providing some services there. And that is really a rare sight to see.
AMY GOODMAN: IDP camp is an internally displaced persons camp. I want to end with your Twitter thread. You said, “Firstly, we’re all more connected to the DRC than we realize. The country holds over 70% of the world’s cobalt supply, a mineral used in virtually all batteries, including cellphones, laptops and electric vehicles.” Just an interesting note to end on. Janti Soeripto, we thank you so much for being with us, president and CEO of Save the Children US.
That does it for our program. Democracy Now!_ is produced with Mike Burke, Renée Feltz, Deena Guzder, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Messiah Rhodes, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud, Hana Elias. Our executive director is Julie Crosby. Special thanks to Becca Staley, Jon Randolph, Paul Powell, Mike Di Filippo, Miguel Nogueira, Hugh Gran, Denis Moynihan, David Prude, Dennis McCormick, Matt Ealy, Anna Özbek, Emily Andersen and Buffy Saint Marie Hernandez.
Our podcasts are available where you get your podcasts, both video and audio podcasts. And you can go to our website, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
In late April, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimated that "Israel" dropped more than approximately 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, over the six months between October 7 and April 24, surpassing the combined amount of bombs dropped on Dresden, Hamburg, and London during World War II.
"It is estimated that Israel has dropped more than 70,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip in addition to its bulldozing operations, destroying all buildings at a distance of up to one kilometer in the east and north of the Strip to create a so-called buffer zone," according to the Geneva-based human rights monitor organization.
Gaza remains under assault. Day 243 of the assault in the wave that began in October. Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion. The ongoing campaign in Gaza by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction. But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge for the propaganda outlets: How to justify it? Fortunately for Israel, the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence." CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund." ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them." NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll. The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza." The slaughter continues. It has displaced over 1 million people per the US Congressional Research Service. Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide." The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher. United Nations Women noted, "More than 1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza -- have been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "Gaza death toll reaches 36,550, with 82,959 wounded." Months ago, AP noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing." February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000 Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of their former home." February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe Lazzarini Tweeted:
Israel is phasing out the use of the detention camp of Sde Teiman in Israel’s Negev desert, a state attorney told Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday during a first-ever hearing about the facility where hundreds of Palestinian detainees from Gaza have allegedly been held under conditions of extreme abuse.
State attorney Aner Helman told the court that 700 inmates had been moved to Ofer military facility in the occupied West Bank, with another 500 were set to be transferred in the weeks to come. Around 200 detainees will remain in Sde Teiman, said Helman, who added that the state would provide an update on their status within three days.
The hearing comes in response to a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and other human rights groups, which drew heavily on CNN reporting about the makeshift prison to make a case for it to be shut down.
CNN’s investigation, in which Israeli whistleblowers as well as Palestinian former detainees and eyewitnesses described horrific conditions at the facility, including continuous blindfolding and handcuffing, sparked an international outcry.
Read the full story here.
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